‘The Simpsons’ Enlisted Some Heavy Hitters From Philly for Their 800th Episode

Somehow, we have reached the unfathomable milestone no one saw coming back in 1987 when The Simpsons premiered as part of The Tracey Ullman Show. In its 37th season, The Simpsons is the longest-running, scripted prime time show on TV. It has been on air 10 years longer than Law & Order: SVU and, with its 800th episode coming up next month, it’s ahead of the pack by about 200 episodes.

We all have our favorite seasons and episodes (‘Bart After Dark’), and I’m not going to argue about whether The Simpsons has retained the quality of writing it had in its early years (it has not). But there is something comforting in knowing that the Simpson family survives in stasis even when it feels like the world is burning.

While The Simpsons have never been as timely with their topics as South Park, the show has always been happy to hop on a trend. So, for their 800th episode, The Simpsons are going to Philadelphia! It’s probably one of the few American cities that family can’t get banned from. Or can they?

Philly natives Quinta Brunson, Kevin Bacon, and Questlove are set to guest star in the episode. To show some love to Pennsylvania’s second city, they’ll be joined by three members of The Pitt’s cast: Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, and Taylor Dearden. Boyz II Men will be singing the episode’s theme song, and they’re rolling out a very special logo for the occasion.

The story will incorporate plot points from Best In Show (RIP Catherine O’Hara) and National Treasure.

The Simpsons still airs on Sunday nights on Fox. The 800th episode will air on Sunday, February 15th.