The Simpsons Creator Groening Credits 800-Episode Longevity to Character-Driven Innovation

At the 2025 Annecy International Animation Festival, Matt Groening and key figures from "The Simpsons" celebrated the show's enduring legacy, now extending beyond 40 seasons and 800 episodes. Groening revealed that the creative team’s main motivation is to surprise themselves, believing that this ability to innovate keeps the audience engaged and prevents stagnation. Recent seasons have seen a creative renaissance, focusing more on character-driven narratives and experimental storytelling rather than relying heavily on jokes, which has been met with critical acclaim. The show’s longevity, Groening emphasized, is also due to a refusal to be lazy and a commitment to diverse humor, including parodies and autobiographical references contributed by the entire team. Despite advances in animation technology, the creators strive to maintain a hand-drawn quality to preserve the show’s human touch. Groening also humorously confirmed the show's reputation for predicting the future, attributing it to writers' imaginative storytelling rather than conspiracy.