When Will 'The Simpsons' End? Showrunner Speculates About Final Season

Marge and Homer Simpson — Marge (voiced by Julie Kavner, left) and Homer Simpson (voiced by Dan Castellaneta, right) could be on TV for three more seasons after Season 27, which begins airing Sunday, FOX

"The Simpsons" have been on TV for more than 25 years and never really has shown any sign of slowing down or coming to a close. The show has changed with the times and has become a staple in many households across the country. However, the end of the show could be near and happen some time in the next three years, showrunner Al Jean hinted.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Jean said he wouldn't be surprised if the show came to a close after Season 28, but he believes it will go to at least 30. "If you made me pick one, I'd say the likeliest is ending after 30, but I've been wrong before. I thought five seasons was good when I got there," Jean laughed.

Jean also added he wants fans of the show to enjoy the series finale whenever that day comes. He said he had an idea for the show to end with the Simpsons getting ready for the Christmas pageant seen in the first episode, the series would then come full circle, and there would be no clear beginning or end.

Season 27 of the hit animated show premiered Sunday night. At the 2015 ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, in June, Jean teased Season 27, saying Kelsey Grammar's character Sideshow Bob will do something on the Halloween "Treehouse of Horror" show he's been wanting to do for 25 years. He also teased the idea of a "Boyhood" themed episode featuring Bart and an episode where Lisa meets a homeless woman with a beautiful voice (who also happens to be a heroin addict who shot her parents).

According to the New York Post, there also will be a two-episode arc this season where Mr. Burns's personal assistant, Waylon Smithers Jr., will come out as gay. While the Season 27 premiere teased the split of Homer and Marge, there will be a real split this season between Apu and his brother Sanjay. Sanjay’s nephew Jamshed is then expected to take over the Kwik-E-Mart.

Matt Groening created "The Simpsons" and the show debuted Jan. 14, 1990. Since that day, it has become the longest running American sitcom and American animated program through 27 seasons and 575 episodes. "The Simpsons" Season 27 airs Sundays on Fox at 8 p.m. EDT.