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.