I think if they wanted to end The Simpsons, instead of doing a season finale, they should do a "finale season". Have a full season in which instead of episodes being standalone, have them flow into one another. 18 episodes, each one focusing on a core member of the casts story and how it ends. You're right. You can't end it with one episode. 18 episodes though? I think that could work
I worked on this episode as a layout artist last year (I only had a few scenes, such as Wise Guy somehow switching off the Tire Fire while Bart's like, "Huh?"), and I'm glad to hear that this "faux-nale" was more positively than negative received. We had a lot of fun working on it in my department, and seeing Homer strangle Bart for the reset was my favorite part, too. The biggest scene I had a hand in was giving the crowd in the power plant a bunch of various reactions to Mr. Burns not really being dead -- and that took a few days since there were so many! I don't know how long the Simpsons will go on or how many more seasons we'll have greenlit for production, but I'm so thankful that I could grow up with this show after my parents saw it airing during the Tracy Ulman days, and now I'm working on it. This was a great coverage video to watch!
@@Johnny2Cellos Thank you, too! Without folks like you watching the show, I wouldn't still have my job. I can't say what's yet to come, but I CAN say that there's only been one episode so far since this finale that I thought had a lackluster ending. There's one or two episodes I am very excited to see airing in the next couple months, and I hope you'll enjoy them, too!
@@daniapfel2825 Usually, it's about 20 per season, but sometimes there are special shorts released on streaming or longer episodes (two-parters) that count as one. Sorry I can't give you a specific number!
You have to have watched the original series as a 4th grader from day 1 to understand why The Simpsons stopped being good by the end of the 90s. It went from meeting Homer's mother to "he happened to like hookers", and that was just LAME.
I loved how right after the AI's generated episode begins, Marge's first line has the most robotic delivery imaginable, like it was even AI generating the voices
Oh yes, they should do a tv series finale where they wrap some things up but have the second Simpsons movie be the ultimate finale in a big epic scope story. One last hurrah.
That actually would work. I’d think it’ll be funny is they close the movie by turning off the lights (Like how they made fun of this trope in this episode).
@@KarlesGossick yeah and their voices are giving out Marge can't be understood and the kids are getting harder to understand with every season. Homer can be understood but he sounds more and more off with every season
They'll keep it going even if all the actors straight up just die out. Or try to anyways. They'll replace the voice actors with ones who can immitate the original, try AI or some other trickery, but the show will go on. It will continue past the point of sanity, as it has for many years now.
I haven't seen this episode, but I recall "The Squirt & The Whale". The storm's powerful winds blew out the tire fire, but then lightning immediately struck it and made it be on fire again.
this simpsons will inevitably outlive all of us. The real series finale is when the writers room at fox gets destroyed when the sun explodes and even then there might be 1 more season transmitted by the Kang and Kodos statues they have in the lobby.
I think Conan’s line about fans complaining about the decline at episode 1 is great, because it implies the existence of hardcore Tracey Ullman era purists. They’re probably out there, and still pouring out frosty chocolate milkshakes in mourning. But the way the birthday story ends is amazing, and could’ve worked in any season. If you read old newspaper reviews of The Simpsons from the 90s, most of them rave about how edgy and subversive the show was, even though that’s only a small fraction of its success. So ending it all with things getting too perfect, then Homer strangling Bart and everything going back to normal, feels instrinsically Simpsons. It could’ve been a jab at all those sentimental sitcom finales from an era the classic seasons were fighting in. It could be a blunt “Jerkass Homer” sequence from the middle years. And now, it’s part of this meta narrative about how the show has become impossible to wrap up. It’s a symbol of the show, so making it what caps off hundreds of episodes is symbolic in a way. I’m just happy I lived to see the series finale. I’ve already been telling people, “Did you see The Simpsons just aired its series finale?”, then seen them get shocked, so I elaborate, “Oh they’re still going, they just made the series finale to get it out of the way.”, and that gets a laugh.
Hilariously, Tracey Ullman herself might be one of those truthers (although it might be more accurate to say she had some sour grapes that the simpsons became so popular off her show).
I’m not sure what they could do for a Series Finale Episode. But I do think that if they get confirmation for a Final Season, the smartest thing to do would be to have each episode wrapping up different storylines revolving around iconic characters. And then have the final episode of the series be an hour long special revolving around the family.
I'd say the perfect Simpsons ending would be them having to face every single consequence from the years of the family's antics... buuuuut The Amazing World of Gumball already had a faux-finale exactly like that, and even Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law kinda did that sort of thing as well. So if they were to do that sort of plotline, it would feel derivative. That said, The Simpsons doesn't deserve a finale episode so much as a big, theatrical series end-off. You can't end this show with simply one episode. It needs to go out with a bang.
@@einootspork Correct,. Though not quite as chaotic as the Gumball and Harvey Birdman examples. I'd tend to think The Simpsons would be closer to the Gumball example, rather than the more grounded Seinfeld "all the characters come back" clip show type ending. Something where everything that happens causes massive damage to the Simpsons and even the town. Except... I forgot, they managed to do that twice in The Simpsons already. The movie, and the Outlands episode. D'oh. Still, I don't see the Simpsons ending episode to be anything but chaos and a small bit of sentimentality just as it closes.
I feel like a series in the case of the simpsons its better to leave its ending open ended like the town continues to keep going but we just arent looking at it anymore
@@xx_cloud_xx5055 Besides form that, we have a bunch of future stuff where fans can pick and choose what kind of future these characters get. Honestly, a humble ending in the vein of “the adventure continues” is perfect for something as large as the Simpsons.
