The Simpsons played the ultimate prank on its viewers when the Season 36 premiere aired on FOX this weekend.
In the new episode, titled “Bart’s Birthday,” former Simpsons writer Conan O’Brien (you may have heard of him) shockingly announced that this was actually the show’s series finale.
“It’s such an honor to be with you all for the series finale of The Simpsons,” an animated version of O’Brien told the crowd at what appeared to be a star-studded gala. “I knew I was the right man for the job because I’ve hosted the last episode of three of my own shows, and counting.”
He continued, “Well, it’s true. Fox has decided to end The Simpsons. This show was such a special part of my early career, so being here means the world to me. Also. I left a sweater in the writer’s room in 1993 and this is the only way they’ll let me get it back.”
For this special episode, O’Brien explained, the Simpsons writers used AI to create the ultimate series finale. What resulted was a star-studded montage of finale cliches, including Principal Skinner retiring and Mr. Burns dying. The episode shows Bart fighting to stop the show from ending as he approaches his 11th birthday, though he’s been 10 years old since the show premiered in 1989.
The AI finale ended once Homer strangled Bart. But the show still had some cards up its sleeve. The episode ended with clever recreations of the most famous series finales of all time – and the most controversial.
In one homage to The Sopranos, Homer, Marge, and Bart sat in a diner booth around a bowl of onion rings. Hilariously enough, another scene showed Ralph Wiggum being crowned the new King of Westeros in a parody of Game of Thrones‘ controversial ending. The episode also spoofed the finales of Succession, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and more.
Simpsons viewers appeared to enjoy the season premiere once they realized it wasn’t the actual series finale.
“Wait why does it say ‘Series Finale,’” one fan asked on X, echoing a question many viewers initially had. “The Simpsons is over?!”
“The Simpsons is literally trolling us with this episode!!!” one fan wrote. Another complimented the “great” episode, noting that it was “very experimental.”
There’s good news and bad news: The Simpsons isn’t going anywhere. Now entering its 36th season, The Simpsons has become the longest-running primetime scripted show of all time. Fans still have an entire season to look forward to, including two Halloween specials to air later this fall. However, the hit animated series has not been renewed for a new season yet.
