# Al Jean
**Al Jean** (Alfred Ernest Jean III, born 1961) is an American television writer and producer best known as the longest-serving showrunner of *The Simpsons*, the longest-running American primetime scripted series. He joined the show's original writing staff in 1989, co-ran it with Mike Reiss in seasons 3 and 4, and served as primary showrunner from season 13 until Matt Selman took over in season 33, stepping down in 2025 after more than two decades in the role.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/al-jean/) • [2](https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Al_Jean) • [3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-shows/an-original-simpsons-writer-has-stepped-down-after-more-than-two-decades-as-showrunner-and-fans-are-calling-it-the-end-of-an-era/) • [20](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/features/the-simpsons-800-episodes-save-yeardley-smith-life-33056/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961, Detroit, Michigan; full name Alfred Ernest Jean III[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/al-jean/) • [2](https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Al_Jean) |
| Education | Entered Harvard University at 16; graduated in 1981 with a degree in mathematics; met writing partner Mike Reiss at The Harvard Lampoon[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/al-jean/) |
| *The Simpsons* tenure | Original staff writer from 1989; co-showrunner seasons 3–4 with Reiss; sole showrunner from season 13 onward; writer-producer afterward[4](https://www.avclub.com/al-jean-has-90-hours-and-counting-of-simpsons-comment-1798281017) • [2](https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Al_Jean) |
| Other series | Created the animated sitcom *The Critic* with Mike Reiss (1994–1995), with Jon Lovitz voicing Jay Sherman, after leaving *The Simpsons* in season five[5](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/al-jean) • [6](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-shows/the-simpsons-showrunner-says-a-revival-of-animated-sitcom-the-critic-has-definitely-been-discussed-but-theres-one-thing-standing-in-the-way/) • [21](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/jon-lovitz-the-critic-interview-30th-anniversary) |
| Awards | Eight Primetime Emmy Awards for *The Simpsons*; 2007 Annie Award for Writing in an Animated Feature Production for *The Simpsons Movie*[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/al-jean-25-years-simpsons-and-counting) • [8](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Al_Jean) |
| Show scale | During his showrunning years the series passed 500 episodes, and by 2026 it had reached 800 episodes across 37 seasons[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/dec/20/the-simpsons-25th-season-al-jean) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/72d723e6d885b1944c9a1ec8b9a24c3a) |
## Early life and education
Jean grew up in Detroit, Michigan, attended math camp during summer vacations, and graduated from high school at 16 before entering Harvard.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/al-jean-25-years-simpsons-and-counting) He began in pre-med with the intention of becoming a doctor, then shifted into mathematics, later explaining that he decided he did not like being around sick people.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/al-jean/) • [7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/al-jean-25-years-simpsons-and-counting) The decisive extracurricular experience was [The Harvard Lampoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-harvard-lampoon), the university's humor publication, where he met Mike Reiss, who became his longtime writing partner.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/al-jean/)
After graduating in 1981, Jean and Reiss worked at the National Lampoon and then wrote for television shows including *[Charles in Charge](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-in-charge)*, *Not Necessarily the News*, *The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson*, *ALF*, and *Sledge Hammer!*, before spending two years as producers on Showtime's *It's Garry Shandling's Show*.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/al-jean-25-years-simpsons-and-counting) • [5](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/al-jean) Jean's first professional writing job was for the feature film *Airplane 2*.[5](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/al-jean)
## The Simpsons
In 1989 Jean and Reiss were hired onto the original writing staff of *The Simpsons*, Matt Groening's animated series developed from shorts on *The Tracey Ullman Show*. Jean recalled the pay as low but the prospects as promising, crediting the involvement of Groening, James L. Brooks, and [Sam Simon](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-simon) for the show's quality.[4](https://www.avclub.com/al-jean-has-90-hours-and-counting-of-simpsons-comment-1798281017) • [7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/al-jean-25-years-simpsons-and-counting) The two Harvard mathematics graduates were among the eight writers who drafted the show's inaugural episode, and the staff's habit of slipping math references into background jokes later grew into a running dialogue with fans on early internet newsgroups.[11](https://www.filmandmedia.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/FOCUS2014final.pdf)
