The Simpsons may never be forced to end according to comments by one of its producers in a recent interview, which is all the more reason that the series should bow out gracefully with a sequel to 2007’s The Simpsons Movie. Despite the series debuting in 1989, The Simpsons did not gain a movie spinoff until almost two decades later in 2007. During the peak of the show’s popularity, The Simpsons was one of the biggest shows on television and as such a movie spinoff capitalizing on the show's success seemed like a foregone conclusion. However, by the time the movie was actually released, the so-called Golden Age of The Simpsons had been over for a few seasons.
Critics and fans alike love the early seasons of The Simpsons, claiming they represent a high point in the history of television comedy writing as the anarchic animated sitcom earned both commercial stardom and massive adulation from reviewers during this era. However, by season 11 (and even earlier, according to some fans), the critical fortunes of The Simpsons were in decline, where they have remained ever since. By 2007's season 18, the prospect of a movie spinoff was no longer as exciting as it had once been.
Fortunately, The Simpsons Movie arrived in cinemas between the end of season 18 and season 19’s premiere, just in time to earn solid reviews before the show’s critical standing had fallen too far. The Simpsons Movie was a huge financial success, becoming the second-highest-grossing traditionally animated movie of all time, and earned largely positive reviews despite the potential perils of outsized hype. Now, producer Mike Reiss claimed in a recent interview there is no end in sight for The Simpsons, saying in a Metro exclusive that: “The show could run forever… Certainly, there would be another movie. We haven’t even had a chance to go and come back again.” Reiss is right that The Simpsons should make another movie, but despite his claims to the contrary, this long-awaited sequel should mark the end of the series.
The Simpsons Movie Lived Up To The Hype
At the time of its release, the quality of The Simpsons Movie was the subject of heated debate. The movie was broadly agreed to be a success by critical consensus, but many fans felt nothing could live up to their hopes for a Simpsons big-screen debut after over a decade spent waiting. Now, another decade and a half after the movie arrived in cinemas, it’s fair to say that the dust has settled. Did The Simpsons Movie live up to the hype? Divorced from the impossible expectations of the decades that fans spent waiting, the movie watches like a sprightly, ambitious 80-minute expansion of a Golden Age episode of The Simpsons — the best thing fans could hope for from the series. Watched alongside, for example, the 40-minute two-parter "Who Shot Mr. Burns", it’s tough to fault The Simpsons Movie as a classic Simpsons outing.
The movie's biggest perceived faults (not taking advantage of the larger scale of movie storytelling, a lack of dramatic depth) are also what give The Simpsons Movie the same atmosphere as a classic episode. The story is appropriately large (too much so for even a two-part episode), but not apocalyptic in scale, meaning silly jokes and non-sequiturs don’t feel out of place as they could in a more serious plot. Meanwhile, the decision to limit the cast mostly to Springfield and its citizens is a canny choice that avoids guest stars overwhelming the real appeal of The Simpsons, its sprawling legion of lovable characters. Earning over $500 million on a budget of only $75 million, it is fair to say The Simpsons Movie was a financial success, but taken on its own terms, it is also a solid spin-off that is true to The Simpsons' best half-hours.
The Writer’s Room Could Be Reunited Again
Although producer Sam Simon died tragically young, the majority of the Golden Age Simpsons writing team are still working and many were willing to return for the first film (whose script gained its tight pacing from over a hundred rewrites). Legendary scribes like Larry Doyle, George Meyer, Jon Vitti, and the reclusive, prolific John Swartzwelder could still come back for another movie and give The Simpsons a send-off worthy of the show’s Golden Age, something that won’t necessarily be true for a lot longer. Many of The Simpsons’ current writing staff are of a younger generation and the show’s Golden Age writer’s room contingent is aging into well-earned retirement, meaning an attempt to reunite the show’s most acclaimed line-up would need to take place soon.
A Second Movie Is An Appropriately Ambitious Send-Off
The Simpsons should end, despite what Reiss says. The critical reception of The Simpsons has been in decline for decades now, and the show has been all but replaced in the hearts of most longtime fans by the likes of Bob’s Burgers, American Dad, and its earliest imitators Family Guy and South Park. As proven by the annual Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials moving away from classic horror parodies and into more topical territory to the dismay of fans and critics alike, The Simpsons has grown to rely on anodyne attempts at contemporary humor rather than the timeless appeal of its early years, and its reviews have suffered as a result. Where the series was once lauded as a classic of character comedy, The Simpsons is now often accused in recent episode reviews of sacrificing consistency and internal believability in favor of gags.
Giving Springfield's first family a second movie while the show’s original contributors can still have a hand in the writing is the best way for The Simpsons to bow out gracefully. The Simpsons may never return to its heyday of classic episodes like “Last Exit To Springfield,” but it is clear from the positive reviews and fan reaction to The Simpsons Movie that a big-screen spinoff can bring the best out of the show’s creative team. As such, the only appropriate way to end a series as influential as The Simpsons is with an ambitious, grand finale like a follow-up to The Simpsons Movie, rather than a sad, slow decline in ratings and reviews resulting in eventual, inevitable cancellation.