FXX Launches 552-episode 'Simpsons' Marathon

08.22.2014

Update: Day one of FXX's 12-day Simpsons marathon scored record ratings for the nascent network, which debuted Sept. 2, 2013.

"We knew that The Simpsons could be transformative for FXX and its performance yesterday truly exceeded our wildest expectations," said Chuck Saftler, president, program strategy and COO, FX Networks, in a statement. "It is a testament to the power of one of the greatest shows in television history and the genius of Jim Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean and everyone associated with the show. Their support of our launch has been invaluable. We're off to a great start, we still have 11 days of binging left in our record-breaking marathon, and many years of The Simpsons to come on FXX. WOO HOO!"

To that end, FXX was up in primetime by 391% in total viewers, growing to 1.01 million viewers from 206,000, and up 461% among adults 18-49. The network's total day average climbed 524% in viewers and 618% among adults 18-49. That performance drove FXX to lead basic cable in primetime among men 18-34 and come in second among adults 18-34.

From Thursday, Aug. 22:

It would be easy to think of FXX's acquisition of the entire Simpsons library as nothing but a network acquiring a bunch of reruns. But FXX has masterfully turned the acquisition into a seminal television event, with the network kicking off its 12-day marathon of every episode of The Simpsons on Tuesday, Aug. 21, at 10 am ET/PT. And lest you think of it as just a Simpsons marathon, it's also a very clever way to get the word out about fledging network FXX, which turns one year old on Tuesday, Sept. 2, the day after the marathon concludes.

Although the marathon has already gotten underway, don't fret. There are still at least 500 more to go (depending on when you are reading this), plus Vulture, with this very helpful guide to consuming the marathon, recommends you skip season one anyway.

But unless you literally have nothing to do, including sleep, for the next 12 days, you'll probably miss an episode or two. Not to worry! With FXX to guide you, you can watch The Simpsons during your every spare minute. And come October, you can watch on the go, whether you're waiting in line at the DMV or enduring a boring inning at a Dodgers game, via the network's new Simpsons World digital hub.

For Simpsons fans who actually like to talk to other people - and that's not all of you, we realize - there's a conversation about the marathon taking place on Twitter. Follow @EverySimpsons or search #EverySimpsonsEver to join the conversation.

@EverySimpsons will be live-tweeting all 552 episodes and The Simpsons movie 24 hours a day for 12 days straight. We're assuming there's more than one person behind that Twitter handle.

The Simpsons writers - including Al Jean (@AlJean), Matt Selman (@MattSelman) and Mike Prince (@MikePriceinLA) - also will be tweeting along at various times during the marathon.

Trivia challenges, infographics and daily "Duff Hour" celebrations also will be taking place on Facebook at www.facebook.com/everysimpsonsever over the next 12 days.

Fans also can check in on second-screen app tvtag to collect nine exclusive hand-drawn milestone Simpsons stickers. Viewers will be able to unlock stickers at episodes 1, 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 552, as well as during the movie. Participants will be entered to win one of these milestone stickers in a 24" vinyl format.

So why are you still sitting here? There are 552 episodes of The Simpsons (and counting, once season 26 gets underway this fall). Get watching!