Out of all the dumb ideas for a Simpsons ending like repeating the first episode or opening to give an ending. I think this one works the best for every sitcom. Just let the characters continue on with their lives happily without any more episodes to make. It's kind of comforting in a way to know after all this time entertaining us they get to the chance to finally rest. Now I'm imaging the series ends with the Simpsons going to bed. Tomorrow another day in springfield. Although the audience might find it a little lackluster as a finale, people seemed to like Seinfeld's finale, fuck anything's possible.
So like what Pokemon did with it's show. Where it built up giving Ash and Pikachu one last hurrah but at the end of the last episode the two of them decide to keep going on adventures even though they reached the top, smiling off into the sunset, we don't see what adventures they get up too but we know their still out there.
I won’t lie. Part of me really wanted to see Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz in that group shot at Bart’s birthday. But I know out of respect for Phil Hartman, we can never see them again since they need to rest with him. It’s honestly heartbreaking but understandable.
For the very last episode, they should bring Hank Azaria back to voice Apu. It's the end of the line, so who's gonna complain? Just let the "racists" have their baby bottle one last time.
"Thank you, come again" would make a bittersweet final line for the entire series. *King of the Hill* showed the right way to end a show. Now they are about to risk that with a reboot.
You could also see it as a visual display of the writers' and artists' opinions on generative AI programs; the main reason so many of the story conclusions, random cameos, spin-off setups, and even the light-switch bit seem so hollow, even to Bart, make perfect sense when you remember the episode they're showing was "written" by an AI. Bart rejecting the changes it brought about isn't just about setting things back to a sense of "normal", it's about fighting back against the machines, showing the tech bros and executives that nothing is more powerful than the human soul. But how _do_ they end The Simpsons? Well, it's gonna have to end eventually, nothing lasts forever, especially not the voice cast. I think if they really are gonna go out some day, it'll have to be BIG. What if they spread out its finale into the whole _season_? Let's give as many characters as possible a resolution or a new direction, and finish it up with the family.
I don't think it's that deep. Maybe there is some intended commentary on how genAi outputs are bland, but I believe the blandness and clicheeness is more due to the blending of every series finale. Doing so more or less smooths out any unique ideas and only leaves "plot threads are resolved" and "spinoffs are setup". Involving ai is just a shorthand for that idea, since attributing the writing to a human would require more setup and might raise more questions.
I love that idea of Homer strangling Bart being what puts everything back the way it was. They haven't done that in a while so using that very point as a way of literally forcing the status quo back into the show is a very clever bit of writing
Call me cynical but I don't think the question of how do you end the Simpsons is even that deep. Episodes like Behind The Laughter, Holidays of Future Past and even the movie make for more apt and fitting conclusions and should've been where it ended, but we move. And of course if an episode did end with a character aging that would be kinda dumb and desperate, it's not like that's where the series was heading it's just a running gag that the characters don't change.
@@Johnny2Cellosyou can't have a show where you want people to be invested in your world and characters and end it satirically. It's like a big middle finger from the staff for ever caring
@@Johnny2CellosI remember a quote from the director of Bojack Horseman on how to end a season without knowing if you’re coming back. In short, you have to have the problems resolved within the season but leave enough loose threads and questions that can be explored in the future. The problem however is that Bojack Horseman is serialized while the Simpsons are episodic with a few rare references to its past
@@Creepsandwicheater I say they should release a Blu-ray of just their series finales. It’s literally insane how many they have, but I’m not complaining. Every one is a banger.
@@Kerorofan1990at the very least, as an example, if they find successors for Dan’s characters, when he dies, they should also kill off Abe, as a way of symbolism.
Because the character is a boomer strawman that shows how much contempt the people who make this show have for its viewers. They are basically calling you fat while doing ads for Butterfinger and Coca-Cola on the side. Perhaps they should have the pot and the kettle as special guest stars.
The birthday cake scene when Homer switches the lights off and Bart goes off is animated and lit so nicely. The 4thwall glance from Homer and it really felt like such a perfect build up to the reset. The Simpsons have always been in my life, it takes up such space across my history and family and just such a comfort to me. It’s amazing to see how far it’s come, regardless of the ups and downs, and the weird choices. Idk what I was going for but this was such a brilliant finale season premiere, it was solid and I’ve rewatched it a bunch I’m rambling now. I appreciate your video too🙏🏽
To me, the Larry Burns episode would have been the PERFECT ending. It wasn't a finale, but had this strange bittersweet quality to the ending, which would have been an amazing way to wrap up the show.
it's weird because I actually envisioned a joke for an episode just like this Matt Groening would roll in "the original simpsons fan" and it'd be a 117 year old man called Ernie Rozenkrans then the cinema would burn down halfway through the episode and Ernie would stay there, saying: "You don't understand. I want to see how it ends."
I echo what a lot of people have already said, that it should be a whole season of finales, but I think each episode should be from a different showrunner or major writer. So we get the Al Jean finale, the David Mirkin finale, the Mike Scully finale etc etc and then all culminating in, of course, the Matt Groening finale. Would make it a more expensive season, but the Simpsons has made FOX a lot of money over the decades, they can part with a little.
Honestly, the amount of references and acknowledgements to unfilled story lines in this episode sorta shows a deep care for the show they're writing. Like they know how unruly a series that runs this long can get and know how the community perceives them
It also feels like the writer/animators taking a jab at the a.i. content farms, like they’re saying that no matter how much a.i. generated sophistry you cram into a show it’s no match for genuine human emotion
outside of the treehouse of horrors i really dont watch much new school simpsons but shoutout to this channel. after about 2 minutes of this video i stopped it and popped on the 'finale' and it was just fantastic. appreciate all your hard work man!
Yea, I hated those when they came out. I think it was only season six that had just the head box, though. I'm pretty sure the ones after had a choice of the head or more traditional packaging. Even season 6, I discovered years later they put it out in regular packaging so I double dipped. I know the head box for season 6 came with the note that said you could call a number to get replacement packaging. Curious what that looked like and if it was different then the one they eventually put out.
What made it worse is how they thought it was cute to smugly insult you for wanting uniformity and functionality, and it got worse yet when they actually revealed the addresses of people who wanted a box just like all the other boxes. Typical boomer behavior.
Julie Kavner's vocal health has already become a matter of concern. When she started this show, she probably did not know she was going to be spending more than half her life getting paid to talk in a gravelly voice.
The Simpsons can do one thing no series i know of has tried making the season itself a big send off, each episode dedicated to different characters POV as they get closure while the finale and last episode or maybe even a multi-part episode finale is where we focus on the Simpsons family themselves
I can't help but think their joke about feeding all finales into an AI might be more based in reality than they let on. I've messed around with AI enough to know that when trying to use it to create fictional narrative, it is good at giving happy endings but not satisfying endings, which seems to be the case here as well
I think it’s the biggest downside to the 24ish years of the Al Jean era. They felt like they were an attempt to course correct from the poorly received Mike Scully era. The problem being……they never evolved beyond that. The entire zombie Simpsons era felt like it was just trying to make a classic Simpsons and not a new and interesting take on what that means for a show that’s been on television for 30 years. It’s a shame it’s just getting good now (given Harry Shearer is 80 now the end is closer than anyone would like to admit)
I definitely think the biggest problem was moving away from the rotating showrunner formula. The show stayed fresh when they swapped out every few years. It got stale when one guy did it for too long, even if he's a legend. Also *whispers* I prefer the scully era to even the best of the jean era
@@Johnny2Cellos (I do toooo) Season 9 is deeply uneven but still a classic, season 10 is good. Season 11 (where half the writing got moved to futurama) is objectively bad, but season 12 has a lot of hits (Kentucky fried panda finger ling-ling good still gets me) I’d struggle to think of anything from 13-33 I’d actively seek out to watch again
@@Johnny2Cellos I honestly tend to refer to the Scully era as being the Silver Age of the Simpsons. Noticeably not as good as the Golden Age, for sure, but it could still make me laugh. After that, though...
There were some hilariously funny episodes in season nine through 11, but somehow the ones that missed the mark became definitive of that era. Ironically, the über-hated *Principal and the Pauper* was a season 8 holdover that they saved for season 9 because Fox obviously knew better than to make it either a season finale or a season premiere.
I think a good majority of fans would agree that the movie could’ve been a great series finale because you can’t solve every loose end while giving enough attention to the family in one episode.
And even the movie was just a mishmash of recycled story ideas. It felt like an animated version of a *Facts of Life* vacation movie with a big budget. At least the *Tiny Toons* one got that show at its peak even if it was just direct-to-video.
Fox only renewed the show for seasons 35 and 36 with a lot of the voice actors saying their done after this season. Can’t think of his name but the burns and Smithers actor left the show due to a contractual dispute so I feel like this might be the swan song if Fox doesn’t pick it up for 2 new seasons in 37&38
I don't think that's quite true, some of the writers have already talked about next year's episodes, and none of the voice actors have left. It's a really cushy gig they get to all record from their homes. They've definitely got to be gearing up to end the show at some point here, though.
Even if they pulled the plug right this second, the voice actors would be set for life. They get paid more than any other TV animation voice actors in the west.
(this is a copy-paste from a reddit post of mine) I forget who in my family came up with this base idea (it was either my big sister or dad) but I think the perfect A plot for an ending for The Simpsons is a mash up of a meta explanation for the floating timeline and a classic 'Bart and Lisa solve a mystery' episode! It's a classic Burns scheme, for some reason back in 1989 Mr. Burns decided it would be profitable to freeze everyone in Springfield's ages. Lisa's fighting pollution or something, so she brings a sample of the runoff from the powerplant to Dr. Frink and together with the kids they discover that he's been poisoning the town for decades, causing the floating timeline. Meanwhile, in the B plot, Homer is realizing just how much he sucks at his safety inspector job and how he's honestly just not having fun at it anymore. He gets second jobs so often, why does he even need to work for Burns anymore? He'd much rather go on wacky adventures and dates with Marge. Realizing that, Homer quits and plans a romantic getaway with Marge (leaving Maggie with Grandpa, neither of those two matter to the story). She's pleasantly surprised but wonders if there's some catch. During the trip he reveals he quit and Marge panics, but then he calmly reveals that with all the money they've saved up with Homer's odd jobs that they're set for life, making a happy ending for our favorite couple. Back in the A plot, Bart and Lisa go to confront Burns. A final confrontation, finishing what their grandmother started all those years ago. Taking down Burns for good!
4:23 I even love how the explosion is recycle from the Treehouse Of Horror episode,the one where Ned Flander can see the future by grabbing someone hand.
I did see it from the treehouse of horror The Ned zone segment We're Homer press the core self-destruct button and blew Springfield All the way to high heaven
If I was writing the Simpsons finale, I would make it super chaotic and self- destroying... which it actually seems to have already done to good extent. Good video dude.
I really love what the Simpsons have become since season 33. I never stopped watching it since I discovered the show during season 17 (already way past its prime) and it's so refreshing to finally see modern episodes be that good.
Simpsons has been around nearly all my life. I used to watch it so much as a kid. But I haven't seen it nearly at all since the simpsons movie came out.
The Simpsons series finale will pretty much be in the same vain as M*A*S*H* FOX will promote it as an all night event! Kicking things off with an hour long special looking back at the series with exclusive interviews and rare behind the scenes footage plus a sneak peak at the Simpsons second movie! Followed by the special hour and a half long series finale! Doh!🤗🍩📺📼
The real last episode of *MASH* was Henry Blake's helicopter accident. Everything after that was *The Gospel According to St. Hawkeye, He of the 4077th.*
I missed Apu in the background, but thanks for pointing it out! I hope he'll make a return some day, along with the Kwik-E-Mart. I also found it funny that brought back Hank Scorpio using the stock reference art from Tapped Out, including the flamethrower.
