What is the longest-running animated show?
The Simpsons is the longest-running American animated series and scripted prime-time show. It first aired as a series in December 1989 and has more than 750 episodes.
Matt Groening created the Simpson family, who first appeared in short segments on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. The half-hour series premiered on Fox in December 1989 and has been renewed many times since.
The show follows Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie in the fictional town of Springfield. It has won dozens of Emmy Awards and added words like D'oh! to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Other long-running cartoons
In Japan, Sazae-san has aired weekly since 1969 and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest-running animated TV series. Other long-running American cartoons include South Park, from 1997, and Family Guy, from 1999.
The Simpsons was also the first cartoon in decades to air in prime time in the United States since The Flintstones in the 1960s. Its success opened the door for other adult animated series.
Did You Know?
The Simpsons has been praised for predicting future events in some episodes, though most of these predictions are coincidences or jokes about common trends.