Topics: Entertainment, Film and TV, Social Media, The Simpsons, Twitter, New Zealand
The Simpsons fans were left panicked after a 'series finale' episode was released and showrunner Matt Selman has since addressed concerns.
It's hard to imagine The Simpsons ever coming to an end, when it's been around for the whole of many of our lifetimes.
So when the highly-anticipated 36th season of the show first aired on Sunday (September 29) seemingly showing the series' 'finale,' it's fair to say fans freaked out.
Warning: Spoilers for The Simpsons season 36 ahead.
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Titled 'Bart's Birthday,' the episode saw former Simpsons writer, Conan O'Brien, recreated on the show as one of the recognizable animated yellow characters and not only that, but he hosted a ceremony on the show, declaring: "It’s such an honor to be with you all for the series finale of The Simpsons."
Completely breaking the fourth wall, the character continued: "Well, it’s true. Fox has decided to end The Simpsons...
"Not many people know this, but Fox has been trying to end it for years."
And it didn't take long for fans of the show to flood to social media in horror, taking the episode as 'proof the world is ending'.
"IS THIS ACTUALLY THE SIMPSONS SERIES FINALE????" Another added.
And who best to answer that question that showrunner Selman himself?
Selman explained to PEOPLE he was in New Zealand when the writer's strike ended, and that was when he began working on the show again around 'a year ago'.
"And part of that was doing press for season 35, which was about to start. And the question you always get doing press is what would you do for a last episode of the show?" he continued.
Selman reflected he's 'always felt like there was no good answer to that question' mainly because The Simpsons 'was never meant to end' and simply 'go on forever'.
"['Bart's Birthday'] was meant to make fun of the idea of last episodes and everything we do, every episode is both a first and a last episode of the show," he said.
The showrunner acknowledges the idea of 'every episode' being 'both the pilot and finale' is a 'crazy idea', and sees how it can be a 'little confusing' for fans to understand.
But ultimately, Simpsons fans can breathe a sigh of relief - the show isn't going anywhere soon, and the latest episode was simply 'an audacious idea to have [the] season premiere be the series finale', with Selman noting he'd love to see other series 'do self-hating, non-finales' too.
