Story highlights 'Simpsons' executive producers look back on the show's journey to 600 episodes

'We're lucky to have been on this long and hope to go on a lot more.'

(CNN) When "The Simpsons" debuted in December 1989, it was the "perfect thing at the perfect time," according to executive producer Al Jean. You could say, their timing was excellent.

Primetime animated TV families had a moment in the '60s, with the likes of "The Jetsons" and "The Flintstones." But there had never been anything quite like "The Simpsons" to hit the air. Six hundred episodes later, the show still aims to set itself apart.

At its start, the show -- about dad Homer, mom Marge, and kids Lisa, Bart and Maggie -- aimed to be a sometime-crude, always-funny look at family life, with social commentary and satire woven into the mix. And catchphrases. Oh, so many, now-classic catchphrases.

"It was about a family and it was written in an adult manner where people could relate to it no matter who they were," Jean told CNN in a recent interview. "And since then, we've just worked incredibly hard."

Just how hard? On Sunday, the show will officially hit 600 episodes -- a milestone more than worthy of a 'Woohoo!'

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