What is 'The Series Finale' in The Simpsons? The joke behind Season 36’s big twist

When The Simpsons premiered on December 17, 1989, no one could’ve predicted that it would turn out to be one of the longest-running—and most popular—TV shows. Initially, a quirky animated sitcom series about a troubled family residing in the fictional Springfield town, the show eventually turned into a satirical critique of American society. Much of the early development work was done by James L. Brooks and Sam Simon, but the show was created by Matt Groening. The show introduced us to Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie—and changed TV forever.

Fast forward to 2025, and The Simpsons just keeps on truckin' with 36 seasons and nearly 800 episodes on its clipboard. Now, it's a full-fledged franchise with a feature film, comic books, video games, theme park attractions, and more merchandise than you can count.

If you're the type of person who grew up with "Eat my shorts" or stumbled upon Lisa's jazz solos on Disney+, then there is a good chance that The Simpsons has touched your life in some way.

But despite all that baggage on its history, the idea of the show actually being over still doesn't ring true. That's why Season 36's massive "series finale" surprise was such a shocker. Fans weren't sure if it was time to finally leave the ride—or if it was just The Simpsons pulling one of its classic fake-outs. (It was the latter, but we'll get to that.)

Let's look back at how The Simpsons became so iconic, meet the characters that continue to bring us back, and deconstruct that brilliant (and mean) finale joke.

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What is The Simpsons Really About?

In its essence, The Simpsons is a show about one (pretty imperfect but lovable) family living in the fictional town of Springfield—a town which has the peculiar talent of being basically every American town, simultaneously.

It's the sort of show that burns its eye out at nearly everything: politics, pop culture, religion, even the media, education, parenting, and, of course, itself. With the help of clever satire, slapstick humor, and a dash of meta humor, The Simpsons has never hesitated to keep its bite and be funny.

And now we start with the main cast:

Homer Simpson is the lovable but doofus father who works as a safety inspector for a nuclear power plant (no need to wonder how he was hired). He's irresponsible, impulsive, and preoccupied at any given moment with beer and donuts—but he loves his family.

Marge Simpson holds the family together. She is sweet and thoughtful and continuously tries to get the family back in line, regardless of whether they flat-out refuse to listen to her.

Bart Simpson, the naughty ten-year-old, is the prankster-in-chief and the quintessential bad boy of '90s cartoons. With his "Eat my shorts" catchphrases, Bart is a pop culture phenomenon in his own right.

Lisa Simpson is the polar opposite of Bart in every respect—genius, sensitive, and far too smart for her years. She's the one grappling with social justice, reading philosophy, and pushing back against the establishment, all before bedtime.

Maggie Simpson, the family's youngest member, doesn't say much—but don't be fooled. She is intelligent, perceptive, and likes to surprise everyone with how competent (and annoying) she is.

And of course, there are their two pets—Santa's Little Helper, the greyhound with a heart of gold, and Snowball II, the cat.

What makes The Simpsons more than just a family sitcom is its outrageously deep bench of supporting characters. From Ned Flanders, the cheesy-pleasant neighbor next door, to Mr. Burns, Homer's very elderly, very sinister boss, Springfield is packed with some of the most familiar faces on television.

Characters such as Moe, Krusty the Clown, Principal Skinner, and even Comic Book Guy were initially cast as background players, but ended up becoming legends with their own complete storylines.

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Season 36: The "Series Finale" that never was (but absolutely was)

Going into Season 36, The Simpsons were at the top of their form. For years, there have been whispers that the show was about to be cancelled, and the use of the term "series finale" sends the public and the critics into full-blown speculation mode.

So when there were promos for the premiere episode, "Bart's Birthday," riding that wave of hype and calling it the final episode ever, people were taking notice. Was this it? Was The Simpsons ending?

Sort of. Not really. Not at all.

"Bart's Birthday" opens with none other than Conan O'Brien delivering a farewell monologue. It's a wonderful meta moment: O’Brien wrote for The Simpsons during its golden age, and now he's hosting as some kind of ringmaster of what looks like the end of an era. He mocks Fox's constant desire to finally pull the plug and lovingly roasts the show's steadfast refusal to die. It's highly self-referential and highly Simpsons.

