In 1995, The Simpsons aired the “138th Episode Spectacular,” where Troy McClure wondered what adventures Springfield’s first family would have “between now and the time the show becomes unpopular.” Well, we’re now almost two decades on from that, and the clan are still forging ahead with new episodes after being renewed for 35th and 36th seasons.
Even Hank Azaria, who voices multiple characters on the show, has admitted he has no idea whether The Simpsons will ever truly end. Speaking to People Magazine, he said he’d be a fool to even think about quitting.
“Well, I’d be silly to leave because they pay me, first of all.”
And as for whether the end of the show is even in sight?
“I wonder about that, too. You know, we’re doing season 35 and 36. I would guess that it would probably go to 40. It seems to be doing well. … But whatever the standards are now, we seem to be doing well. People still enjoy making it. They seem to want the show. So I imagine we keep going. The voices don’t really age. So we can keep doing it. And the animation doesn’t age. The animation does get better — and quicker.”
It’s worth noting that The Simpsons is in the middle of a low-key renaissance. Sure, it’s not hitting the heights of its peak in the mid-90s, but an influx of new writing talent has breathed some new life into the show, perhaps as proven by last October’s excellent anime-themed Treehouse of Horror.
What of the future beyond that? Well, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are locked in time at their current ages, though their voice actors aren’t getting any younger. Recasting any of the major roles would be enormously controversial given how iconic these performances are, but we suspect that there have been at least some furtive discussions behind the scenes about whether they could use AI voices to keep the show going until the heat death of the universe.
Either way, people are still tuning in to check out Homer’s latest goofs, so The Simpsons isn’t going anywhere.
