The Simpsons will break Gunsmoke's TV record this weekend with Episode 636

New York Post

Gunsmoke ended in 1975 with 635 episodes. On Sunday, The Simpsons will surpass that record with the 636th episode “Forgive and Regret," in which a deathly ill Grandpa Simpson reveals a shocking secret to Homer about their past. “We never dreamed we’d get this far,” says showrunner Al Jean. “After we aired 635 this past Sunday, I was pretty confident. I thought if we made it it would be a marvelous tribute to the writers, animators and cast who work so hard; and particularly to the wonderful fans who’ve stuck with us all these years.” Jean estimates the writers have churned through 50,000 pages of scripts. “It’s the home-run record of TV,” he says. To celebrate the milestone, The Simpsons released a video of Maggie taking out Gunsmoke.