Tag: al jean

Al Jean doesn’t look like one of the funniest men on the planet. Nor does he assail his entourage with hilarious pop-culture observations, or compulsively cut those around him down to size with his rapier wit. Instead, the the man who as head writer has presided over 375 episodes of The Simpsons, arguably the funniest television programme ever made, requests a mineral water, sits down quietly and launches into a breathless spiel. “We just recorded the Ricky Gervais episode. He really wanted to do something where we satirised Wife Swap. It’s a very funny episode.” Jean, who is big and bluff-looking, resembling an outgrown 44-year-old college boy in a polo shirt and slacks, giggles at the thought. “Ricky was over to collect his Golden Globes for The Office. There are so many of our writers who are fans of his that we thought we’d throw a lunch for him. And he mentioned that he would be interested in writing an episode with us. Before we knew it, it was worldwide news.”

SOURCE: Belfast Telegraph

Al Jean has been at the helm of the show since its 13th season and worked on the series as a writer or producer for its entire run. His office is adorned with memorabilia from the show’s 15-year run. A short walk away is the wood-panelled meeting room where the cast does its weekly read-through, and, in another building, the recording studio where every Monday for 22 weeks of the year – including today – the cast gathers to record each episode. Today’s studio record is episode FABF21, titled Fat Man and Little Boy (It will screen in the US later this year). Written by Joel H. Cohen, it opens with a Saving Private Ryan-style spitball fight between Lisa, Janey, Bart, Rod and Todd. The scene ends with the loss of Bart’s final baby tooth – a momentous event that triggers a mid-life crisis. “Joel had the idea that Bart would undergo a mid-life crisis, even though he’s 10,” Jean says. “The whole staff pitched on the storyline. Joel wrote the first half. We rewrote it. We read it Thursday. Read More >>

“Al Jean, who’s been a part of The Simpsons since it debuted, is sticking around Springfield. Jean, currently the showrunner for the long-running animated comedy, has signed a new deal with the producer to remain at the show’s helm through at least the 2004-05 season. FOX recently renewed the show for that long. “Al is simply one of the very best, and we’re sick and tired of how he gets overlooked because people have longer names,” fellow Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks tells The Hollywood Reporter. Jean joined the show in 1990, during its first season, and has worked as a writer, producer or consultant for The Simpsons ever since. He’s in his second stint as showrunner.” Read More >>>