‘The Simpsons’ Showrunner Al Jean Says Show Nearly Ended Four Years Ago

Although we’ve already heard from Simpsons producer Al Jean that no end for the show is currently in sight, it very nearly ended around the time of The Simpsons Movie.

“They (the network) said we had to cut 25% of the budget or they wouldn’t pick it up,” Jean told HuffPostUK. “The cast and crew took pay cuts, we made the budget work. With that cut, this show should last a long time, it’s a little expensive, but still several years.”

If and when it does end, Jean doesn’t want the decision to be his. “I love it and I’m terrified of being the one who causes it to end,” he said, explaining that the decision wouldn’t fall to him anyway. “It wouldn’t be my call to pull the plug. The probable cause would be revenue, if the ratings started to drop and the costs were still high, and it did come close four years ago,” he explained, referring to when the movie was released.

“We had more people writing on the show when we did the movie, and it was really hard to do at the same time, I would just say, ‘why?’” All the more reason why fans shouldn’t expect another film anytime soon.

“They don’t need the money, they’ve got the game and the ride for that. I would say, only make a movie if you have a great movie.”

Jean also mentioned how, despite Homer being the most popular character on the series, he enjoys writing for Lisa the most. “I empathize with her,” Al said. “My brother was the Bart of the family, he was more reckless.”

“Outside America, people like the fact that Homer is dumb and fat, and a poll in the UK named him as the most admired American. Ahead of Abraham Lincoln, and he’s not even a real person.” Although there are apparently real people that are very similar to the Simpson Family patriarch.

“I’ve met a few Homers,” Jean said, “maybe I’ve turned into him. Everyone puts their basic instincts into Homer, makes him the embodiment of how they would behave if they thought they could get away with it.”

Shifting to the current state of the show’s quality and the criticisms it receives, Jean didn’t seem particularly concerned. “If you have a Prime Minister or President, people get sick of them after five or six years. If you have a TV show, after 10 years, people say, ‘oh that’s just old, it’s not fresh,’ so to be on 26 years, you’re really weathering a real great deal of ‘Oh, I’ve already seen it’ and it’s the thing we have to constantly fight off is the idea we’re not worth watching.”

He continued by drawing comparisons to other popular entertainers. “The Simpsons are the Beatles and the Rolling Stones,” he explained. “People go see the Rolling Stones, but they never want to hear a song recorded after 1980, and viewers still talk about the fabled third season.”

Although the show is advanced in age now, viewers should be happy the characters aren’t. “At least the Simpsons don’t look like someone’s grandmothers,” he added. And the show is still plenty sharp and current, and it continues to push the envelope just like old times.

In a final query, HuffPostUK asked if there’s anything FOX hasn’t allowed him to do. Jean took his time pondering the question for a bit before responding.

“When Lisa got drunk on vacation … we got told we weren’t allowed to show the wine glass on her lips.”

[via The Huffington Post UK]