9 Ways The Simpsons Could End

Taking it from a narrative level, if The Simpsons is going to end with a bang, it needs to be something big that wraps it up as tightly as an episodic sitcom can be.

There's a few ways this could be achieved. Most obviously is having a family member die (most logically Homer), motivating the family to look back on themselves as a unit (an oddly-popular extension of this concept is having Homer save the city from a meltdown at the plant). For a show that's never shirked from drawing out real tears, this would be a poignant (and certainly unforgettable) end. There is of course an oh-so minor continuity issue - the recent future episodes have been presented as real (rather than crazy alt-2010s from sketchy fortune tellers), and death has become less of a big deal in later seasons (see Dr Nick), but that pales in comparison to the effect it would have.

Another one that's a little more on the light side is to have The Simpsons leave Springfield. This has obviously happened numerous times before, so something would need to change to create a feeling of permanence, but having the family go, gradually returning the show to its original core cast, would be fitting given how much the city has grown.