A few hours ago, the news broke. The Simpson they renew again. There will be seasons 33 and 34. And the fact that they have more episodes in the future is not news, but that in 2021 the series goes ahead and with no plans to finish. Are we facing a simple success? A way to pull the goose that lays the golden eggs of the past? You all know that the last seasons of The Simpsons have been practically repudiated by the most staunch fans. Next, we will deal with the subject with a view to two more years of plot in the yellow series.
If we start at the beginning, we should say it: We don’t want The Simpsons to die, but for many, a dignified ending would have been better than modern episodes, in which sarcasm and clever plots have been largely suppressed by reflections of reality that employ characters with little depth:
We have a Homer very far from the comic character we all adored, a fairly limited Marge, a Bart who can be seen coming, a gifted Maggie and a Lisa who, directly, make you want to ignore their continuous unintelligent activism. The Simpson should avoid falling into the influence of series like Family Guy, with regressions or scenes that are put with a shoehorn, and maintain an identity that, at this point, seems to be dying.
It has rained a lot from mythical episodes such as that of the Stonemasons (later called the “No Homers”), the two-episode thriller of who murdered Mr. Burns (which led us to dreams of an alcoholic and outdated Smithers) or the Man de la Birra. There are many souvenirs of enjoyment at lunchtime (which is when it used to be broadcast on Antena 3 in Spanish lands), although it went through other channels and schedules in the past.
Maybe that memory clouds our reason and it makes us hope to regain the same experience, with no desire for advancement. Let us bear in mind that when the series has dared to time travel to the future, reality begins to deform so much that we see how Futurama, series back in vogue now that it’s on Disney +, begins to emerge as the future of the same universe of the plot in a more and more tangible way (not to mention the presence of Bender).
But it is a future that does not quite fill the face of many viewers, who notice a deformation that has little or nothing to do with that fantastic future in which Lisa became president (with an outfit that later turned out to be Kamala Harris, current US vice president who sounds to succeed Biden at any moment, in addition to making mention of the economic hole left by Trump, feeding the theory that it is a series that predicts the future).
They are two more years, with seasons 33 and 34 in which they will continue to stretch an argument that, if we offer the benefit of the doubt, maybe get some stability by restoring the series to its clever and sarcastic tone, but that, in the future, they could simply serve as an “accompaniment”. We don’t think Disney and Fox will leave the show so easily, being a success of visualizations on the Disney + platform, which will presumably continue to be the main way to enjoy all the novelties of the series.
The question is: Should it end? It is open to each reader having their own opinion, although it probably would have helped a lot to rely on how the creators and screenwriters themselves planned to close the circle, thus ensuring that the series did not “end”, but at the same time creating a circular pattern. Al Jean, showrunner, said that he would propose that the last episode take place at Christmas, and that everything leads to closing the plot with the parade that would thus link with the first episode of the series. How is that possible? To get started, it is a fiction seriesLet’s remember that the characters have been the same age for more than 30 years.
Let’s also remember that temporary travel is allowed, and that some characters like Professor Frink work with high technology. Let us remember that there are aliens, and that time passes or not according to the interests of the scriptwriters. The end of The Simpsons would be, in that way, pleasant, Well, it would give us back Maude Flanders, Troy McClure, Professor Marvin Monroe (who we never knew what kind of being or specter he became), Krusty’s father … in general, it would be an end-not end. A happy ending.
The worst thing is that the Showrunner himself said that that was not going to happen, so we can forget, and we would have to face an end in which, perhaps, horrible decisions are made, either due to lack of grace … or because of the most fearsome thing: ending a character. And if Toy Story made us cry with his latest movies and broke childhoods, the day someone sees how some beloved Simpsons character “falls” into the plot can be one of the worst days of our lives. Probably at this point (and if we don’t want to give the writers a vote of confidence), the best thing will be that directly, the series does not renew.
Don’t plan an ending: the episodes are self-conclusive though keep the plot alive as consistently as possible. The Simpsons, that way, would not end. They simply would not continue. And many of you will agree that it would be preferable. Economically, FOX will never be the same without The Simpsons. At the plot level, everyone would win by not having a stomach ache through plots that are no longer funny, and it is even worse when they try to allude to the past in a “modernized” way (See that wretched episode where Marge is also singer Lurleen’s manager.)
Two years to go if the agreement is not broken. If a popular initiative to “kill” the series does not appear. Perhaps during the next year it will be agreed not to renew again, and if so, it would mark the end of a stage. And we are sure that, although many would / would agree, it would be, secretly, a kick in our childhood and adolescence that is difficult to overcome. Although maybe, a necessary kick.
