Of everything currently airing on TV, The Simpsons would likely be everyone's first guess for the show that could feasibly last until the end of time as we know it. It's true that rumors have spread tor years about The Simpsons' potential end at Fox, but without much to back them up. However, fans' fears have started to solidify now that the show's theme composer Danny Elfman has come forward with a pretty hefty claim.
A frequent collaborator of filmmaker Tim Burton, Danny Elfman was busy in 2019 scoring films such as Dumbo and Men in Black: International, but his work on the Simpsons theme song is possibly the career highlight that most people know him for. To the point where he's still getting asked Simpsons questions 30 years after he initially composed the eclectic theme. But for all the good-natured responses that he's delivered over the years, his latest comment about the show's fate is definitely a curious one. In his words:
Well, from what I've heard, it is coming to an end. So, that argument will also come to an end. . . . I don't know for a fact, but I've heard that it will be in its last year.
Danny Elfamn shared those thoughts with the website Joe.ie while promoting a live performance of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the implication that The Simpsons might be done after Season 32 is a specific kind of nightmare in and of itself. For fans like myself that have been as faithful as possible to the longtime animated series, the thought of everything ending soon is akin to the thought of a beloved local eatery closing, or perhaps even the death of a loved one. (Okay maybe just the serious maiming of a loved one.)
The founder of the wacky new wave band Oingo Boingo, Danny Elfman created The Simpsons' iconic theme song in the years when his career was blowing up thanks to acclaimed scores for films such as 1989's Batman and 1990's Edward Scissorhands. Considering he hasn't actively worked on the show at all beyond crafting that theme, Elfman does still maintain a relationship with the beloved animated comedy thanks to the fandom. But one has to wonder if the info he's hearing is legitimate or just some closed-door chatter that followed Disney's takeover of Fox.
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With The Simpsons finding a new streaming home on Disney+ going forward, which will likely be its home for the foreseeable future (assuming the cropped videos go away), the show might actually be at a decent point where showrunner Al Jean and the rest of the creative team can realistically consider bringing everything to a close. The Simpsons has survived through casting hiccups, star deaths, behind-the-scenes firings, and on-screen controversies – among other things – but could it indeed become a victim of its own advanced age in the near future? Keep your eyes and ears open to see if the cast and crew speak up in agreement or dismay.
However it goes, at least The Simpsons got to deliver that fantastic horror-themed Thanksgiving episode before hanging up its turkey baster. Now bring on the spinoff talks.
The Simpsons airs Sunday nights on Fox at 8:00 p.m. ET, with its winter hiatus starting after the December 15 episode, "Bobby, It's Cold Outside."
