♫”If this old clown was found dead in his bed tomorrow/
I’d be in heaven, still doing this show!”♫ – Krusty the Klown
This here blog has been live on the internet for six years and change. In that time we’ve seen four renewal announcements, including last night’s. Here are the details:
– two more full production runs of 22 episodes each
– will take the show through Season 28 and give it the first seven episodes of a Season 29(!)
– new guaranteed episode total of 625(!!)
– the next time to look for a renewal announcement will be October-ish of 2016
– the next deadline for a renewal announcement will be May-ish of 2017
Having read through a whole bunch of news reports on this, /Film easily wins the prize for best lead:
In TV years, The Simpsons is already the equivalent of the Grail Knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the series isn’t giving up its post any time soon.
They also took the time to say what everyone’s thinking:
And, let’s face it, you probably only watch the new episodes when Fox breaks out a splashy couch gag by a high-profile artist (yep, welovethose) or when the show makes a big change by killing off a character or featuring a surprising gimmick or guest star. But after more than twenty years, the roster of guests with the power to surprise is pretty small.
The Simpsons is in an unusual position in that the current episodes seem more like reminders for prior seasons and merchandise than the other way around.
As for the next renewal announcement, rubbercat.net/simpsons has it covered.
Dead Homer Society 
77 responses to “Zombie Simpsons Renewed For Forty-Four More Episodes”
So long, Gunsmoke! Next stop – Santa Barbara!
Nah, now it will be more like, “Now, let’s see if we can beat ‘Sazae-san’ for the record of longest continually running cartoon!”
Seven thousand FUCKING WHAT?!?!
More realistically it will attempt to break daytime records. Although some will be impossible to beat simply because they air more episodes annually, so they’ll have to stick to the ones that have since been cancelled.
Regarding Sazae-san, I would imagine that is a better viewing experience than the Simpsons because for that show they are just animating the nationally beloved comic strip from beginning to end and then restarting from the beginning with more modern animation/art styles, which I think cycles every decade or two.
It’s like a US network animating the entire Peanuts from the first comic strip to the last one and then keeping the show on the air by restarting from the beginning with a more modern look.
It’s one of those shows that does not encourage watching all of its episodes since it never reruns and was never released on home video. Just keep reframing the same sitcom comedy to newer generations.
I actually had just learned the other day that the reason why Sazae-san has never been collected to any sort of home viewing media is that the mangaka had actually requested for the series not to be. I suppose that this will also include any digital formats–the mangaka died in the 1990s, so that sort of thing wasn’t even known to her at the time of her request. I could see media moguls finding ways to skirt around her request to turn a profit if this was a property that was created and exists in the U.S. rather than Japan, but at least that’s not the case.
It’s also interesting that Sazae-san is the only currently-runnIng cartoon series in the world that is cel animated. Some of its title cards have been digitally animated, but that’s it.
Sazae-san seems to be a good example of not reinventing the wheel considering that it’s essentially a slice-of-life show that tackles basic family issues, yet it still retains a high amount of viewers.
I know that fact about Sazae-san since at least a few years ago and the preservation/emulation/documentation obsessed person that George Lucas has turned me into is mad about it. It doesn’t matter if I like the show anymore, obly whether a part of Japan’s history and legacy is preserved.
At least a shitty home release with a crappy restoration (or no restoration at all) of the earliest episodes of Sazae-san would be better that nothing. But that’s assuming they still exist, at least in later generation copies, which could be a huge assumption. Sometimes it’s quite surprising and sad to read terrible stories about how popular material is badly preserved or destroyed. For example, the japanese audio masters of the Dragon Ball series (at least the original and Z) were literally sent to the trash, and now all modern transfers and releases features crappy audio tracks with terrible sound quality, and its fans’ only hope is to find third party/private copies (or home recordings of the original broadcasts) of every single episode. And even if the original negatives of Sazae-san still exists and they are in good shape, maybe they could be no longer a good, objective reference of how the show looked back in its days. That’s a thing I recently learned about the original Star Wars from its fan preservation community.
We at least have DVD releases of the good seasons of The Simpsons, but DVD is no longer a good format. And they started producing them around yhe turn of the century, using bow outdated hardware and software. Even Bluray is still stuck at 1080p, and 4K teevees will soon be a common thing. At least The Simpsons was cel animated (except for two episodes), so if the original assets are in good condition the old episodes could be reconstructed at a higher resolution that they used in the ninetees, while preserving the original aspect ratio and general composition of every single frame.
But that would cost money, and time, and FOX just wants to earn money in cheap ways. I heard that for the FXX marathon they just upscaled the old digital masters they created for the DVDs. Very lazy.
