“There Is No Canon”: The Simpsons EP slams online backlash and reveals that Marge Simpson is not dead

The Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman clears the air about the online backlash related to Marge's supposed death. It started after the release of the season 36 finale, Estranger Things, which showed Marge's apparent death, making many viewers assume that it is a definitive finale to the long-running series.

"There's no canon," he told Variety.

Selman revealed that 790 episodes' worth of journey should be enough to reveal the creative leaps that the show takes. So, even before Estranger Things, the makers had shown stranger things happening to the members of Springfield's favorite family, who have seen others having run-ins with the Grim Reaper throughout the show's long run. In line with this, Selman told Variety.

“Obviously since the ‘The Simpsons’ future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they’re all different every time".

He further added,

“Marge will probably never be dead ever again. The only place Marge is dead is in one future episode that aired six weeks ago.”

The Simpsons executive producer also speaks about the online sources that highlighted Marge's apparent death.

During the Variety interview, Matt Selman also slammed the scrutiny that stems from online publications that run provocative headlines to gain more clicks, which helps them with more online traffic. Selman told Variety,

“Here’s my take: Websites need traffic, and headlines equal traffic. And then you can explain that the headline was misleading at the very end of the article. Every single media outlet that ran this story knew that in no way was Margedead. They all knew it, but they ran the headline anyway.”

However, he further added that the passionate interest in the future of the Simpson family members shows just how much the show's fans care about them. He said,

“I guess this speaks to the fact that people care about Marge. At the end of the day, it’s probably good for business even when these ridiculous, misleading stories go viral!”

Why did people think Marge Simpson was dead?

As aforementioned, the finale of The Simpsons' 36th season showed the Simpson family and their well-wishers gathered around Marge Simpson's grave, sending their farewell. Her tombstone read,

Trending

"Beloved wife, mother, pork-chop seasoner."

Another scene showed Marge in the clouds, seemingly in heaven, looking down, while speaking with The Beatles member Ringo Starr. All these details made people think that Marge's fate is final, but the executive producer has just debunked that claim.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback