In season 13, the episode “Gump Roast” has a clip show that ends in NRBQ performing “They’ll Never Stop The Simpsons,” a parody of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Along with summarizing the crazier stories over the years like Homer’s marijuana use or when Homer thought Bart was gay, it made fun of their current lack of stories with an image of Homer jumping a shark along with joke lyrics like “Have no fears we’ve got stories for years!” and for the longest time I believed it. While the later seasons were never “classic” territory, there are still plenty of examples I use to show how good it is like “Pray Anything,” “The Fight Before Christmas,” “500 Keys,” and “The Day the Earth Stood Cool.” I am one of the few people out there that wanted it to go on forever.

But after watching the latest train wreck of a season, and after learning that the showrunners plan to legally separate Homer and Marge for the upcoming 27th (!) season, I’m giving up. Regardless of whether or not this is meant for a single episode, separating Marge and Homer or playing with the idea in order to get fans talking feels more like grasping at straws than ever before. And with the way The Simpsons is currently written, this can only turn out badly.

This old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be.