Could the longest-running animated series be ending?
"Won't someone please think of the children?" is what we've been saying about the series for quite some time.
Could 'The Simpsons' be ending? Maybe. Possibly. Probably not. Well, according to showrunner Al Jean, he might only be able to get two more seasons of the sitcom before it ends.
The 700th episode of the series, about the lives of the titular family and various other characters in Springfield aired over in the US last night, called 'Manger Things'. On the back of that, the comedy has been renewed for two more seasons which will take it up to the year 2023.
As far as Jean is concerned, the series will probably never make it to the 1000 episodes mark (which would take another 12 years *gulps*).
Speaking with Variety recently, he said: "We’re going to definitely do 757. I wouldn’t say that’s the end but I don’t know how much further we can go."
He remains confident that, should the series end, an inevitable reboot will happen with the Simpson family. He continued: "As soon as they cancel us, they’ll reboot us. I’m confident, after I’m gone, there’ll be some sort of 'Simpsons' coming. It’s too ubiquitous to think that it’ll just disappear."
True enough, there is a sequel to 'The Simpsons' in the pipeline over at Disney. Believed to be another standalone feature, and not a direct sequel to the 2007 creation, 'The Simpsons 2' is still in development at the House of Mouse.
'The Simpsons' has been running since 1989, and is currently on its 32 season. The series, although still a firm favourite with fans, definitely isn't what it used to be. The early seasons are classics, with the last 20 seasons or so just not hitting the mark in terms of stellar comedy.
The first 31 seasons of 'The Simpsons' are available to watch on Disney+.