The Simpsons Officially Broke Its Biggest TV Record Yet Last Night

by

As a long-time TV fan, I was pretty amazed to learn that The Simpsons just hit a huge milestone – their biggest TV record ever! It’s funny though, you probably wouldn’t have known watching it last night because of how TV scheduling works. Seriously, with over 36 seasons under its belt, a movie, and another one on the way, The Simpsons is a true institution – a show that’s really become a part of our culture.

Few shows have had as much impact on television as this classic animated family sitcom, evidenced by all the attempts to create a similar hit after The Simpsons debuted. But while The Simpsons is uniquely long-running, that very success now presents a challenge for the show itself.

It’s getting harder for the show to make a big deal out of reaching important milestones, simply because these milestones happen so frequently. When The Simpsons first hit 300 episodes, fans around the world celebrated with special events. However, by the 500th episode, the celebration was much quieter.

The Simpsons Season 37 Episode 10 Is The Show’s 800th Episode To Air

To highlight how commonplace it’s become, The Simpsons quietly released its 800th episode on December 7, 2025. The episode, titled “Guess Who’s Coming to Skinner” and part of Season 37, featured guest appearances by Kieran Culkin, Karen Gillan, and Kurtwood Smith, who played characters named Hub, Mayisie MacWheldon-MacDougal, and Mr. Hubley, respectively.

In this episode, Principal Skinner found a young student named Hub living by himself in the school library. Feeling sorry for him, Skinner decided to foster Hub, but it turned out to be more difficult than he expected. Although “Guess Who’s Coming to Skinner” told a heartwarming, complete story, it wasn’t part of a larger plotline or a particularly important episode.

Given that The Simpsons often releases special episodes around Halloween, Christmas, and other events in November and December, many fans anticipated a big celebration for the show’s 800th episode. However, the actual episode, “Guess Who’s Coming to Skinner,” was surprisingly simple and understated.

There’s a simple explanation for this discrepancy. While “Guess Who’s Coming to Skinner” was the 800th episode broadcast on TV, the show’s creators aren’t officially counting it as the 800th episode overall. They plan to celebrate the show’s true 800th episode – based on total episodes produced – in early 2026.

The Simpsons’ 800th Episode Cements Its Biggest TV Records

No matter when people recognize it, The Simpsons has reached an incredible milestone. It’s now officially the longest-running sitcom, animated series, and scripted prime-time TV show in American history.

Now that Family Guy has aired over 800 episodes, its records are becoming increasingly difficult to break. While Family Guy adapted to streaming more easily than The Simpsons, The Simpsons will likely never surpass it in terms of total episodes, even if they continue making more.

By December 2025, Family Guy had broadcast over 440 episodes, and South Park had aired more than 330. Even though Family Guy started later than South Park, it has consistently had longer seasons, resulting in a greater total number of episodes. Bob’s Burgers, which premiered in 2011, is quickly approaching South Park’s episode count, with over 300 episodes already shown.

Although American Dad has a large number of episodes – over 380 – it still doesn’t compare to The Simpsons. The Simpsons boasts over 20 Christmas episodes, demonstrating its incredible production volume. This isn’t surprising, as the show is the oldest of these popular series and actually influenced many of them.

Why “Guess Who’s Coming To Skinner” Wasn’t Promoted As The Simpsons’ 800th Episode

The episode “Guess Who’s Coming to Skinner” marked a major milestone for The Simpsons as its 800th broadcast episode – a record for the series. However, the show’s creators clarify that this wasn’t actually the 800th episode produced. They plan a special two-part event on Saturday, February 15, 2026, at 8:00 PM to celebrate the show reaching its 800th produced episode.

This probably explains the low-key response to the “Guess Who’s Coming to Skinner” episode. While the writers are planning a big celebration for the show reaching 800 episodes, it’s still a ways off. Ironically, this makes the episode a surprisingly appropriate way to acknowledge how much people still enjoy the show.

The episode “Guess Who’s Coming to Skinner” is similar to the first episode of The Simpsons in that it focuses on character development and heartfelt moments rather than over-the-top, silly jokes. While The Simpsons doesn’t always need to be deeply emotional, it’s notable that the show’s 800th episode was a gentle and touching story.

The very first episode of The Simpsons, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” quietly focused on a relatable, imperfect family. Because of this, the show’s 800th episode might actually capture the spirit of the original series even better than the special episodes created to celebrate its history.

Read More

2025-12-08 15:49