“The Simpsons” kicks off its 24th season on Sunday (September 30) night.
Long-time showrunner and writer and executive producer Al Jean hasn’t been there for all 24 seasons, but it certainly seems like he has been. One of the original “Simpsons” writers and in the midst of a showrunning tenure that has dated back to 2001, Jean has been one of the show’s key media presences, responding to every milestone, development and controversy, every innovation or wrinkle in the show’s venerable formula, every guest star and every programming stunt.
That means that I’ve chatted with Al Jean with a regularity that’s almost like clockwork. Here, for example, are our conversations before the start of Season 21, Season 22 and Season 23. If you look at the publication dates for those interviews, you’ll see that it’s almost eerie.
That means that this year’s Al Jean interview is a few days late, but I think it’s the best we’ve done together. In the conversation, we talk about Sunday’s premieres, about Season 24 guest stars and about the show’s ongoing ability to stir up controversy for the oddest of reasons.
It’s kinda long, so the first part is above and the second part is embedded below.