The Simpsons is an Americananimated sitcom created byMatt Groening for theFox Broadcasting Company. It is asatirical depiction of adysfunctional middle-class American lifestyle starring the eponymousfamily:Homer,Marge,Bart,Lisa, andMaggie. Set in the town ofSpringfield, the show lampoons bothAmerican culture and thehuman condition.[1] The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a pitch for a series ofanimated shorts with producerJames L. Brooks. Groening named each character (other than Bart) after members of his own family. The shorts became part of the Fox seriesThe Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987.[1][2] After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour primetime hit show.[3]
The show holds several American television longevity records. It is the longest-runningprimetime animated series and longest-running sitcom in the United States.[4] With its21st season (2009–10), the series surpassedGunsmoke (which had 20 seasons) to claim the spot as the longest-runningAmerican primetime scripted television series, and later also surpassedGunsmoke (which had 635 episodes) for episode count in this category, starting with the29th-season episode "Forgive and Regret" on April 29, 2018.
Episodes ofThe Simpsons have won dozens of awards, including 37Emmys (ten forOutstanding Animated Program), 30Annies, and aPeabody.[5]The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters worldwide on July 26 and 27, 2007, and grossed US$526.2 million worldwide.[6] The first 20 seasons are available onDVD inregions 1, 2, and 4, with the twentieth season released on both DVD andBlu-ray in 2010 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series. On April 8, 2015, showrunnerAl Jean announced that there would be no more DVD or Blu-ray releases, shifting focus to digital distribution,[7] although this was later reversed on July 22, 2017.[8] Almost two years later, on July 20, 2019, it was announced that Season 19 would be released on December 3, 2019, on DVD.[9]
On April 28, 1994,The Simpsons reachedits 100th episode in its5th season. On April 26, 1998,The Simpsons reachedits 200th episode in its9th season. On February 2, 2003,The Simpsons reachedits 300th episode in its14th season. On May 20, 2007,The Simpsons reachedits 400th episode in its18th season. On February 19, 2012,The Simpsons reachedits 500th episode in its23rd season.[10] On October 16, 2016,The Simpsons reachedits 600th episode in its28th season. On March 21, 2021,The Simpsons reachedits 700th episode in its32nd season.[11] On December 7, 2025,The Simpsons reachedits 800th episode in its37th season.[a][12]
As of December 28, 2025,[update] 805 episodes ofThe Simpsons have aired, currently in its thirty-seventh season. On April 2, 2025,The Simpsons was renewed through Season 40.[13]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | Households / viewers | Rank | Rating | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | ||||||
| 1 | 13 | December 17, 1989 (1989-12-17) | May 13, 1990 (1990-05-13) | Fox | 13.4m h.[n1][15] | 30 | 14.5 | |
| 2 | 22 | October 11, 1990 (1990-10-11) | July 11, 1991 (1991-07-11) | 12.2m h.[n1][n2] | 38[16] | 8 | ||
| 3 | 24 | September 19, 1991 (1991-09-19) | August 27, 1992 (1992-08-27) | 12m h.[n1][n3] | 33[17] | N/A | ||
| 4 | 22 | September 24, 1992 (1992-09-24) | May 13, 1993 (1993-05-13) | 12.1m h.[n1][18] | 30 | 13 | ||
| 5 | 22 | September 30, 1993 (1993-09-30) | May 19, 1994 (1994-05-19) | 10.5m h.[n1][n4] | 53[19] | N/A | ||
| 6 | 25 | September 4, 1994 (1994-09-04) | May 21, 1995 (1995-05-21) | 9m h.[n1][20] | 67[20] | N/A | ||
| 7 | 25 | September 17, 1995 (1995-09-17) | May 19, 1996 (1996-05-19) | 8m h.[n1][21] | 75[21] | N/A | ||
| 8 | 25 | October 27, 1996 (1996-10-27) | May 18, 1997 (1997-05-18) | 8.6m h.[22] | 53[22] | N/A | ||
| 9 | 25 | September 21, 1997 (1997-09-21) | May 17, 1998 (1998-05-17) | 9.1m h.[23] | 30 | 9.2 | ||
| 10 | 23 | August 23, 1998 (1998-08-23) | May 16, 1999 (1999-05-16) | 7.9m h.[24] | 46[24] | N/A | ||
| 11 | 22 | September 26, 1999 (1999-09-26) | May 21, 2000 (2000-05-21) | 8.2m h.[25] | 44[25] | N/A | ||
