After Nearly 40 Years, ‘The Simpsons’ Already Has a Near-Perfect Ending

Published Aug 25, 2026, 11:24 PM EDT Michael Hein has been covering entertainment, fandom news, and trending topics since 2016 on outlets including Rogues Portal, PopCulture.com, and ComicBook.com. He has provided live coverage of red carpet premieres, conventions, and up-fronts, and has interviewed major stars including Charles Dance, Patrick Stewart, and Chloe Sevigny. An avid fiction reader and writer, Michael has been diving deep into all the biggest book-to-screen adaptations of the last decade, from Game of Thrones to Foundation. After nearly four decades on the air, The Simpsons has seen a lot of cancellation rumors come and go — some more reliable than others. It's often possible to judge how likely these rumors are based on fans' responses, and right now they're taking it surprisingly seriously. The voice behind Bart Simpson, Nancy Cartwright, recently appeared on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast Inside of You with a blunt prediction about when The Simpsons would end — 2029. The show has been renewed through Season 40, and Cartwright seems to think it could end at that point. Adding to the intrigue, showrunner Matt Selman has already outlined a potential ending for the series that would feel perfect. Asked how long The Simpsons would go on, Cartwright answered: "40 seasons," later qualifying with, "it's my opinion." This is far from an official announcement from Fox or The Simpsons producers, but it has stirred up a conversation about how this finale can possibly live up to all its buildup. The Simpsons is the longest-running scripted primetime show in TV history, and as any fan will attest, it has missed plenty of good opportunities to end. However, if the big send-off is truly coming, at least Selman has a solid plan for it. Selman's Plan for a 'Simpsons' Finale Image via Disney+ Cartwright's commentary comes just a few months after Selman was asked about a Simpsons finale back in February, in an interview with The Wrap. At the time, the show was celebrating its 800th episode, and Selman assured fans that he had no plans to end it. However, he said that if he was still showrunner when the time finally came, he wouldn't do anything particularly special. "If the show ever did end, there’s no finale, it would just be a regular episode that has the family in it," he said. "Probably a little Easter egg here and there, but no ‘I’m going to miss this place.’" Selman noted that he and the other writers and producers had tackled this question in a 2024 episode titled "Bart's Birthday," which was a send-up of series finale tropes. He said the idea was to do a parody of the kind of finale this show would never have. "The show isn’t supposed to change. The characters reset every week. It’s like Groundhog Day but they don’t know it — and they don’t die that much," he said. Selman clearly has a handle on the show's greatest strengths, and he's not interested in changing them to tug on fans' heartstrings. A proper finale for The Simpsons would leave them right where we found them back in 1989, with every indication that they had existed before the show started and would exist afterward. How Likely is a 2029 'Simpsons' Finale? Image via Fox Cartwright's prediction that The Simpsons finale is looming seems to be at odds with Selman's interview from earlier this year. The actor stressed that she was just sharing a personal prediction, not revealing some insider knowledge. She also mentioned that she would be happy to continue past Season 40, though she added on a grim joke for good measure. She said that as long as everyone involved is "still alive" by then, she would happily renew her contract. 40 years and 40 seasons would be a nice clean ending for The Simpsons, but it's hard to imagine the show taking that off-ramp. For one thing, it's not slowing down — quite the opposite, in fact. A new Simpsons movie is currently scheduled to debut in 2027, and the franchise has been branching back out into games and other new avenues in recent years. The Simpsons was central to the success of Disney+ early on, and it has since been the test case for Fox's new model of releasing exclusive streaming episodes every season. As for fans, they don't seem particularly eager to see the show take its final bow right now — especially compared to years past. In forums and comment sections online, many are doubtful that Fox and Disney would truly stick to a finale for the series, joking that it would be "revived" before it had even gone cold. With that inevitably on the table, Selman's proposed "finale" looks even more perfect. The Simpsons is streaming now on Disney+ in the U.S. Release Date December 17, 1989 Network FOX Showrunner Al Jean Cast Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice) Julie Kavner Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice) The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.