THE SIMPSONS boss Mike Reiss has broken his silence on the show’s survival amidst plummeting ratings.
The iconic animated series is currently in its 32nd season with over 700 episodes in its back catalogue after premiering in 1989.
Recent murmurings from fans have suggested some think the show is past its golden age and this has been coupled with a reduction in viewing figures.
But writer and producer Reiss assured viewers that talk of the programme’s demise is premature, if not non-existent.
He told Metro.co.uk: “It’s sort of built like the kind of show that runs forever.
“The Simpsons, is just about the world, about humanity and what’s going on in the world and what we do as humans, and for us to give up on the show is to say we’ve explored everything human beings can do and anything that can ever happen in the world.”
Reiss explained: “It’s the same with Saturday Night Live or The Daily Show, anything that’s covering current events should keep going because why should it stop?
“The show could run forever… and even if The Simpsons gets cancelled, five years later it’ll get rebooted, or spin-offs. Certainly, there would be another movie. We haven’t even had a chance to go and come back again.”
He also commented: “Cartoons go forever. The only reason a hit show goes off the air is because the cast gets tired. That is not an issue on cartoons.”
Speaking as he launched his podcast What Am I Doing Here?, Reiss did admit that there were times when the show’s cancellation was a reality.
He recalled: “There was a point [where] the show was going to get cancelled, the ratings were still good but the show had got wildly expensive. We’ve been on for 25 years… we were the most expensive half-hour show on TV. Fox was going to cancel it.
“The moment had come. We have to figure out the last episode… and what came back was The Simpsons Christmas episode set 25 years in the future.”
But the episode did not mark the end of the series with cast and crew taking 30% pay cuts to save the show.
Going forward, Reiss said as a matter of fact: “The show sucks, it goes off the air. If they don’t like the show, stop watching.
“If enough people stop watching it’ll end.”
Creator Matt Groening recently shrugged off concerns about the reduced viewing figures and admitted: “I don’t think about that stuff at all.
“I think about the intensity of our fans’ reactions and trying to make them really happy.
“If big numbers come with it, that’s great. If they don’t, well, let’s keep that a secret.”
The Simpsons is available on Disney+ in the UK.
