The Simpsons showrunner reveals why the couch gags have been gradually phased out

The Simpsons showrunner Matt Selman has spoken out about the scaling back of so-called 'couch gags' from the long-running animated series.

As any longtime viewer will know, each episode begins with a titles sequence that ends with the Simpson family converging on their living room sofa, where a surprising or surreal twist would follow.

These took many f0rms and styles, from a simple bit of physical comedy to more elaborate displays, such as an extended dance routine or even a guest appearance from fellow cartoon icons Rick and Morty.

Alas, the opening skits have become less frequent recently, with Selman breaking his silence on the exclusions in a recent interview with fan podcast Four Finger Discount.

"I wish we could have the time for a funny couch gag every episode, but I'm not going to cut the storytelling short to do so," he said. "I want to tell the best story we can, and to do that, we're going to need twenty minutes and forty seconds."

The Simpsons is currently stuck between two worlds, airing first on US broadcaster Fox before landing on streamers Hulu and Disney+, meaning it has to stick to the rigid restraints of American television runtimes.

The medium of streaming offers more flexibility when it comes to episode lengths, which tend to fluctuate more often on these platforms, but they also disincentivise ambitious opening titles with the recent 'skip intro' functionality.

When applied to older The Simpsons episodes on Disney+, the effect cuts out the couch gags anyway, making their inclusion debatable on the grounds of time and budget allocation.

"If I had infinite money, I would put a couch gag in every episode that would just pop up on streaming, and you’d be surprised by it, but we have to put our money into what's in the main product first," continued Selman.

The executive producer pointed people to the imminent 800th episode special, Extreme Makeover: Homer Edition, for a joke specifically about the "skip intro phenomenon," but stopped short of spoiling the contents.

Selman recently caught attention for his comment that The Simpsons would never have a conventional 'final episode' (via Deadline), suggesting that the tropes of a TV ending were deliberately exhausted in season 36 premiere Bart's Birthday.

The screenwriter and producer has been working on the animated sitcom since 1997, so it's fair to say he's an authority on the subject. Still, we have previously presented an alternative vision for The Simpsons ending, which could be worth considering.

The Simpsons is available to stream on Disney+ UK.

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