The Simpsons Renewed for Two More Seasons, Breaks Another Record

The Simpsons broke another record today. The show has been renewed for 29th and 30th seasons, which will make it the longest-running animated series, and will give it the largest number of episodes for a scripted series ever.

Gunsmoke was the previous record holder with 635 episodes, and The Simpsons will have 669. “Take that Gunsmoke! You lost a race you didn’t even know you were running!,” said fictional character Homer Simpson in a statement from Fox. The show is produced by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean. The Simpsons is averaging 7.2 million viewers in its current season.

Said Dana Walden and Gary Newman, chairmen and CEOs of Fox Television Group, in a joint statement:

This is yet another record-setting moment for what is truly a 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 Matt, Jim and Al. Congratulations to everyone who works on this groundbreaking series-from the voice cast and producers to the writers and production team-you comprise one of the greatest collections of creative talent in the history of the medium. And to the millions of Simpsons fans around the world, thank you for watching all these years. We’re happy to tell you there’s lots more to come.

Long live the Simpsons.