Currently in its 33rd season, there are no plans for the animated sitcom “The Simpsons” to end anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean showrunner and longtime writer Al Jean doesn’t have an idea in mind for how the story of “The Simpsons” would end, should it actually take a bow and exit stage left.
Speaking with RadioTimes.com, Jean revealed that he’s envisioned the show coming full circle with a series finale that would bring the story all the way back to the pilot. “I mentioned that there would be an ending where the last episode, they’d be going back to the Christmas pageant from the first episode [‘Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire’], so that the whole series was a continuous loop – that’s how I would end it, if I had to.”
The first episode of “The Simpsons” aired on Dec. 17, 1989, and began with the family leaving the Springfield Elementary School Christmas pageant. So having the series finale end with the family attending the pageant would certainly be a meta way to conclude one of the longest-running TV shows in history.
That said, while the show has come close to ending before, Jean said in the same interview that the success of the show on Disney+ has led to renewed interest in keeping the series going. “To be honest, the talk of ending, especially as we’re doing really well on Disney+ in the U.S. and the U.K. and other countries in the Americas, I don’t see anybody going, ‘Let’s wrap it up, or figure out how to get out of it’ at the moment,’” he said.
Indeed, all episodes of “The Simpsons” are currently streaming on Disney+, and in some brand cross-promotion the “Simpsons” team have been creating short films that find the characters interacting with other Disney properties like “Star Wars” and Marvel.
So yeah, the end does not appear to be in sight, but if and when the time comes – assuming Jean is still with the series – don’t be surprised if it ends where it all began.