So many typos, blame the virtual keyboard on my mobile.
I’ve gotten the impression that older Japanese shows aren’t as likely to be preserved as older American shows largely because Japanese TV doesn’t seem as fixated on re-runs as American TV. In addition to the fact that Japan isn’t fixated on having shows run forever and forever, I kind of wonder if the rarity of re-runs also plays into why reboots of TV shows seem much more common in Japan than in the U.S.
Anyway, I do find it a shame that Sazae-san isn’t released through digital streaming for purely historical preservation and cultural promotion (if that is even an option).
The “lost” shows are typically those that were black & white because b&w anime were hard to sell in syndication in the 1970s onward
Recent article on “lost” anime: http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/lost-tv-anime/
I’ve been saying that for years: Fox needs to go back to the negatives and re-do the post work in HD. I’m not even sure whether they used 16mm or 35mm before they switched to digital coloring.
That’s assumming the assets are properly preserved, and if the DVDs are an indicatin, the first seasons aren’t in good shape.
Also I wonder if there is a good reference for color correction (which is a big issue even for professional movies) because the DVDs are inconsistent in their colors, even between single scenes, and I doubt it was an animation error from the masters.
In Star Wars’ case, for the 1997 Special Editions Lucas used a Technicolor print (which are dye-based so they doesn’t fade) as a reference for Star Wars’ colors, but ESB and RotJ didn’t have Technicolor prints made (the technology was already dead when Star Wars was produced). Now that around twenty years have passed since they restored the movies for the 1997 Special Editions, the problem is even bigger, because you cannot color correct the negatives themselves. I don’t know how classic animation is preserved, but I assume many of the problems live-action productions have can be applied to cel animation too.
And The Simpsons was produced with old CRTs in mind, which blurred the image. That’s another thing to take into account.
The DVDs are done from the same tape masters that were already on hand. Analog SD tape just don’t look good when compressed with the MPEG-2 codec, but that’s all DVD will accept, unlike Blu-ray.
I don’t know why Fox wouldn’t keep the negatives.
The anon here’s name is “gravatarmysteryman”, just sayin’:
http://deadhomersociety.com/2010/12/07/were-not-paying-you-to-talk/#comments
Also, why did they stop linking in10words?
I would’ve like to see those other Krusty cast members featured a bit more in the show. Sure as hell beats that character voiced by Anne Hathaway that never stopped f-king singing throughout that Zombie Simpson episode. Ugh, gawd that was a sh!tty episode!
Yeah, I wouldn’t had minded seeing more of them, too. I kind of got the impression a lot of these characters existed because they were going to be a part of that live-action Krusty the Klown show. I would have liked to have seen more of Sideshow Raheem, too.
Also, the whole concept of The Krusty the Klown Show is another one of the elements that doesn’t work well with ZS trying to be more contemporary. Bozo the Clown and similar programs were already fading away in the ’90s. Are there even any shows with a Bozo the Clown-like format currently on American TV?
There hasn’t been a show like that in a long time. Was Bozo big during the 90’s? (according to Wikipedia, the show ended in 2001, but that was long after the popularity peaked) There’s a strong tendency for writers who write kid characters to base things on their own childhood rather than stuff that’s necessarily modern. (though I imagine that during the era of classic Simpsons, Bozo might’ve been better remembered)
Considering that ZS is always trying to be hip and modern, I’m pretty surprised that they’ve never really attempted to come up with new elements or running jokes for the show. Everything is so one-shot. They can keep Krusty around, but they could also do new jokes with the kids watching new shows.
They had Transclownomorphs on one episode and that Mattel and Mars Chocobot Show and sometimes they include Itchy and Scratchy without Krusty the Clown. Does that count?
I meant as a recurring joke. I don’t think the Transclownomorphs ever showed up again, did they?
I was born in ’85, and I sure don’t remember Bozo being big in the ’90s, but I do remember seeing a rare ad for him. I always got the impression that he was big during the childhood of the Baby Boomers which does explain why Krusty is in existence.
The Chicago-based Bozo was kinda big in the ’90s. He was on regularly on WGN.
Remember that Bozo in general was a very regional character, not generally someone seen coast-to-coast. It it’s hey-day there were multiple Bozos operating in different broadcasting districts.
You mean like that bozo, Bonko the Clown?
If viewership declines, expect this series to either continue running with profit losses, air back to back episodes 2-3 days a week or be picked up by FXX.
I predict The Simpsons will finally end between Seasons 30-33 though it foul possibly go on longer.
Sear God, help us.
Could.
Dear, damn auto fap.
