'Simpsons' Writer Reiss Says Viewers Love Series, Sees No Reason To End Show

Mike Reiss, the writer and producer for the popular animated sitcom The Simpsons, said in an interview with Sputnik that the show was still on the air because it continued to draw in a substantial viewership, and that the show's creators had no plans to stop it any time soon

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2018) Mike Reiss, the writer and producer for the popular animated sitcom The Simpsons, said in an interview with Sputnik that the show was still on the air because it continued to draw in a substantial viewership, and that the show's creators had no plans to stop it any time soon.

The world has been watching the life of The Simpsons family for over 30 years already. Apart from the main characters Homer, an inspector at a nuclear power plant, housewife Marge, and their children Bart, Lisa and Maggie the audience can frequently see celebrities and politicians in the series. The show, which has been giving an insight into the daily life of an ordinary US family, frequently raises pressing issues on the international agenda.

When asked about the popularity of the cartoon series, Reiss said he believed that people enjoyed it due to the fact that it showed situations that are familiar to anyone.

"People watch a show about a family ... Everyone has a family, and everyone can watch The Simpsons and go like 'oh, that's like my family,'" Reiss said.

According to the animated series' writer, the show has hardly changed since its beginning and still attracts millions of people worldwide.

"From the third year to the thirtieth year it has not changed at all. I think that one reason why the show stays successful is [that] you can watch an episode and not know whether it was made last year or 20 years ago," Reiss explained.

He revealed that when the authors were just planning the show they could not even think that it would remain on the screen for so many years.

"We have never expected it to last as long. The show will end when people stop watching it. In America it is still popular.

And we do not want it to end," Reiss stressed.

According to Reiss, the show's creators have made great efforts to earn the love of their audience, with some jokes sometimes taking several people and a whole day to write.

"No one would do it for free. It is very pleasant they are nice people, we all have been working together for 10 or 15 years. We all respect each other. There is no friction, no jealousy, we're all just working together to make the best show. I love it, I love my job," Reiss stated, adding that the show's writers were like a real family.

He said he believed that it was important for the series' authors to rest well in order to find new ideas.

"I only work one day a week, I only go in every Wednesday cause that's all the good ideas I have, that's one day a week. Some people work three days a week," Reiss said, adding that almost no one in the team worked five days per week.

He said that such a working schedule benefited the show, since no one came to work tired, struggling to find new ideas.

Despite the fact that the animated series cover almost all the imaginable topics, Reiss did acknowledge that certain taboo subjects existed.

"In a marriage, Marge and Homer, I do not think either of them would ever have an affair. I do not think that he would ever hit her ... You know, we have all these shootings in America ... but we won't make jokes about a lot of people getting shot," Reiss indicated.

Speaking about another Simpsons movie, Reiss said that it would be possible only if the writers had some "really great idea."

Reiss stressed that the writers kept going with the show, adding that he had no idea how many episodes might be released in the future.