The Simpsons

The Simpsons has gone on long enough that fans will inevitably face cast departure or a potential end to the series, but despite the recent renewal for Seasons 27 and 28, that end may already be in sight. Iconic Simpsons mainstay Harry Shearer appears to have revealed his exit from the long-running FOX animated series, and not even Ned Flanders could find the optimism here.

Amid the myriad of FOX’s pickups and surprising cancellations, the network has also taken its 2015 Upfront presentation to file out Mulder and Scully’s TV return. Not only will The X-Files formally return in January 2016, but so too has the network put the truth out there with its full future lineup.

Fans of The Simpsons had something of a scare recently with rumors that FOX had only greenlit seven episodes of the coming 27th season. They’ll never stop The Simpsons, as you know, making FOX’s now-official order of Seasons 27 and 28 all-but old news.

Well hello there, TV super-fan! Did you know that Breaking Bad breakout Jesse Pinkman was almost killed off in Season 1? How about that Joss Whedon hated the original Buffy theme song, or Curb Your Enthusiasm served as a murder alibi? Can you imagine LOST starring Michael Keaton? Why yes, we ​do​ have more where that came from!

A ways back we learned that everyone’s favorite “voice of a generation” Lena Dunham would lend said voice to a new one by guesting on The Simpsons, but true to life, Hannah’s best Girls are coming with. Joining Dunham for the spot will be her HBO co-stars, Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet and Jemima Kirke.

We’ve seen The Simpsons take on Game of Thrones before, but the May 3 outing of Season 26 really will prove dark and full of terrors. Carice van Houten, the Red Priestess Melisandre herself, will give voice to the long-running animated series, and the actress’ very name may give away her role.

It’s another sad day for The Simpsons and the world at large, as series executive producer Al Jean confirmed news that co-creator Sam Simon passed away on Sunday, at the age of 59, in Los Angeles. The Emmy-winning Simon had also written for such TV legends as Taxi and Cheers, battling a cancer diagnosis since 2012.

FXX’s epic Simpsons marathon of all 522 episodes took a lengthy chunk out of all our lives, but fans soon noticed the landmark binge taking something else: whole sections of the screen to accommodate older 4:3 episodes into an “improved” widescreen format. Now, we old men need no longer yell at clouds, as The Simpsons will return to their original 4:3 glory on FXX’s Simpsons World app.

‘The Simpsons’ is old. It’s been airing on Fox since 1989; 26 seasons of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie and counting. For point of reference, for something to have been in its 26th season on the air in 1989, it would have had to debut in 1963, the year President Kennedy was assassinated. The show’s longevity is just insane.

We’ll see quite a bit of Lena Dunham this coming weekend by the ‘Girls’ season 4 premiere, but only hear her when ‘The Simpsons’ returns for its 27th season. The erstwhile Hannah Horvath will officially lend her voice to the FOX animated family’s fall premiere, but what surprising relationship might her character have to Homer?