Would you believe that The Simpsons is entering its 18th season? Would you also believe that series’ creator Matt Groening expects it to continue even longer? With no shortage of funny stories for this animated family, the series continues to be a ratings and award winner (it recently earned its 23rd Emmy). What’s more, a film version of everyone’s favorite family is expected to hit the big screen next summer. This is one show that keeps chugging.

Said Groening, “My attitude at this point is, as long as the people who work on the show are having a good time, let’s keep doing it. We’ve always tried to entertain ourselves and figured that the outside world would be entertained if we were making ourselves laugh.” Working on The Simpsons sounds like a dream job. Groening also noted that the fresh stories continue because “there’s a really good-natured spirit of competitiveness among the youngest writers on the staff who basically grew up watching the show and have a great memory for everything that’s gone before.”

Fox has renewed the series through its 19th year, so the legendary cartoon will keep going yet another year. The Simpsons season premiere will air Sunday, with Homer having a “brush with mob life.” The 400th episode of the show will air in May, spoofing Fox’s 24 and featuring vocal contributions from Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub.