O'Brien claimed that Fox "has been trying to end" the show for years.
'The Simpsons', the long-running animated sitcom, aired its "final episode" on Sunday night. The episode, titled "Bart's Birthday," opened with an animated version of Conan O'Brien, the former writer of the show, hosting a gala with animated celebrities. "It's such an honour to be with you all for the series finale of 'The Simpsons,'" O'Brien said to the crowd. "I knew I was the right man for the job because I've hosted the last episode of three of my own shows, and counting. Well, it's true. Fox has decided to end the Simpsons," he continued.
O'Brien claimed that Fox "has been trying to end" the show for years. He then showed clips from what he said were unaired series finale scenes from "classic episodes," like 1990's "Bart the Daredevil" and 2000's "Little Big Mom". "Many now classic episodes were originally conceived as series finales," he said.
O'Brien then presented the Season 36 premiere and revealed its big twist. He said that the show's writers had employed artificial intelligence to come up with what he said was the actual final script.
The script parodied some of the biggest cliches that can be found in most series finales - with storyline-ending plots like Mr Burns dying, Moe's shutting down and Principal Skinner. There were also animated re-creations of the final scenes from popular shows like "Game of Thrones," "Succession," "The Sopranos," "Breaking Bad" and "Frasier."
During the episode, an on-screen bug then proclaimed to viewers that they were watching "'The Simpsons' Series Finale", leaving the users confused. However, at the end of the episode. Bart snaps out of the AI illusion, which saw him turn 11 despite being 10 since the show's start. Once he is sentient again, the faux "series finale" comes to an end.
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The show's storyline left fans perplexed at first. However, they eventually realised the show wasn't actually ending. "I legit thought this was the series finale until I realized it was all a joke XD But still this was a great and funny season 36 premiere! Loved all the references!" one fan wrote on X.
"I DEFINITELY FELL FOR THAT "SERIES FINALE" ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC!" said another. "Tonight's premiere - not series finale - of @TheSimpsons was freaking brilliant!!! Great work, writer Jessica Conrad!" commented a third.
"The Simpsons" aired its first episode on December 17, 1989. The series was created by Matt Groening and its current voice cast includes Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson), Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson), Nancy Cartwright (Bart and Maggie Simpson), Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson) and Hank Azaria (various characters).