Showrunner Al Jean recently speculated on a “perfect ending” to The Simpsons, but his idea was already covered 20 years ago. The animated sitcom has been renewed for seasons 33 and 34, with the creative team now pondering on how exactly the show could end. Created by Matt Groening and beginning as a series of short sketches on The Tracy Ullman Show in 1987, The Simpsons was quickly promoted to half-hour episodes and is now the longest-running American scripted primetime TV show.
For a series to run as long as The Simpsons, there’s bound to be a dip in quality, and Groening’s creation has suffered a considerable fall from greatness. Seasons 3-8 are generally considered The Simpsons’ golden age, whereas subsequent episodes increasingly relied on guest stars and zany gimmicks, opposed to the heartfelt, character-driven stories of the early years. There have also been numerous occasions where the show recycled old storylines, and Al Jean’s pitch is one such example. Speaking at a panel for The Simpsons’ cast and crew during Comic-Con@Home 2021, Al Jean contemplated ending the show “like the Friends reunion, where the characters all age 25 years and come back.” This is just one of two ideas Jean proposed, albeit seemingly in jest.
Not only would this be a strange way to end the show, but the gimmick was already used in the season 11 finale “Behind the Laughter”, which takes the form of a mockumentary. “Behind the Laughter” was generally well-received, even if it’s rarely ranked among the show’s crowning achievements. Assumed to be non-canon like the "Treehouse of Horror" installments, this episode interviews the family for a fictional making-of documentary, in which Homer reveals it was his idea to script a sitcom that he thought reflected “realistic” families like his own. Charting the rise and fall of their family’s success, the mockumentary spotlights the dark side of fame. Homer becomes addicted to painkillers to endure his frequent stunts, beginning with his disastrous attempt to jump the Springfield Gorge. Meanwhile, Bart enters rehab and Lisa writes a tell-all book exposing the family’s multitude of flaws.
“Behind the Laughter” is an entertaining episode but it also highlights the show’s weakened state. The episode’s narrator points to later seasons' focus on “gimmicky premises and nonsensical plots”, highlighting the derided season 9 episode “The Principal and the Pauper”, in which Principal Skinner is bizarrely revealed to be an imposter. Despite the writers’ refusal to admit the show was deteriorating, “Behind the Laughter” proves they knew some stories were poor but merely brushed aside the criticism. There is nothing particularly original in the episode and using this format to end The Simpsons would not only be repeating an old trick but could come across as a self-satisfying way to close the show with numerous in-jokes but devoid of a compelling plot. The creative team acknowledges planning the show’s ending will be exceedingly difficult, but Al Jean’s alternate idea is much better.
The showrunner joked that the final scene should have the family attend the Christmas pageant from The Simpsons' very first episode, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”. Jean reasons that “the whole show is just a loop, without a beginning or end”. Admittedly, this idea won’t appeal to everyone and is another excuse to avoid writing a conclusion, but it's also incredibly fitting for a show where characters have never aged in over 30 years, with no discernible end in sight. Rather than shamelessly repeating an old stunt, it would literally bring the sitcom full circle.