Al Jean opened up about his plans following his departure from The Simpsons after more than two decades. The veteran showrunner hinted at revisiting one of his classic 1990s projects, teasing discussions about bringing a familiar animated series back to life.
Al Jean wants to bring back The Critic after leaving The Simpsons
Al Jean, who recently stepped down after more than 20 years as showrunner of The Simpsons, revealed that he is working on new projects outside the series, including a potential revival of The Critic. Speaking to Cracked, Jean confirmed, “It’s definitely been discussed. I’ll just say there’s really only one hurdle. John is up for it. Maurice LaMarche is up for it. Mike Reiss is too. I can’t really say what the one hurdle is, but there’s one thing standing in the way.”
Jean’s remarks follow his October 26 post on X announcing that the November 2 episode “Bad Boys… For Life?” would be his last as showrunner “at least for now.” After running The Simpsons for over two decades, Jean transitioned to a consulting producer role, describing it as “sort of the Valhalla for showrunners.” He noted that he remains creatively involved, pitching jokes and providing production advice on upcoming episodes.
Originally airing from 1994 to 1995, The Critic starred Jon Lovitz as New York film critic Jay Sherman and was co-created by Jean and Mike Reiss. The series ran for two seasons before its cancellation, later returning with a brief run of web shorts between 2000 and 2001. Sherman also appeared in crossover episodes of The Simpsons, highlighting the long creative connection between both shows.
Jean explained that discussions about reviving The Critic have continued among the original team, including Lovitz and LaMarche, though the project remains stalled by an unspecified obstacle. “I’ve done everything I can on my end to make it work,” he said. Meanwhile, The Simpsons continues under co-showrunner Matt Selman, with Season 37 currently airing and a second feature film in development.
