List of The Simpsons episodes
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]
As of January 1, 2023,[update] 740 episodes of The Simpsons have aired, currently in its thirty-fourth 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.
Season 34 premiered on Fox on September 25, 2022.[13]
Tracey Ullman Shorts
Series overview
- Seasons 1–11 are ranked by households (in millions).
- Seasons 12–33 are ranked by total viewers (in millions).
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Households / viewers | Rank | Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||||
| 1 | 13 | December 17, 1989 | May 13, 1990 | 13.4m h.[n1][15] | 30 | 14.5 | |
| 2 | 22 | October 11, 1990 | July 11, 1991 | 12.2m h.[n1][n2] | 38[16] | 8.0 | |
| 3 | 24 | September 19, 1991 | August 27, 1992 | 12.0m h.[n1][n3] | 33[17] | — | |
| 4 | 22 | September 24, 1992 | May 13, 1993 | 12.1m h.[n1][18] | 30 | 13.0 | |
| 5 | 22 | September 30, 1993 | May 19, 1994 | 10.5m h.[n1][n4] | 53[19] | — | |
| 6 | 25 | September 4, 1994 | May 21, 1995 | 9.0m h.[n1][20] | 67[20] | — | |
| 7 | 25 | September 17, 1995 | May 19, 1996 | 8.0m h.[n1][21] | 75[21] | — | |
| 8 | 25 | October 27, 1996 | May 18, 1997 | 8.6m h.[22] | 53[22] | — | |
| 9 | 25 | September 21, 1997 | May 17, 1998 | 9.1m h.[23] | 30 | 9.2 | |
| 10 | 23 | August 23, 1998 | May 16, 1999 | 7.9m h.[24] | 46[24] | — | |
| 11 | 22 | September 26, 1999 | May 21, 2000 | 8.2m h.[25] | 44[25] | — | |
| 12 | 21 | November 1, 2000 | May 20, 2001 | 14.7m viewers[26] | 21[26] | — | |
| 13 | 22 | November 6, 2001 | May 22, 2002 | 12.4m viewers[27] | 30[27] | — | |
| 14 | 22 | November 3, 2002 | May 18, 2003 | 13.4m viewers[28] | 25[28] | — | |
| 15 | 22 | November 2, 2003 | May 23, 2004 | 10.6m viewers[29] | 42[29] | — | |
| 16 | 21 | November 7, 2004 | May 15, 2005 | 9.6m viewers[30] | 52[30] | — | |
| 17 | 22 | September 11, 2005 | May 21, 2006 | 9.1m viewers[31] | 62[31] | 3.2 | |
| 18 | 22 | September 10, 2006 | May 20, 2007 | 8.6m viewers[32] | 60[32] | 4.1 | |
| 19 | 20 | September 23, 2007 | May 18, 2008 | 8.0m viewers[33] | 87[33] | — | |
| 20 | 21 | September 28, 2008 | May 17, 2009 | 6.9m viewers[34] | 77[34] | — | |
| 21 | 23 | September 27, 2009 | May 23, 2010 | 7.2m viewers[35] | 61[35] | 3.4 | |
| 22 | 22 | September 26, 2010 | May 22, 2011 | 7.3m viewers[36] | 65[36] | 3.3 | |
| 23 | 22 | September 25, 2011 | May 20, 2012 | 7.0m viewers[37] | 69[37] | 3.3 | |
| 24 | 22 | September 30, 2012 | May 19, 2013 | 6.3m viewers[38] | 70[38] | 2.9 | |
| 25 | 22 | September 29, 2013 | May 18, 2014 | 5.6m viewers[39] | 81[39] | — | |
| 26 | 22 | September 28, 2014 | May 17, 2015 | 5.6m viewers[40] | 100[40] | 2.6 | |
| 27 | 22 | September 27, 2015 | May 22, 2016 | 4.7m viewers[41] | 102[41] | 2.1 | |
| 28 | 22 | September 25, 2016 | May 21, 2017 | 4.8m viewers[42] | 92[42] | 2.1 | |
| 29 | 21 | October 1, 2017 | May 20, 2018 | 4.1m viewers[43] | 122[43] | 1.7 | |
| 30 | 23 | September 30, 2018 | May 12, 2019 | 3.7m viewers[44] | 126[44] | 1.4 | |
| 31 | 22 | September 29, 2019 | May 17, 2020 | 3.0m viewers[45] | 103[45] | 1.1 | |
| 32 | 22 | September 27, 2020 | May 23, 2021 | 2.4m viewers[46] | 117[46] | 0.8 | |
| 33 | 22 | September 26, 2021 | May 22, 2022 | 2.3m viewers[47] | 98[47] | 0.7 | |
| 34 | 22[48] | September 25, 2022 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
Notes
- 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.[49]
- Season one had approximately 13.4 million viewing households.[15] Season two dropped 9%,[50] resulting in an average of approximately 12.2 million viewing households.
