![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_293836907-48d1.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Simpsons fans might have noticed a iconic feature of the show has slowly been phased out (Picture: 20th Century Fox)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tThe Simpsons fans might have noticed a iconic feature of the show has slowly been phased out (Picture: 20th Century Fox)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s earned its place in the television comedy<\/a> hall of fame \u2013 but recent series of The Simpsons<\/a> have largely done away with the iconic \u2018couch gag.\u2019<\/p>\n To the uninitiated, this would occur during the last few seconds of the show\u2019s opening sequence<\/a>, with the family gathering on their sofa for a quick, often quite absurd, joke.<\/p>\n This included a gory crossover with Rick and Morty<\/a>, another storyboarded by Banksy<\/a> himself, and one in which Thanos snapped the family away<\/a>.<\/p>\n While a unique couch gag was once guaranteed for every episode, they\u2019re now often repeated or skipped entirely.<\/p>\n This has provoked a sense of frustration from long-time fans, who feel that the show has lost much of what made it so special in the first place.<\/p>\n In a new interview, current showrunner Matt Selman<\/a> has discussed the logic behind excising The Simpsons\u2019 couch gags.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t Speaking on The Simpsons podcast<\/a> Four Finger<\/a> discount, Matt explained that timing and budget were largely behind the decision.<\/p>\n \u2018I wish we could have the time for a funny couch gag every episode, but I\u2019m not going to cut the storytelling short to do so,\u2019 he said. <\/p>\n He continued: \u2018I want to tell the best story we can, and to do that, we\u2019re going to need twenty minutes and forty seconds. <\/p>\n \u2018If I had infinite money, I would put a couch gag in every episode that would just pop up on streaming, and you\u2019d be surprised by it, but we have to put our money into what\u2019s in the main product first.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t This comment has sparked backlash from Simpsons fans online, many of whom remain furious that showrunners have sacrificed one of the animation\u2019s grandest traditions.<\/p>\n \u2018And here I thought they couldn\u2019t kill the Simpsons further,\u2019 commented rickyberwick, joining many in their opinion<\/a> of The Simpsons as a show past its prime.<\/p>\n \u2018Why would you skip THE SIMPSONS intro?\u2019 asked RandomRedEngine, joining MenamesTwitch in their opinion of The Simpsons as \u2018one of the shows where you couldn\u2019t skip the intro.\u2019<\/p>\n Describing the decision as \u2018slowly killing what makes The Simpsons,\u2019 DankerTVArchive feared that losing the couch gag would make it \u2018like any [other] comedy sitcom.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Any fan watches the intro,\u2019 agreed mayepalducktape.<\/p>\n \t\t The couch gags may be winding down (d\u2019oh!), but the franchise is seemingly going stronger than ever.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Disney Plus in the UK finished airing the show\u2019s 37th series, continuing its run as the longest-lasting primetime animation ever made.<\/p>\n It has been renewed for three more after that, ensuring that it will run until at least its 40th season, and air until 2028-2029.<\/p>\n Starting life as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987, the Matt Groening-created sitcom still retains its original cast: Dan Castellaneta as Homer, Julie Kavner as Marge, Nancy Cartwright as Bart, and Yeardley Smith as Lisa.<\/p>\n Fair do\u2019s (or doh\u2019s), thoiugh \u2013 the show\u2019s couch gags didn\u2019t come into play until the second episode of season one.<\/p>\n This little joke saw Bart propelled into the air as the rest of his family leapt onto the sofa next to him.<\/p>\n Altogether quite quant, given how out-there subsequent seasons would get with their own couch gags.<\/p>\n Last year, 20th Century Studios also announced that The Simpsons would be returning to the big screen<\/a> for an all-new movie.<\/p>\n Sharing a poster featuring Homer reaching for a sprinkle-topped donut, the studio revealed that The Simpsons Movie 2 was set for release on July 23, 2027.<\/p>\n Released twenty years earlier than that, the first Simpsons Movie premiered in 2007 and went on to gross over $536million (\u00a3440m) worldwide on a $75m (\u00a355.8m) budget.<\/p>\n Talk of a sequel persisted in the months and years following its release, but none materialised \u2013 until now.<\/p>\n The Simpsons is streaming on Disney<\/a> Plus.<\/p>\n Got a story?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Mandatory](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_274842157-7672.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe animated sitcom first hit screens in 1989 (Picture: (Picture: 20th Century Fox\/ Everett\/ Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_293836902-be2c.jpg\")
\n\t\tIts iconic couch gags have run in the final few seconds of the show\u2019s opening sequence (Picture: 20th Century Fox)<\/p>\n![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_293836995-7ee9.jpg\")
\n\t\tTiming and budget have influenced the change (Picture: 20th Century Fox)<\/p>\n![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_293837023-87ef.jpg\")
\n\t\tFans of the series are frustrated by the change (Picture: 20th Century Fox)<\/p>\n
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