For its season 36 premiere final month, “The Simpsons” gave followers a fake-out collection finale the place all of the Springfield characters (besides Bart) acquired blissful, conclusive endings, implying higher days (and attainable spin-offs) forward. “I am positive gonna miss this place,” everybody saved saying, turning the lights off to whichever room they have been in and solemnly strolling out the door.

The episode was not the actual finale, after all, but it surely did provide a glimpse of what the finale might seem like. For a present that is been famously hesitant to interrupt with the established order, even when it means maintaining poor characters like Milhouse or Moe in infinite agony, it might make sense for the collection finale to heart across the characters breaking free. It would be good for Milhouse to get Lasik surgical procedure or for Homer to begin being a greater father. However for showrunner and govt producer Matt Selman, the best “Simpsons” finale can be one thing somewhat extra low-key.

“I simply hope it is only a common episode with no Winky Winky stuff in any respect,” he defined in a latest interview with Individuals journal. “Only a nice household story, similar to a traditional story that is simply humorous and entails the entire household and would not really feel prefer it must wrap up something or change something or tie something up or be magic or speak to the viewers immediately.”

A finale for a long-running sitcom that does not alter the established order is admittedly fairly uncommon. “Buddies” ended with Ross and Rachel getting again collectively and Chandler and Monica transferring out of town, “Scrubs” ended with JD leaving the hospital for a brand new job, and “How I Met Your Mom” coated the large occasions within the gang’s lives from 2014 all the best way to 2030. This strategy is sensible for a live-action sitcom, because the actors will unavoidably age and the viewers will wish to see them transfer ahead with their lives.

An extended-running animated present would not have that challenge, but it surely additionally would not have as many examples of previous finales to work off. “The Simpsons” was the primary hit animated sitcom for an grownup viewers, and of the most important animated exhibits that got here out afterward (“Household Man,” “South Park,” Futurama”), most of them are nonetheless on the air. In the case of determining how you can finish a a long time’ lengthy animated sitcom, “The Simpsons” would not have many examples to take inspiration from.

The most effective might be “King of the Hill,” whose last episode in 2009 was additionally pretty low-key. It ends on a candy notice, however the established order would not change a lot. Granted, it form of had to be low-key given how its community handled the present, airing 4 new episodes afterward that have been produced earlier than the finale. In keeping with the air dates, technically the finale of “King of the Hill” is not even “To Sirloin with Love” however “Simply One other Manic Kahn-Day” (which got here out 9 months later), however most followers are in settlement that the one-hour “To Sirloin with Love” is the finale that counts.

With the upcoming revival of “King of the Hill,” one other good thing about a low-key finale is made clear: by not making issues too conclusive, the writers can hold the door open for a relaunch down the road. “King of the Hill” has the liberty to return at any second as if nothing’s modified; if “The Simpsons” ends with an analogous sort of finale, it will probably all the time do the identical.