The Simpsons Will Be On TV For A Long Time To Come, Fox Teases

The Simpsons is already one of the longest-running TV shows in history, and it's not coming to an end soon. Fox boss Dana Walden said recently that, while the show has not been officially renewed beyond Season 30, you can expect Fox to pick it up for even more.

"Down the line, what kind of decision is made, I can't really speak to, but for the foreseeable future, there's so much upside and benefit to having a great, Emmy Award-winning, smart, provocative, quality show," she said during a Television Critics Association event, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "There's no consideration of not ordering more Simpsons."

Walden teased that a "couple of years of episodes" of The Simpsons are already in production.

The Fox network and 20th Century Fox are set to separate when Disney's acquisition of most of Fox is complete. The Simpsons will stay on Fox amid this shuffle, Walden said. When this change happens, The Simpsons will become a licensed TV show for Disney.

"As long as we've all been in business, networks have licensed shows they don't have ownership of," Fox boss Gary Newman said. "It is challenging, and I anticipate it will be challenging on The Simpsons. The Simpsons is so associated with Fox, and that association benefits both the network and the owner of the IP. … I feel confident Disney and Fox are going to find a way to both have an interest in that show."

Finally, Walden addressed the Apu controversy. She said there have been conversations with the production team, including James L. Brooks, and it was decided that Brooks and his writing team will decide how to move forward. "I think they've treated the show and the characters on the show with such respect that we trust them to handle it in a way that will be best for their show," she said. "I'm not sure yet what they're going to do, but ultimately we decided that was their decision."

The Simpsons recently passed 636 episodes, which beats Gunsmoke (635 episodes) to become the longest-running scripted TV series ever.

In other news related to The Simpsons, creator Matt Groening's new show, Disenchantment, premieres on Netflix later this month. You can watch a trailer above.