Simpsons Season Episode Counts (Seasons 1 to 20)
Compare The Simpsons seasons 1 to 20 by episode count, from 13 in season 1 to 25 in the peak years. Fox official data with a linked converter and tables.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 Shortest season. Opens with Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire. | 13 episodes | Fox Dec 17 1989 to May 13 1990, first season | Fox season 1 airdate listing, 13 episodes |
| Season 2 First Treehouse of Horror airs this season. | 22 episodes | Fox Oct 11 1990 to Jul 11 1991, Bartmania peak | Fox season 2 airdate listing, 22 episodes |
| Season 3 Longest of the early run at 24 episodes. | 24 episodes | Fox Sep 19 1991 to Aug 27 1992 | Fox season 3 airdate listing, 24 episodes |
| Season 4 Includes Marge vs the Monorail. | 22 episodes | Fox Sep 24 1992 to May 13 1993 | Fox season 4 airdate listing, 22 episodes |
| Season 5 Includes Deep Space Homer. | 22 episodes | Fox Sep 30 1993 to May 19 1994 | Fox season 5 airdate listing, 22 episodes |
| Season 6 Joint longest. Includes Who Shot Mr Burns Part One. | 25 episodes | Fox Sep 4 1994 to May 21 1995 | Fox season 6 airdate listing, 25 episodes |
| Season 7 Joint longest. Includes Who Shot Mr Burns Part Two. | 25 episodes | Fox Sep 17 1995 to May 19 1996 | Fox season 7 airdate listing, 25 episodes |
| Season 8 Joint longest. Includes Homer Badman. | 25 episodes | Fox Oct 27 1996 to May 18 1997 | Fox season 8 airdate listing, 25 episodes |
| Season 9 Joint longest. Includes The City of New York vs Homer Simpson. | 25 episodes | Fox Sep 21 1997 to May 17 1998 | Fox season 9 airdate listing, 25 episodes |
| Season 10 Includes four holdover episodes from the season 9 line. | 23 episodes | Fox Aug 23 1998 to May 16 1999 | Fox season 10 airdate listing, 23 episodes |
| Season 11 Includes Behind the Laughter. | 22 episodes | Fox Sep 26 1999 to May 21 2000 | Fox season 11 airdate listing, 22 episodes |
| Season 12 Shorter fall start gives 21 episodes. | 21 episodes | Fox Nov 1 2000 to May 20 2001 | Fox season 12 airdate listing, 21 episodes |
| Season 13 Back to 22 episodes. | 22 episodes | Fox Nov 6 2001 to May 22 2002 | Fox season 13 airdate listing, 22 episodes |
| Season 14 Includes How I Spent My Strummer Vacation. | 22 episodes | Fox Nov 3 2002 to May 18 2003 | Fox season 14 airdate listing, 22 episodes |
| Season 15 Includes The Fat and the Furriest. | 22 episodes | Fox Nov 2 2003 to May 23 2004 | Fox season 15 airdate listing, 22 episodes |
| Season 16 21 episodes with a late November start. | 21 episodes | Fox Nov 7 2004 to May 15 2005 | Fox season 16 airdate listing, 21 episodes |
| Season 17 Official Fox and DVD count is 22. Some fan tables print 23 by error. | 22 episodes | Fox Sep 11 2005 to May 21 2006 | Fox season 17 airdate listing, 22 episodes |
| Season 18 Includes The Haw-Hawed Couple. | 22 episodes | Fox Sep 10 2006 to May 20 2007 | Fox season 18 airdate listing, 22 episodes |
| Season 19 Cut to 20 by the 2007 writers strike. | 20 episodes | Fox Sep 23 2007 to May 18 2008 | Fox season 19 airdate listing, 20 episodes |
| Season 20 First season in high definition, at 21 episodes. | 21 episodes | Fox Sep 28 2008 to May 17 2009 | Fox season 20 airdate listing, 21 episodes |
About this converter
Fox aired The Simpsons seasons 1 through 20 between December 1989 and May 2009. Season 1 is the shortest with 13 episodes. Seasons 6 through 9 are the longest with 25 episodes each. Season 19 is the shortest of the later run with 20 episodes, cut short by the 2007 writers strike. This page compares all 20 seasons by broadcast episode count, using Fox airdate listings and Gracie Films production records. Counts follow the broadcast season, so holdover episodes stay with the season in which they aired.
How to use it
Pick two entries and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. Try Season 6 against Season 1 to compare 25 episodes with 13. Then test Season 19 against Season 10 to see the 20 to 23 gap.
Season 17 lists 22 episodes in Fox and DVD records. Some fan tables print 23 by error, so 22 is used here. Season 19 lists 20 episodes. Production stopped early during the 2007 strike and resumed for season 20 with 21. Totals for seasons 1 to 20 add to 441 broadcast episodes. Figures count full broadcast episodes only. Treehouse of Horror anthologies count as one episode each, as aired.
FAQ
Which Simpsons season has the most episodes?
Seasons 6, 7, 8 and 9 tie at 25 episodes each. No other season in the 1 to 20 range tops that count.
Which season has the fewest episodes?
Season 1, with 13 episodes from December 1989 to May 1990. It is the only season under 20 episodes besides season 19.
Why does season 19 have only 20 episodes?
Production stopped early during the 2007 writers strike, so only 20 episodes aired. The run resumed with 21 episodes in season 20.
Does season 17 have 22 or 23 episodes?
22 episodes. Fox listings, Gracie Films records and the DVD set all agree on 22. Tables that print 23 miscount the run.
Sources
- Fox Broadcasting Company seasonal airdate listings, seasons 1-20
- Gracie Films production records, codes 7Gxx through LABFxx
- 20th Century Fox Television DVD season sets, per-season episode counts
Last verified: 2026-10-03 · 20 entries
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