I think if they wanted to end The Simpsons, instead of doing a season finale, they should do a "finale season". Have a full season in which instead of episodes being standalone, have them flow into one another. 18 episodes, each one focusing on a core member of the casts story and how it ends. You're right. You can't end it with one episode. 18 episodes though? I think that could work
That’s a great idea
a la Arrested Development
I'm thinking 22 episodes
You'd almost have to with how long it's been around.
@@skullcandy14785 Ima comprimise and round it to 20.
That first joke of “When the first episode aired, people agreed it wasn’t as funny as it used to be” is fucking amazing LMAO
The ending if the simpsons is gonna have to be like a season long event. It cant just be one episode. Could also do the ending as the simpsons movie 2
Oh yeah, maybe an entire season of it building towards a finale would be cool.
I'd make the finale something big. A full season for the side characters closure, and then a second movie all about the family's closure
@@maximumrojasxd perfect,focus on ending popular side character's stories like Mr Burns,Krusty the clown n Sideshow Bobs'.
That sounds a lot like what this episode is making fun of.
We both know there won’t be another simpsons movie, let it go
They're also apparently shutting down the Simpsons game tapped out
This made me really sad. I loved just doing things in tapped out.
I haven’t played that gay shit since I was 9 years old
Im gonna miss this place
@@thecunninlynguist It was a nice way to relax and just let your mind go you know, fun easy little games like that
@@Rosewiththorns2022 yeah. I never spent any actual money but was able to get a nice stash of donuts. I liked collecting the characters
I worked on this episode as a layout artist last year (I only had a few scenes, such as Wise Guy somehow switching off the Tire Fire while Bart's like, "Huh?"), and I'm glad to hear that this "faux-nale" was more positively than negative received. We had a lot of fun working on it in my department, and seeing Homer strangle Bart for the reset was my favorite part, too. The biggest scene I had a hand in was giving the crowd in the power plant a bunch of various reactions to Mr. Burns not really being dead -- and that took a few days since there were so many!
I don't know how long the Simpsons will go on or how many more seasons we'll have greenlit for production, but I'm so thankful that I could grow up with this show after my parents saw it airing during the Tracy Ulman days, and now I'm working on it. This was a great coverage video to watch!
How cool, great work to you and all involved! Such a great way to start the season.
@@Johnny2Cellos Thank you, too! Without folks like you watching the show, I wouldn't still have my job. I can't say what's yet to come, but I CAN say that there's only been one episode so far since this finale that I thought had a lackluster ending. There's one or two episodes I am very excited to see airing in the next couple months, and I hope you'll enjoy them, too!
@@NatYourAverageNerd One question, how many episodes the season 36 will have ?
@@NatYourAverageNerd wow dude that's so cool! Simpsons is my favourite show ever
@@daniapfel2825 Usually, it's about 20 per season, but sometimes there are special shorts released on streaming or longer episodes (two-parters) that count as one. Sorry I can't give you a specific number!
Conan's joke about the first episode not being as funny as it used to be had me rolling 🤣
You have to have watched the original series as a 4th grader from day 1 to understand why The Simpsons stopped being good by the end of the 90s.
It went from meeting Homer's mother to "he happened to like hookers", and that was just LAME.
I loved how right after the AI's generated episode begins, Marge's first line has the most robotic delivery imaginable, like it was even AI generating the voices
The shorts were better than the show...
@@chrisrj9871You missed the joke, I think.
He would know. He was literally a writer on the Simpsons team from seasons 1-3
lol the junkyard guy just flicking a switch and turning off a tire fire. That's classic Simpsons comedy right there.
I kinda feel like the actual finale would have to be a movie.
Oh yes, they should do a tv series finale where they wrap some things up but have the second Simpsons movie be the ultimate finale in a big epic scope story. One last hurrah.
I feel like, either it should be one episode (or movie) focused on the family alone, as Johnny said - or it'd have to be a finale season.
That actually would work. I’d think it’ll be funny is they close the movie by turning off the lights (Like how they made fun of this trope in this episode).
I don’t know. It was a show first. Feels right that it should be a show last or something.
They already made a movie and it sucked donkey d**k! 😒
honestly I think they're gonna go to 40 seasons. The voice cast are all pushing or past 70 at this point
40 seems right to me
They are only 60...except for julie
@@Johnny2Cellos That's 4 years from now, BTW.
@@KarlesGossick yeah and their voices are giving out
Marge can't be understood and the kids are getting harder to understand with every season. Homer can be understood but he sounds more and more off with every season
They'll keep it going even if all the actors straight up just die out. Or try to anyways. They'll replace the voice actors with ones who can immitate the original, try AI or some other trickery, but the show will go on. It will continue past the point of sanity, as it has for many years now.
I think I'm gonna miss this place... *turns off internet*
Ned Flanders as Walter white is great. Also, that "turning off the tire fire" joke was hilarious, and felt very _Simpsons._
I haven't seen this episode, but I recall "The Squirt & The Whale".
The storm's powerful winds blew out the tire fire, but then lightning immediately struck it and made it be on fire again.
This does make something like Breaking Ned part of the Canon now. Whether intentionally or not.
It makes perfect sense. Why he snapped in that one Season 8 episode. Why he acts like a jerk in the modern seasons. He’s straight up Heisenberg.
this simpsons will inevitably outlive all of us. The real series finale is when the writers room at fox gets destroyed when the sun explodes and even then there might be 1 more season transmitted by the Kang and Kodos statues they have in the lobby.
