The Simpsons' "series finale" causes confusion among fans

5 days ago

Yahoo News

The Simpsons season 36 spoilers follow.

The Simpsons left viewers confused as the season 36 premiere kicked off last night (September 29), as late-night host and 'Marge vs the Monorail' writer Conan O'Brien introduced it as the 'series finale'.

The Simpsons - Figure 1 — Photo Yahoo News

Airing the supposed 'last episode of the show' as the first episode of a new run, and without any prior announcement or build-up beyond a vague tease, struck people as odd, and they took to social media to air their confusion.

FOX

Related: Best streaming services UK 2024 — including Disney+, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV+

It turned out that the episode was a giant fake-out, as showrunner Matt Selman told Variety that the team wanted to take the mick out of series finales that stuff the episode full of throwbacks and celebrity appearances (Inside No 9 did a similar thing earlier this year).

The team also wanted to make a jab at generative AI, and the episode featured an artificial intelligence coming up with clichéd and overdone scenarios for the 'finale'.

The Simpsons - Figure 2 — Photo Yahoo News

In the end, Bart stops the 'finale' going ahead, so things can carry on and he can be the same age forever; a self-depreciating dig at the show's decades of (mostly) static continuity.

Disney

Related: The Simpsons' Bart Simpson star confirms relation to Sabrina Carpenter

There's also a joke at the expense of the show's own fanbase, as Conan states that viewers were complaining from the very first episode in 1989 that The Simpsons "wasn't as funny as it used to be".

And while the show hasn't been renewed beyond the current season yet, the team seemingly wanted to make it clear that things aren't ending anytime soon, as the credits featured an instrumental reprise of the classic song 'They'll Never Stop The Simpsons'.

The Simpsons airs Sunday nights on FOX in the US. The show currently streams on Disney+ in the UK.