By Scott D. Pierce

| The Salt Lake Tribune

For Al Jean, "The Simpsons" started out as a paycheck. He was one of the first writers hired to turn the animated shorts that aired as part of "The Tracey Ullman Show" into a weekly series back in 1989.

"It was a job to me before it was a public phenomenon," Jean said. "And now it is insane. I used to run into people who said, ‘Oh, I watched that show in college.’ Now I run into people who say, ‘Oh, I watched that show as a 5-year-old’ — and they’re not that young."

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At a glance

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The Simpsons hit 500

In “At Long Last Leave” (Sunday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. on Fox/Channel 13), the Simpsons are evicted from Springfield and join an off-the-grid community outside town. But when Homer and Marge try to sneak back into their hometown, they’re welcomed with hostility from their former friends and neighbors and begin to appreciate their new and more accepting home.

Readers weigh in

Helen Peterson’s favorite episode » “The Crêpes of Wrath” (Season 1, Episode 11)

Synopsis » “Bart goes to France as an exchange student and even becomes fluent in French.”

Why she liked it » “Funny part? The police don’t care that he exposed a child-labor wine operation, they only arrested the guys because they were putting antifreeze in the wine.”

Jon Kahananui’s favorite episode » “Homer of Seville” (Season 19, Episode 2)

Synopsis » While in the hospital, Homer discovers that he has beautiful opera voice and Mr. Burns hires him to sing at the Springfield Opera House, where he quickly becomes a star and one of his fans is a stalker.

Why he liked it » “When they did the first five bars of Beethoven 5, I especially loved the reference when Marge was like: ‘Where are you guys going?’

“Lenny: ‘Yeah, we’ve already heard this before.’

“Marge: ‘There’s 35 minutes more. Don’t go. You’ll love this atonal piece by Phillip Glass.’

“Everyone in audience runs amok, trying to exit as fast as possible.

“Kind of reminds me of the premiere of Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’ … in Paris, May 29, 1913.”

More » What great episodes have we missed? Post your favorite on this story at sltrib.com or facebook.com/nowsaltlake

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If you were 5 when the first episode aired on Dec. 17, 1989, you’ll be 27 when the 500th episode airs on Sunday, Feb. 19.

Jean, 51, was just 28 when he joined "The Simpsons" writing staff. He was running the show in seasons 3 and 4. After leaving to work on other projects, he returned full time in Season 10 and has remained ever since, working as the showrunner again since season 13.

The show has become, of course, a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. Tens of millions of fans can quote their favorite lines from their favorite episodes.

That worldwide popularity has become both a fact of life and something the creative staff behind "The Simpsons" can’t quite wrap their minds around.

"It’s one of those things where you’re just racing to do the next episode," Jean said. "You’re always just going — whatever we did before, I want to make sure next week is good. Whenever [the series] is done, then maybe we’ll sit back and think about it."

But most fans have their own favorite episodes, and with 499 to choose from, there’s a wide variety of opinions. "The funny thing is that some people tell me they love an episode and other people go online and say it was the worst episode ever," Jean said with a laugh.

He’s reluctant to name his own favorite. "There’s so many I like, " said the man who has written 17 and contributed to hundreds of others."I do have a soft spot for one I wrote that satirized Mary Poppins. The Simpsons got a nanny and then basically drove her crazy." That would be Season 8, Episode 13, "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(D’oh!)cious."

And Sunday’s upcoming 500th episode sounds like a good one. "The Simpsons find out there’s a big Springfield town meeting that they weren’t told about," Jean said. "And when they go in the town is saying, ‘We are so sick of the Simpsons, let’s kick them out.’ "

Well, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Fox has ordered two more seasons — which will take them through episode 559, and that may or may not be the end. "Because it’s about a family, so there’s so many stories," Jean said. "If it ends, it will be because of economic reasons. But we’re not looking at it ending yet. We have lots more episodes some people will love and some people won’t."

Here are a few staff favorites from the first 499. Which would you add to the list?

"The Crêpes of Wrath" (Season 1, Episode 11)

Synopsis » After cherry bombing a toilet at school, Bart is sent to France as an exchange student and ends up working for crooks who put antifreeze in their wine.

Why I like it » Bad-boy Bart — banned by some uptight educators — saves the French wine industry.

Scott D. Pierce

"Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" (Season 2, Episode 9)