The Simpsons star Hank Azaria has weighed in on when the long-running cartoon series could finally end.
The show, which began in 1989, is currently airing its 34th season in the US, and has already been renewed for two more.
Speaking to People magazine, Azaria, who voices a number of characters on the show, including Moe, Chief Wiggum, and Comic Book Guy, addressed the eventual conclusion of the series.
Asked about the show’s ending, he responded: “I wonder about that, too. You know, we’re doing season 35 and 36. I would guess that it would probably go to 40. It seems to be doing well.”
He continued: “Standards of what doing well means has changed so much for network television in the last 10 to 15 years. But whatever the standards are now, we seem to be doing well. People still enjoy making it. They seem to want the show. So I imagine we keep going.
“The voices don’t really age. So we can keep doing it. And the animation doesn’t age. The animation does get better – and quicker.”
While it is widely agreed that The Simpsons’s “golden era” ended in the late 1990s, recent seasons have seen the series undergo something of a critical rennaissance.
However, interest in the early seasons remains high. This month, a tech-savvy fan of the show used digital processing techniques to unearth a joke from a 31-year-old episode that had previously been buried.
Earlier this year, The Simpsonsbrought back a notorious character from its first season – over three decades since his initial appearance.
The character’s return was well recieved by fans of the show, though some complained that the new episode opened up a plot hole in the show’s canon.
The Simpsons can be streamed on Disney+.