And yet there will still only be 8-9 seasons worth watching.
Isn't that in the Don Hertzfeld opening?
They will just send out an ai machine that infinitely generates Simpson’s episodes into space far from the sun before it explodes voyager one style.
@@Musical_parks like that one couch gag where its shown a simpson episode in the far, far, future
@@Raum2901 “iAmSiMpSoN!!”
I think Conan’s line about fans complaining about the decline at episode 1 is great, because it implies the existence of hardcore Tracey Ullman era purists. They’re probably out there, and still pouring out frosty chocolate milkshakes in mourning.
But the way the birthday story ends is amazing, and could’ve worked in any season. If you read old newspaper reviews of The Simpsons from the 90s, most of them rave about how edgy and subversive the show was, even though that’s only a small fraction of its success. So ending it all with things getting too perfect, then Homer strangling Bart and everything going back to normal, feels instrinsically Simpsons.
It could’ve been a jab at all those sentimental sitcom finales from an era the classic seasons were fighting in. It could be a blunt “Jerkass Homer” sequence from the middle years. And now, it’s part of this meta narrative about how the show has become impossible to wrap up. It’s a symbol of the show, so making it what caps off hundreds of episodes is symbolic in a way.
I’m just happy I lived to see the series finale. I’ve already been telling people, “Did you see The Simpsons just aired its series finale?”, then seen them get shocked, so I elaborate, “Oh they’re still going, they just made the series finale to get it out of the way.”, and that gets a laugh.
Hilariously, Tracey Ullman herself might be one of those truthers (although it might be more accurate to say she had some sour grapes that the simpsons became so popular off her show).
In other words, projecting their own flaws onto other shows at the point where they are beating a dead horse. Sorry, Duncan.
She's honestly kind of a b---h for making fun of Germaine Greer.
I’m not sure what they could do for a Series Finale Episode. But I do think that if they get confirmation for a Final Season, the smartest thing to do would be to have each episode wrapping up different storylines revolving around iconic characters. And then have the final episode of the series be an hour long special revolving around the family.
I think that's a good call, sort of like how Futurama sort of did a few "wrap up" episodes at the end of the Comedy Central era
Or maybe also second movie. It could even be the first of a two parter and the cliffhanger will says "to be continued...yes, we mean it this time"
I'd say the perfect Simpsons ending would be them having to face every single consequence from the years of the family's antics... buuuuut The Amazing World of Gumball already had a faux-finale exactly like that, and even Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law kinda did that sort of thing as well. So if they were to do that sort of plotline, it would feel derivative. That said, The Simpsons doesn't deserve a finale episode so much as a big, theatrical series end-off. You can't end this show with simply one episode. It needs to go out with a bang.
@@mightyfilm Seinfeld did it before either of those. It was already derivative when they did it!
@@einootspork Correct,. Though not quite as chaotic as the Gumball and Harvey Birdman examples. I'd tend to think The Simpsons would be closer to the Gumball example, rather than the more grounded Seinfeld "all the characters come back" clip show type ending. Something where everything that happens causes massive damage to the Simpsons and even the town.
Except... I forgot, they managed to do that twice in The Simpsons already. The movie, and the Outlands episode. D'oh. Still, I don't see the Simpsons ending episode to be anything but chaos and a small bit of sentimentality just as it closes.
I feel like a series in the case of the simpsons its better to leave its ending open ended like the town continues to keep going but we just arent looking at it anymore
This. Give it a humble ending. Life goes on for the town but we move on.
@@xx_cloud_xx5055
Besides form that, we have a bunch of future stuff where fans can pick and choose what kind of future these characters get.
Honestly, a humble ending in the vein of “the adventure continues” is perfect for something as large as the Simpsons.
Out of all the dumb ideas for a Simpsons ending like repeating the first episode or opening to give an ending. I think this one works the best for every sitcom. Just let the characters continue on with their lives happily without any more episodes to make. It's kind of comforting in a way to know after all this time entertaining us they get to the chance to finally rest.
Now I'm imaging the series ends with the Simpsons going to bed. Tomorrow another day in springfield. Although the audience might find it a little lackluster as a finale, people seemed to like Seinfeld's finale, fuck anything's possible.
@@partyharry7585in the Seinfeld final they all went to jail 😭
So like what Pokemon did with it's show.
Where it built up giving Ash and Pikachu one last hurrah but at the end of the last episode the two of them decide to keep going on adventures even though they reached the top, smiling off into the sunset, we don't see what adventures they get up too but we know their still out there.
Knowing you, I was half expecting to see Abed turning the lights off to the study room in that “I’m gonna miss this place” supercut 😂
I won’t lie. Part of me really wanted to see Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz in that group shot at Bart’s birthday. But I know out of respect for Phil Hartman, we can never see them again since they need to rest with him. It’s honestly heartbreaking but understandable.
For the very last episode, they should bring Hank Azaria back to voice Apu. It's the end of the line, so who's gonna complain? Just let the "racists" have their baby bottle one last time.
"Thank you, come again" would make a bittersweet final line for the entire series.
*King of the Hill* showed the right way to end a show. Now they are about to risk that with a reboot.
@@AttmayIt’s not a reboot it’s a revival
@@daniapfel2825that’s not better
@@Gloomdrake Who knows ? Better see the trailer when it goes come out
0:54 A series faux-nale, if you will.
No
You could also see it as a visual display of the writers' and artists' opinions on generative AI programs; the main reason so many of the story conclusions, random cameos, spin-off setups, and even the light-switch bit seem so hollow, even to Bart, make perfect sense when you remember the episode they're showing was "written" by an AI. Bart rejecting the changes it brought about isn't just about setting things back to a sense of "normal", it's about fighting back against the machines, showing the tech bros and executives that nothing is more powerful than the human soul.
