'Simpsons' Renewal Means Animated Classic Will Finally Break Record for Most Episodes

'The Simpsons' 29th season renewal will break the the 'Gunsmoke' record for most television episodes.

November 4, 2016

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Complex Original

The Simpsons, a show that's been on the air longer than most of us have been alive, has been officially granted the opportunity to obliterate a longstanding television record. Fox announced Friday that the animated classic had been renewed for seasons 29 and 30. With that commitment, the series will finally break the episodic record held by Gunsmoke.

"This is yet another record-setting moment for what is truly a landmark series," Fox CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman said in a press release. "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."

The series, which recently celebrated its 600th episode, will knock Gunsmoke off the top spot whenever the 16th episode of season 29 airs. Homer Simpson and the Springfield fam are then expected to maintain the No. 1 spot for the foreseeable future, as even their closest active competitors are nowhere near hitting numbers like this.

Thankfully, fans won't have to deal with the contract drama of previous seasons to making any kind of comeback surrounding the series' latest renewal. Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer, and Hank Azaria have all been confirmed by Fox as fully committed to keeping The Simpsons on track through at least season 30.