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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Verity Sulway

Matt Groening 'thrilled' as The Simpsons is renewed for seasons 33 and 34

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening is "thrilled" after the cartoon series was renewed for two more seasons, which will be its 33rd and 34th.

Fox has renewed the popular show, which will now run until at least 2023 with a total of 757 episodes, after it started in 1989.

The Simpsons creator and executive producer Matt Groening said: "Everyone at The Simpsons is thrilled to be renewed once more, and we are planning lots of big surprises.

"Homer will lose a hair, Milhouse will get contact lenses, and Bart will celebrate his tenth birthday for the thirty-third time."

"Woo Hoo! With any luck the show will soon be older than I am," said one of the show's characters, Homer Simpson.

The Simpsons has aired since 1989 and is on its 32nd series (PA)

The Simpsons is the longest-running primetime scripted show in television history, and will celebrate a landmark 700th episode on Sunday, March 21st.

The show recently announced that the actor who has played of Dr Hibbert since 1990 has stepped down and will be replaced by a black actor.

Dr Julius Michael Hibbert was played by Harry Shearer, who is white, for more than 30 years.

Matt Groening promised lots of surprises in the new series of the show (Getty Images)
(Fox Broadcasting Company)

But in June 2020, Fox confirmed it would no longer feature white actors voicing black characters.

The producers issued a statement that read: "Moving forward, The Simpsons will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters.

Shearer is to be replaced by Kevin Michael Richardson, network Fox said, and he will make his debut in the upcoming season 32 episode Wad Goals.

Richardson is best known for his work on animated shows Family Guy, The Cleveland Show and American Dad.

In January 2020, white actor Hank Azaria - who voiced Indian character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon - also stepped down after years of controversy over his role, which he had played since 1990.

He explained he realised the character could enforce negative stereotypes, and south Asian actors said they were often called "Apu" and only offered roles of convenience store workers or taxi drivers.

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