But how _do_ they end The Simpsons? Well, it's gonna have to end eventually, nothing lasts forever, especially not the voice cast. I think if they really are gonna go out some day, it'll have to be BIG. What if they spread out its finale into the whole _season_? Let's give as many characters as possible a resolution or a new direction, and finish it up with the family.
Wow, that's a stretch.
I don't think it's that deep. Maybe there is some intended commentary on how genAi outputs are bland, but I believe the blandness and clicheeness is more due to the blending of every series finale. Doing so more or less smooths out any unique ideas and only leaves "plot threads are resolved" and "spinoffs are setup". Involving ai is just a shorthand for that idea, since attributing the writing to a human would require more setup and might raise more questions.
true but this feel like the most executive safe ending the AI can also thought of if the creator have no control how to end the show.
I love that idea of Homer strangling Bart being what puts everything back the way it was. They haven't done that in a while so using that very point as a way of literally forcing the status quo back into the show is a very clever bit of writing
an episode last season showed Kirk strangling Milhouse
Call me cynical but I don't think the question of how do you end the Simpsons is even that deep. Episodes like Behind The Laughter, Holidays of Future Past and even the movie make for more apt and fitting conclusions and should've been where it ended, but we move.
And of course if an episode did end with a character aging that would be kinda dumb and desperate, it's not like that's where the series was heading it's just a running gag that the characters don't change.
Behind the Laughter is great but I think that would have been an awful ending personally
@@Johnny2Cellosyou can't have a show where you want people to be invested in your world and characters and end it satirically. It's like a big middle finger from the staff for ever caring
@@Johnny2CellosI remember a quote from the director of Bojack Horseman on how to end a season without knowing if you’re coming back. In short, you have to have the problems resolved within the season but leave enough loose threads and questions that can be explored in the future. The problem however is that Bojack Horseman is serialized while the Simpsons are episodic with a few rare references to its past
@@Johnny2Cellos Agree. The meta episode format has been used succesfully but as an ending? Really doesn't work.
I'd probably go with The Way of the Dog or Barthood as the series finale, idk both of those just kinda feel like perfect endings to me
Good episode. I hope it wasnt the only herb episode articles hinted at a few months ago.
There never going to end the simpsons. They have stories for year's like marge becomes a robot.
Maybe Moe gets a cell phone
How bout a crazy wedding? Where something happens
Bart owns a bear
ironic how this comes out at the same time as futurama’s season finale.
Both fake series finales in their own way lol
Futurama is gonna have more series finales than some have episodes lol.
@@Creepsandwicheater I say they should release a Blu-ray of just their series finales. It’s literally insane how many they have, but I’m not complaining. Every one is a banger.
@@JamStan1978The Futurama Finale: A 25 Year Time Travel
@@Johnny2Cellos Looking forward to your analysis of the latest season and how thematically these two episodes are eerily similar.
Yeah as soon as I heard what this episode was doing, I knew you’d be talking about it. What a trip this was. Poor Bart.
Tom Hanks’s cameo was one of my favourite bits in the episode.
I like how he appeared in The Simpsons Movie and has now appeared in an actual episode.
@waynesworld148 Yes and the animaters even made Hanks look much older LOL!😉🤔🤯🔎
Random child:”Toussle my hair, MrHanks”😂
@@leociresi4292 Tom Hanks: “Sure thing Son *Laughs and Tussles Hair*”
It won't end until one of the main voice actors gets sick or dies, and at that point, a series finale will feel inappropriate.
You say that like they won't just replace them with AI now after they die.
The voice actor for Marge died a couple months ago dude
@@Kerorofan1990at the very least, as an example, if they find successors for Dan’s characters, when he dies, they should also kill off Abe, as a way of symbolism.
@@jarltryggvi She's still alive, the VA for the Latin American dub is the one that passed away.
@@jarltryggvi That's the Latin American Spanish VA not the original English VA, Julie Kavner is still very much alive.
That's an interesting way to start and Danny Devito returns as Herb is amazing!
I just hope he returns in a more substantial role later
i like how your watermark is your face because i can make eye contact with you for the entire length of the video
Why not do an entire season to wrap up the whole show, and end it with a movie?
The Simpsons - The worlds longest running spinoff show
At least *Mama's Family* got a finale.
I haven’t seen the Simpsons in years, but every time I hear their voice all I can think about is how old they sound and it makes me sad
Bro why does Comic Book Guy calling his child the ultimate limited edition collection sound so emotional
Because the character is a boomer strawman that shows how much contempt the people who make this show have for its viewers. They are basically calling you fat while doing ads for Butterfinger and Coca-Cola on the side. Perhaps they should have the pot and the kettle as special guest stars.
@@Attmaycould you bother to read the comment before you reply to it, next time? Thanks
Thank you for covering this. I don't have real TV anymore and I couldn't wait months for this to come to streaming. I needed it spoiled now!
The credits being an instrumental of "They'll Never Stop The Simpsons" was the icing on the cake
The birthday cake scene when Homer switches the lights off and Bart goes off is animated and lit so nicely. The 4thwall glance from Homer and it really felt like such a perfect build up to the reset. The Simpsons have always been in my life, it takes up such space across my history and family and just such a comfort to me. It’s amazing to see how far it’s come, regardless of the ups and downs, and the weird choices. Idk what I was going for but this was such a brilliant finale season premiere, it was solid and I’ve rewatched it a bunch I’m rambling now. I appreciate your video too🙏🏽
I’m really going to miss this channel 🥲
Me too man, can't believe this is the last video he'll ever make for eternity.
Huh???
@@DrawciaGleam02
I'm going to miss this reply section.
