For a show that stars TV’s most prominent underachiever, “The Simpsons” has certainly reached some benchmarks. It passed “The Flintstones” as longest-running animated prime-time show 10 years ago. When its 18th season ends tonight with its 400th episode, it will be the longest-lasting comedy of any kind in prime-time TV history, surpassing “My Three Sons,” “M*A*S*H,” “Happy Days” and “Cheers.”
True, “[The Adventures of] Ozzie and Harriet,” which lasted 17 seasons, still holds the record for episodes produced: 435. But “The Simpsons” has a contract to go through a 20th season, when it will surpass that number in 2008. “We have writers now who are so young that they grew up watching the show,” says show creator Matt Groening. “They remind some of us who have been around longer that we’ve already done a joke that somebody is pitching.”
“We’ve said on the show that Bart was born in 1980,” says executive producer Al Jean. “We have a writer on the show who is now younger than Bart.”
SOURCE: Ctnow.com