For more than three decades now, The Simpsons has been a mainstay on our TV screens.
Boasting over 800 episodes across 37 seasons, it feels strange to imagine a world in which the longest-running animated sitcom finally comes to an end.
However, according to Nancy Cartwright, who has voiced Bart Simpson since the character first appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987, the show’s finale may not be as far away as you’d expect.
Asked how long she thinks The Simpsons will continue to air during an appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Nancy replied: ’40 [seasons].’
When Rosenbaum checked whether she really believed the show would stop at season 40, she said: ‘Yeah.’
After asking whether she was ‘sure’, Nancy clarified: ‘It’s my opinion.’
If Nancy’s predictions are correct, The Simpsons would then end around spring 2029. However, the actor made it clear that she is more than happy to continue playing Bart if the showrunners want the series to continue.
Asked by Rosenbaum whether she would carry on if the cast were still around, she replied: ‘Yeah, we’ll keep going then.’
Commenting on if she would continue for as long as the producers wanted, Nancy then said: ‘Absolutely.’
Showrunner Matt Selman has previously suggested that he doesn’t expect the series to have an emotional major finale like other long-running shows.
Actually, The Simpsons has already poked fun at the idea after the season 36 premiere, Bart’s Birthday, which was described as a parody of a series finale, cramming different ideas for how the show could wrap up.
‘We did a series finale in the middle of the show that made fun of all the ideas of wrapping everything up or ending,’ he said.
The show has also been renewed through season 40 as part of a four-season renewal, meaning viewers are guaranteed new episodes until the 2028-29 broadcast season.
This comes after The Simpsons retired a character ‘forever’ earlier this yearafter a Severance-style episode.
The parody episode, titled Seperance, saw Duffman officially ‘retire’ after nearly 30 years on screen alongside the famous animated family.
Next up for The Simpsons, however, is a second movie, which is due to hit cinemas next year.
It will arrive almost 20 years after The Simpsons Movie, which was released in 2007 and made more than $536 million worldwide.
The Simpsons is available to watch on Channel 4 and Disney Plus.