Fox has renewed “The Simpsons” for a 27th and a 28th season. The media company claims this makes the show the longest running in TV history.

By contrast, some of the most successful television franchises of all time have fallen well short of the record. “Bonanza” made it only 14 seasons. “Gunsmoke” made it 20. Popular Westerns seem to be particularly long lived. “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” lasted 30 years, but it went through several incarnations, under several names. The producers of “The Simpsons” call it the longest running “scripted” show, so live TV may not count.

“The Simpsons” was created by a group of companies and individuals: “Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Century Fox Television, and executive producers James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean.” However, none of these made the announcement. It was made by the animated show’s biggest star:

“I’ve outlasted Letterman, Jon Stewart and ‘McDreamy,’ because I have something they don’t: a costly 200-donut-a-day addiction,” said Homer Simpson.

“The Simpson” has paved the way for other animated shows that have run multiple seasons. These include “The Family Guy,” “South Park” and “American Dad.” None of these may have reached television screens without the pioneering work of the “The Simpsons.” So, a number of producers and networks owe some of their success to the show.

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“The Simpsons” producers rattled off some numbers to support why the show has done so well:

This season, THE SIMPSONS is averaging a 2.7/8 among Adults 18-49 — steady year-over-year in the core demo and Total Viewers (6.0 Mil). Over 30 days, THE SIMPSONS delivers an average audience of 7.7 million across platforms, +45% higher than its Live + Same Day total audience (7.7 vs. 5.3 Mil). In fact, even in its 26th season, the series ranks as one of the Top 10 shows overall on broadcast television among Men 18-34 and Male Teens and ranks among the Top 20 in Adults 18-34, Men 18-49 and Men 25-54.

The longevity of the show trumps the data.

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