- Season three had an average rating of 13.0 points.[17] For the 1991–92 season, each point represented 921,000 viewing households,[51] resulting in a total average of approximately 12.0 million viewing households.
- Season four had approximately 12.1 million viewing households.[18] Season five dropped 13%,[52] 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
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Release 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 |
Shorts
Theatrical
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Longest Daycare | David Silverman | James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, David Mirkin, Joel H. Cohen & Michael Price | July 13, 2012 |
| Playdate with Destiny | David Silverman | Al Jean, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Michael Price, Matt Selman & David Silverman | March 6, 2020 |
Disney+
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Force Awakens from Its Nap | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean & Michael Price | May 4, 2021 |
| The Good, the Bart, and the Loki | David Silverman | Elisabeth Kiernan Averick, Jessica Conrad, John Frink, Al Jean & Jeff Westbrook | July 7, 2021 |
| Plusaversary | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Jessica Conrad, Al Jean, Loni Steele Sosthand & Dan Vebber | November 12, 2021 |
| When Billie Met Lisa | David Silverman | Elisabeth Kiernan Averick, Broti Gupta, Al Jean, Cesar Mazariegos & David Mirkin | April 22, 2022 |
| Welcome to the Club | David Silverman | J. Stewart Burns, Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean, Christine Nangle & Loni Steele Sosthand | September 8, 2022 |
| The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in ‘Feliz Navidad’[53] | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean, Ryan Koh & David Mirkin | December 15, 2022[54] |
Miscellaneous
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons | Balenciaga | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean & Michael Price | October 2, 2021 |
| The Simpsons, Bad Bunny — Te Deseo Lo Mejor | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean, Ryan Koh & Christine Nangle | December 24, 2021 |
Specials
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | Ratings/ Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Springfield's Most Wanted" | Bill Brown | Jack Parmeter & Bob Bain | September 17, 1995 | N/A | 8.4[55] |
| In a parody of America's Most Wanted, host John Walsh explores the mystery behind who shot Mr. Burns, laying out the potential clues and identifying the possible suspects. Note: The special aired immediately before the Season 7 premiere of "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)." | |||||
| "The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!" | Morgan Spurlock | Jeremy Chilnick & Morgan Spurlock | January 10, 2010 | LABF21 | 13.0[57] |
| The film examines the "cultural phenomenon" of The Simpsons and includes interviews with both the cast and some fans of the show.[56] Note: The special aired immediately following "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", was assigned production number LABF21 and technically counts as a component of the 20th production season (and of the 21st broadcast season). It does not, however, count towards the series' official episode count. | |||||
| "Springfield of Dreams: The Legend of Homer Simpson" | Morgan Spurlock | Eric Brewster, Jeremy Chilnick & Morgan Spurlock | October 22, 2017 | N/A | N/A |
| An hourlong mockumentary in the style of Ken Burns' Baseball, aired on Fox to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the episode "Homer at the Bat", as well as Homer's induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Note: The special was produced by Fox Sports. | |||||
Ratings
With its first season, The Simpsons became the Fox network's first series to rank among the top thirty highest-rated shows of a television season.[15] Due to this success, Fox decided to switch The Simpsons' timeslot in hopes of higher ratings for the shows airing after it.[58] The series moved from 8:00 p.m. eastern time on Sundays to the same time on Thursdays, where it competed with The Cosby Show, the number-one show at the time.[59]
Many of the producers were against the move, as The Simpsons had been in the top ten while airing on Sunday, and they felt the move would destroy its ratings.[60] Ratings-wise, new episodes of The Cosby Show beat The Simpsons every time during the second season, and The Simpsons eventually fell out of the top ten.[61] At the end of the season, Cosby averaged as the fifth-highest-rated show on television, while The Simpsons was thirty-eighth.[58]
The show continued in its Thursday timeslot until the sixth season, which is when, in 1994, it reverted to its original slot on Sunday. It has remained there ever since.[59][62]
References
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Groening, Matt (February 14, 2003). "Fresh Air". NPR (Interview). Interviewed by Bianculli, David. Philadelphia: WHYY. from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ Gerard, Jeremy (February 21, 1990). "Bad Language, Hurt Feelings and Success". The New York Times. from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ Owen, Rob (January 21, 2003). "TV Notes: 'Simpsons' breaks record with contract renewal January 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ . Fox Flash. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ "The Simpsons Movie". Box Office Mojo. from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
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- ^ "The Simpsons to bring back DVDs". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ "The Simpsons Will Finally Release Season 19 on DVD, Helping Out Purist Collectors". Variety. July 20, 2019. from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 3, 2021). "'The Simpsons' Renewed For Seasons 33 & 34 By Fox". Deadline. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Snierson, Dan (January 30, 2012). "WikiLeaks' Julian Assange to guest on 'The Simpsons' July 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 22, 2020). "Fox Sets Fall Premiere Dates For The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, Bless The Harts". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (September 24, 2021). "'The Simpsons' Producers on Their Musical Season 33 Premiere and 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Reunion". Variety. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (Ninth ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 1692–1695. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- ^ a b c "Nielsen's top 50 shows". USA Today. April 18, 1990. p. 3D.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". The Tampa Tribune. April 17, 1991. p. 4.
