On May 20, 2007, the longest-running sitcom and the longest-running scripted prime-time television series in U.S. history, The Simpsons, aired its 400th episode.
The milestone episode, titled “You Kent Always Say What You Want,” was the final episode of the eighteenth season. Written by Tim Long and directed by Matthew Nastuk, it featured news anchor Kent Brockman getting fired for accidentally swearing on television. By reaching this 400th episode, the show became the longest-running sitcom in U.S. history.
The Simpsons started when Cartoonist Matt Groening created a twisted comic strip called Life in Hell. This caught the attention of Hollywood producer James L. Brooks, who hired Groening to create a series of short animated cartoons. These animated short scenes ran during the Fox network’s sketch comedy program, The Tracey Ullman Show, starting in 1987. Regular cast members Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner provided the initial voices for Homer and Marge. Meanwhile, Nancy Cartwright originally tried out for the role of Lisa but ultimately landed the part of the troublemaking son, Bart.
Brooks convinced Fox network executives that The Simpsons could succeed as a half-hour animated sitcom, which was something that had not been achieved since The Flintstones in the 1960s. The show officially debuted as an independent weekly series with a Christmas special on December 17, 1989, before starting its regular broadcast run in January 1990. Groening named the town after Springfield, Oregon, but kept it generic so it could represent anywhere in America.
In the early 1990s, the type of family The Simpsons represented was considered controversial and vulgar. Schools went as far as banning Bart Simpson T-shirts, and President George H.W. Bush even stated in 1992 that he wanted American families to be “a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons.”
Despite the backlash, the show became an immediate ratings blockbuster, even beating The Cosby Show in viewership. Over the years, the series won a number of Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, and TIME magazine named it the best television show of the 20th century.
On February 15, 2026, The Simpsons aired its monumental 800th broadcast episode on Fox, titled “Irrational Treasure.”. On top of that, Fox officially renewed the show for four more seasons, meaning it will stay on television until at least 2029.
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