The Simpsons is Renewed for Two More Seasons

[radionate]

Since there seems to be a lot of Simpsons fans here, I thought I'd post this. Very exciting news indeed. This insures that the Simpsons will be a series for the record books!

Woo-Hoo! "Simpsons" Renewed!
Fri Jan 17, 2:00 PM ET
"borrowed from Yahoo News (from E! online)"

By Josh Grossberg

As Monty Burns would say, "Exxxxxxxcellent."

Homer, Bart and the rest of The Simpsons gang will be sticking around the tube for a while as Fox has reupped the classic cartoon series for two more years, Daily Variety reports.

Dismissing talk that the show, now in its 14th season, has been played out, Fox's move guarantees the 'toon will run through an eye-popping 16th season and rack up at least 360 episodes.

And unless Springfield unexpectedly blows up before then, The Simpsons (news - Y! TV) will surpass The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, which tallied 15 season from 1952-66, as the longest running comedy on the tube.

"Watch out, Gunsmoke, you're next," executive producer and show-runner, Al Jean cracked in Variety, referring to the record 20 year-run of the western.

For Fox, the move was a no-brainer.

"In its 14th season, the show is doing some of its funniest episodes and best numbers," Fox Entertainment president Gail Berman noted. For the season to date, The Simpsons ranks in the top 20 among total viewers, averaging 14.2 million fans a week.

The Simpsons has also won seven Emmys for Outstanding Animated Series since its 1989 debut and, on Sunday, is up for its first Golden Globe, nominated for Best Musical or Comedy Series.

Not bad for a show that literally jumped the shark 12 seasons ago (when stuntman Lance Murdock splashed down in a shark- and lion-filled tank prompting Bart to launch his own daredevil career) and whose own creator seemed to consign it to the dustbin just a few months ago. In a May interview with London's Financial Times, series mastermind Matt Groening said, "I think we are closer to winding it up."

But fans had such a cow that Groening quickly issued a retraction assuring the faithful that "rumors of The Simpsons demise have been greatly exaggerated" and adding that Homer & Co. will "be having new adventures long after I am in my grave, which is kind of a creepy feeling."

Fox has also decided to grant one more year of life to another 'toon, King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-head creator Mike Judge's comical look at Texan Hank Hill and his brood.

"This show does anything we ask it to do," Berman told Variety, referring to its mostly successful run in various time slots over the past seven years. "And they consistently put out one of the funniest shows on TV."

In the meantime, Fox will showcase both shows during a sweeps stunt on February 16.

At 7 p.m., Fox will broadcast a new episode of King of the Hill guest-starring Jennifer Aniston (news) to be followed by three new Simpsons installments in a row, with number 300 (featuring Blink-182 and skateboard hero Tony Hawk) airing at 8 p.m.

Fox is also reuniting The Simpsons with their old time-slot neighbors the Bundys.

A special reunion of Married...with Children, which ended its 10-year run in 1997, is slated for the show's former 9 p.m. slot and will bring back original cast members Ed O'Neill (news), Katey Sagal (news), Christina Applegate (news) and David Faustino (news).

The reunion is being timed to overlap with the upcoming release of two DVDs titled Married...with Children: The Most Outrageous Episodes, the first of which hits stores on February 4.

 

[radionate]

Here's a quote from another article that sums it up for me perfectly:

Fox Entertainment president Gail Berman praised (the show), claiming "The Simpsons" could be "the most extraordinary television show maybe even in the history of the medium.

"In its 14th season, the show is doing some of its funniest episodes and best numbers," she said.

 

[beaker]

Good to hear they are going back to being funny...as I swear the last few seasons I just couldnt watch, as they went out of their way to be just plain creepy and cryptic.('Praiseland' episode for example)

Btw, I think 3 "S" shows will still be around in 30 years: Sesame Street, SNL, and The Simpsons. The fact their intro hasnt changed since the late 80's is a pretty good indication of this.

Btw, is there a 15 years of the Simpsons celebration thing for this year?(Bet a lot of folks didnt know the Simpsons have been around sicne 1987!)

Weird to see Simpsons stuff everywhere like 13 years ago.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

is the simpsons ever going to make it on the big screen? people would pay lots of money to see that show come to the movies.....i've only seen a few episodes of the past 3 or 4 seasons here and there...the real funny ones are in the middle like when homer has to get a loan from patty and selma, the side show bob episodes, the casino episode where marge goes and stays there all the time and can't take care of her family, the mr. plow episode where homer goes into the snow plowing business, jut to name a few......

i got the 2nd season of the spimpsons 6 months ago and is sure is funny..so go buy it

ryan

 

[jeremyactor]

There were rumors that The Simpsons: The movie was going to be made, with the following plot points. I swear to god I am not making these up:

Bart loses his virginity, and Marge has a lesbian affair.

How horrible would that be? Bart is 10 years old. Always has been, always will be. 10 year olds should not be having sex.

And as for Marge? Well, that's just weird. I don't exactly know what's wrong with that, but I'm sure it's a combination of things...

Needless to say, when that was announced people got kinda mad, and they took a lot of flack for it, but it may not have been true in the first place, so who knows?

I agree, the last few seasons have been pretty lousy. The Harry Potter halloween episode was pretty weak. I usually work Sunday nights anyways, but I've been dissapointed as of late.

Jeremy

 

[Crazy Harry]

These sound like the kind of untrue rumors that get started by internet dorks with no real life.

...

Not the ones like us, the kind who have no shame and enjoy making everyone angry.

 

[radionate]

Originally posted by jeremyactor
I agree, the last few seasons have been pretty lousy. The Harry Potter halloween episode was pretty weak. I usually work Sunday nights anyways, but I've been dissapointed as of late.

I have to disagree. I think this past season was one of the best in recent years. What's my proof? The fact that it is nominated for a GOLDEN GLOBE FOR BEST TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL!!! That is a major acheivement for the show.

The writing is so sharp and socially conscious that I love it. Truly a historic show.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

i still love a lot of the episodes in the middle...like the one where ned invites homer to a baseball game and homer starts hanging out with him and ned can't stand to be around him!!!....a lot of those episodes around the middle of the series are probably the funniest in my opinion out of the whole show...

ryan

 

[ryhoyarbie]

if the simpsons got made into a movie, i don't think people would like marge to have a lesbian affair or see bart having sex....the simpsons are a lot of things but this stuff isn't the simpsons..

ryan

 

[frogboy4]

Oh, the amazing thing about the Simpsons is that they have had many slumps but always find their way out of them. I admit that I don't usually tune in. I haven't in several years, but always end up watching the odd episode or catch up with it in syndication. The cool thing is that most shows can hook me in within the first couple of minutes.

As for a movie - well I'm sure Groening and Co has made many wild statements just to mess with fans. I don't think a future Simpsons film will be all about sexual escapades. But I do think a film will happen when they finally decide to end the series. And even after they end the series, I suspect they would still release specials from time to time.

I have a feeling the next two years could be their last. I just don't see it going to 20 years, but who thought it would go this far?