Summary

Matt Selman assures fans the original voice cast of
The Simpsons
is here to stay.
The show’s resurgence in popularity after constant criticism sets it up well for its 36th season and beyond.
Selman dismisses claims of
The Simpsons
predicting the future, attributing it to history and math, not magic.

Fans of The Simpsons don’t need to worry about their favorite characters suddenly sounding different, as co-showrunner Matt Selman has given a very curt response to the question of whether he sees the show’s oldest stars being recast. As Season 35 airs, the popularity of the series seems to have rebounded after a spell of constant criticism, and that puts it in good stead for its upcoming 36th season and beyond.

The Simpsons Release Date December 17, 1989 Seasons 35 Studio Fox

The Simpsons will soon hit the milestone of 800 episodes, and for many of those involved in the show, that number is only going to continue climbing. However, after 35 years of providing the voices of many of the characters in the show, the question was asked of Selman in a recent interview with Cartoon Base whether the aging of the actors behind the voices such as Dan Castellaneta and Nancy Cartwright means it is time for a change. As you would expect, the answer was particularly short and to the point. Asked if he sees the cast being replaced at any point, Selman said:

Selman gave exactly the same response when asked how he sees the final episode of the show. While those queries gained very sparse responses, one topic that he did share a little more about is the belief that The Simpsons writers are able to predict the future.

Can The Simpsons Predict the Future?
Disney

The Simpsons has been able to strangely predict many things, from Donald Trump’s presidency, to soccer scandals, and even the finale of Game of Thrones two years before it happened. However, for Selman the obsession that the series magically see the future is something that he doesn’t believe.

“So many people in our society have become obsessed with the notion that The Simpsons can predict the future using “magic.” I personally do not believe in magic. Yet the one place where magic most certainly is real is in the minds of our fellow human beings. The reality is that the Simpsons’ predictions can be attributed to a basic understanding of two subjects: history and math. If you study history, you will be able to “predict” the future because the foolishness of humanity repeats itself. If you study math, you know that if the show makes literally 1000s of jokes over almost 800 episodes, it would be statistically impossible not to create material that overlaps with what would later happen in real life. But people prefer the simpler answer: magic.”

Related 10 Things in The Simpsons That Fans Like to Pretend Never Happened There are some Simpsons storylines that fans, and occasionally the writers, like to pretend aren’t canon.

While Selman may not believe in the show being able to predict the future by anything other than blind luck and humanity’s “foolishness,” he is more than happy to predict that The Simpsons is a long way from coming to an end, or even making any drastic changes to the cast that has sustained it over the last three decades. For the millions of fans of the show, this is exactly the kind of prediction they want to come true.

More than 30 years of
The Simpsons
is available to stream on Disney+.