Matthew Burnette, Staff Writer

It was recently reported that the longest running animated program in television history, “The Simpsons,” was renewed through its 40th season, an impressive feat that will undoubtedly go unmatched.

The show has always been a favorite of mine since probably way before it was appropriate for me to be watching a show like “The Simpsons.”

I can remember sitting in front of the T.V. with my brother at 5 o’clock in the afternoon as the angelic opening of the hit series began. It’s safe to say that a lot of the jokes probably went over our heads at the time, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Several years back when they ran an “Every Simpsons Ever” marathon on cable, we made sure to take in as much of it as we could. I don’t remember the exact episode at that particular time, but I do recall the non-stop marathon stretching across 11 days around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Along with the renewal, they also announced that the show would be broadcast in shorter seasons than they had previously, dropping from 20 plus episodes down to 16.

While it will always have a special spot in my heart, I can only hope that that change means that the series will soon be coming to an end.

Though I do occasionally find myself watching one of their newer episodes and unexpectedly laughing at a one-off joke that offers a glimmer of hope that maybe the show has even the slightest bit of the verve and sharp-witted humor that made it a cultural phenomenon, overall, the last several seasons have been disappointing.

Like an old jalopy trying to win a race against a Formula 1 car, “The Simpsons” often tries to remain relevant by commenting on the peculiarities of current pop culture and world events.

Unfortunately, their production cycle offers a very slow turnaround and so by the time you get the joke on your television set, it doesn’t seem to matter as much anymore.

Not to mention, the voice quality is nowhere near what it was even ten years ago. I often find myself wincing in agony on behalf of Julie Kavner (the voice of Marge Simpson) who at this point sounds like she eats a bowl of glass with no milk for breakfast.

The characters just seem like pale imitations of what they once were, especially since the effort to replace long-standing voice actors with more culturally appropriate portrayers.

I don’t think that was a bad choice and always think that representation is important, but it didn’t do the show any favors.

Despite its skyrocketing into the pop culture zeitgeist back in the 90s, the foundation of the show never needed blatant commentary on the state of the world to make it sturdy because at its core, the series was about a family and its various friends and neighbors.

The interactions between Homer and Marge as a married couple or Bart and Lisa as siblings and everything in between made the show relatable, and in turn, relevant.

I will undoubtedly feel an overwhelming sadness when it gets announced that “The Simpsons” will no longer be producing new episodes. The show is an icon of animation and deserves its place in the conversation regarding the greatest animated shows of all time, and the “animated” modifier may not even be necessary.

But I sincerely hope that the 40th season is its last. The show has done what it set out to do and has at this point provided nearly 800 half hours of entertainment.

Let’s put it to bed while we can still revel in what it once was.