The Simpsons Showrunner Says Show Has ‘No Plans To End’ Despite Composer’s Claims

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The Simpsons writer Al Jean has shut down rumours the cartoon will end within a year following claims from its composer Danny Elfman.

In actual fact, he says the programme is thriving and is showing no signs of slowing down, which is good news to The Simpsons fans far and wide.

It comes after legendary composer Elfman, who writes the show’s music, said he’d heard through the grapevine The Simpsons may have less than a year still in business.

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Fortunately, his claims have been disproved by Jean, who told Metro:

No disrespect to Mr Elfman, but we are producing season 32 starting next year and have no plans to end after that.

And Jean would know, having been part of The Simpsons team since 1992 and becoming its full time showrunner in 2001.

The debacle comes after Elfman told JOE:

Well, from what I’ve heard, it is coming to an end.

I don’t know for a fact, but I’ve heard that it will be in its last year.

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Elfman went on to admit he was shocked the cartoon, which first launched in December 1989, had even lasted as long as it has.

He said:

All I can say is that I’m so flabbergasted and amazed that it has lasted as long as it did.

So, you have to realise, when I scored The Simpsons, I wrote this crazy piece of music, and I expected no one would hear it, because I really did not think the show had a chance in hell.

Really, I expected it would run for three episodes and get cancelled, and that would be that, because it was so weird at the time, and I just didn’t think it had a chance. So, believe me, that is one of the truly big surprises in my life.

Fox Television

But how wrong Elfman was, because The Simpsons so far has a record 665 episodes, and as Jean says, there are many more in the pipeline.

Anyway, it looks like the comedy cartoon is showing no signs of slowing down, which means Marge, Homer, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of the Springfield community will live to fight another day.

You can watch The Simpsons on Disney+ or Fox in the US, or on E4 in the UK.

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Emma Rosemurgey

Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.