‘The Simpsons’ Showrunner Says the Animated Hit Will Never Have a Series Finale

The Simpsons, which airs its 800th episode on Sunday, February 15, has already been renewed through Season 40, meaning your favorite Springfield family will stay on TV for years yet. But when the animated Fox hit does end, don’t expect a sentimental final episode. In fact, The Simpsons is “never going to do a series finale,” according to showrunner Matt Selman.

“We did an episode about a year and a half ago that was like a parody of the series finale. We jammed every possible series finale concept into one show, so that was sort of my way of saying we’re never going to do a series finale,” Selman told TheWrap in a recent interview. “We did a series finale in the middle of the show that made fun of all the ideas of wrapping everything up or ending.”

That series-finale fake-out came in the Season 36 opener, “Bart’s Birthday,” which featured a slew of celebrity guest stars in an episode that seemingly had beloved characters moving on from their Springfield existences. But of course, everyone was back in town the week after.

“The show isn’t supposed to change,” Selman added. “The characters reset every week. It’s like Groundhog Day, but they don’t know it — and they don’t die that much. If the show ever did end, there’s no finale, it would just be a regular episode that has the family in it. Probably a little Easter egg here and there, but no ‘I’m going to miss this place.’”

Selman, who joined The Simpsons in 1997 and became sole showrunner in 2024, said the show’s writers and producers have tried to make each of the 800 episodes so far “its own amazing little mini movie that stands on its own and is original from the other 799.”

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That includes the milestone 800th episode, this Sunday’s “Irrational Treasure,” in which Marge’s efforts to get the family dog in better shape include enrolling Santa’s Little Helper in the National Dog Show. After arriving in Philadelphia for the event, however, Marge, Homer, and Santa’s Little Helper get mixed up in a historical conspiracy adventure worthy of a National Treasure movie, Fox says.

And the episodic nature of The Simpsons helps explain why it’s been on the air since 1987. “We’ve done 800 episodes, and I’m really glad we didn’t do a big overarching story,” Al Jean, executive producer and former showrunner, recently told the Associated Press. “You always return to square one at the end of the show. And there’s no question that was a big influence on the longevity.”

The Simpsons, 800th Episode, Sunday, February 15, 8/7c, Fox