The Simpsons Executive Producers

Several writers and producers have been named as 'Executive Producer/Showrunner' of The Simpsons over it's near two-decade run, the following is a list of them, in airing season order:

Season 1
The first season was run by Sam Simon, Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. They, as developers of the show were named the show runners, with Sam and Matt being head writers and Jim Brooks overseeing the general production of the series. Sam Simon assembled a writing staff just by enjoying reading George Meyer's Army Man Magazine. Matt and Sam wrote the pilot, however the animation turned out horrible and their pilot episode ending up airing last that season.

Season 2
Season two was still executively produced by the same team, with most or all writers being promoted at least one rank up and Jeff Meyer and David M. Stern being recruited onto the show. This has been said to be the season where the tension and creative differences between Matt Groening and Sam Simon began to build up.

Season 3
The writing staff stayed the same this season, however the origonal duo of showrunners stepped down and based on the two episodes Al Jean and Mike Reiss(who had never run anything before) had produced which held over from season two into season three, the team took over as executive producers. Many fans said that episodes were a little shaky to begin with this season but got increasingly brilliant towards the end of the year.

Season 4
Beggining with two holdover episodes from season three, Mike Reiss and Al Jean ran this season as well, however Jeff Martin, Wallace Wallardosky and Jay Kogen left the writing staff this year, due to the fact that they had been given large and promising development deals from Universal and Disney studios. Thus, Dan McGrath, Conan O'Brien, Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein and Frank Mula, were recruited onto the team.

Season 5
Jean and Reiss, along with the rest of the origonal writing staff, left this season to develop their own animated series for ABC, cult favourite The Critic, meaning Jim Brooks had to recruit a new showrunner, he picked David Mirkin, who had quite a long and extensive resume. Brooks had first worked with Mirkin on The Tracey Ullman Show, where David had written some sketches. Simon left this season and Brooks and Groening merely stayed as Creative Consultants, despite this fact, Sam Simon still gets payed 13 million dollars a year. Only writers hired in season 4 were still around at this point, them and John Swartzwelder, who Mirkin strongly advised to stay, because he admired his comedy style. Shortly after the season started, Conan left to pursue his career in late night television, replacing David Letterman on Late Night..., causing Mirkin to assemble a whole new staff, Bill Canterbury, Greg Daniels, Jace Richdale, David Richardson, Jonathon Collier, David Sacks and future show runner, Mike Scully. The new writing staff made some fans uneasy, beleiving they could not hold up to the previous staff, however, they held their own.

Season 6
The series was at the peak of its' popularity during its' sixth season, David Mirkin ran the show and fan favourite writers, Brent Forrester and David X. Cohen, joined the staff. Mirkin produced all the episodes this season, except for two, which were done by Mike Reiss and Al Jean, which they made with the staff of The Critic. In one of these two episodes, Round Springfield, Bleedings Gums Murphy dies and in an other, Jay Sherman from The Critic appears in a full-blown crossover, which Matt Groening rejected putting his name on.

Season 7
This year, fan-loved showrunners, Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, became showrunners, recruiting Bill's wife, Rachel Pulido and two of their favourite writers, Steve Tompkins, said to have contributed more to seasons seven and eight than anyone else and Ian Maxtone-Graham, who is still on the show to-date. Oakley and Weinstein executively produced most of the episodes this season, apart from two holdovers from the previous season and two the Dave Mirkin executively produced in season seven. This is a fan-favourite season and has many rememorable episodes such as, 22 Short Films About Springfield amd Bart Sells His Soul, both written by honourable, Greg Daniels. Also, Richard Appel and Dan Greaney, joined the show this season.

Season 8
Bill and Josh remained showrunners this season, three episodes from season seven held over into this year and Al Jean and Mike Reiss, made a deal with their new bosses, Disney Executives, to produce four Simpsons episodes on the side of working for them, the first two of four aired in this season, The Springfield Files and the rememorable Sharry Bobins episode. Unlike the season before this, Bill and Josh won and Emmy for the episode, Homer's Phobia, which was Ron Hauge's first episode for the show. Donick Cary, Ron Hauge and Ned Goldreyer were employed during this season.

Season 9
This season is completely mixed, every showrunner, apart from the origonal three, executively produced episodes this season. Mike Scully, a writer since season 5, was named show runner/executive producer this year and due to the fact that he could not complete his season in time and did not have enough ideas for fresh episodes, David Mirkin came in to produce two, All Singing, All Dancing and The Joy of Sect. Also, three episodes held over from season eight aired in this season. And the last two Al Jean and Mike Reiss episodes, also aired this season. Most writers hired in season eight were fired by Mike Scully or quit, as he wanted to assemble a writing team of his own. Oakley and Weinstein left the show this season, as showrunners, but were still consulting producers, throughtout all season nine produced episodes, they left to go and develop, Mission Hill, for The WB

Season 10
Season 10 is said by many fans is the season where the show's rate of quality highly declined, Mike Scully has admitted in his second year of showrunning, the series lost a small amount of emotion and may have gotten a fraction wackier. David X. Cohen was Executive Producer for the first quarter of the episodes this season, however left to go and develop Futurama, with Matt Groening. Al Jean returned this season to write episodes of the show.

Season 11
This Emmy Award-Winning series, was third showran by Mike Scully, many writers got high-ranked producer levels this season and two others made it to executive producer, these two writers were, George Meyer and Al Jean.

Season 12
The Simpsons' twelth season was the last executively produced by Mike Scully, a large fraction of the staff left at the end of this season and lots of rememorable and succesful writers were hired.

Season 13
Yet another showrunner was promoted this year, Al Jean, who according to Jim Brooks "Was Right and Ready", many episodes aired as holdovers from season 12 this year and Mike Scully wrote and executively produced one episode this season.

Season 14-19
During Al Jean's new era, many more writers have been named executive producer, under Al's showrunning direction, some of these executive producers include; Carolyn Omine, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Matt Selman, Don Payne and many others.

It has been undetermined whether or not the series will get a new showrunner before its' cancelilation or not.

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