The Simpsons Holds An Awards Record That Won’t Be Beaten Anytime Soon

“The Simpsons” debuted shortly before Christmas in 1989which means anyone under the age of 35 has never known a world without it. “The Simpsons” wasn’t just a hit, but a cultural fulcrum point. Matt Groening’s cynical worldview, filtered through an animated takedown of traditional American sitcoms, came to define the prevailing attitudes of the nation in the 1990s. We were over-educated, embittered by the excesses of the Reagan years, and ready to see television mutate into something punky and deconstructionist. “The Simpsons” was at the heart of that.

And then, even as the 1990s ended, “The Simpsons” never dipped in quality, turning out a full decade of invaluable TV comedy. While public attitudes shifted in the early 2000s (“shock” humor and post-9/11 despair came to define the era), “The Simpsons” persisted. The makers of the show found they could simply keep on working for as long as audiences were interested. And audiences have remained interested for 782 episodes over 36 seasons. It’s one of the longest-running scripted primetime shows is American TV history.

Naturally, its longevity has provided “The Simpsons” with several notable records, all confirmed by Guinness. It’s the longest-running sitcom of all time (in number of episodes), a record it broke way back in 2009. It has boasted the largest number of guest stars for any scripted series, topping out at over 700. Producer James L. Brooks (of “Broadcast News” fame) has won 12 Emmys for his work on “The Simpsons,” which is the most that any one person has won for working on a single show.

And, for the purposes of this article, “The Simpsons” has — according to the Emmys website — won 37 Emmys. This, out of 102 total nominations. 12 of those wins (out of 33 noms) have been for Outstanding Animated Program, making it the record-holder in that category by a substantial margin. The second-most awarded animated program in Emmy history is “South Park,” and that show has only five wins (from 18 nominations).

“The Simpsons” started winning Emmys pretty much right away, racking up a few points during its very first season in 1990. It has been nominated for multiple award every year since. In 1990, the episode “Life on the Fast Lane,” a.k.a. “Jacques to be Wild” — wherein Marge (Julie Kavner) nearly had an affair with a dashing French bowling instructor (Albert Brooks) — won the show its first Outstanding Animated Program Emmy. In 1991, it was for the episode “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment,” wherein Homer (Dan Castellaneta) begins stealing cable TV, much to the chagrin of Lisa (Yeardley Smith).

Strangely, few of the famed “Treehouse of Horror” episodes were nominated for Emmys, with the first being “Treehouse of Horror VI” in 1996. “The Simpsons” wouldn’t win Outstanding Animated Program for a Halloween special until “Treehouse of Horror XXXIII” in 2023. The longest loss streak for “The Simpsons” occurred between 2009 and 2018 — although in 2010, it was beaten by “Futurama,” another show created by Matt Groening. Most recently, “The Simpsons” was nominated for the 2024 episode “Night of the Living Wage” wherein Marge tries to unionize a ghost kitchen. It lost to “Blue Eye Samurai.”

“South Park” would somehow have to run for another seven years and win Outstanding Animated Program all seven of those years just to tie the record set by “The Simpsons,” And that looks very unlikely indeed. For now, “The Simpsons” can rest on its laurels. And those record-setting 12 wins are just for that one category. Voice actor Hank Azaria has won four Emmys for his work on “The Simpsons” just on his own, and other “Simpsons” regulars Nancy Cartwright, Smith, Castellaneta, Kavner, Harry Shearer, and Marcia Wallace have also all won Emmys.

Weirdly, though, fans’ favorite episode of “The Simpsons” isn’t one of its Emmy winners.