The Simpsons is currently in its 36th season, having first aired in 1989, with many fans claiming the show passed its prime sometime in the mid-to-late '90s. Now, former writer Conan O'Brien has admitted that he thought the show had only "a couple more years" left when he exited in 1993.
Speaking with Tom Hanks on the latest episode of the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, the host reflected on his time as a Simpsons writer from 1991 to 1993. "I've had this experience at The Simpsons," he said. "I worked there, and as I left, thought, 'This probably has a little bit of time left.' I remember thinking that at The Simpsons. Like, 'This is going great. I betcha they got a couple more years, but I think I'll step off now.'"
Before The Simpsons, O'Brien was a writer at SNL from 1988 to 1991, and he thought the same thing while working there. He recalled, "Or the same thing at SNL. I remember thinking, 'This is great.' But when I got there — I get there in '88 — I'm there only 13 years after it begins, and I'm looking at the wall, and it's black-and-white photos of Ackroyd and Belushi, and it looked to me like Civil War photographs." SNL is, of course, currently celebrating its 50th season.
O'Brien isn't criticizing either show, mind you — rather, he's simply acknowledging the limits of his own expectations. Below, watch O'Brien and Hanks speak about SNL, including O'Brien's admission that he was "too intense" while writing for the show and didn't fully enjoy the experience.