It doesn’t appear as if the end of The Simpsons is going to happen anytime soon, but when it does, showrunner and executive producer Matt Selman knows how he wants the long-running series to go off into the night. Since it first debuted in 1989, The Simpsons has been a staple on Fox for the past 35 years, transcending television to become part of American history that archaeologists centuries from now will wonder about as they dig up remnants of Bart Simpson dolls and ask themselves, “Is that what our ancestors really looked like?”

Speaking with People, Selman, who began his career as a writer on The Simpsons 27 years ago, discussed how he wants the most popular animated sitcom there’s ever been to bid us all farewell, and it’s not with the pomp and circumstance one might expect. Instead, he’d rather it was just another episode that didn’t give any nod to it being the grand finale.

“I just hope it’s just a regular episode with no Winky Winky stuff at all. Just a great family story, just like a classic story that’s just funny and involves the whole family and doesn’t feel like it needs to wrap up anything or change anything or tie anything up or be magic or talk to the audience directly.”

It seems almost sacrilege in a way, right? But Selman has his reasons, saying that the premiere episode of Season 36, “Bart’s Birthday,” was already big enough to be considered the ending people were hoping for. So much so that it was dubbed on screen as “The Simpsons Series Finale,” and featured a ton of guest stars, including John Cena, Tom Hanks, Danny DeVito, Conan O’Brien, and Seth Rogen. “We did that,” he says of the episode, which came about due to the numerous questions he received about how the series would end. “We just did that. We covered it. Check that off the list.”

Matt Selman Doesn’t Like To Think About the Inevitable

They say that there are only two things in this life that one can be certain about: death and taxes. For Selman, he doesn’t like to think about the former, especially when it comes to the morbidly inevitable fact that those who have voiced the main cast members since the creation of The Simpsons will eventually pass away, thus affecting the future of the show should that happen while it’s still on the air.

“That I’m in super denial about,” he told People. “I don’t think about it, so I’m just going to not think about that.” Still, one has to wonder how the series would continue should the likes of Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson) or Nancy Cartright (Bart Simpson) be taken from us too soon. Would they write those characters off, or bring in someone new to take over?

Related 10 Actors Who Said No to Voice Roles on The Simpsons Even though The Simpsons is one of the most popular and longest running television shows in history, many famous actors have said no to appearances.

For now, The Simpsons is still going strong, and – thankfully – hasn’t had to face issues of mortality when it comes to its primary cast. While there has been no official announcement regarding its future beyond Season 36, producer Mike Price said as recently as last month that plans are already in place for the next “Treehouse of Horror” episode that will air in 2025, meaning all those involved in its production are confident the series will get renewed.

Release Date December 17, 1989 Seasons 35