List of The Simpsons episodes

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom. It was created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society and television, and many aspects of the human condition.[1] The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a pitch for a series of animated shorts with producer James L. Brooks. Groening created a family and named the characters after members of his own, substituting Bart for his own name. The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987.[2] After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and was an early hit for Fox.[3]
The Simpsons holds several American television longevity records. It is the longest-running prime time animated series and longest-running sitcom in the United States.[4] In May 2007, The Simpsons reached its 400th episode at the end of the eighteenth season.[5] The year 2007 marked the twentieth anniversary of The Simpsons franchise. With its twenty-second season (2010–2011) concluded, the series has surpassed Gunsmoke in seasons to claim the spot as the longest-running American prime-time scripted television series. However, Gunsmoke's episode count of 635 episodes far surpasses The Simpsons.[6] 2009 marked the 20th anniversary of the half-hour series.[7] Episodes of The Simpsons have won dozens of awards, including 27 Emmy Awards (with ten for Outstanding Animated Program),[8] 27 Annie Awards[9] and a Peabody Award.[10]
Since its debut on December 17, 1989 the show has broadcast 574 episodes and the twenty-sixth season began airing on September 28, 2014.[11] The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters worldwide on July 26 and July 27, 2007, and grossed US$526.2 million worldwide.[12] Currently, the first fourteen seasons are available on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4 with the twentieth season released on both DVD and Blu-ray on January 12, 2010 in Region 1[13] and on January 20, 2010 in Region 4.
The list is ordered by when the episodes were first shown on television. It does not include The Tracey Ullman Show shorts.
Series overview
[change | change source]- Seasons 1–11 are ranked by households (in millions).
- Seasons 12–35 are ranked by total viewers (in millions).
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Households / viewers | Rank | Rating | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | ||||||
| 1 | 13 | December 17, 1989 | May 13, 1990 | Fox | 13.4m h.[n1][14] | 30 | 14.5 | |
| 2 | 22 | October 11, 1990 | July 11, 1991 | 12.2m h.[n1][n2] | 38[15] | 8 | ||
| 3 | 24 | September 19, 1991 | August 27, 1992 | 12m h.[n1][n3] | 33[16] | N/A | ||
| 4 | 22 | September 24, 1992 | May 13, 1993 | 12.1m h.[n1][17] | 30 | 13 | ||
| 5 | 22 | September 30, 1993 | May 19, 1994 | 10.5m h.[n1][n4] | 53[18] | N/A | ||
| 6 | 25 | September 4, 1994 | May 21, 1995 | 9m h.[n1][19] | 67[19] | N/A | ||
| 7 | 25 | September 17, 1995 | May 19, 1996 | 8m h.[n1][20] | 75[20] | N/A | ||
| 8 | 25 | October 27, 1996 | May 18, 1997 | 8.6m h.[21] | 53[21] | N/A | ||
| 9 | 25 | September 21, 1997 | May 17, 1998 | 9.1m h.[22] | 30 | 9.2 | ||
| 10 | 23 | August 23, 1998 | May 16, 1999 | 7.9m h.[23] | 46[23] | N/A | ||
| 11 | 22 | September 26, 1999 | May 21, 2000 | 8.2m h.[24] | 44[24] | N/A | ||
| 12 | 21 | November 1, 2000 | May 20, 2001 | 14.7m v.[25] | 21[25] | N/A | ||
| 13 | 22 | November 6, 2001 | May 22, 2002 | 12.4m v.[26] | 30[26] | N/A | ||
| 14 | 22 | November 3, 2002 | May 18, 2003 | 13.4m v.[27] | 25[27] | N/A | ||
| 15 | 22 | November 2, 2003 | May 23, 2004 | 10.6m v.[28] | 42[28] | N/A | ||
| 16 | 21 | November 7, 2004 | May 15, 2005 | 9.6m v.[29] | 52[29] | N/A | ||
| 17 | 22 | September 11, 2005 | May 21, 2006 | 9.1m v.[30] | 62[30] | 3.2 | ||
| 18 | 22 | September 10, 2006 | May 20, 2007 | 8.6m v.[31] | 60[31] | 4.1 | ||
| 19 | 20 | September 23, 2007 | May 18, 2008 | 8m v.[32] | 87[32] | N/A | ||
| 20 | 21 | September 28, 2008 | May 17, 2009 | 6.9m v.[33] | 77[33] | N/A | ||
| 21 | 23 | September 27, 2009 | May 23, 2010 | 7.2m v.[34] | 61[34] | 3.4 | ||
| 22 | 22 | September 26, 2010 | May 22, 2011 | 7.3m v.[35] | 65[35] | 3.3 | ||
| 23 | 22 | September 25, 2011 | May 20, 2012 | 7m v.[36] | 69[36] | 3.3 | ||
| 24 | 22 | September 30, 2012 | May 19, 2013 | 6.3m v.[37] | 70[37] | 2.9 | ||
| 25 | 22 | September 29, 2013 | May 18, 2014 | 5.6m v.[38] | 81[38] | N/A | ||
| 26 | 22 | September 28, 2014 | May 17, 2015 | 5.6m v.[39] | 100[39] | 2.6 | ||
| 27 | 22 | September 27, 2015 | May 22, 2016 | 4.7m v.[40] | 102[40] | 2.1 | ||
| 28 | 22 | September 25, 2016 | May 21, 2017 | 4.8m v.[41] | 92[41] | 2.1 | ||
| 29 | 21 | October 1, 2017 | May 20, 2018 | 4.1m v.[42] | 122[42] | 1.7 | ||
| 30 | 23 | September 30, 2018 | May 12, 2019 | 3.7m v.[43] | 126[43] | 1.4 | ||
| 31 | 22 | September 29, 2019 | May 17, 2020 | 3m v.[44] | 103[44] | 1.1 | ||
| 32 | 22 | September 27, 2020 | May 23, 2021 | 2.4m v.[45] | 117[45] | 0.8 | ||
| 33 | 22 | September 26, 2021 | May 22, 2022 | 2.3m v.[46] | 98[46] | 0.7 | ||
| 34 | 22 | September 25, 2022 | May 21, 2023 | 2.1m v.[47] | 98[47] | 0.65 | ||
| 35 | 18 | October 1, 2023 | May 19, 2024 | 1.99m v.[48] | 106[48] | 0.58 | ||
| 36 | 22[n5] | September 29, 2024 | May 18, 2025 | Fox Disney+ | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| 37 | 19[n6] | September 28, 2025 | August 26, 2026 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 38 | 17[n7] | September 27, 2026 | August 27, 2027 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
Notes
[change | change source]- Until the 1996–97 television season, ratings were calculated over 30 weeks from September to mid-April. Episodes that aired after mid-April were not part of the overall average and ranking.[49]
- Season one had approximately 13.4 million viewing households.[14] Season two dropped 9%,[50] resulting in an average of approximately 12.2 million viewing households.
- Season three had an average rating of 13.0 points.[16] For the 1991–92 season, each point represented 921,000 viewing households,[51] resulting in a total average of approximately 12.0 million viewing households.
- Season four had approximately 12.1 million viewing households.[17] Season five dropped 13%,[52] resulting in an average of approximately 10.5 million viewing households.
- Season 36 had eighteen episodes broadcast on Fox, and four are Disney+ exclusives that are not a part of the normal season.
- Season 37 had fifteen episodes broadcast on Fox, with an additional four Disney+ exclusives that are not a part of the normal season.
