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Posted in: Fox, TV | Tagged: 20th century studios, the simpsons
Wait, The Simpsons Is Cutting Back on the Opening Couch Gags?!?
It's the end of an era for The Simpsons, as the show's producers are dialing back on the longest-running joke: The Opening Couch Gag.
Article Summary
- The Simpsons is reducing its iconic opening couch gag starting with Season 37 to allow more story time.
- Showrunner Matt Selman cites streaming trends and the need for longer episodes as the main reasons.
- Bart's chalkboard joke and couch gags have been series staples for decades, beloved by longtime fans.
- Favorite couch gags include the 100th episode dance number and the famous Rick & Morty crossover.
One of the most iconic staples of The Simpsons over its 37 seasons on FOX has been the couch gag that opens every episode. No matter what the syndicated cut of the show has been, no matter what decade, almost every single episode of the show has started with two standard jokes: Bart's chalkboard joke and the Couch Gag. And while Bart's one-liners are often the fastest to catch, the Couch Gag has become one of the most memorable things about the show's history. Every fan has at least a few they love and know exactly what episode it's in. It's transcended pop culture, including guest artists and animators, crossovers from other animated shows, and even a music video featuring Kesha.
But that era is now done.
Ever See a Guy Say Goodbye To a Couch?
On a recent episode of the Four-Fingered Discount podcast, an Australian show dedicated to all things The Simpsons, showrunner Matt Selman explained their decision to scale back on the gags from the start of the show, starting in Season 37, to make more time for the actual story. As Selman says, "I wish we could have a time for a funny couch gag every episode, but I'm not going to cut the storytelling short to do so. I want to tell the best story we can, and to do that, we're going to need 20 minutes and 40 seconds. […] If I had infinite money, I would put a couch gag on every episode that would just pop up on streaming, and you'd be surprised by it." The podcast even noted that in today's media, most people are inclined to click the Skip Intro button on streaming platforms, meaning there's a section of the audience who skipped two jokes by default.
The Simpsons: What's Your Favorite Couch Gag?
As we said, everyone has their favorites. We could make a Top 20 list of our own, but there are 300 YouTube channels out there doing the same thing. For us, we'll pick an old-school and a modern one. The one that immediately comes to mind when you talk about Seasons 1-10 is the one from the show's 100th Episode, where they kick everything off with a dance number featuring the elephants.
The most memorable one in recent years was the Rick & Morty crossover, which a lot of people seem to have mixed feelings about, as some loved that FOX and Turner Broadcasting could play ball with each other for something memorable, while others go so far as to claim this is one of the moments that broke the show. Regardless, here's hoping somewhere down the line they change their minds and bring it back.
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