The Simpsons Is Going to Make a Major Change for Future Episodes (& Starts a New Era After 25 Years)

The Simpsons is going to be making a major change behind the scenes for its future episodes, and it’s going to be the start of a whole new era after 25 seasons of the show. The Simpsons is now in the midst of its first major season as part of a four season renewal for FOX. Working all the way through to Season 40 in the near future, and the release of a new The Simpsons Movie coming in 2027, the franchise has a lot on its plate. But it’s going to be losing one of the core minds at the center of it all.

The Simpsons current showrunner Al Jean, who has been the showrunner of the animated series since Season 13, has revealed on his social media that the next episode of the series will be his last as showrunner. This means the series is about to head into a new era with a new main person running it all, but it’s yet to be revealed who’s taking that place. Matt Selman has been co-showrunner for the past few seasons, so that could be a likely transition of responsiblities. But it’s not the end of Jean’s work with the series either according to his announcement.

The Simpsons Showrunner Exits After 25 Seasons

The Simpsons Season 37 Episode 5 is titled “Bad Boys…For Life?” and the first look at the episode teases that it will focus on a new point in the family’s past as Bart gets into trouble once more. Written by Jean himself and directed by Eric Koenig, Jean confirms that it’s the final episode he will be overseeing as main showrunner (at least for now). It’s not revealed if he’s leaving the series entirely, or if he’s moving onto different duties for the franchise. Either way, The Simpsons is about to expand in a big way in the next couple of years.

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The Simpsons Movie Sequel Would Be a Perfect Finale for the Show

With The Simpsons Movie sequel also slated for a release in 2027, it means development on the new film is going to keep going alongside current development of the TV series. This was the case for the first film released 20 years ago, and is likely why it has taken so long for a sequel to actually happen. Jean might be moving towards other responsibilities with the film moving forward, but also might be stepping down to focus on other kinds of projects. He’s been with the series as a writer since it first began, so this will feel like a big change regardless of where he goes next.

What’s Next for The Simpsons?

The Simpsons has been renewed through to Season 40 with FOX, and with the new movie also in the works, fans will have a lot to look forward to for the next few years. The Simpsons Season 37 is currently only a few episodes into its run thus far, but fans have already started to notice some major changes to how it’s been playing out lately. Episodes have been much more experimental when it comes to highlighting new sides of its oldest characters, so it’s clear that there’s still a long road to go.

The Simpsons losing its showrunner and shifting more behind the scenes means that the series will continue to change. Much like how previous seasons marked different eras of the franchise over the years, the 30s are going to be a different era for the animated juggernaut too as we get closer than ever to that Season 40 mark.

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