‘The Simpsons’ Renewed For Historic 26th Season
Fox has renewed The Simpsons for a historic 26th season.
The pickup solidifies the series as the longest-running scripted American sitcom. The record was previously held by Gunsmoke, which ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975. The Simpsons, which debuted on December 17, 1989, surpassed Gunsmoke‘s record in 2009. Throughout its run, the Matt Groening series has won 30 Annie Awards, 28 Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Peabody Award, among others.
“For more than a quarter of a century, The Simpsons has captured the hearts and minds of fans in a way that transcends ages, languages and cultures,” said Fox president Kevin Reilly. “This groundbreaking series is not only the longest-running scripted show in television history, it’s one of the greatest sitcoms of our time, and I’m looking forward to yet another landmark season.”
Even though the show has been criticized for a decline in quality over its past few seasons, The Simpsons still performs well in the ratings. Last Sunday’s season 25 premiere was the No. 1 entertainment program of the night in the Adults 18-49 demographic, up 12 percent from last season’s average. The premiere — which competed ABC’s Once Upon a Time season 3 premiere and CBS’s The Amazing Race season 23 premiere — drew 6.37 million viewers.
Unfortunately, not every character in the current season will make it season 26. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, executive producer Al Jean recently revealed that one of the show’s characters will be killed off this season. While Jean wouldn’t say which character, he gave the not at all helpful hint that the voice actor won an Emmy for the role.
Considering that of the six main cast members, five provide the voices of dozens of characters (Yeardley Smith only provides the voice of Lisa), trying to figure out who will be killed off seems futile. The series has killed off obscure or guest characters in the past, with the exception being Maude Flanders, who was killed in season 11 after a pay dispute with actress Maggie Roswell. She returned in 2002 as Maude’s ghost. Roswell also voices Helen Lovejoy, Miss Hoover, and other characters.
