Is it possible that in the midst of its 18th season, "The Simpsons" has run out of steam?

I'm not here to argue that this is a stellar year for the show. I have, to be honest, been disappointed in some of the episodes myself.

But I defy you to name a show that's run even 18 episodes and every one has been a gem. "The Simpsons" has been on for 18 seasons and airs its 388th episode on Sunday (7 p.m., Ch. 13).

Even the worst episodes of "The Simpsons" are better than a lot of what's on TV. And the best episodes are better than just about anything else on television.

Just look at "Family Guy" and "American Dad" if you want quick evidence of how good "The Simpsons" still is.

And there's no end in sight.

"I think I'm going to be dead and buried before 'The Simpsons' ever gets removed from our air," Fox Entertainment president Peter Liguori said. And he thinks it's only going to get bigger when "The Simpsons" movie hits theaters in July. "We think (it) will introduce a whole new, young audience to the franchise."

I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE who's not a big fan of "Family Guy." Not surprisingly, "South Park" creators/producers Matt Park and Trey Stone haven't heard from "Guy" creator/producer Seth McFarland, whose show was rather viciously lampooned as derivative and unfunny in an episode of "South Park" last season. But they did hear from the folks at a couple of other animated shows that were treated much better.

"What I can tell you that was pretty interesting was, the day after that episode aired, we got flowers from 'The Simpsons,"' Parker said. "We got calls from 'King of the Hill' saying we were doing God's work."

But the reaction from McFarland was only a little less frosty than the one Parker and Stone got from Tom Cruise after they lampooned him in another episode.

"I think he's (McFarland) a Scientologist, actually," Parker joked.

IF PARKER AND STONE never have to talk about Tom Cruise again, they'll be thrilled.

They didn't make any public statements at the time when Viacom (which was releasing Cruise's "Mission Impossible 3") pulled the Cruise/Scientology episode of "South Park" off Comedy Central, partly because they were busy producing the show, and partly "because it just felt like ... it's, like, Tom Cruise and then us in a headline, you start to get that Tom Cruise stink on you," Stone said. They knew it could turn into a "big ... war with Tom Cruise, and I don't even want to be in the same article as that guy."

SCIENTOLOGISTS HAVE A REPUTATION for suing first and asking questions later, but Stone and Parker didn't hear anything from them.

"'I think Scientology has this reputation for intimidating people and throwing dead animals over your fence and putting notes on your cars and bricks through your windows," Stone said. "I think it's all (expletive). I think the press has made that monster. I think Scientology enjoys that reputation because it keeps everyone from doing anything about it.

"Since we've done the episode, we haven't had any contact from them at all. I'm sure they're not happy with us, but I think that's a reputation that it doesn't even really (deserve)."

And, while Tom Cruise certainly wasn't happy about the episode, Stone and Parker said others in Hollywood were pretty much egging them on.

"You can't pick anything where people are more on your side," Parker said. "This entire city, except for Scientologists, obviously, was like, 'Yeah, go! Go! Get 'em! Get 'em! Get 'em!"

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com