The Simpsons may end at its 40th season, according to one of its longtime stars.
Nancy Cartwright, who has voiced Bart Simpson since the show first aired in 1987, was adamant that the long-running animation may wrap after season 40 in the latest episode of Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast.
The voice-actor was pressed by Rosenbaum if she really thought that it would come to a close in just two seasons’ time, to which she replied: “Yeah…It’s my opinion.”
But Cartwright said that she is open to going beyond 40 seasons if the rest of the cast and team are willing.
“Yeah, if everyone is still alive, we’ll keep going then,” she joked. “Absolutely.”
Reflecting on the show’s legacy, Cartwright said it was “extraordinary” to reach the 800th episode.
“800!” she shouted. “You know how long it would even take to count to 800?”
Cartwright is also responsible for voicing other mainstay characters including Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum and Todd Flanders.
Last year, Fox inked a deal for four additional seasons of The Simpsons. The 37th season finished airing in February, and the 38th edition is slated to premiere on Fox on September 27. The show hit its 800th episode earlier this year.
The animation is also getting its second feature film next year, nearly 20 years after 2007’s The Simpsons Movie, which followed Homer as he accidentally polluted Springfield’s water supply, which triggered the EPA to trap the entire town under a giant glass dome.
20th Century Studios teased the forthcoming movie earlier this year, sharing a picture of a donut being eagerly grabbed by Homer, which was accompanied by the tagline: “Homer’s coming back for seconds.”
The Simpsons writer and producer Mike Reiss recently told The Independent that there was one time when the show came close to cancelation, back in 2011.
“It was gonna get canceled,” Reiss said.
“Not because of ratings or quality, but because the budget had spiraled out of control. It was only because the show had been on the air so long, and everyone got an incremental raise every year – after 27 years or something, suddenly our budget was huge.
“We were the most expensive half hour on television, and they were gonna cancel us for pure budgetary reasons.”
Ultimately, the cast and crew 30 percent pay cut, and Fox has continued airing The Simpsons ever since.
“We love working on the show. We didn't want it to go away,” he added.
Created by cartoonist Matt Groening, The Simpsons is Fox’s enduring satirical series, chronicling the daily lives of married couple Homer and Marge Simpson, along with their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie.
The characters first appeared in 1987 as animated shorts on the Tracey Ullman Show before their standalone series premiered in 1989.