The Simpsons Renewed for Seasons 29 & 30

It was not too long ago that The Simpsons returned for its record-breaking 28th season. The beloved cartoon stands as one of the longest running shows in America, and Fox has announced that it is going to get even longer. The studio surprised fans today by announcing they have renewed The Simpsons for a 29th and 30th season, a move that will make bring its episode count to 669.

“This is yet another record-setting moment for what is truly a landmark series,” said Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group. “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.”

Once it accrues more than 635 episodes, The Simpsons will have overtaken Gunsmoke and become the longest scripted television show of all-time. The animated series recently unveiled its 600th episode to the delight of fans, and the milestone was celebrated by millions.

If you are not familiar with The Simpsons, then you should know the culture phenomenon debuted in 1990 under Matt Groening. The critically acclaimed series has been praised for its satirical wit and up-to-date commentary on pop culture. It has spawned off dozens of peripheral tagalongs like video games, comics, and a successful film.

Since The Simpsons has been around for so long, fans have wondered how long the series could keep going. It is difficult to keep audiences engaged after decades on air, but Fox is confident they can keep the attention of their viewers. Recently, the network confirmed that The Simpsons would get its first ever hour-long episode in January 2017. The special will feature Keegan-Michael Key and Taraji P. Henson as guest stars.

FXX is also set to honor the series later this month with an unprecedented marathon. The network will spend 13 days marathoning all of The Simpsons just in time for Thanksgiving. The marathon will include all 600 episodes and be shown in chronological order. FXX has done a marathon for The Simpsons before in 2014, and they experienced a surge in primetime ratings.

“The first ‘Every. Simpsons. Ever.’ Marathon was truly so special and landmark in its cultural relevance and impact,” said FX Networks President and COO Chuck Saftler “The unprecedented feat of reaching 600 episodes deserves something of that caliber to mark it and celebrate it. Doing this is an act of true fandom, honoring Jim Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, all the writers, artists, directors, people behind the scenes and the ridiculously talented voice actors who have brought this series to life and kept it at the pinnacle of artistic excellence these past 27+ seasons.”

So, what do you guys think? Are you excited to see even more episodes of The Simpsons?