‘The Simpsons’ unexpectedly airs its ‘series finale’ – leaving fans perplexed

Is “The Simpsons” over?

The long-running animated sitcom series confused viewers when it aired what the show dubbed its “series finale” when Season 36 premiered on Sunday.

The episode, titled “Bart’s Birthday,” opened with an animated version of Conan O’Brien, who used to write for the show, hosting a gala with animated celebrities.

“It’s such an honor to be with you all for the series finale of ‘The Simpsons,’” O’Brien said to the crowd. “I knew I was the right man for the job because I’ve hosted the last episode of three of my own shows, and counting.”

“Well, it’s true. Fox has decided to end the Simpsons,” O’Brien continued. “This show was such a special part of my early career, so being here means the world to me. Also. I left a sweater in the writer’s room in 1993 and this is the only way they’ll let me get it back.”

After claiming Fox “has been trying to end” the show for years, O’Brien showed clips from what he said were unaired series finale scenes from “classic episodes,” like 1990’s “Bart the Daredevil” and 2000’s “Little Big Mom.

O’Brien then presented the Season 36 premiere and revealed its big twist — the episode was created using AI and involves different dramatic moments that try to wrap up the show.

Mr. Burns dying, Moe’s shutting down and Principal Skinner retiring were among the AI-created scenes that hilariously played out during the episode.

There were also animated re-creations of the final scenes from popular shows like “Game of Thrones,” “Succession,” “The Sopranos,” “Breaking Bad” and “Frasier.”

At the end of the episode, Bart snaps out of the AI illusion, which saw him turning 11 despite being 10 since the show’s start. Once Bart is sentient again, the faux “series finale” comes to an end.

The show’s AI storyline left fans perplexed but they eventually realized the show wasn’t actually ending.

“I legit thought this was the series finale until I realized it was all a joke XD But still this was a great and funny season 36 premiere! Loved all the references!” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“I DEFINITELY FELL FOR THAT “SERIES FINALE” ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC!” another person tweeted.

“Tonight’s premiere — not series finale — of @TheSimpsons was freaking brilliant!!! Great work, writer Jessica Conrad!” a different tweet read.

“The Simpsons” aired its first episode on Dec. 17, 1989.

The series was created by Matt Groening and its current voice cast includes Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson), Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson), Nancy Cartwright (Bart and Maggie Simpson), Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson) and Hank Azaria (various characters).

Groening, 70, addressed the possible end to the series in a 2021 interview with USA Today.

“My standard answer is there’s no end in sight because anytime I speculate on the show ending, the people who work on it and diehard fans get very upset,” he said. “So, I always say there’s no end in sight.”

Season 37 of “The Simpsons” has yet to be announced.