'The Simpsons' scores another two season renewal
While a pickup for The Simpsons had often been a no-brainer, those discussions have become more challenging after Disney took control of the series a couple years ago as part of its $72 billion Fox asset deal.
The Simpsons will probably outlive us all. Fox announced on Wednesday that the longest-running primetime scripted show in television history will continue to hold onto that title, renewing the show for a 33rd and 34th season. This will continue the show's run to 2023 and a total of 757 episodes. The landmark 700th episode, "Manger Things," will air on 21 March.
While a pickup for The Simpsons had often been a no-brainer, those discussions have become more challenging after Disney took control of the series a couple years ago as part of its $72 billion Fox asset deal.
The show's last renewal, in 2019, included a reduced licensing fee that helped pave the way for the Fox pickup as The Simpsons has been a loss leader for the network but generates sizable profits for the studio. It's unclear if Disney further reduced its licensing fee for The Simpsons as part of the new deal.
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"The Simpsons" is the longest-running primetime scripted show in television history, having surpassed "Gunsmoke" during its 29th season. The show was honored with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000.
Currently airing its 32nd season, the show has won 34 Emmy Awards, 34 Annie Awards, 9 Environmental Media Awards, 7 People's Choice Awards, 13 Writers Guild of America Awards, and was the first animated series to win a Peabody Award (in 2016). By 2019, it had won an Institutional Peabody Award.
In addition, "The Simpsons" was nominated for an Academy Award in 2012 for the theatrical short "The Longest Daycare," which currently lives on Disney Plus. The feature-length "Simpsons Movie" premiered in 2007, grossing over $527 million at the global box office.
"The Simpsons" is a Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Groening, James L. Brooks and Al Jean are executive producers of the series.