To me, the Larry Burns episode would have been the PERFECT ending. It wasn't a finale, but had this strange bittersweet quality to the ending, which would have been an amazing way to wrap up the show.
6:09 ok that’s… that’s kinda sweet ngl
it's weird because I actually envisioned a joke for an episode just like this
Matt Groening would roll in "the original simpsons fan"
and it'd be a 117 year old man called Ernie Rozenkrans
then the cinema would burn down halfway through the episode and Ernie would stay there, saying:
"You don't understand. I want to see how it ends."
I feel that the only way to actually end the Simpsons is dedicate a whole season, maybe 2 as a Simpsons series finale
Got to end with with The Simpsons Movie 2
3 of them are supposed to be dead
Love all the people commenting without watching the video like they know what's going on.
Anyway, I'm really gonna miss this place
I echo what a lot of people have already said, that it should be a whole season of finales, but I think each episode should be from a different showrunner or major writer. So we get the Al Jean finale, the David Mirkin finale, the Mike Scully finale etc etc and then all culminating in, of course, the Matt Groening finale.
Would make it a more expensive season, but the Simpsons has made FOX a lot of money over the decades, they can part with a little.
The final episode better have Tracy Ullman in it.
They already had her on the show years ago as a dog trainer. And she still won't cut a deal to release the shorts from her show.
Honestly, the amount of references and acknowledgements to unfilled story lines in this episode sorta shows a deep care for the show they're writing. Like they know how unruly a series that runs this long can get and know how the community perceives them
It also feels like the writer/animators taking a jab at the a.i. content farms, like they’re saying that no matter how much a.i. generated sophistry you cram into a show it’s no match for genuine human emotion
Their idea of genuine human emotion is cloying and false scenes that end episodes on artificial high notes. It's a boomer calling card.
Awesome as always thanks ❤
Child abuse being the best part of the episode was crazy
Yeah thanks !!!
“Why you little!…….”
outside of the treehouse of horrors i really dont watch much new school simpsons but shoutout to this channel. after about 2 minutes of this video i stopped it and popped on the 'finale' and it was just fantastic. appreciate all your hard work man!
The head box simpsons seasons are the bane of my dvd wall. Why the fuck did they have to do that
Yea, I hated those when they came out. I think it was only season six that had just the head box, though. I'm pretty sure the ones after had a choice of the head or more traditional packaging. Even season 6, I discovered years later they put it out in regular packaging so I double dipped. I know the head box for season 6 came with the note that said you could call a number to get replacement packaging. Curious what that looked like and if it was different then the one they eventually put out.
What made it worse is how they thought it was cute to smugly insult you for wanting uniformity and functionality, and it got worse yet when they actually revealed the addresses of people who wanted a box just like all the other boxes.
Typical boomer behavior.
This episode made me tune in. First new one I have watched for years. A few of those recent ones mentioned in your video have sparked my interest too.
There better be cameos from the Phil Hartman characters! (Lionel Hutz, Troy McClure etc)
All these years and Don Mattingly still hasn't shaved those sideburns
And yet, he still prefers Mr Burns over Steinbrenner 😁
I’m shocked Bart didn’t end the episode by causing Weirdmaggedon
That's next episode. Bill couldn't get there in time.
Always imagined the Simpsons will just end when the voice of Homer or Marge dies. They are both getting up there in age.
Julie Kavner's vocal health has already become a matter of concern. When she started this show, she probably did not know she was going to be spending more than half her life getting paid to talk in a gravelly voice.
IKR, and also voicing Patty and Selma didn’t help either
If everyone makes it to then, I hope they make episode 1000 the final episode.
The Simpsons can do one thing no series i know of has tried
making the season itself a big send off, each episode dedicated to different characters POV as they get closure while the finale and last episode or maybe even a multi-part episode finale is where we focus on the Simpsons family themselves
Wait what? Oh I see. Clever.
This was such a good ep. I haven't watched in like 20 years, and I just might keep watching cuz of this ep.
*It's everything that delivers nothing and yet you feel something.*
Old The Simpsons came back to life with their attention to detail let's goooooo
I can't help but think their joke about feeding all finales into an AI might be more based in reality than they let on. I've messed around with AI enough to know that when trying to use it to create fictional narrative, it is good at giving happy endings but not satisfying endings, which seems to be the case here as well
The light switch to the tire is gold
I think it’s the biggest downside to the 24ish years of the Al Jean era. They felt like they were an attempt to course correct from the poorly received Mike Scully era. The problem being……they never evolved beyond that. The entire zombie Simpsons era felt like it was just trying to make a classic Simpsons and not a new and interesting take on what that means for a show that’s been on television for 30 years.
It’s a shame it’s just getting good now (given Harry Shearer is 80 now the end is closer than anyone would like to admit)
I definitely think the biggest problem was moving away from the rotating showrunner formula. The show stayed fresh when they swapped out every few years. It got stale when one guy did it for too long, even if he's a legend.
Also *whispers* I prefer the scully era to even the best of the jean era
@@Johnny2Cellos (I do toooo)
Season 9 is deeply uneven but still a classic, season 10 is good. Season 11 (where half the writing got moved to futurama) is objectively bad, but season 12 has a lot of hits (Kentucky fried panda finger ling-ling good still gets me)
I’d struggle to think of anything from 13-33 I’d actively seek out to watch again
@@Johnny2Cellos I honestly tend to refer to the Scully era as being the Silver Age of the Simpsons. Noticeably not as good as the Golden Age, for sure, but it could still make me laugh. After that, though...
There were some hilariously funny episodes in season nine through 11, but somehow the ones that missed the mark became definitive of that era. Ironically, the über-hated *Principal and the Pauper* was a season 8 holdover that they saved for season 9 because Fox obviously knew better than to make it either a season finale or a season premiere.
