“The Simpsons” is further extending its grip in the record books. The long-running animated series has been renewed by Fox for its 27th and 28th seasons.

Though “The Simpsons” is currently the longest-running prime-time scripted series in TV history, its episode total falls short of “Gunsmoke’s” 635 episodes.

However, at the end of season 28, “The Simpsons” will have 625 episodes -- just 10 short of tying the record.

The series, which had its beginnings as a series of shorts on the live-action sketch comedy series “The Tracey Ullman Show,” debuted on Fox in 1989. It quickly became a pop culture phenomenon. And despite a fractured TV viewing audience, the series still averages 7.7 million viewers across multiple viewing platforms during a 30-day period.


Earlier this year, “The Simpsons” made its cable debut with a multi-day marathon on Fox’s FXX channel and online with the “Simpsons World” app that features every episode.

In total, the series has picked up 31 Emmy Awards, 31 Annie Awards and became the first animated series to win a Peabody.

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