The Simpsons Renewed for 29th and 30th Seasons, Will Probably Outlast Humanity

So long, Gunsmoke.  In one of those rare moments that simultaneously ruins everyone's old versions of Trivial Pursuit, The Simpsons will officially pass Gunsmoke as the longest-running scripted series ever with its newly announced 29th and 30th seasons.  Or so everyone seems to be saying.  

Really though, this is one of those arbitrary moments of achievement that crumbles a bit under closer scrutiny.  Truth is, The Simpsons has been the longest-running scripted show on television for almost a decade now.  That is if we're defining longest-running as being on TV for the longest amount of time.  Gunsmoke ran for an extremely impressive twenty seasons (from 1955 to 1975), but The Simpsons is currently in its 28th season.  That's eight more years, for those keeping track.  Heck, South Park and Law and Order have also tied the twenty season mark, and South Park will likely break that barrier before long.  

Now hold on, you say, the real test of longevity is in the number of episodes, and that is the Gunsmoke record (635 episode) that The Simpsons is going to soon break.  Okay, that makes a certain amount of sense.  Gunsmoke ran for much longer seasons, so they packed in many more episodes per year.  More episodes means a longer time watching TV, which means it was the longest-running.  Fine, I'll buy that.  But then, shouldn't episode length play a part?  After all, most Gunsmoke episodes ran for 50 minutes, while each episode of The Simpsons runs on average, 24 minutes.  Hold on while I do some math.  Taking into account that Gunsmoke had six seasons at 26 minutes an episode and then 14 seasons at 50 minutes an episode, then it ran for 26,158 minutes.  By the end of its 30th season, at 24 minutes an episode, The Simpsons will have 15,888 minutes.  So, it will still be over 10,000 minutes short of the longest-running show.

But wait, the first six seasons of Gunsmoke were actually a show called Marshall Dillon.  Those seasons were only re-branded as Gunsmoke in syndication.  So technically, Gunsmoke really only has 403 episodes.  So that means The Simpsons beat it long ago, along with other shows like Law and Order, Lassie, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and Bonanza.  Hold on, though, then that means it still ran for 20,150 minutes, which would again put it over the top.  But then, Bonanza episodes were also 50 minutes, which would make that longer...and...and...geez this is exhausting.

My point is that this is a silly meaningless milestone.  People write about it because touting records like this makes a more compelling headline.  The real take away should simply be that The Simpsons' run so far has been unprecedented in the history of television.  It redefined television comedy and animation in equal measure, and it inspired an entire generation of artists.  The other stuff, the numbers game, that's just a distraction.