The Simpsons: The 10 Most Prolific Writers, Ranked

The biggest name associated with the creation and production of The Simpsons is Matt Groening. After all, he created the series and based the Simpson family characters on his own family. However, there are countless writers who have brought these characters to life over the years, from the current showrunner Al Jean to king of one-liners George Meyer to the late Sam Simon, who was the original head writer and assembled the first team of writers.

Some Simpsons writers stayed for a few seasons then left. Some left and then came back. A few have been there since the very beginning. These writers are the ones who have contributed the most episodes to the show over the years and created some of The Simpsons‘ most hilarious, touching, and memorable moments.

10 Michael Price (23 episodes)

Although not one of the original writers during the show’s so-called golden age, which is generally considered to have been from season 3 through season 7, Michael Price has been contributing scripts to the show since season 15, penning some brilliant but underrated episodes of The Simpsons. These include “The Boys of Bummer,” which sees the town condemn Bart for losing a little league baseball game, and “My Mother the Carjacker,” in which Homer’s mother returns to Springfield after being acquitted of her previous criminal convictions only to have Mr. Burns try to get her re-arrested.

Outside of The Simpsons, Michael Price co-created F Is For Family with Bill Burr and has written many of its episodes. That animated sitcom is based on Bill Burr’s childhood growing up in the ’70s. Price has also written several of the Lego Star Wars television specials, such as The Empire Strikes Out and The Padawan Menace.

9 J. Stewart Burns (24 episodes)

J. Stewart Burns has an impressive résumé, including Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butthead, Futurama, The Harvard Lampoon, and the ’90s sitcom Unhappily Ever After. After joining The Simpsons for season 14, Burns wrote many of the episodes with scientific and mathematical themes and references, such as “Days of Future Future,” which is set in the future and features a Homer clone, and “Simpsorama,” which is a crossover with Futurama.

The Simpsons Vs Futurama: Which Show Is Funnier?

The very first episode Burns contributed was one of his best: season 14’s “Moe Baby Blues.” In the episode, a depressed Moe finds purpose and happiness after unintentionally saving Maggie Simpson from a car accident. He becomes obsessed with her, and even though their relationship brings Moe out of his depression, it greatly irritates Homer. It’s a sweet, almost profound episode.

8 Carolyn Omine (24 episodes)

Carolyn Omine joined the series in season 11 and has written 24 episodes. Aside from her work on Full House, she has written several memorable Simpsons episodes. These include “The Great Money Caper,” which sees Homer and Bart become con artists, “Sweets and Sour Marge,” in which Springfield officially becomes America’s fattest town, and “The Strong Arms of the Ma,” in which Marge becomes agoraphobic after a mugging. Omine is the most prolific woman of all the Simpsons writers, and she has written many Marge-centric episodes.

7 Al Jean (24 episodes)

Al Jean is the current showrunner of The Simpsons. He was one of the first writers hired by Sam Simon, along with his writing partner Mike Reiss, with whom he previously wrote for National Lampoon. Jean took a brief sojourn from The Simpsons to create The Critic with Reiss, but after two seasons of the animated show starring Jon Lovitz as a film critic, they both returned to write for America’s favorite yellow family.

During a 2007 interview with NPR, Jean confirmed that after watching the airing of The Simpsons‘ first episode, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” he decided that it was the greatest project he had worked on and desired to continue being involved with it for the remainder of his career. Jean, with Reiss, took over from Sam Simon as showrunner from the third season, which former writers Bill Oakley and John Swartzwelder have both called the show’s best.

6 Jon Vitti (25 episodes)

Jon Vitti is another of the writers from the original group hired by Sam Simon during the show’s first season. He continued writing for the show until season 16, after which he went to work on Ice Age, The Angry Birds Movie, and The Office.

While on The Simpsons, Vitti penned some of the greatest episodes, including “Mr. Plow,” “Lisa’s Substitute,” and “Cape Feare,” the latter which Time magazine and the BBC consider among the show’s 10 best episodes.

5 Matt Selman (29 episodes)

Matt Selman is the current co-showrunner alongside original writer Al Jean, after joining the show in season 9. Selman’s first episode was “Natural Born Kissers,” a great Homer and Marge episode of The Simpsons in which they make love in public places, including the windmill of a mini-golf course, simply for the thrill of potentially getting caught. One of the more provocative episodes of the show, Matt Groening listed it as his eighth favorite.

Today, The Simpsons‘ writers room is split into two, with Al Jean running one and Matt Selman running the other. Prior to working on The Simpsons, Selman wrote a Seinfeld episode, “The Wait Out,” and also co-wrote The Simpsons Hit and Run video game.

4 Tim Long (31 episodes)

Tim Long has written for The Simpsons since season 10. Some of his best episodes include “New Kids on the Blecch,” in which Bart, Milhouse, Ralph, and Nelson are headhunted for a boyband whose music has subliminal messages persuading people to join the military, and “Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade.” In that episode, Bart is moved down to the third grade after failing a test, and the whip-smart Lisa gets moved up a grade, meaning the bickering siblings are in the same class.

Tim Long previously wrote for The Late Show With David Letterman, and his other work has recently appeared in The New Yorker. Long still writes for The Simpsons, his most recent episode appearing in season 32.

3 Joel H. Cohen (32 episodes)

Not to be confused with Joel Coen of the Coen Brothers, Joel H. Cohen is the Canadian writer who has been with The Simpsons since season 13 and has contributed an episode every season since then. Although many fans believe the show has gone downhill in recent years, there are many great newer Simpson episodes to be found deep into seasons 20 through 30.

For example, Cohen’s “22 For 30” is stylized as a sports documentary and parodies the genre and ESPN’s 30 For 30 documentaries. It sees Bart become Springfield Elementary’s star basketball player before becoming involved with Fat Tony and the mob. And “Clown in the Dumps,” another Cohen episode, sees Krusty have an existential crisis after his father dies without acknowledging his son’s comedic talent.

2 John Frink (34 episodes)

John Frink is the show’s second most prolific writer, having joined the writing staff in season 12 and contributed a total of 34 episodes. He initially co-wrote episodes with his writing partner Don Payne. Payne sadly died in 2013, but Frink continued to write for the show after his death. Frink was the mastermind behind “Angry Dad: The Movie,” in which Bart’s popular comic book starring Homer as an angry buffoon gets made into a movie. Additionally, the mad scientist character, Professor Frink, was named after this prolific writer.

1 John Swartzwelder (59 episodes)

By far The Simpsons‘ most prolific writer, no one else comes close to the mysterious, reclusive John Swartzwelder, who recently spoke to the New Yorker in his first-ever interview and is highly regarded by fans and his former Simpsons‘ colleagues. Swartzwelder wrote on the show until 2003 and was one of the original writers hired during season 1. Preferring to work alone, he arranged a deal whereby he could write from home, even having two diner booths installed in his home in which to write.

Swartzwelder produced some of the most beloved and classic fan-favorite Simpsons episodes from the show’s first 10 seasons, including “Homer’s Enemy,” “You Only Move Twice,” “Rosebud,” and many of the “Itchy & Scratchy” episodes. Since leaving The Simpsons, he has self-published many comedic novels, notably his Frank Burly detective series. Swartzwelder was also on the writing team for The Simpsons Movie.

About The Author