10 Worst Things FOX Did To The Simpsons

Perhaps this entry should be taken with a pinch of salt. Unlike more fluffy complaints like ‘Make a new Hit & Run!’, this is essentially asking for a man to lose his job. An extremely talented man too, and one who’s given an awful lot in service of The Simpsons.

The thing is though, The Simpsons with Jean at the helm feels a bit like Wenger’s last days at Arsenal. He’s been in charge since Season 13, longer than the nine other showrunners combined.

For the good of everyone concerned, perhaps it’s time he stepped into another role. Obviously, the Wenger metaphor works less well given the sideways progression under Unai Emery, but The Simpsons still have a lot of talent in their writers room, and would not struggle to attract big talent if you cast the net a little wider.

Recently, a few episodes have seen Jean team up with Matt Selman; episodes like The Town, Halloween Of Horror, Brick Like Me, King Leer and The Serfsons. It seems then that the big, bold ideas and/or the high quality episodes have Selman involved too. Perhaps Selman just needs to be promoted to permanent co-showrunner instead.

Al Jean has been a great servant, but something needs to change.