Well, Al Jean did insinuate that he wanted the show to end in season 30…
Al Jean wants to end the show when money as the main way for exchange of goods and services is abolished, which won’t happen in at least 10 eons.
That recent 2+ minute couch gag where the Simpsons’ TV switches between the old CRT model and the new LCD one and then sends Homer to a far distant future was a hidden warning.
Freemasons runs the countryyyyy.
Al Jean doesn’t want anything. He’s a bloodsucking vampire, ought to learn to suck some cock instead.
You can make more money from that, anyway, especially in a place like SoCal
Www women from Ca and the west coast, including the South hate wearing pantyhose due to warm weather, genetics, fashion trends and cultural conditioning and that creeps me out.
How do you think he got the job?
I thought simple ass-licking was enough.
BJ’s.
The FXX thing seems a more believable outcome.
I can see the FXX thing happening. The studios are going to force this show to go on as long as they can possibly justify it. When it’s no longer worth keeping it on the main network, it might get some time on FXX or even FX.
I still expect some spin-offs to be, at the very least, seriously proposed. (some spinoff ideas have been thrown around in the past, but none ever took off) It would be another way to squeeze what they can out of the franchise. A spinoff would definitely get a lot of publicity and might boost interest. And if the spinoff actually had good writers, it would almost certainly get people interested in the franchise again. The entertainment industry is different than it was 10, 20 years ago. It’s pretty surprising that something as big as The Simpsons hasn’t gotten much expansion.
The Simpsons ended in 2000, my friend.
Behind the Laughter.
Five more seasons and they go past ZABF, into the unknown.
I know, kids. I’m scared too!
Nope. Not at all!
ABBF, BBBF, CBBF…
Or AACF, BACF, CACF…
Or AAABF, ABABF, ACABF…
Or 0100100011110001111000012
There is plenty of new good Simpsons stories for centuries!
How about ARWTF?
ALOL
It’s always weird seeing one of my commenters on another site a frequent!
Bad news, still it was largely expected.
Fox ratings are horrible this year except only for football and Empire.
Despite getting mediocre ratings the show is still one of the most watched by young adults (mostly males) on Fox.
We are gonna get at least 51 more turds. Woo Hoo!!!
Gotham.
How much does ZS cost to make? Even if the show is getting decent ratings by the standards of the network, if it costs a lot to make it won’t really be worth much. (though as has already been pointed out on the site, much of the value of the show lies in merchandise. Plus, international markets are becoming more important)
Only morons watch Fox.
I like Gotham. And reruns of Modern Family and The Bible Bang Theory too. I like the Flash btw but that’s on CW. They never should have taken American Dad off and Futurama needs a renewal. I like Bob’s Burgers btw. And FG is run by a smart man named Shit McFarthead.
Big Bang Theory.
I’ve never heard of these shows. About 10 years ago or so I gave House M.D. a shot, but after 2-3 episodes decided it was laughable garbage about any “wannabe” doctor out there. Also, you don’t bring Sherlock Holmes under ANY pretense into the 21 century (yes, that concerns Sherlock too). You leave Sherlock Holmes in the 1890s, and create YOUR OWN GOOD stories.
In fact, I don’t even go to the movies anymore. Anything selective I want to watch – I do it at home without paying a dime. One of my peeps recommended I gave 50 Shades of Grey a shot – ohhh godddd that one sucked…
Another thing I hate is fucking reboots. Everywhere. Anything that is 15 or more years old just MUST be rebooted or remade today. The thing is, were you not to call the 2014 Robocop “Robocop” – you could’ve made more cash. Because people like myself don’t watch a movie just because “omg omg it’s a fucking reboot”. Call it another name, respect both franchises.
And last but not least, there are these ‘teen’ movies, ranging from Twilight to The Hunger Games and Divergent. Every movie must represent a certain audience. Every car must be fit to a certain people category. Every food product must match everyone’s expectation. We must reach every wallet. We must make more cash.
Bastards.
Oh, yes, it is a tragedy. People liking mainstream shows that you don’t. How can those ingrates in Syria complain about chemical warfare and their government bombing their houses when a tired, old cartoon from the 1990s that barely anyone watches anymore gets renewed for two more seasons and a partial one and people happen to like other shows that aren’t a complete waste of time like this one. Not everyone is into the same shit you are, and not everyone cares about the renewal news, you overgrown cumshot, you dripping, herpes-riddled, fishy-smelling, diseased cunt, you involuntary celibate, third-generation bastard. Just leave them alone and go stew in a pot of your own misandry until your flesh falls off the bone and your muscles disintegrate like an Alka-Seltzer tab modeled after the original Hans Christian Anderson version of “The Little Mermaid”!