Then comes the real twist: what follows isn't a finale, really, but a parade of fake ones. O'Brien presents a series of alternate endings—i.e., Moe closing his tavern, Mr. Burns's death, Skinner's retirement. There are even over-the-top spoofs of iconic finales from The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and Succession. (There is, of course, a black screen cut-to-credits moment.)

But none of these endings stick, as none of them is real.

And it's found that all of those so-called finales were penned by artificial intelligence. Literally. In-universe, an AI was hired to pen the "perfect" ending to The Simpsons—and it couldn't decide.

It's a nod to the unrealistic demands we place on long-running shows, and the very modern terror of storytelling in the age of the algorithm, the deepfakes, and the endless reboots.

By the final episode, it's clear: The Simpsons are here to stay. But they're going to do a snarky victory lap, trolling their audience and the very idea of closure. Because if there's one series that ever had the right to make its own series finale feel like a joke, it's this one.

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Why make it a "Series Finale"? The joke behind the twist

So why did The Simpsons start Season 36 by calling the very first episode the "series finale"? Easy: because it's The Simpsons. Nobody does self-referential comedy and meta-trolling better than this show.

By hyping "Bart's Birthday" as the final-ever episode, complete with a special intro from animated Conan O'Brien, the writers were indulging in a long-simmering inside joke—not only with viewers, but with the entire television business.

The punchline of the episode depends on one of the greatest television obsessions of the modern age—getting the perfect series finale. The fans need closure, feeling, callbacks, and maybe some twists.

Instead, The Simpsons offered a prank collection of fake finales, all of which were supposedly made by artificial intelligence. Melodramatic demise! Tearful goodbyes! Breakdowns for Breaking Bad, Succession, and The Sopranos! It's both a commentary on too-somber finales and on the increasingly common practice of letting technology dictate creative decisions.

By blaming the endings on AI, the episode playfully nudges at the rise of algorithmic content—i.e., streaming services suggesting what to watch next before you've even watched what you're watching now. It is a wink at the way TV writing, once so imperfect and human, has become so frequently dictated by data, trendspotting, and user scores.

And here's the last punchline: The Simpsons resists change more than anything. Characters don't age, issues don't linger, and everything is forgotten by the end credits.

So when The Simpsons plays with permanence, it's playing along. The concept of The Simpsons ending is nearly as ridiculous as Moe having a stable love life—it just isn't the nature of the show.

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The actual finale? Marge's destiny in the season 36 closer

While The Simpsons started Season 36 on a cheeky faux-out finale note, the actual emotional mic drop came in its finale, "Estranger Things." And this time, the show didn't spare our feelings: Marge Simpson—blue beehive and all—is dead. Yes, dead. And not in a Halloween special kind of manner.

The episode jumps 35 years into the future. Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are grown, having slowly drifted apart from one another, their sibling relationship having lost momentum and their earlier common enthusiasm for The Itchy & Scratchy Show. At the center is an understated yet intriguing premise: the worst nightmare of Marge has come true—her kids have drifted apart.

We find out Marge passed away not in some melodramatic slow-motion hospital montage, but in a subtle funeral flashback and a passing reference by Lisa to her "late mother."

It's not bombastic, but that makes it more effective. No revelation of how she passed, no lingering goodbye—just the absence where Marge would have been, and the strength of feeling left in its stead.

And then there is the letter. Lisa opens a letter from Marge, written years ago, in which Marge jokes that she probably died before Homer—something she never wished, considering his donut and Duff habit.

Just when you think the waterworks are going to subside, the episode serves up one last emotional punch—a video message from Marge. She instructs her children to stand together, no matter what. That message brings them back to 742 Evergreen Terrace, their former home, where they reunite and recall what truly matters.

And characteristic of The Simpsons, there's an unconventional afterlife surprise: we have a glimpse of Marge potentially cozying up to Ringo Starr in the afterlife.

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What's next for The Simpsons

In spite of that emotional finale and all the "goodbye" joking, The Simpsons is not saying goodbye anytime in the near future. In April 2025, Fox announced that the show had been picked up for four additional seasons (yep, 15 episodes in total per season), securing it through Season 40.

After nearly four decades, The Simpsons continues to evolve. Whether it's mocking AI, jumping decades into the future, or playing with its own conventions, the show continues to surprise audiences.

And from the writers, we can expect still more experimentation in the years to come—flash-forwards, genre-bending, and edgy storytelling—all while retaining that same comfortable blend of heart, humor, and sharp satire.