- Seasons 38 through 40 will have the same episode counts on Fox and an additional two Disney+ exclusives that are not a part of the normal season.[53]
List of episodes
[change | change source]Seasons 1–20 (1989–2009)
[change | change source]Seasons 21–present (2009–present)
[change | change source]Films
[change | change source]| Title | Directed by | Written by | Release date (U.S.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons Movie | David Silverman | James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder and Jon Vitti | July 27, 2007 |
| The New Simpsons Movie | TBA | TBA | September 3, 2027[54] |
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
[change | change source]The New Simpsons Movie (2027)
[change | change source]In August 2026 at the 2026 D23 Expo, The New Simpsons Movie was announced for release in September 2027.[55]
Shorts
[change | change source]The Tracey Ullman Show
[change | change source]Theatrical
[change | change source]| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Longest Daycare | David Silverman | James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, David Mirkin, Joel H. Cohen & Michael Price | July 13, 2012 |
| Playdate with Destiny | David Silverman | Al Jean, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Michael Price, Matt Selman & David Silverman | March 6, 2020 |
Disney+
[change | change source]Miscellaneous
[change | change source]| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trumptastic Voyage | David Silverman | Al Jean | July 7, 2015 |
| The Simpsons | Balenciaga | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean & Michael Price | October 2, 2021 |
| Te Deseo Lo Mejor | David Silverman | Joel H. Cohen, Al Jean, Ryan Koh & Christine Nangle | December 24, 2021 |
Specials
[change | change source]| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Springfield's Most Wanted" | Bill Brown | Jack Parmeter & Bob Bain | September 17, 1995 | SP−9611[56] | 14.0[57] |
| "The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!" | Morgan Spurlock | Jeremy Chilnick & Morgan Spurlock | January 10, 2010 | LABF21 | 11.43[58] |
| "Springfield of Dreams: The Legend of Homer Simpson" | Morgan Spurlock | Eric Brewster, Jeremy Chilnick & Morgan Spurlock | October 22, 2017 | N/A | N/A |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ BBC (2000). 'The Simpsons': America's First Family (6 minute edit for the season 1 DVD) (DVD). UK: 20th Century Fox.
- ↑ "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The Simpsons.com. Archived from the original on 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ "TV Ratings: 1989–1990". ClassicTVHits.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ Owen, Rob (2003-01-21). "TV Notes: 'Simpsons' breaks record with contract renewal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ Vineberg, Andy (2007-11-15). "Some records will last forever". PhillyBurbs.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ Bill Keveney (2008-09-28). "'The Simpsons' Hits a Landmark". ABC. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ Wallace, Lewis (2009-01-13). "Simpsons Poster Contest Will Have Fans Seeing Yellow". Wired. Archived from the original on 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ "The Simpsons". FoxFlash. Archived from the original on 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ "Legacy: 20th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1992)". International Animated Film Society. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ "George Foster Peabody Award Winners" (PDF). Peabody.uga.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ "Fox Announces Primetime Slate for 2008–2009". FoxFlash. 2008-05-15. Archived from the original on 2008-11-22. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ "The Simpsons Movie". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ "The Simpsons DVD news: Announcement for The Simpsons — The Complete 20th Season". TvShowsOnDVD. 2009-10-28. Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- 1 2 "Nielsen's top 50 shows". USA Today. April 18, 1990. p. 3D.
- ↑ "Nielsen ratings". The Tampa Tribune. April 17, 1991. p. 4.
- 1 2 Gable, Donna (April 15, 1992). "CBS' historic jump". USA Today. p. 3D.
- 1 2 "Year-end ratings". Deseret News. April 22, 1993. p. C6.
- ↑ "Nielsen ratings". The Tampa Tribune. Associated Press. April 21, 1994. p. 4.
- 1 2 Pierce, Scott D. (April 19, 1995). "They're not laughing at CBS after drop from 1st to worst". Deseret News. p. C6.
- 1 2 "NBC lands 6 series in season's top 10". Daily Breeze. May 26, 1996. p. D3.
- 1 2 Moses, Robert; Rowen, Beth (1997). The 1998 A & E Entertainment Almanac. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 496–515. ISBN 978-0-395-88277-1.
- ↑ "Final Ratings for '97–'98 TV Season". San Francisco Chronicle. May 25, 1998. p. E4.
- 1 2 "Nielsen rankings for 1998–99". San Francisco Chronicle. May 28, 1999. p. C5.
- 1 2 "Nielsen rankings for 1999–2000". San Francisco Chronicle. May 26, 2000. p. C17.
- 1 2 "The Bitter End". Entertainment Weekly. June 1, 2001. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- 1 2 "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today. May 28, 2002. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- 1 2 Sepinwall, Alan; Seitz, Matt Zoller (May 29, 2003). "Nielsen numbers". The Star-Ledger. p. 31.
