I’m Officially Getting Worried About The Simpsons’ Future

Summary The future of The Simpsons is uncertain, with declining viewership and potential obstacles in securing future seasons.

Family Guy's release change on Fox may indicate a bleak future for both shows, as they struggle to maintain audiences.

Despite hints at a post-season 36 renewal, The Simpsons' future remains in jeopardy, with no guarantee of further seasons.

The Simpsons has been a staple of the television schedules for the past 34 years, but the uncertainty surrounding the show's future is a cause for concern. While the golden age of The Simpsons arguably came to an end a long time ago, the animated sitcom has continued on regardless, with its current episode tally standing at 767 and counting. However, The Simpsons must come to an end at some point, and, unfortunately, that might happen sooner than many people would like.

The 35th season of The Simpsons is currently airing, with the show once again both delighting and exhausting viewers with its mix of satire and family-focused hijinks. Over the years, The Simpsons has managed to survive recasts, writers' strikes, and ratings slumps. Nevertheless, if recent announcements regarding another cornerstone of Fox's TV schedule are anything to go by, the writing could be on the wall for The Simpsons, which is very worrying indeed.

Related The Simpsons Season 35 Revived The Show’s Most Embarrassing Bad Habit The Simpsons season 35 episode 17 revived a bad habit that has dragged down earlier seasons of the series, wasting screen time in the process.

Family Guy's Release Change On Fox Is Bad News For The Simpsons

The Future Isn't Looking Bright For Either Show

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It was recently announced that Family Guy season 23 will break tradition by not airing as part of Fox's Fall lineup for the first time since 2005. An order for a full run of episodes has been placed, with season 23 expected to premiere mid-season instead. The decision was made to accommodate new animation, Universal Basic Guys, which Fox is so enthusiastic about it has already ordered a second season before the first has begun. Additionally, when Family Guy does return, it will move to Wednesday nights, as opposed to the Sunday evening slot it has held for many years.

Family Guy was canceled in 2003, before being revived in 2005.

This isn't just disappointing news for Family Guy, but it also means that the future of The Simpsons doesn't look too bright. After all, The Simpsons and Family Guy are two of the Fox network's longest-running and most valuable animated properties, and both have traditionally aired on Sunday nights. Like Family Guy, The Simpsons' viewership has been on a downtrend for quite some time, and with plenty of new shows popping up, Fox will likely need to start making difficult decisions regarding the future of its legacy animated comedies.

Season of The Simpsons Average Viewers Season 30 3.7 million Season 31 3.0 million Season 32 2.4 million Season 33 2.3 million Season 34 2.1 million

The Simpsons Is Only Renewed Through Season 36

The Show's Future Is Far From Guaranteed

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In early 2023, Fox confirmed that it had renewed The Simpsons for two further runs of episodes. The first batch of episodes in the renewal, season 35, will come to a conclusion in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, season 26 is scheduled to air during the 2024-25 TV season. It's been standard practice for Fox to order The Simpsons in batches of two since the show's 27th and 28th season renewal in 2014. With season 36, The Simpsons will officially pass the milestone of 800 episodes, further solidifying its status as the longest-running primetime scripted series in TV history.

Fox has no obligation to keep The Simpsons on air.

As it stands, there has been no indication that The Simpsons will be renewed beyond the 2024-25 season. This puts the show in a slightly precarious situation. Essentially, if Fox decides that The Simpsons is no longer performing well enough to justify its existence, they may choose not to renew the series for a 37th season. Fox has no obligation to keep The Simpsons on air, after all. If the show is renewed, confirmation will likely be announced in early 2025, and it's likely that the network will be watching the show's performance very closely until then.

Related 1 Controversial The Simpsons Episode Ended The Show's Golden Age (& It Still Hasn't Recovered) The Simpsons enjoyed one of the most impressive critical hot streaks in TV history, but one episode signalled the end of this successful era.

What The Simpsons Showrunner Has Said About Ending The Show

Despite the uncertainty surrounding The Simpsons' future, the show's executive producer seems to be confident about a post-season 36 renewal. In a recent interview, Al Jean, who has worked on The Simpsons since the very beginning and currently serves as its co-showrunner, said that he believes "the show is in fantastic shape" and that "the future is bright." He went on to say how he hoped The Simpsons would pass the 1000-episode mark. While Jean's comments aren't confirmation that the show will be renewed, they should come as a comfort to anyone concerned about its fate.

Then again, The Simpsons' cancelation might not necessarily be a bad thing. It's no secret that the show hasn't been at its best for several years. As much as it would be an impressive achievement for The Simpsons to pass the 1000-episode mark, one has to question whether it would be worth it if the show's quality is poor. Arguably, it would be better for The Simpsons to bow out sooner rather than later in order to end on somewhat of a high. Therefore, a lack of season 37 renewal could be for the best.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter