The Simpsons Showrunner Teases 800th Episode Packed With Surprises

Somehow, The Simpsons is about to roll into season 37. Depending on who you ask, the golden years ended around season 9, but here we are, still very much alive and inching toward the 1,000th episode one day. First up: episode 800, which lands as the 10th episode of the new season. Co-showrunner Matt Selman hopped on Entertainment Weekly to talk about how they keep the engine running this deep into the run and dropped a small tease about that milestone ep.

How they try to keep season 37 from feeling like season 37

Selman’s whole thing is making each episode feel like it didn’t come from a show that has been on since the Clinton administration. That means not repeating themselves, avoiding episodes that just sit there, and digging into Springfield’s bench of weirdos and sweethearts to find fresh angles. He says character comes first, then originality — and the new stuff usually comes from real life.

The season premiere and its buzzwords

The premiere is titled 'Thrifty Ways to Thieve Your Mother'. Selman points to a few cultural lanes they’re tapping: the rise of so-called dad TV, the thrifting wave, and 90s nostalgia. In other words, current obsessions filtered through Springfield logic.

Episode 800: the tease

The big one arrives in February, and Selman claims he’s not supposed to say much. Then he said this:

"It involves the dog. The dog gets fat."

Important footnote for longtime fans: yes, they already did a short about Santa’s Little Helper packing on the pounds about a decade ago. So… about not repeating yourselves.

The inside baseball part

Selman joined the writing staff in 1997 and even wrote the season 9 finale. So when people debate the exact moment the show slipped, he was literally in the room.

• Season 37 premiere: 'Thrifty Ways to Thieve Your Mother'
• Expect threads about dad TV, thrifting, and 90s nostalgia
• Episode 800 is the season’s 10th episode, arriving in February
• Tease for 800: Santa’s Little Helper is front and center... and heavier

Still watching The Simpsons week to week? If you bailed, when did you tap out?