Awww, poor Waylon. So butthurt you need an enema treatment. There there, let me cum in there for softness.
What’s wrong with wanting to appeal to a certain audience? I mean, pretty much every TV show, movie, book, etc. does that.
Nothing. But you could’ve clearly stated so. Movies or books are basically art, not objects like cars or clothes. You don’t have to present objects, people know what they’re shopping for. But when you turn art works into these objects, as if you were on the market, you become a careless douchebag. This is my opinion, I’m sticking by it and everyone’s welcome to have their own.
Even with three more seasons coming….Gunsmoke still has more episodes.I am surprized about the renewal. The ratings have been terrible. They are only go to go lower.
Sazae-san is not an American show so they probably don’t care about beating their record.
And that’s what matters. Saezae-San does not care about meaningless milestones, something Zombie Simpsons is doing now.
It’s never going to end, is it? Ever ever ever? “Homer Sez Doh” has been the basis for several hundred episodes. Yet Futurama got the axe?
Let’s face it: FOX always gets rid of the good shows and the ones they don’t, they run into the ground. People should have figured that out when Titus, Arrested Development, and some of the Joss Whedon shows (I don’t care much for them, but there are a lot of angry geeks out there who haven’t forgiven FOX for canceling Firefly and probably never will) also got the axe while The Simpsons and Family Guy get renewed.
My beef with Fox had more to do with their treatment of FUTURAMA by putting it on after football to make room for the vastly overrated MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. Since I lived on the East Coast, I missed a lot of episodes when they were new, including “Jurassic Bark.” And when they cancelled FUTURAMA after burning off the last episodes in the summer, they treated KING OF THE HILL the same way.
And I’ve got enough similar beefs with other networks to become a cattle rancher.
Be thankful that the complete series DVDs exists and Netflix is streaming the entire series.
They ended right before Fox gave up on TV show Blu-rays.
And they had those “It all starts at 8” commercials.
Al Jean linked the rubbercat link to his twitter
Al if you are reading this please let the next 44 episodes be the worst trash TV has ever seen. If you guys can make the best show ever, you can also make the biggest steaming pile of trash. I believe in you.
They don’t really have to try at this point. They just do it.
The rubbercat article is the best thing to come out of this.
Put this shit into private syndication and bring American Dad back into its time slot. No? Fuck you.
Btw I’ve said this back in 2013 and I’ll say it again: putting ZS onto a YouTube channel could earn in more than 3 million views in the first 24 hours. Therefore, you could advertise more (including YT owned ads) and get more moolah for all the merch you only get a percentage for today because Fox steals half your shit for credit.
Is Al Jean smarter than a hamster? Doubtful.
From what I understand, online ads don’t pay as much as TV ads. ZS could be successful as online-only, but they’d probably have to cut the budget.
My God, man. They’ve cut the budget as far as she’ll go. They cannae cut it no more.
Seriously though, if the cut the budget any further, it’s going to be a cookbook animation with voiceovers.
Sorry, “flipbook”. But a cookbook animation would be somewhat different.
“How to Cook 40 Stupid Simpsons Characters”?
If they get desperate enough, they could do really bad flash animation. ZS animation is already pretty sterile anyway so I doubt anyone who watches the show would care much.
you really think you’re clever calling it “zombie simpsons”, huh?
nerds will be nerds, i guess.
You’re right. it deserves worse. It should be called “The Shitsons”.
Some people referred to the show as The Sucksons.
I refer to it as a pitiful travesty of its former self. Imagine if your high school sweetheart grew up to be a drunken mess, and he knows how to get his life in order, but he won’t. That’s what this show has become. More people are talking about a fucking FULL HOUSE revival than are talking about any era of this show. That was exactly the kind of show Good Simpsons was a rebellion against: bad acting, terrible jokes, stupid plots, low self-awareness, and a smarmy moralism that borders on pure evil. Even by the standards of 1980s network television, a world where MANIMAL was once considered good enough to get on the fall schedule, it was bad. Take the worst episode of HAPPY DAYS—just about anything after Ron Howard quit will do—then make the writer rewrite it after you repeatedly bash him in the head with a two-by-four and give him a lobotomy with kitchen utensils, and the result would still be better than FULL HOUSE.
Even as early as 10 years ago, the feeble “it’s still better than anything else on TV” defense could still be heard in the far corners of the SIMPSONS-centric web. Now that the rest of TV has upped its game, that the show would allow itself to become everything it hated: a soulless by-product of committee thinking.
Anyone else here getting the same feel as Sideshow Mel in that pic?
The nightmare will never be over.