The Simpsons: 800 Episodes and Still Going Strong | Creators Reflect on the Show’s Longevity

After 800 episodes and 37 seasons on television, The Simpsons, with its four-fingered family, show no signs of slowing down.

As The Simpsons reach a milestone few series ever attain this weekend, the creators of the Springfield universe are reflecting on the choices that transformed the crude sketches of 1987 from The Tracey Ullman Show into a true cultural phenomenon. The show’s longevity is a testament to its enduring appeal in the ever-evolving landscape of animated television.

“We’ve done 800 episodes and I’m really glad we didn’t create one big overarching story,” said Al Jean, a producer and former writer. “At the end of each episode, we always move back to square one. And there’s no doubt that’s had a huge impact on the show’s longevity.”

For current writer Matt Selman, the refusal to age the Simpsons characters is a liberating factor that simultaneously raises questions about the weight of their long history. Do these characters have the emotional memory of the 800 events that have happened to them? […] I don’t really grasp how to answer that question.

Series creator Matt Groening views reaching nearly four decades of production as a triumph tinged with perfectionism.

I’ve spent 38 years trying to get the characters drawn correctly. We have to figure out how to change perspective and do it in a more cinematic way and we’re always trying to improve.

Episode 800, Irrational Treasure, will air Sunday on Fox.

The Voices Behind Springfield

In 1987, Nancy Cartwright was asked to audition for Lisa Simpson, but she had other ideas.

Hi Matt. Nice to meet you. I was there and I noticed that there was Lisa, very good, an 8-year-old, but there was also this Bart, Cartwright recalled.

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I’d like to do it, she told the show’s creator, who immediately agreed to the change. She embodied it perfectly, he said.

Nearly four decades later, Cartwright notes that Notice still people who don’t know it’s a woman doing the voice.

The role has become inseparable from her identity.

It’s so much a part of my lifestyle. I’m used to doing it all the time, and I’m not looking forward to it stopping.

Lisa Simpson’s defining characteristic emerged just as spontaneously. Animator David Silverman, who drew the original sketch for the series’ iconic opening sequence, remembers a production meeting where the middle Simpson child was lacking a defining moment.

We didn’t have a gag for Lisa, we had them for everyone else. What should we do for Lisa? Silverman recalled. I suggested, “Well, maybe she’s in the band and she plays the tuba.” Jim [James L. Brooks] then said, “I don’t know about the tuba, but why doesn’t she play the baritone saxophone? And what if she was really good at it? That could be her character, she could be the family’s gifted child that no one appreciates.”

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From Controversy to Institution

The series’ path to global institution status was paved with controversy from the start. Groening recalls when Bart Simpson was considered a threat to American classrooms. He savored every moment.

It was the best decision ever when the culture decided that The Simpsons were too scandalous,” Groening said. “And if you wore a ‘Bart Simpson Underachiever’ t-shirt to school, you got sent home. That was the best thing that could have happened to us.

When Fox executives asked if the show was aimed at children or adults, the creative team immediately made a decision that defined everything that followed.

We said it was for adults. And that was the best instant decision we ever made, because it meant we could do a wide range of jokes.

With the arrival of the internet came a new generation of critics. The creator admits that the character of Comic Book Guy (Springfield’s perpetually dissatisfied nerd) was created in direct response to early internet users who declared every new episode was the worst episode ever.

I like analysis and I like criticism, Groening said. But [critiques like] “It’s not funny” or “It’s boring,” that annoys me. To me, those are the laziest reactions there are.

His prediction for the future of the series is laced with characteristic sarcasm. Well, I can tell you because we’re time travelers, Groening joked. The Simpsons will still be on in a thousand years. Unfortunately, the fans will be saying the show has been in decline for 500 years.

Predictions, Presidents and Pop Stars

The series’ supposed ability to predict the future—most notably in a 2000 episode where Lisa inherits the presidency from Donald Trump—has become an internet legend. The show’s prescience has become a frequent topic of discussion among fans and media outlets.

Producer Al Jean offered a simple explanation: Well, the predictions are accidental. We don’t come from the future.

But according to Matt Selman, modern technology has turned prophecy into fraud.

The predictions are all fake now. They’re just made by AI. And everyone’s exclaiming, “Oh my God, how do they do that?” I just throw my hands up in despair at the gullibility of humanity.

Special guests have become a feature of the series, from Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga to the Rolling Stones. Michael Jackson’s 1991 appearance in Stark Raving Dad came after he called Groening out of the blue.

I was working late in my office, at 10 p.m. My phone rang… “Hello, this is Michael Jackson.” And I hung up because, you know, it was obviously a prank. And he called back: “No, really, don’t hang up.”, Groening recalled.

If the series managed to get the King of Pop on Season 3, one prestigious group has consistently declined invitations to Springfield. Those who have never said yes are the American presidents, and I don’t think we’ll ever get that, Jean noted.

The Simpsons in the Streaming Era

Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019 brought The Simpsons to Disney+, introducing the series to new generations. The move expanded the show’s reach and accessibility for a modern audience.

The fact that The Simpsons are on Disney+ has really made us known to a new generation. If it’s the favorite show of 8- to 12-year-olds for two or three years of their lives before they move on to something else, that’s a big win for us.

Streaming has also freed the series from commercial constraints. What freed us is time, because everything is related to commercial breaks, Groening explained.

We still do three acts, or sometimes four, because we’re on the Fox channel. But for Disney, we can let loose. And we can afford to stretch a little, he said.

No End in Sight for The Simpsons

For Jean, the series’ greatest achievement lies in the personal connections forged over the decades. People come up to me and tell me, “My parents were getting divorced. I was going through a hard time as a kid and your show helped me get through it.”

Silverman views that impact as the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition.

People would often ask me when I wanted to become a cartoonist and animator what my goals were. And I’d say, “I don’t know. The only goal I’d like to see realized is to work on an animated project that makes a difference for people.” So I think I can check that box.

There’s no end in sight. We’re going to go at least to season 40. Full steam ahead!

For Groening, the future remains as open as the series itself: Believe it or not, there are still stories that I haven’t tackled that are just in my head and that I’d like us to do.