List of The Simpsons episodes

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The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical depiction of a dysfunctional middle-class American lifestyle starring the eponymous family: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Set in the town of Springfield, the show lampoons both American culture and the human condition. [1] The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a pitch for a series of animated shorts with producer James L. Brooks. Groening named each character (other than Bart) after members of his own family. The shorts became part of the Fox series The 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]

Contents

As of February 18,2024, 761 episodes of The Simpsons have aired, currently in its thirty-fifth season. The show holds several American television longevity records. It is the longest-running primetime animated series and longest-running sitcom in the United States. [4] With its 21st season (2009–10), the series surpassed Gunsmoke (which had 20 seasons) to claim the spot as the longest-running American primetime scripted television series, and later also surpassed Gunsmoke (which had 635 episodes) for episode count in this category, starting with the 29th-season episode "Forgive and Regret" on April 29, 2018.

Episodes of The Simpsons have won dozens of awards, including 31 Emmys (ten for Outstanding Animated Program), 30 Annies, and a Peabody. [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 on DVD in regions 1, 2, and 4, with the twentieth season released on both DVD and Blu-ray in 2010 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series. On April 8, 2015, showrunner Al 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 March 3, 2021, The Simpsons was renewed for seasons 33 and 34. [10] On February 19, 2012, The Simpsons reached its 500th episode in the 23rd season. [11] It reached its 600th episode on October 16, 2016, in its 28th season. On March 21, 2021, The Simpsons reached its 700th episode [12] in its 32nd season.

On January 26, 2023, The Simpsons was renewed for seasons 35 and 36. [13]

As of February 25,2024, 764 episodes of The Simpsons have aired, currently in its thirty-fifth season.

Tracey Ullman Shorts

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedHouseholds / viewersRankRating
First airedLast aired
1 13December 17, 1989 (1989-12-17)May 13, 1990 (1990-05-13)13.4m h. [n1] [14] 3014.5
2 22October 11, 1990 (1990-10-11)July 11, 1991 (1991-07-11)12.2m h. [n1] [n2] 38 [15] 8.0
3 24September 19, 1991 (1991-09-19)August 27, 1992 (1992-08-27)12.0m h. [n1] [n3] 33 [16]
4 22September 24, 1992 (1992-09-24)May 13, 1993 (1993-05-13)12.1m h. [n1] [17] 3013.0
5 22September 30, 1993 (1993-09-30)May 19, 1994 (1994-05-19)10.5m h. [n1] [n4] 53 [18]
6 25September 4, 1994 (1994-09-04)May 21, 1995 (1995-05-21)9.0m h. [n1] [19] 67 [19]
7 25September 17, 1995 (1995-09-17)May 19, 1996 (1996-05-19)8.0m h. [n1] [20] 75 [20]
8 25October 27, 1996 (1996-10-27)May 18, 1997 (1997-05-18)8.6m h. [21] 53 [21]
9 25September 21, 1997 (1997-09-21)May 17, 1998 (1998-05-17)9.1m h. [22] 309.2
10 23August 23, 1998 (1998-08-23)May 16, 1999 (1999-05-16)7.9m h. [23] 46 [23]
11 22September 26, 1999 (1999-09-26)May 21, 2000 (2000-05-21)8.2m h. [24] 44 [24]
12 21November 1, 2000 (2000-11-01)May 20, 2001 (2001-05-20)14.7m viewers [25] 21 [25]
13 22November 6, 2001 (2001-11-06)May 22, 2002 (2002-05-22)12.4m viewers [26] 30 [26]
14 22November 3, 2002 (2002-11-03)May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18)13.4m viewers [27] 25 [27]
15 22November 2, 2003 (2003-11-02)May 23, 2004 (2004-05-23)10.6m viewers [28] 42 [28]
16 21November 7, 2004 (2004-11-07)May 15, 2005 (2005-05-15)9.6m viewers [29] 52 [29]
17 22September 11, 2005 (2005-09-11)May 21, 2006 (2006-05-21)9.1m viewers [30] 62 [30] 3.2
18 22September 10, 2006 (2006-09-10)May 20, 2007 (2007-05-20)8.6m viewers [31] 60 [31] 4.1
19 20September 23, 2007 (2007-09-23)May 18, 2008 (2008-05-18)8.0m viewers [32] 87 [32]
20 21September 28, 2008 (2008-09-28)May 17, 2009 (2009-05-17)6.9m viewers [33] 77 [33]
21 23September 27, 2009 (2009-09-27)May 23, 2010 (2010-05-23)7.2m viewers [34] 61 [34] 3.4
22 22September 26, 2010 (2010-09-26)May 22, 2011 (2011-05-22)7.3m viewers [35] 65 [35] 3.3
23 22September 25, 2011 (2011-09-25)May 20, 2012 (2012-05-20)7.0m viewers [36] 69 [36] 3.3
24 22September 30, 2012 (2012-09-30)May 19, 2013 (2013-05-19)6.3m viewers [37] 70 [37] 2.9
25 22September 29, 2013 (2013-09-29)May 18, 2014 (2014-05-18)5.6m viewers [38] 81 [38]
26 22September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)May 17, 2015 (2015-05-17)5.6m viewers [39] 100 [39] 2.6
27 22September 27, 2015 (2015-09-27)May 22, 2016 (2016-05-22)4.7m viewers [40] 102 [40] 2.1
28 22September 25, 2016 (2016-09-25)May 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)4.8m viewers [41] 92 [41] 2.1
29 21October 1, 2017 (2017-10-01)May 20, 2018 (2018-05-20)4.1m viewers [42] 122 [42] 1.7
30 23September 30, 2018 (2018-09-30)May 12, 2019 (2019-05-12)3.7m viewers [43] 126 [43] 1.4
31 22September 29, 2019 (2019-09-29)May 17, 2020 (2020-05-17)3.0m viewers [44] 103 [44] 1.1
32 22September 27, 2020 (2020-09-27)May 23, 2021 (2021-05-23)2.4m viewers [45] 117 [45] 0.8
33 22September 26, 2021 (2021-09-26)May 22, 2022 (2022-05-22)2.3m viewers [46] 98 [46] 0.7
34 22September 25, 2022 (2022-09-25)May 21, 2023 (2023-05-21)2.1m viewers [47] 980.65
35 18 [48] October 1, 2023 (2023-10-01)May 19, 2024 (2024-05-19) [49] TBATBATBA

