The Simpsons: Why the show is losing an important part of its DNA

The Simpsons has always done things its own way – and the same has long been true of its opening sequence. While most series rely on the same intro again and again, The Simpsons turned its opening credits into a creative and entertaining tradition: the couch gag – the moment when the family ends up on the sofa, usually in a different variation each time. After 37 years, that tradition is now coming to an end.

In an interview with Four Finger Discount, Matt Selman explained the reasoning behind the decision to drop the couch gag. According to the Simpsons showrunner, viewer habits have changed. The Fox series is now widely watched via Disney+, where the intro can simply be skipped. If that happens often enough, the effort that goes into a new couch gag becomes harder to justify. With each episode already working within a tight runtime, those seconds are now considered better spent on the story itself. On top of that, new couch gags require additional animation work and come with extra costs.

The couch gags were not the show’s only distinctive intro element – The Simpsons also regularly featured heavily reworked opening sequences. One notable example is Treehouse of Horror XXIV, in which Mexican director Guillermo del Toro took over the entire intro and turned it into a full-blown horror homage. A short recap is available on YouTube:

Whether The Simpsons will continue to feature intros on that level remains uncertain. Reactions in the comment section on X have been predominantly negative. Many fans are disappointed and describe the couch gag as an indispensable part of the show’s DNA. They also question the reasons given by Selman. Instead, many believe the real motivation behind the move is simple cost-cutting combined with a lack of fresh creative ideas.