- ^ a b Gable, Donna (April 15, 1992). "CBS' historic jump". USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ a b "Year-end ratings". Deseret News. April 22, 1993. p. C6.
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- ^ a b "NBC lands 6 series in season's top 10". Daily Breeze. May 26, 1996. p. D3.
- ^ a b Moses, Robert; Rowen, Beth (1997). The 1998 A & E Entertainment Almanac. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 496–515. ISBN 9780395882771.
- ^ "Final Ratings for '97–'98 TV Season". San Francisco Chronicle. May 25, 1998. p. E4.
- ^ a b "Nielsen rankings for 1998–99". San Francisco Chronicle. May 28, 1999. p. C5.
- ^ a b "Nielsen rankings for 1999–2000". San Francisco Chronicle. May 26, 2000. p. C17.
- ^ a b "The Bitter End". Entertainment Weekly. June 1, 2001. from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ a b "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today. May 28, 2002. from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- ^ a b Sepinwall, Alan; Seitz, Matt Zoller (May 29, 2003). "Nielsen numbers". The Star-Ledger. p. 31.
- ^ a b . ABC Medianet. June 2, 2004. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
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- ^ a b . The Hollywood Reporter. May 25, 2007. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
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- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2010). "Full Series Rankings For The 2009–10 Broadcast Season". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2011). "Full 2010–11 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
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- ^ a b Dominic Patten (May 23, 2013). "Full 2012–2013 TV Season Series Rankings". deadline. from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ a b "Primetime TV Series 2013 Ratings & Rankings – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2014. from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
- ^ a b . Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
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- ^ a b "2017–18 TV Series Ratings Rankings: NFL Football, 'Big Bang' Top Charts". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2018. from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ a b 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. from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- ^ a b "TV Ratings: 7-Day Season Averages for Every 2019–20 Broadcast Series". The Hollywood Reporter. June 4, 2020. from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
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- ^ a b Porter, Rick (June 9, 2022). "2021-22 TV Ratings: Final Seven-Day Numbers for Every Network Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 3, 2021). "'The Simpsons' Renewed For Seasons 33 & 34 By Fox". Deadline. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Storm, Jonathan (May 31, 1997). "The big three networks took a big ratings hit this season". The Charleston Gazette. p. P6B.
- ^ "Network series take beatings in ratings". Tulsa World. April 23, 1991. p. 2C.
- ^ Williams, Scott (April 17, 1992). "CBS toasts its win of season ratings". St. Petersburg Times. p. 17.
- ^ Jicha, Tom (April 20, 1994). "Home Improvement improves to no. 1 spot". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. p. 1E.
- ^ "Disney+ on Twitter".
- ^ ""The Simpsons Meet The Bocellis In 'Feliz Navidad'" Short Coming Soon To Disney+". What's On Disney Plus.
- ^ Stepanas, Paulius (October 5, 1997). "Simpsons Broadcast History and Ratings: US Season 7". The Australian Simpsons Gazette. from the original on June 22, 2002. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ^ Kung, Michelle (July 13, 2009). "Morgan Spurlock Spills the Beans on his Upcoming "Simpsons" Doc". The Wall Street Journal. from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
- ^ Kissell, Rick (January 11, 2010). "Football powers Fox, 'Simpsons'". Variety. from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Cerone, Daniel (September 5, 1991). "'Simpsons' steals away Cosby viewers". Los Angeles Times. p. 4.
- ^ a b Reiss, Mike (2002). Commentary for "Bart Gets an 'F'", in The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Groening, Matt (2002). Commentary for "Bart Gets an 'F'", in The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Jean, Al (2003). Commentary for "Homer at the Bat", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Duffy, Mike (September 3, 1994). "Fifth Season Finds 'The Simpsons' Still Fresh, Funny". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. C–8.
External links
- The Simpsons at IMDb
- The Simpsons at epguides.com