“The Simpsons” Showrunner Shares Why Character Deaths Don't Mean Forever: 'Very Few Things Stick' (Exclusive)
- - “The Simpsons” Showrunner Shares Why Character Deaths Don't Mean Forever: 'Very Few Things Stick' (Exclusive)
Brenton BlanchetFebruary 13, 2026 at 10:34 PM
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Duffman in 'The Simpsons'
The Simpsons showrunner is reiterating that few things are for certain in Springfield
Speaking with PEOPLE timed to the show's 800th episode, Matt Selman says that while characters may die or retire in select episodes, "nothing sticks"
Episode 800 of The Simpsons arrives on Fox on Feb. 15
The Simpsons has put its characters through over three decades of comic mischief. Sometimes characters die. Sometimes they decide it's time to leave Springfield for good.
But few ever really leave Springfield.
Ahead of the series' milestone 800th episode, showrunner Matt Selman tells PEOPLE that the "new phenomenon" of character deaths and retirements going viral and making headlines is "very weird." Because, well, anything can be undone in The Simpsons universe as little of it has any lasting impact on the episodes to follow.
"And that's always been part of our storytelling is that nothing sticks and that it's kind of like Groundhog [Day]," Selman, 54, reiterates.
'The Simpsons'
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Within the last year, The Simpsons has garnered some additional post-episode attention for its decision to kill off organist Alice Glick (who an executive producer told PEOPLE was "dead as a doornail") and presumably retire the popular third-person-speaking Duff Beer spokesperson Duffman.
But like the show itself — which is the longest-running scripted primetime series in television history — Duffman isn't gone forever. "There was a throwaway joke about Duffman having retired, and there's a million articles," Selman said. "I'm like, 'He's not retired. He's still going to be Duffman. It's just for that show, he was retired.' "
Some things have stuck in the show, though, Selman adds. "I guess Lisa's vegetarianism stuck and Maude Flanders dying stuck, but very few things stick," he says, adding that even the death of Marge Simpson (which actually took place in the future) falls in that category.
"I mean, Marge being dead in the future, but we're all going to be dead in the future," he says.
While character fates are never definite in The Simpsons, the show's longevity is. After premiering on Fox in 1989, the animated series following the titular family is marking its 800th episode on Sunday, Feb. 15.
The milestone episode, “Irrational Treasure,” follows family pup Santa’s Little Helper and his bond with Marge in an alternate reality where the greyhound is a-little-too-pampered by the other members of the family. It features a few special guests, including cast members from HBO's The Pitt, and will also include an extended couch gag in the streaming version, according to its showrunner.
“If you're into dog weight, show logic and consistency, this might not be the episode for you. A warning to fans," Selman jokes.
The Simpsons' 800th episode arrives on Fox on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