| 12 | 21 | November 1, 2000 (2000-11-01) | May 20, 2001 (2001-05-20) | 14.7m v.[26] | 21[26] | N/A | ||
| 13 | 22 | November 6, 2001 (2001-11-06) | May 22, 2002 (2002-05-22) | 12.4m v.[27] | 30[27] | N/A | ||
| 14 | 22 | November 3, 2002 (2002-11-03) | May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18) | 13.4m v.[28] | 25[28] | N/A | ||
| 15 | 22 | November 2, 2003 (2003-11-02) | May 23, 2004 (2004-05-23) | 10.6m v.[29] | 42[29] | N/A | ||
| 16 | 21 | November 7, 2004 (2004-11-07) | May 15, 2005 (2005-05-15) | 9.6m v.[30] | 52[30] | N/A | ||
| 17 | 22 | September 11, 2005 (2005-09-11) | May 21, 2006 (2006-05-21) | 9.1m v.[31] | 62[31] | 3.2 | ||
| 18 | 22 | September 10, 2006 (2006-09-10) | May 20, 2007 (2007-05-20) | 8.6m v.[32] | 60[32] | 4.1 | ||
| 19 | 20 | September 23, 2007 (2007-09-23) | May 18, 2008 (2008-05-18) | 8m v.[33] | 87[33] | N/A | ||
| 20 | 21 | September 28, 2008 (2008-09-28) | May 17, 2009 (2009-05-17) | 6.9m v.[34] | 77[34] | N/A | ||
| 21 | 23 | September 27, 2009 (2009-09-27) | May 23, 2010 (2010-05-23) | 7.2m v.[35] | 61[35] | 3.4 | ||
| 22 | 22 | September 26, 2010 (2010-09-26) | May 22, 2011 (2011-05-22) | 7.3m v.[36] | 65[36] | 3.3 | ||
| 23 | 22 | September 25, 2011 (2011-09-25) | May 20, 2012 (2012-05-20) | 7m v.[37] | 69[37] | 3.3 | ||
| 24 | 22 | September 30, 2012 (2012-09-30) | May 19, 2013 (2013-05-19) | 6.3m v.[38] | 70[38] | 2.9 | ||
| 25 | 22 | September 29, 2013 (2013-09-29) | May 18, 2014 (2014-05-18) | 5.6m v.[39] | 81[39] | N/A | ||
| 26 | 22 | September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28) | May 17, 2015 (2015-05-17) | 5.6m v.[40] | 100[40] | 2.6 | ||
| 27 | 22 | September 27, 2015 (2015-09-27) | May 22, 2016 (2016-05-22) | 4.7m v.[41] | 102[41] | 2.1 | ||
| 28 | 22 | September 25, 2016 (2016-09-25) | May 21, 2017 (2017-05-21) | 4.8m v.[42] | 92[42] | 2.1 | ||
| 29 | 21 | October 1, 2017 (2017-10-01) | May 20, 2018 (2018-05-20) | 4.1m v.[43] | 122[43] | 1.7 | ||
| 30 | 23 | September 30, 2018 (2018-09-30) | May 12, 2019 (2019-05-12) | 3.7m v.[44] | 126[44] | 1.4 | ||
| 31 | 22 | September 29, 2019 (2019-09-29) | May 17, 2020 (2020-05-17) | 3m v.[45] | 103[45] | 1.1 | ||
| 32 | 22 | September 27, 2020 (2020-09-27) | May 23, 2021 (2021-05-23) | 2.4m v.[46] | 117[46] | 0.8 | ||
| 33 | 22 | September 26, 2021 (2021-09-26) | May 22, 2022 (2022-05-22) | 2.3m v.[47] | 98[47] | 0.7 | ||
| 34 | 22 | September 25, 2022 (2022-09-25) | May 21, 2023 (2023-05-21) | 2.1m v.[48] | 98[48] | 0.65 | ||
| 35 | 18 | October 1, 2023 (2023-10-01) | May 19, 2024 (2024-05-19) | 1.99m v.[49] | 106[49] | 0.58 | ||
| 36 | 22[n5] | September 29, 2024 (2024-09-29) | May 18, 2025 (2025-05-18) | Fox Disney+ | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| 37 | 17[n6] | September 28, 2025 (2025-09-28) | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Release date (U.S.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons Movie | David Silverman | James L. Brooks,Matt Groening,Al Jean,Ian Maxtone-Graham,George Meyer,David Mirkin,Mike Reiss,Mike Scully,Matt Selman,John Swartzwelder andJon Vitti | July 27, 2007 (2007-07-27) |
| The Simpsons 2 | TBA | TBA | September 3, 2027 (2027-09-03)[55] |
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Longest Daycare | David Silverman | James L. Brooks,Matt Groening,Al Jean, David Mirkin,Joel H. Cohen &Michael Price | July 13, 2012 (2012-07-13) |
| Playdate with Destiny | David Silverman | Al Jean,Tom Gammill, Max Pross, James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Michael Price, Matt Selman & David Silverman | March 6, 2020 (2020-03-06) |
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Force Awakens from Its Nap | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen,Al Jean &Michael Price | May 4, 2021 (2021-05-04) |
| The Good, the Bart, and the Loki | David Silverman | Elisabeth Kiernan Averick, Jessica Conrad,John Frink, Al Jean &Jeff Westbrook | July 7, 2021 (2021-07-07) |
| Plusaversary | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Jessica Conrad, Al Jean, Loni Steele Sosthand &Dan Vebber | November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12) |
