The Simpsons Broke Gunsmoke Record in 2009 and Has Now Passed 800 Episodes The Simpsons broke the longest-running primetime scripted series record in 2009, surpassing Gunsmoke. By Season 37, it passed 800 episodes and is renewed through Season 40. In 2009, The Simpsons broke the record for the longest-running scripted primetime series in American television history. The animated show surpassed Gunsmoke, the Western series starring James Arness that had held the record since 1975. By then, The Simpsons was already 20 years old. Homer had been fired more times than anyone at a nuclear power plant probably should be. Bart was miraculously still a kid. Season 21 arrived and quietly took down a record that had survived since 1975. Gunsmoke, the James Arness Western, had been television's longest-running scripted primetime series for more than three decades. Now the record belonged to Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Not bad for a family that lived in Springfield. Although Bart has something to say about how the show has stayed on the air so long.The Simpsons did not stop there. It did not even try to slow down. Season 21 became 22. Then 23. Then 24. The numbers stopped looking real. Bart remained 10, Homer remained employed on a technicality, and the show kept adding episodes to a record that was already its own. By Season 37, The Simpsons had passed 800 episodes. Suddenly, that 2009 milestone did not look quite so big anymore. It looked like the warm-up. The show had not just beaten Gunsmoke. It had spent the years since making sure nobody else could catch up to it.The Simpsons has been on television for so long that the way television works has completely changed around it. When the show premiered, streaming did not exist. Cable was still expanding. Viewers watched episodes when networks put them on. Now, a hit series can release eight episodes, disappear for two years, and still be considered a long-running success. And there is also the fact that shows once considered long-running, like Gunsmoke at 20 seasons or Law and Order at 25, have a long way to go before they get anywhere near 37 seasons.And remember, The Simpsons is not sitting still while everyone else catches up. It is still adding episodes. So, unless another show is willing to stick around for decades, survive multiple generations of viewers, and somehow convince everyone to keep watching, this particular record could be safe for a very, very long time. But with all due respect, Japan is on another level when it comes to long, ongoing series. That is a whole other story.The Simpsons still has a lot left in the tank. Fox has renewed the show through Season 40. So, we are not even close to the end of this ride. Imagine Episode 1,000 being some kind of special event. Matt Groening has said he would happily make another 200 episodes. Plus, showrunner Matt Selman has said that hitting 1,000 could actually happen and might be the endpoint.Think about that for a second. One thousand episodes of The Simpsons. A second movie is coming in 2027, exactly 20 years after the first movie. Homer has been on TV for almost four decades. Let that sink in. At this point, fans must feel like they know every inch of Springfield. It almost feels real, to the point that it is just a flight away. But the reality is, it is a destination that keeps audiences entertained and hopefully not eating their shorts.