Overview

• The season 37 premiere, "Thrifty Ways to Thieve Your Mother," flashes back to teen Marge in the 1990s, including a Dawson's Creek–style parody called Keagan's Pond.
• That framing effectively makes Marge and Homer millennials within the episode's version of events, a shift used to keep the series contemporary.
• Selman says he is not worried about "messing with the timeline" and favors a playful approach over locking characters to a fixed era.
• He clarifies earlier flashbacks are not being erased, calling the series non-rigid in canon and encouraging fans to enjoy or dissect the inconsistencies.
• Arguing that strict continuity would "creatively handcuff" writers, Selman adds that only a small share of viewers are bothered and that the show remains popular.