Goodbye, Simpsons Couch Gags

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]and that makes me feel pain.

[00:00:05]There's no cartoon opening tradition more iconic than the beloved Simpsons couch gag. Regardless of how much time passes and regardless of the show's varying quality, the couch gag has always been an insanely creative display of talent from animators of all backgrounds. These are so fun to watch.

[00:00:26]You never know exactly what you're going to see. And with no rules, quite literally anything is possible.

[00:00:32]Anything. Sometimes they're even better than the actual episode itself. But while The Simpsons couch gag has been a staple since the show's beginning, recent years have seen a dramatic shift.

[00:00:44]Nowadays, not every episode has one.

[00:00:46]Sometimes it'll cut right to the meat of the story. During a recent episode of Four-finger Discount, a popular Simpsons fan podcast, the hosts talked with current showrunner Matt Sman. After being asked about the disappearance of couch gags, here's his explanation.

[00:01:01]>> Uh, I wish we could have a a time for a funny couch gag every episode, but I'm not going to cut the storytelling short to do so. So, to me, the the episode is a thousand times more important than this flight of fancy at the beginning.

[00:01:16]Sometimes the show is short and we have a couch gag, but usually it's just I want to tell the best story we can and we're to do that we're going to need 20 minutes and 40 seconds, right? I mean, if I had infinite money, I would put a couch gag on every episode that would just pop up on streaming and you'd be surprised by it. But we have to put our money into what's on the main product first.

[00:01:34]>> On one hand, I get it. Cartoons don't have a ton of time to tell their stories. commercials and theme songs dig into the time of the actual episode. But on the other hand, this is still a disappointing decision that I think hurts the show. Part of the Simpsons core identity is in the art of the couch gag. It's something unique and fun to look forward to every time. I'd argue it's just as important as the main story. Without it, the episode just feels a bit emptier. Of course, couch gags are still around. They're not gone forever. While they still play a role in the show, these last few years they've taken a serious backseat. But what do you think about all of this? Are you okay with the focus being on the stories if it means the couch gag is sacrificed?

[00:02:19]Let's talk in the comments.

[00:02:24]But anyway, that's all for this video.

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[00:02:32]Thanks for watching and I'll see you guys next time.