Notes

  1. Until the 1996–97 television season, ratings were calculated over 30 weeks from September to mid-April. Episodes that aired after mid-April were not part of the overall average and ranking. [50]
  2. Season one had approximately 13.4 million viewing households. [14] Season two dropped 9%, [51] resulting in an average of approximately 12.2 million viewing households.
  3. Season three had an average rating of 13.0 points. [16] For the 1991–92 season, each point represented 921,000 viewing households, [52] resulting in a total average of approximately 12.0 million viewing households.
  4. Season four had approximately 12.1 million viewing households. [17] Season five dropped 13%, [53] resulting in an average of approximately 10.5 million viewing households.

List of episodes

Seasons 1–20 (1989–2009)

Seasons 21–present (2009–present)

Film

TitleDirected byWritten byRelease 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 & Jon Vitti
July 27, 2007 (2007-07-27)

Shorts

Theatrical

  1. 1 2 The Simpsons: America's First Family (television documentary). BBC. 2000. Later released on the 2001 DVD The Simpsons – The Complete First Season by 20th Century Fox.
  2. Groening, Matt (February 14, 2003). "Fresh Air". NPR (Interview). Interviewed by Bianculli, David. Philadelphia: WHYY. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  3. Gerard, Jeremy (February 21, 1990). "Bad Language, Hurt Feelings and Success". The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  4. Owen, Rob (January 21, 2003). "TV Notes: 'Simpsons' breaks record with contract renewal Archived January 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  5. "The Simpsons – Synopsis". Fox Flash. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  6. "The Simpsons Movie". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  7. "Fox to End 'The Simpsons' Seasonal DVD Production". The Hollywood Reporter. April 9, 2015. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  8. "The Simpsons to bring back DVDs". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  9. "The Simpsons Will Finally Release Season 19 on DVD, Helping Out Purist Collectors". Variety. July 20, 2019. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  10. Andreeva, Nellie (March 3, 2021). "'The Simpsons' Renewed For Seasons 33 & 34 By Fox". Deadline. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  11. Snierson, Dan (January 30, 2012). "WikiLeaks' Julian Assange to guest on 'The Simpsons' Archived July 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine ". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  12. Hipes, Patrick (July 22, 2020). "Fox Sets Fall Premiere Dates For The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, Bless The Harts". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  13. Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (January 26, 2023). "The Simpsons, Family Guy & Bob's Burgers Renewed For Two Additional Seasons Through 2024-25". Deadline Hollywood.
  14. 1 2 3 "Nielsen's top 50 shows". USA Today . April 18, 1990. p. 3D.
  15. "Nielsen ratings". The Tampa Tribune . April 17, 1991. p. 4.
  16. 1 2 Gable, Donna (April 15, 1992). "CBS' historic jump". USA Today . p. 3D.
  17. 1 2 "Year-end ratings". Deseret News . April 22, 1993. p. C6.
  18. "Nielsen ratings". The Tampa Tribune . Associated Press. April 21, 1994. p. 4.
  19. 1 2 Pierce, Scott D. (April 19, 1995). "They're not laughing at CBS after drop from 1st to worst". Deseret News . p. C6.
  20. 1 2 "NBC lands 6 series in season's top 10". Daily Breeze . May 26, 1996. p. D3.
  21. 1 2 Moses, Robert; Rowen, Beth (1997). The 1998 A & E Entertainment Almanac. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 496–515. ISBN   9780395882771.
  22. "Final Ratings for '97–'98 TV Season". San Francisco Chronicle . May 25, 1998. p. E4.
  23. 1 2 "Nielsen rankings for 1998–99". San Francisco Chronicle . May 28, 1999. p. C5.
  24. 1 2 "Nielsen rankings for 1999–2000". San Francisco Chronicle . May 26, 2000. p. C17.
  25. 1 2 "The Bitter End". Entertainment Weekly . June 1, 2001. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  26. 1 2 "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today . May 28, 2002. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  27. 1 2 Sepinwall, Alan; Seitz, Matt Zoller (May 29, 2003). "Nielsen numbers". The Star-Ledger . p. 31.
