This 1989 Show Became the Longest-Running TV Series 8 Years Ago Today

On April 29, 2018, The Simpsons aired its 636th episode, earning the title of the longest-running primetime scripted series.

The animated show beat out Gunsmoke, which previously held the record. The Western aired from 1955 to 1977, premiering 635 episodes.

The first episode of The Simpsons was broadcast on December 17, 1989. The show just wrapped up its 37th season and released its 800th episode in February of this year.

The sitcom is renewed through season 40, and the show has no intention of ending anytime soon.

"We did an episode about a year-and-a-half ago that was like a parody of the series finale. We jammed every possible series finale concept into one show, so that was sort of my way of saying we're never going to do a series finale," showrunner MattSelman told TheWrap in an interview earlier this year.

"We did a series finale in the middle of the show that made fun of all the ideas of wrapping everything up or ending," he added.

What makes the show special to Selman is that the comedy can't ever really end. Each week, anything is possible.

"The show isn't supposed to change. The characters reset every week. It's like Groundhog Day but they don't know it - and they don't die that much," he said. "If the show ever did end, there's no finale, it would just be a regular episode that has the family in it. Probably a little Easter egg here and there, but no ‘I'm going to miss this place.'"

The series has aired for almost 40 years, but not much has changed in the show's universe.

"We don't really have a Show Bible. Only a few things have been kind of sticky - Lisa being vegetarian, or Patty being gay, Maude Flanders being dead, probably a couple others - but most other deaths and job changes and stuff are pretty fluid. That's just part of the silly nature of the show," the creator shared.

Selman started working for The Simpsons in 1997 and became an executive producer in 2005. He worked his way up to co-showrunner in 2021 and earned his current title as sole showrunner in 2024. He's received seven Emmys for working on the series.

"Some people are still here, some people went on to do other things - the ones who stayed probably feel pretty good about that decision, given what happened to the rest of show business," Selman said.

Since its creation, The Simpsons has received 104 Emmy nominations and 37 Emmy wins.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 11:59 PM.