It's a great news day for The Simpsons fans! In addition to the four-season renewal of the long-running animated comedy, FOX has significant plans to extend it beyond that. This promising update from the network means that Homer and his family will have many more adventures and laughs in store.
The current installment, Season 36, will conclude with its finale on May 18, closing another chapter in the Simpsons' history. Most of the season was focused on Marge, and viewers saw unknown characteristics about the blue-haired mom. She's human after all, and it's appreciated to be revealed with more details about the matriarch and her family.
Disney+ got into the episode game by releasing its streamer-exclusive specials during season 36. The latest one, "Yellow Planet," was released on Earth Day. It reimagines the beloved characters as animals surviving in the wild. From my point of view, "Yellow Planet" created a humorous, if honest, awareness of environmental conservation and why it's imperative to be mindful of it.
That said, the FOX Network wants to continue The Simpsons' legacy, planning to extend it beyond its four-season renewal.
In a new Deadline interview with Disney TV Studios executive Eric Schrier, he states that The Simpsons is a huge success for FOX, and he desires to extend it for as long as he and Disney can. While Schrier doesn't have a say in FOX's decision whether to move forward with the animated comedy and others like Family Guy, he affirms his confidence that the Network has no plans to remove them.
"I think as long as [The Simpsons] and the shows are creatively vibrant and that the economics makes sense, we’re going to figure out a way to continue to do them. I can’t speak to FOX’s long-term commitment to it, but I have no indication that they would [not want to] do these shows."
Schrier additionally discloses that the four-season renewal will not be the end for The Simpsons, or the other three animated shows (Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, and American Dad!), but conversations will take place with the creative teams behind them and FOX in a few years.
With the four-seasonal renewal, The Simpsons will have 40 seasons and around 860 episodes, including the Disney+ exclusives. It's the longest-running primetime show in TV history, and its history isn't over.