Is the End Nigh for The Simpsons?
Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at 3:01PM Sebastian here, reporting some non-news that could turn out to be big news for a staple of Sunday night television.
What's on TV? Maybe not them.
The Simpsons has been on the air for over a quarter century, longer than any other U.S. primetime television series.* But every streak has to come to an end at some point, and it's possible that the end may come as soon as this fall.
As of right now, there has not been official word from Fox about a renewel of the show past the already ordered 22 episodes of the current production run. 15 of those will have aired by May 17, the end of The Simpsons' 26th broadcast season. That leaves seven episodes for a 27th season, and uncertainty after that.
How likely is cancellation? Website Dead Homer Society gives this analysis:
These negotiations have gone down to the wire several times over the (sigh) decades, and they always find a way to pull through because everyone involved keeps making money that way. Yes, the ratings get lower every year, but that’s true for network teevee in general; and for all its many (many) problems, Zombie Simpsons is still strong among the youthful demographics that advertisers pay top dollar to reach.
But that was a week ago. Last night, Erika Isabel Verga, on The Simpsons' animation staff since 2006, tweeted:
That moment when a director goes around saying good-bye to the remaining crew saying "See you next season, if there is one..." #TheSimpsons
— Erika Isabel Vega (@eiVega) April 14, 2015
Wether they get cancelled tomorrow or continue to run for another 30 years, The Simpsons have without a doubt earned their place in the pantheon of popular entertainment. For the sake of the many hard-working artists employed by the show, let's hope there will be certainty on this matter soon.
*) This post originally stated that "The Simpsons has been on the air longer than any other scripted television series in the history of the medium," which is not true.
TV, The Simpsons, Twitter, comedy
Reader Comments (13)
Really, at this point, The Simpsons has been around so long that either they change their art style NOW (possibly alienating a few viewers, but maybe drawing back quite a few of the people who've grown bored of the original art style) (compare any episode of The Simpsons after 1998 to Futurama or the later DCAU entries or Samurai Jack or ANYTHING more likely to catch viewer attention) or they stay dormant for five years or so and THEN have the style changed. Either way, it's probably sink or swim time, even if the "sink" is probably only going to be temporary.
Still good ratings, after all these years. In the fall, in particular, it does well. If it does go, I hope Fox keeps doing the classic Halloween specials.
Bia: YES. Treehouse of Horror is EVERYTHING when it comes to Simpsons post 2000.
I read recently they are no longer releasing the show on DVD. I know that has more to do with the decline of the DVD market, but interesting that soon the only place to watch The Simpsons could be streaming online.
Ah, the Simpsons. I remember that show. Loved it as a kid (I was as exactly as old as Lisa when it first aired). It had a fantastic run of eight terrific seasons, and then it was mercifully taken off the air when its ninth season showed signs of some decline.
Or so I like to believe.
The show hasn't been good since the year 2000. But from 1992-2000, it was divine.
That's a story I like to tell myself, too, MrW.
It seems like an unforgivable crime that they wouldn't let the longest-running scripted show in primetime history go off the air without some sort of warning. They seriously wouldn't let them do a sendoff?
"The Simpsons has been on the air for over a quarter century, longer than any other scripted television series in the history of the medium." - does Coronation Street not have a script?
Or numerous daytime soap operas - some of which are still on the air.
James and Keith: you are right, that should have read "longer than any other U.S. primetime television series." Sorry for the mistake.
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