- 1 2 "Season to date program ratings". ABC Medianet. June 2, 2004. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- 1 2 "Season program ratings". ABC Medianet. June 1, 2005. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- 1 2 "Season program ratings". ABC Medianet. May 31, 2006. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- 1 2 "2006-07 primetime wrap". The Hollywood Reporter. May 25, 2007. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- 1 2 "Season program ratings". ABC Medianet. May 28, 2008. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- 1 2 "Season program ratings". ABC Medianet. May 19, 2009. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2010). "Full Series Rankings For The 2009–10 Broadcast Season". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2011). "Full 2010–11 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (May 24, 2012). "Full 2011–2012 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- 1 2 Dominic Patten (May 23, 2013). "Full 2012–2013 TV Season Series Rankings". deadline. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- 1 2 "Primetime TV Series 2013 Ratings & Rankings – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2014. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
- 1 2 "Full 2014–15 Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- 1 2 "Full 2015–16 Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2016. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- 1 2 "Final 2016–17 TV Rankings: 'Sunday Night Football' Winning Streak Continues". Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2017. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- 1 2 "2017–18 TV Series Ratings Rankings: NFL Football, 'Big Bang' Top Charts". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2018. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- 1 2 de Moraes, Lisa (2019-05-21). "2018–19 TV Season Ratings: CBS Wraps 11th Season At No. 1 In Total Viewers, NBC Tops Demo; 'Big Bang Theory' Most Watched Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
- 1 2 "TV Ratings: 7-Day Season Averages for Every 2019–20 Broadcast Series". The Hollywood Reporter. June 4, 2020. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- 1 2 Porter, Rick (June 8, 2021). "2020-21 TV Ratings: Complete 7-Day Ratings for Broadcast Network Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021.
- 1 2 Porter, Rick (2022-06-09). "2021-22 TV Ratings: Final Seven-Day Numbers for Every Network Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
- 1 2 "TV Ratings 2022–23: Final Seven-Day Averages for Every Network Series" (Press release). June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- 1 2 "TV Ratings 2023-24: Final Numbers for (Almost) Every Network Series" (Press release). June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ↑ Storm, Jonathan (May 31, 1997). "The big three networks took a big ratings hit this season". The Charleston Gazette. p. P6B.
- ↑ "Network series take beatings in ratings". Tulsa World. April 23, 1991. p. 2C.
- ↑ Williams, Scott (April 17, 1992). "CBS toasts its win of season ratings". St. Petersburg Times. p. 17.
- ↑ Jicha, Tom (April 20, 1994). "Home Improvement improves to no. 1 spot". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. p. 1E.
- ↑ Lang, Jamie (June 12, 2025). "'The Fans Are More Intense Than Ever': Matt Groening, David Silverman and Matt Selman on 'The Simpsons' Enduring Appeal". Variety. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ↑ "The Simpsons Movie 2's Release Date Changes With Hilarious Homer Announcement". Screen Rant. September 29, 2025.
- ↑ Bonno-Smith, Rianna de (December 5, 2025). "The Simpsons Movie 2's Release Date Changes With Hilarious Homer Announcement". ScreenRant. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ "Springfield's Most Wanted (1995) Season 7 Episode SP-9611- The Simpsons Cartoon Episode Guide". The Big Cartoon Database. Retrieved February 8, 2023.[dead link]
- ↑ Graham, Jefferson (September 20, 1995). "A scrambling CBS slips behind Fox". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ↑ Seidman, Robert (January 12, 2010). "TV Ratings: Pro and College Football and The Simpsons and NCIS top weekly viewing". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- Richmond, Ray; Antonia Coffman (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-00-638898-1.
- Gimple, Scott M.; Matt Groening (December 1, 1999). The Simpsons Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-060-98763-3.
- McCann, Jesse L.; Matt Groening (2002). The Simpsons Beyond Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Still Continued. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-050592-3.
- McCann, Jesse L.; Matt Groening (2005). The Simpsons One Step Beyond Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued Yet Again. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-081754-2.
- Official episode guide at the Fox website TheSimpsons.com. Retrieved on November 22, 2008
- Episode list Archived 2013-02-08 at the Wayback Machine at The Simpsons Archive. Retrieved on June 7, 2006
- DVD release dates Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine at TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on June 7, 2006