'The Simpsons:' All 24 Seasons Will Be Available for Streaming; Show Bought in Record Off-Network Deal By FXX [VIDEO]
All 24 seasons of The Simpsons will be available for streaming online on FXX, which struck one of the biggest off-network deals in television history.
The episodes in the first 24 seasons of the show add up to 530, and with the current season they will sum up to 574 by the time FX starts airing them in September 2015. The network is also launching a mobile app, FXNOW, and the seasons of The Simpsons will be available on the app as well.
While the details of the deal have not been revealed inside sources have suggested that this would cost FXX about $1.25 million per week and the agreement will last for about a decade.
The executives over at FX networks are stoked about finally sealing the deal, as they had been eyeing the show for quite some time now.
"The Simpsons is indisputably one of the greatest shows in television history," said John Landgraf, FX Networks CEO. He went on to credit FX Networks' COO Chuck Saftler for making this happen. "This was a very long, hard and complicated negotiation and I credit the relentlessness and diligence of Chuck Saftler for getting it done," he said.
It wasn't easy for Saftler to nab the show and he was committed to the tedious process of the constant back-and-forth to crack a deal. Saftler described it as "the longest negotiations that I am aware of for an off-network series" and suggested that it took a month from the first offer to sealing a "landmark" deal. "This is a historic deal for FXX and FX Networks and I don't believe there will ever be another one like it," he said.
The Simpsons was picked up for its 26th season by FOX on Oct. 4.
Earlier last month, it was also announced that a major character will be killed off this season. In a conference call with reporters, the show's executive producer, Al Jean, revealed the news:
"We're actually working on a script where a character will pass away," Jean said. "I'll give a clue that the actor playing the character won an Emmy for playing that character, but I won't say who it is."
Major Character to Be Killed Off On Season 25 of The Simpsons; Homer Might Be on the Death List?
The Simpsons airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. E.T. on Fox.