**Showrunner years.** Jean and Reiss became co-showrunners in season three, adding more steps of drafting and rewriting to the production process, and ran the show through season four.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/al-jean-25-years-simpsons-and-counting) • [2](https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Al_Jean) In their first season at the helm, the ambitious episode "Homer at the Bat" aired on February 20, 1992.[12](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/5-for-friday-al-jean-longtime-simpsons-showrunner-writer-and-producer) Jean left during season five to create *The Critic* with Mike Reiss and returned to *The Simpsons* when that series ended, serving as the primary showrunner from season 13 through 32.[5](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/al-jean) • [13](https://www.fastcompany.com/3016324/how-to-write-a-simpsons-episode-according-to-original-show-writer-al-jean) • [20](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/features/the-simpsons-800-episodes-save-yeardley-smith-life-33056/) • [21](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/jon-lovitz-the-critic-interview-30th-anniversary) As showrunner he described the job as responsibility for all aspects of the show, including writing, directing, editing, sound, music, and budget.[14](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/nancy-cartwright-chats-simpsons-showrunner-al-jean)
By the show's 25th season Jean oversaw about 20 writers producing episodes past the 500-episode mark, working a year ahead of broadcast so that storylines would still hold true at air time.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/dec/20/the-simpsons-25th-season-al-jean) He credits the show's longevity partly to its refusal to change the status quo: "We've done 800 episodes, and I'm really glad we didn't do a big overarching story. You always return to square one at the end of the show. And there's no question that was a big influence on the longevity."[10](https://apnews.com/article/72d723e6d885b1944c9a1ec8b9a24c3a) The series reached 800 episodes across 37 seasons in 2026.[10](https://apnews.com/article/72d723e6d885b1944c9a1ec8b9a24c3a)
**Stepping down.** In 2025 Jean announced on X that he was stepping down as showrunner after more than two decades, with Matt Selman becoming sole showrunner; Jean was expected to remain involved as a writer-producer, in the manner of David Mirkin or Mike Reiss.[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-shows/an-original-simpsons-writer-has-stepped-down-after-more-than-two-decades-as-showrunner-and-fans-are-calling-it-the-end-of-an-era/) The announcement came as 20th Century Studios confirmed that a *Simpsons* sequel film was in development for release on July 23, 2027, twenty years after the first film.[15](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-simpsons-losing-showrunner-al-jean-hoping-movie-sequel-involved)
## The Critic and other work
Jean's main project away from [Springfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/springfield) is *The Critic*, the animated sitcom he created with Mike Reiss, which ran from 1994 to 1995 and featured [Jon Lovitz](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-lovitz) as the voice of a New York film critic named Jay Sherman.[5](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/al-jean) • [6](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-shows/the-simpsons-showrunner-says-a-revival-of-animated-sitcom-the-critic-has-definitely-been-discussed-but-theres-one-thing-standing-in-the-way/) • [21](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/jon-lovitz-the-critic-interview-30th-anniversary) Jean has been a producer and screenwriter on *The Simpsons Movie* (2007) and on a series of short streaming specials, including *Maggie Simpson in "Rogue Not Quite One"* (2023), *When Billie Met Lisa* (2022), and *The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in "Feliz Navidad"* (2022).[16](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0419830/) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/al-jean/)
## Approach to the show
Jean describes a deliberately team-oriented writers' room in which no writer fights to knock out another's joke and credit is protected, on the principle that the show itself matters more than any individual contribution.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/al-jean-25-years-simpsons-and-counting) The production pipeline he established runs from pitched ideas to a first draft by the original writer, followed by four or five staff rewrites before the cast sees the script, with further gag changes and cast ad libs layered in afterward.[17](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/profiles/al-jean-the-sixth-simpson-301951.html) [Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/animation) adds a further layer: since the switch to HD, even background objects such as bookstore titles must be written rather than left as animator's squiggles.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/al-jean-25-years-simpsons-and-counting)
