In anticipation of the Season 36 premiere of The Simpsons, Fox kept details under wraps, teasing viewers with hints like “it’s the episode fans have waited for since 1989” and Bart’s cryptic, “Something super weird is going on!”
The episode opened with “The Simpsons Series Finale,” featuring former writer Conan O’Brien as the host, who humorously declared the show’s end, explaining Fox’s previous attempts to conclude the series. He introduced an A.I. bot that analyzed every episode of The Simpsons and all televised series finales to create what it deemed the “perfect” finale.
The plot focused on Bart’s 11th birthday, showcasing a hilarious satire of common series finale clichés, including closing businesses, characters moving away, newborns, and unexpected celebrity cameos. This clever concept was the brainchild of Simpsons writer Jessica Conrad and co-executive producer Michael Price, who discussed their creative journey following the premiere.
The idea for a fake finale emerged from showrunner Matt Selman during last year’s writers’ strike. After hearing fan inquiries about how the show would conclude during a trip overseas, he proposed creating a spoof finale to address the ongoing curiosity. The team decided to let Conrad write the episode, which morphed into a comedic yet emotional narrative.
Bart was chosen to narrate the story because he represents a character stuck at age 10 in a show where characters never age, leading to reflections on the concept of existence tied to age. The concept evolved to center around Bart’s birthday as a metaphorical climax.
Conan O’Brien became involved early in the process due to his long-standing association with the show. The challenge of writing A.I.-generated humor while incorporating intentional awkwardness was met with enthusiasm; Conrad cited a line delivered by Maggie as an example of leaning into cliché comedy.
Much effort was placed into capturing the exaggerated sentimentality typical of series finales. Price mentioned that they intentionally echoed elements from the emotional endings of other shows while ensuring the satire resonated with fans of The Simpsons.
The episode was packed with nostalgic guest appearances, including surprising appearances of characters previously thought to be gone. The conclusion was initially set for a more extensive commentary from Bart, critiquing the town of Springfield, but ultimately shifted to a familiar humorous physical gag involving Homer.
Conrad and Price noted inspiration from earlier episodes while avoiding similarities to recent plots. A particularly ambitious inclusion was a cameo from Barack Obama, but logistics prevented his participation.
When asked about the eventual real finale of The Simpsons, Price speculated it should remain humorous rather than following a storyline that offers closure, such as the family relocating or a character’s demise—highlighting a preference for a classic, hilarious episode.