Television's worst-kept secret will no longer be a secret. According to a TV Line interview with "The Simpsons" executive producer Al Jean, Smithers, Mr. Burns' long-suffering assistant, will come out to his boss and to audiences this upcoming season – the show's 27th. 

"In Springfield now, most people know he's gay, but obviously Burns doesn't," Jean said in the interview. "We deal with that in two episodes. ... We actually do a lot with Smithers this year; he gets fed up with Burns not appreciating him and considers his options."

Smithers' secret yearning for Mr. Burns has provided the show with some great quotes and moments over the years – "You know. Light-hearted, fancy-free. Mothers, lock up your daughters; Smithers is on the town!" – and though he may just be an animated character, it'd nice to see him supposedly finally opening up and openly being himself this season. 

But – and the Internet may gather up its pitchforks on this – by this point, does anybody care about "The Simpsons" anymore? Its true glory years as a TV staple feel long past, and the last time it was relevant – without the help of gimmicks, most notoriously its crossover with "Family Guy" – seems to have been around 2007 when "The Simpsons Movie" hit theaters. The show feels like CBS programming at this point: Yeah, people may watch it, but no one talks about it. Or maybe it's more like the British monarchy, important only because it WAS important. 

It's sad that an announcement like this – an openly gay, embraced character in an entertainment landscape still bereft of diversity – should feel like a good thing or a step forward, but instead it just feels like another last gasp for a show exhaustingly delaying its inevitable end. 

And on that downer note, here's a compilation of Itchy & Scratchy clips: