AlthoughThe Simpsonsis one show that can’t pull off a traditional time jump, season 36’s finale set one up perfectly. Perhaps I should apologize. Six weeks afterThe Simpsonsseason 36 finaleaired, I penned an article forScreenRantthat noted Marge’s death in episode 18, “Estranger Things" could have major ramifications for the series.
My thoughts onMarge’sThe Simpsonsseason 36 deathstarted something of an online maelstrom, resulting in a string of articles fromVariety,Vulture,The Guardian, and countless other outlets clarifying Marge’s fate. It’s worth noting that the original article did say Marge would almost certainly return, alive and well, inThe Simpsonsseason 37.
Nevertheless,The Simpsonsexecutive producer Matt Selman was soon pressed for comment byVariety, where he said “Obviously since the ‘The Simpsons’ future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they’re all different every time… Marge will probably never be dead ever again. The only place Marge is dead is in one future episode that aired six weeks ago.”
The Simpsons Season 36’s Ending Sets Up a Time Jump
I’m glad the creators ofThe Simpsonswere able to put this issue to bed, and that the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show in history can now return to its regularly scheduled programming. However, it is still worth noting thatThe Simpsonsseason 36 finale set up a classic time jumpthat almost any other series would follow through on.
“Estranger Things” jumped ahead decades years into the future at the end of a season, so season 37 could easily pick up where the finale left off and keep following Bart and Lisa’s older selves. For allThe Simpsons’ storytelling tricks, the show has never jumped into the future and stayed there for more than one episode at a time.
Everything fromRugratstoKing of the Hillhas aged its animated protagonists up between seasons.
Time jumps have been a staple of live-action TV for decades, fromDesperate HousewivestoRiverdaletoTrue BloodtoOne Tree Hill. Since animated characters don’t age the way real-life actors do, animated shows are under less pressure to utilize this trope. That said, everything fromRugratstoKing of the Hillhas aged its animated protagonists up between seasons.
Even other zany, unrealistic animated sitcoms like Netflix’sBig Mouthhave included between-season time jumps, but here is where the unique canon ofThe Simpsonsbecomes a problem. According to anXpost from Selman,The Simpsonshas an “Elastic canon,” meaning any episode’s events can be undone by the next outing of the series.
Why The Simpsons Time Jump Can Never Stick Despite Season 36 Finale’s Set-Up
The Show Relies On Its “Elastic Canon”
The elastic canon ofThe Simpsonsaffords the show a lot of liberties, but it also comes at a cost. On the bright side,The Simpsonscan retire controversial characters like Apuwithout ever addressing this change in universe, since the show’s lineup changes constantly. The downside comes when viewers try to understand the show’s chronology.
Depending on the episode, Marge and Homer were born in the late ‘60s, or possibly the mid ‘80s. They attended high school in the early ‘70s if season 2 episodes are to be believed, but season 32 sees them attend high school in the late ‘90s. It is easy to imagine why the show can’t pull off a time skip.
Since the original timeline ofThe Simpsonsisn’t all that clear in the first place, there is no solid footing for the series to diverge from.The Simpsonsseason 37’s first episodecan’t remain set in the new future established by season 36’s finale, because then Marge would really, actually be dead.
In a live-action sitcom, characters eventually change because their actors age or leave.
This would ruin the show’s unique approach, wherein everything reverts to the status quo at the end of each episode. Plenty of sitcoms have taken this approach before and since, but none have mined its inherent absurdist potential as much asThe Simpsons. In a live-action sitcom, characters eventually change because their actors age or leave.
Theoretically, a time jump would solveThe Simpsons’ oldest complaint, namely that the main characters of the show never age. However, since the continuity ofThe Simpsonsconstantly changes, this ironically means that the show will almost certainly never have a lasting time jump.The Simpsonsdon’t age because this is what makes the show work.
Marge’s Survival Is Better Than The Potential That Comes With A The Simpsons Time-Jump
Why The Simpsons Season 37 Doesn’t Need A Time Jump
The potential ofThe Simpsonsseason 37’s storyline remaining in the future is interesting. The show could make Bart and Lisa’s adult selves its new protagonists and could explore more of their later lives. After all, if Bart and Lisa had aged normally since the series began, they would be in their 40s by now.
However,The Simpsonsis better off sticking with its “Elastic canon” than attempting a time jump. Theimproved critical reception of recent seasons of The Simpsonsis owed to the show’s ability to surprise even longtime viewers, and a new setting would only make the series more predictable.
The last thingThe Simpsonsneeds to do is set its canon in stone after years of avoiding this fate.
The Simpsonscan still show viewers more of Bart and Lisa’s futures in new episodes. The show can even return to the specific version of their future established in “Estranger Things” for a one-off sequel. However, the last thingThe Simpsonsneeds to do is set its canon in stone after years of avoiding this fate.
It should come as no surprise that the creators ofThe Simpsonsalready retconned Marge’s death before season 37 when Selman clarified Marge’s fate. By holding onto its elastic canon, the show maintains an endless array of opportunities. Viewers can never be sure of even simple, straightforward details like Homer’s age or which version of the family’s future is “Real.”
This may understandably frustrate viewers who want consistency, but it is a fool’s errand to come toThe Simpsonsexpecting sensible storytelling. On the contrary, that is the very opposite of what makesThe Simpsonsarguably themost influential network sitcom of all time. The show’s unpredictable edge has already been unavoidably dulled by age, so this shouldn’t be worsened by canon.
The Simpsonscan do almost anything in a given episode, within the bounds of its family-friendly rating. If the show were to drop its elastic canon and tackle a serialized storytelling approach, or even start to maintain a more consistent continuity between episodes, it would lose this freedom.
The Simpsonscan become lost in surrealism at times, depriving the show of stakes.
This does mean thatThe Simpsonscan become lost in surrealism at times, depriving the show of stakes. This can make the main characters can be harder to care about, since nothing that happens ever really impacts the show’s eponymous heroes. However, this is a small price to pay for the anarchic comedic potential thatThe Simpsonstaps into with its ever-changing story.