The show's speed of response to current events became a signature of his later tenure. After Senator Kamala Harris was named [Joe Biden](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-biden)'s running mate in 2020, a 27-second [Marge Simpson](https://www.edgepedia.org/marge-simpson) clip responding to a Trump adviser's remark was produced in about a day, which Jean called one of the fastest things the show had ever put together.[18](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/the-simpsons-showrunner-al-jean-71759/) He has also connected the series to fan culture, recalling that the poorly received character Poochie originated in the network's demand to add a new character, and that the phrase "worst episode ever" came from a fan post on the alt.tv.simpsons newsgroup.[19](https://time.com/7305104/simpsons-fan-culture/)
On the show's legacy, Jean has said, "I'd like to think that 'The Simpsons' made popular culture smarter and that it actually encouraged people to look things up."[5](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/al-jean)
## References
1. [Al Jean – Writer, Producer, Animator, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/al-jean/)
2. [Al Jean, Simpsons Wiki (Fandom)](https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Al_Jean)
3. [An original Simpsons writer has stepped down after more than two decades as showrunner, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-shows/an-original-simpsons-writer-has-stepped-down-after-more-than-two-decades-as-showrunner-and-fans-are-calling-it-the-end-of-an-era/)
4. [Al Jean has 90 hours (and counting) of Simpsons commentaries under his belt, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/al-jean-has-90-hours-and-counting-of-simpsons-comment-1798281017)
5. [Al Jean, Television Academy Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/al-jean)
6. [The Simpsons showrunner says a revival of The Critic has "definitely been discussed", GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-shows/the-simpsons-showrunner-says-a-revival-of-animated-sitcom-the-critic-has-definitely-been-discussed-but-theres-one-thing-standing-in-the-way/)
7. [Al Jean: 25 Years of Simpsons and Counting, Television Academy (Emmy magazine, October 7, 2014)](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/al-jean-25-years-simpsons-and-counting)
8. [Al Jean, Wikisimpsons](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Al_Jean)
9. [The Simpsons in its 25th season: showrunner Al Jean on why it endures, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/dec/20/the-simpsons-25th-season-al-jean)
10. [After 800 episodes, 'The Simpsons' creators look back – and ahead, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/72d723e6d885b1944c9a1ec8b9a24c3a)
11. [The Simpsons' referential text and alt.tv.simpsons, UC Santa Barbara Film and Media Studies](https://www.filmandmedia.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/FOCUS2014final.pdf)
12. [5 for Friday: Al Jean, longtime 'Simpsons' showrunner, writer and producer, FOX Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/5-for-friday-al-jean-longtime-simpsons-showrunner-writer-and-producer)
13. [How to Write A "Simpsons" Episode, According to Original Show Writer Al Jean, Fast Company](https://www.fastcompany.com/3016324/how-to-write-a-simpsons-episode-according-to-original-show-writer-al-jean)
14. [Nancy Cartwright Chats with Simpsons Showrunner Al Jean, Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/nancy-cartwright-chats-simpsons-showrunner-al-jean)
15. [The Simpsons losing showrunner Al Jean, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-simpsons-losing-showrunner-al-jean-hoping-movie-sequel-involved)
16. [Al Jean, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0419830/)
17. [Al Jean: The sixth Simpson, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/profiles/al-jean-the-sixth-simpson-301951.html)
18. [How 'The Simpsons' Showrunner Al Jean Keeps the Show Relevant 31 Years Later, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/the-simpsons-showrunner-al-jean-71759/)
19. [How The Simpsons Embraced-And Passionately Skewered-Its Fervent Fan Base, TIME](https://time.com/7305104/simpsons-fan-culture/)
20. [How ‘The Simpsons’ Made It to 800 Episodes, And Even Helped Save Star Yeardley Smith’s Life](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/features/the-simpsons-800-episodes-save-yeardley-smith-life-33056/)
21. [Jon Lovitz Revisits The Critic (Exclusive)](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/jon-lovitz-the-critic-interview-30th-anniversary)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Producers, studio executives, and showrunners › Television producers and showrunners › Comedy and sitcom creators*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license