18 good years

From the first of today's two columns, re: "The Simpsons":

SO I'M sitting with Al Jean, longtime "Simpsons" showrunner and a writer on the show dating back almost to the beginning, listening to him describe some of the plots for the new season.

"All due respect," I say, after listening to him describe episodes where Homer joins the military and Bart gets a driver's license, "but at least half of those sound like plots you've done before, if not more than once."

"We've done every plot in the history of plots," Jean admits, "so everything we've done before is similar to something we're doing now."

This is the 18th season for "The Simpsons." In a business where most shows don't last 18 weeks, that is a ridiculous tenure, one that will see the show airing its 400th episode next May, followed by the long-rumored "Simpsons" feature film, being written by Jean, Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and eight other veterans. So Jean rightfully feels he needs some slack when it comes to storytelling deja vu.

To read the rest -- including Jean's list of the various things he does to annoy the fans -- click here.