“The Simpsons” is about to make television history, yet again.
Fox has just renewed the animated classic for its unprecedented 29th and 30th seasons. That brings the show to 669 episodes, surpassing the largest number of episodes for any scripted primetime TV series ever. “Gunsmoke” currently holds that record, at 635, and long as been in the sights of “Simpsons” producers looking to beat that record.
READ MORE: ‘The Simpsons’ Teams with Google to Enter Virtual Reality for Its 600th Episode
“The Simpsons” is already the longest-running scripted series in history. (“Gunsmoke” hit its tally in shorter time, as it produced more episodes each season.)
“This is yet another record-setting moment for what is truly a landmark series,” Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group, said in a joint statement. “’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 [Groening], Jim [Brooks] and Al [Jean]. 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.”
“The Simpsons” recently reached its 600th episode. The show, which began as shorts on “The Tracey Ullman Show,” premiered on Dec. 17, 1989.
As per “The Simpsons” tradition, the press release announcing the renewal included a “quote” from Homer Simpson: “Take that ‘Gunsmoke!’ You lost a race you didn’t even know you were running!”
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