Fox Stages ‘Simpsons’ Marathon

2 Feb, 2012 By: John Latchem

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To celebrate the 500th episode of “The Simpsons,” 20th Century Fox is staging a marathon viewing of the show in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for continuous television viewing.

The contest begins Feb. 8 at the Hollywood and Highland Complex in Los Angeles. The winner will take home a $10,500 prize and an array of “Simpsons” merchandise. Spectators will be able to watch the marathon and visit a special fan area filled with interactive elements, animation cels and characters from the show.

“The Simpsons” began in 1987 as a series of animated shorts on “The Tracey Ullman Show,” with a spin-off debuting on the fledging Fox network in 1989. The show is currently in the midst of its 23rd season, with the 500th episode airing Feb. 19.

The first 14 seasons of the show, as well as the 20th, have been released on DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment — a total of 334 episodes on disc. Seasons 13, 14 and 20 were also released on Blu-ray.

The current record for TV viewing is 86 hours, 6 minutes and 41 seconds, set in December 2010 during another event sponsored by Fox — a promotion for the complete-series DVD of “24.”

If the episodes of “The Simpsons” are viewed in order, the record would be broken sometime after the marathoners begin watching the 11th season.
 

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