The series averages 7.2 million viewers per episode, according to Rolling Stone, and will dethrone Gunsmoke! As the longest running show once it surpasses 635 episodes. The show will have a total of 669 episodes by the end of the current deal.
Fox Television Group chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman told Rolling Stone in a statement last week that the record-setting moment is representative of the landmark series.
“The Simpsons has meant so much to the network, the studio, and everyone at Fox, and its continued cultural impact around the globe is a testament to the combined brilliance of [executive producers Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Al Jean].”
The show, which premiered in 1989, has won 31 Emmys, a Peabody Award, a 2012 Oscar nomination for its theatrical short The Longest Daycare, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000, according to Variety.
For comparison, Fox’s other animated hit, Family Guy, is currently in its 15th season and just hit its 274th episode. Bob’s Burgers, also on Fox’s roster of animated comedies, is in its seventh season.
While the record-setting renewal is great news for the show, it’s hardly the first noteworthy record it has broken. It previously beat The Flintstones for the longest-running primetime animated series record.
The show has also recently sparked memes on social media for eerily predicting a future Donald Trump presidency in a 2000 episode.
The episode featured Lisa Simpson succeeding Trump, so Americans can look forward to its favorite animated family taking over the oval office in 2020.
