The Simpsons: 10 Potential Ways It Could End

Will Homer die, or was he really in a coma all along?

The Simpsons Homer Dead
Fox

Though its best days are far, far behind it, there's no point denying that The Simpsons is a grand institution of pop-culture and entertainment as a whole. Its influence is felt far and wide, throughout similar animated shows and very much in the real world also. Even so, as they say, everything must eventually come to an end, and though it seems inconceivable, The Simpsons will eventually cease to be. The show will one day conclude, and fans have been speculating for years (and pretty much decades) about how it could possibly come to a conclusion.

The Simpsons is such an enormous enterprise that finding a suitable way to finish it off is completely vital, and it goes without saying that even those nay-sayers who abandoned the show years ago will likely tune in to see how it ends. There are countless approaches new owners Disney could take: a mind-blowing plot twist, a poignant finale, an attempt to make everything cyclical, or simply refusing to give the series an actual, significant ending.

Pretty much nothing would be surprising, but if Disney wants to keep the fans in their good graces, they need to think long and hard about the best way to end such an iconic mainstay of almost three decades (and likely more than that by the time it actually finishes)...

10. The Homer Coma Theory

The Simpsons Homer Coma
Fox

The Ending:

In February of this year, Reddit user Hardtopickaname posted an incredible fan theory, which begins with the season four episode Homer the Heretic, where God tells Homer that he has six months to live.

Almost six months later, the episode So It's Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show aired, where Bart's tomfoolery lands Homer in a coma, and the episode ends with him waking up, choking Bart for his misdeeds. The theory suggests that the episode's sudden ending is because Homer is in fact still in a coma, and every episode since has been a projection of Homer's subconscious, apparently explaining why the characters don't age and why the storylines have become increasingly outlandish over the years, as his imagination is running wild.

When Homer asked God the meaning of life in Homer the Heretic, it turns out the answer was to entertain billions, no matter what. This theory would of course play out with Homer waking up in the final episode to see the truth revealed to him, that everyone (including him) has aged, and most of the silly plots and celebrity cameos never happened.

Why They Could Use It:

Because it'd be a fun way to paper over the increasingly absurd nature of the show, which has over the years moved away from rock-solid storytelling towards silly gimmicks and ham-fisted guest voices.

Why They Might Not:

For starters, it's out in the open now, and because it would in one sense invalidate decades of work. After all, how many "It was a dream" endings have won the favour of audiences? Remember Dallas and St. Elsewhere?

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.