  28. 1 2 "Season to date program ratings". ABC Medianet. June 2, 2004. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  29. 1 2 "Season program ratings". ABC Medianet. June 1, 2005. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  30. 1 2 "Season program ratings". ABC Medianet. May 31, 2006. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  31. 1 2 "2006-07 primetime wrap". The Hollywood Reporter . May 25, 2007. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  32. 1 2 "Season program ratings". ABC Medianet. May 28, 2008. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  33. 1 2 "Season program ratings". ABC Medianet. May 19, 2009. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  34. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2010). "Full Series Rankings For The 2009–10 Broadcast Season". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  35. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2011). "Full 2010–11 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  36. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (May 24, 2012). "Full 2011–2012 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  37. 1 2 Dominic Patten (May 23, 2013). "Full 2012–2013 TV Season Series Rankings". deadline. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  38. 1 2 "Primetime TV Series 2013 Ratings & Rankings – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2014. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  39. 1 2 "Full 2014–15 Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  40. 1 2 "Full 2015–16 Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2016. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  41. 1 2 "Final 2016–17 TV Rankings: 'Sunday Night Football' Winning Streak Continues". Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2017. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  42. 1 2 "2017–18 TV Series Ratings Rankings: NFL Football, 'Big Bang' Top Charts". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2018. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  43. 1 2 de Moraes, Lisa (May 21, 2019). "2018–19 TV Season Ratings: CBS Wraps 11th Season At No. 1 In Total Viewers, NBC Tops Demo; 'Big Bang Theory' Most Watched Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  44. 1 2 "TV Ratings: 7-Day Season Averages for Every 2019–20 Broadcast Series". The Hollywood Reporter. June 4, 2020. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  45. 1 2 Porter, Rick (June 8, 2021). "2020-21 TV Ratings: Complete 7-Day Ratings for Broadcast Network Series". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 8, 2021.
  46. 1 2 Porter, Rick (June 9, 2022). "2021-22 TV Ratings: Final Seven-Day Numbers for Every Network Series". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  47. "TV Ratings 2022-23: Final Seven-Day Averages for Every Network Series" (Press release). June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  48. "SIMPSONS, THE (FOX)". The Futon Critic .
  49. "FOX Gets Pumped for Summer and Goes Balls to the Wall with New and Returning Unscripted Series" (Press release). Fox. March 4, 2024 via The Futon Critic.
  50. Storm, Jonathan (May 31, 1997). "The big three networks took a big ratings hit this season". The Charleston Gazette . p. P6B.
  51. "Network series take beatings in ratings". Tulsa World . April 23, 1991. p. 2C.
  52. Williams, Scott (April 17, 1992). "CBS toasts its win of season ratings". St. Petersburg Times . p. 17.
  53. Jicha, Tom (April 20, 1994). "Home Improvement improves to no. 1 spot". South Florida Sun-Sentinel . p. 1E.
  54. "Springfield's Most Wanted (1995) Season 7 Episode SP-9611- The Simpsons Cartoon Episode Guide". The Big Cartoon Database . Retrieved February 8, 2023.[ dead link ]
  55. Stepanas, Paulius (October 5, 1997). "Simpsons Broadcast History and Ratings: US Season 7". The Australian Simpsons Gazette. Archived from the original on June 22, 2002. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  56. Kissell, Rick (January 11, 2010). "Football powers Fox, 'Simpsons'". Variety . Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  57. Kung, Michelle (July 13, 2009). "Morgan Spurlock Spills the Beans on his Upcoming "Simpsons" Doc". The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  58. 1 2 Cerone, Daniel (September 5, 1991). "'Simpsons' steals away Cosby viewers". Los Angeles Times . p. 4.
  59. 1 2 Reiss, Mike (2002). Commentary for "Bart Gets an 'F' ", in The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  60. Groening, Matt (2002). Commentary for "Bart Gets an 'F' ", in The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  61. Jean, Al (2003). Commentary for "Homer at the Bat", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  62. Duffy, Mike (September 3, 1994). "Fifth Season Finds 'The Simpsons' Still Fresh, Funny". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . p. C–8.
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date