| When Billie Met Lisa | David Silverman | Elisabeth Kiernan Averick,Broti Gupta, Al Jean, Cesar Mazariegos &David Mirkin | April 22, 2022 (2022-04-22) |
| Welcome to the Club | David Silverman | J. Stewart Burns, Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean, Christine Nangle & Loni Steele Sosthand | September 8, 2022 (2022-09-08) |
| The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in 'Feliz Navidad' | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean,Ryan Koh & David Mirkin | December 15, 2022 (2022-12-15) |
| Rogue Not Quite One | David Silverman | Al Jean, Ryan Koh, Loni Steele Sosthand, Dan Vebber & Jeff Westbrook | May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04) |
| May the 12th Be with You | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean, Ryan Koh, David Mirkin & Jeff Westbrook | May 10, 2024 (2024-05-10) |
| The Most Wonderful Time of the Year | David Silverman | J. Stewart Burns,Dan Greaney, Broti Gupta & Al Jean | October 11, 2024 (2024-10-11) |
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trumptastic Voyage | David Silverman | Al Jean | July 7, 2015 (2015-07-07) |
| The Simpsons | Balenciaga | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean &Michael Price | October 2, 2021 (2021-10-02) |
| Te Deseo Lo Mejor | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean, Ryan Koh &Christine Nangle | December 24, 2021 (2021-12-24) |
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Springfield's Most Wanted" | Bill Brown | Jack Parmeter & Bob Bain | September 17, 1995 (1995-09-17) | SP−9611[56] | 14.0[57] |
In a parody ofAmerica's Most Wanted, hostJohn Walsh explores the mystery behind who shotMr. Burns, laying out the potential clues and identifying the possible suspects. Note: The special aired immediately before the Season 7 premiere of "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)." | |||||
| "The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!" | Morgan Spurlock | Jeremy Chilnick & Morgan Spurlock | January 10, 2010 (2010-01-10) | LABF21 | 11.43[59] |
The film examines the "cultural phenomenon" ofThe Simpsons and includes interviews with both the cast and some fans of the show.[58] Note: The special aired immediately following "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", was assigned production number LABF21 and technically counts as a component of the 20th production season (and of the 21st broadcast season). It does not, however, count towards the series' official episode count. | |||||
| "Springfield of Dreams: The Legend of Homer Simpson" | Morgan Spurlock | Eric Brewster, Jeremy Chilnick & Morgan Spurlock | October 22, 2017 (2017-10-22) | N/A | N/A |
An hourlongmockumentary in the style ofKen Burns' Baseball, aired on Fox to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the episode "Homer at the Bat", as well as Homer's induction into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Note: The special was produced byFox Sports. | |||||
With its first season,The Simpsons became the Fox network's first series to rank among the top thirty highest-rated shows of a television season.[15] Due to this success, Fox decided to switchThe Simpsons' timeslot in hopes of higher ratings for the shows airing after it.[60] The series moved from 8:00 p.m. eastern time on Sundays to the same time on Thursdays, where it competed withThe Cosby Show, thenumber-one show at the time.[61]
Many of the producers were against the move, asThe Simpsons had been in the top ten while airing on Sunday, and they felt the move would destroy its ratings.[62] Ratings-wise, new episodes ofThe Cosby Show beatThe Simpsons every time during the second season, andThe Simpsons eventually fell out of the top ten.[63] At the end of the season,Cosby averaged as the fifth-highest-rated show on television, whileThe Simpsons was thirty-eighth.[60]
The show continued in its Thursday timeslot until thesixth season, which is when, in 1994, it reverted to its original slot on Sunday. It has remained there ever since.[61][64]
The Simpsons episodes | |||||||||||
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