Homer Simpson more beloved than Marshal Matt Dillon?
You may have to be an aging Baby Boomer to recall who Matt Dillon was, but at one time he was the hero of “Gunsmoke,” television’s longest running series.
But tough-talking, heart-of-gold gunslinging Matt is about to lose his perch, as Fox announced it has ordered the 29th and 30th seasons of its animated comedy “The Simpsons” which will give it the most episodes for a prime-time scripted series in U.S. television history — 669.
And that will finally beat out “Gunsmoke” that ran for 20 years beginning in 1955.
“This is yet another record-setting moment for what is truly a landmark series,” Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Fox Television Group‘s chairmen and CEOs, said in a statement on Friday.
“The Simpsons has meant so much to the network, the studio and everyone at Fox, and its continued cultural impact around the globe is a testament to the combined brilliance of Matt, Jim and Al,” referring to executive producers Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Al Jean.
The record for most episodes by a U.S. prime-time scripted series is held by the CBS Western “Gunsmoke,” which aired 635 episodes from 1955 to 1975.
“The Simpsons” aired its 600th episode Oct. 16. It is expected to pass “Gunsmoke” late in the 2017-18 season, which will be its 29th. “The Simpsons” premiered on Dec. 17, 1989.
— City News Service