I haven’t watched The Simpsons since 2005, and after watching your video, I went and watched this episode. I laughed my ass off man. Great episode.
At this point The Simpsons cannot end, The Simpsons can only stop.
I've got to see it now, great review Johnny Twochi!
I think a good majority of fans would agree that the movie could’ve been a great series finale because you can’t solve every loose end while giving enough attention to the family in one episode.
And even the movie was just a mishmash of recycled story ideas. It felt like an animated version of a *Facts of Life* vacation movie with a big budget.
At least the *Tiny Toons* one got that show at its peak even if it was just direct-to-video.
Awesome video!
The real question: Did Sideshow Raheem have a happy ending?
This was very smart, had me watching.
A well beloved IP owned by Disney that has an unaging “cast”….
The Simpson’s will never have a finale.
Love your content! Thanks For this ❤❤❤
Fox only renewed the show for seasons 35 and 36 with a lot of the voice actors saying their done after this season. Can’t think of his name but the burns and Smithers actor left the show due to a contractual dispute so I feel like this might be the swan song if Fox doesn’t pick it up for 2 new seasons in 37&38
I don't think that's quite true, some of the writers have already talked about next year's episodes, and none of the voice actors have left. It's a really cushy gig they get to all record from their homes. They've definitely got to be gearing up to end the show at some point here, though.
Even if they pulled the plug right this second, the voice actors would be set for life. They get paid more than any other TV animation voice actors in the west.
I loved the embossed names in the credits
So when it started I was around Bart's age.
Now I'm older than Homer.
6:55 don’t forget James Earl Jones. RIP
Ah, yes Serack the alien cook (circa Treehouse of Horror)
(this is a copy-paste from a reddit post of mine)
I forget who in my family came up with this base idea (it was either my big sister or dad) but I think the perfect A plot for an ending for The Simpsons is a mash up of a meta explanation for the floating timeline and a classic 'Bart and Lisa solve a mystery' episode! It's a classic Burns scheme, for some reason back in 1989 Mr. Burns decided it would be profitable to freeze everyone in Springfield's ages. Lisa's fighting pollution or something, so she brings a sample of the runoff from the powerplant to Dr. Frink and together with the kids they discover that he's been poisoning the town for decades, causing the floating timeline. Meanwhile, in the B plot, Homer is realizing just how much he sucks at his safety inspector job and how he's honestly just not having fun at it anymore. He gets second jobs so often, why does he even need to work for Burns anymore? He'd much rather go on wacky adventures and dates with Marge. Realizing that, Homer quits and plans a romantic getaway with Marge (leaving Maggie with Grandpa, neither of those two matter to the story). She's pleasantly surprised but wonders if there's some catch. During the trip he reveals he quit and Marge panics, but then he calmly reveals that with all the money they've saved up with Homer's odd jobs that they're set for life, making a happy ending for our favorite couple. Back in the A plot, Bart and Lisa go to confront Burns. A final confrontation, finishing what their grandmother started all those years ago. Taking down Burns for good!
Now that Mr. Burns is a Disney character, maybe he was just misunderstood like all the other Disney "villains." Yeah, I'm going there.
4:23 I even love how the explosion is recycle from the Treehouse Of Horror episode,the one where Ned Flander can see the future by grabbing someone hand.
I did see it from the treehouse of horror The Ned zone segment
We're Homer press the core self-destruct button and blew Springfield All the way to high heaven
I'm really gonna miss this series
If I was writing the Simpsons finale, I would make it super chaotic and self- destroying... which it actually seems to have already done to good extent.
Good video dude.
God I need to get back on my binge watch of The Simpsons
No more predicting the future
THE SIMPSONS CANT BE OVER MAN 😢I heard they shut down tapped out like I put years into that game
I really love what the Simpsons have become since season 33. I never stopped watching it since I discovered the show during season 17 (already way past its prime) and it's so refreshing to finally see modern episodes be that good.
I just read a news article online that they're are working on Season 37, so season 36 isn't the last season. The Simpsons aren't ending.
This was beautiful. You made me want to watch this episode, but it's not on Disney+ yet.
What’d u think of episodes 3-10 of Futurama?
LOTS of thoughts, posting em all next week
Simpsons has been around nearly all my life. I used to watch it so much as a kid. But I haven't seen it nearly at all since the simpsons movie came out.
I always thought The Simpsons would end with no actual ending, just a generic funny episode at the end of a season with no actual conclusion.
For them to do that would have required them going off the air at the end of the 90s.
Great analysis
The Simpsons series finale will pretty much be in the same vain as M*A*S*H* FOX will promote it as an all night event! Kicking things off with an hour long special looking back at the series with exclusive interviews and rare behind the scenes footage plus a sneak peak at the Simpsons second movie! Followed by the special hour and a half long series finale! Doh!🤗🍩📺📼
The real last episode of *MASH* was Henry Blake's helicopter accident. Everything after that was *The Gospel According to St. Hawkeye, He of the 4077th.*
I missed Apu in the background, but thanks for pointing it out! I hope he'll make a return some day, along with the Kwik-E-Mart.
I also found it funny that brought back Hank Scorpio using the stock reference art from Tapped Out, including the flamethrower.
not to be a downer, but I don't think there will be a finale. An important cast member will die, and the show will be forced to end. just my opinion
Okay, I'm not gonna lie, I almost choked on my pasta and cried laughing at the ambulance being replaced with a hearse scene.
At least if they do this, they have to make it more canon. No Sgt. Seymour Skinner and Homer not strangling Bart anymore.
Maybe we'll get a Proper Series Finale with The Simpsons Movie 2?
I know it's a dumb joke but I'm gonna say it anyway: we got The Simpsons series finale before GTA 6
Funny timing to have The Simpsons' mobile game ending just as this airs