An Interest In:
Web News this Week
- March 3, 2024
- March 2, 2024
- March 1, 2024
- February 29, 2024
- February 28, 2024
- February 27, 2024
- February 26, 2024
The Simpsons overtakes Gunsmoke as America's longest-running scripted TV show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ODTAhD8rOoWith episode 636 on Sunday, The Simpsons finally outran Gunsmoke as America's longest-running TV show, as counted by scripted episodes. It overtook it about a decade ago in terms of how many seasons it's been on TV. That said...
Gunsmoke, however, was an hourlong program for about half its run, while The Simpsons is half-hour, and so the former retains the record for most hours of television. As well, the Western series had begun on radio in 1952.
The closest other scripted prime-time series, the family drama Lassie, about an ingenious collie, ran on network and then in first-run syndication from 1954 to 1974, for 591 episodes.
In a welcome coda to the Apu imbroglio, Hank Azaria (who also voices other characters on the show) is planning to let a South Asian actor take over the role and help transition the character to a less stereotypical portrayal.
Original Link: http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/39uSY5Ywh60/the-simpsons-overtakes-gunsmok.html