So I got to thinking this week about the three big 90s adult cartoons (I know The Simpsons debuted in December 1989) and how they are still going strong with no sign of letting up.

For a comparison, a few other long-running adult cartoons that have ended include:

-King of the Hill (Debut: 1997; Ended: 2010 - 259 Episodes and 13 Seasons)
-Futurama (Debut: 1999 ; Cancelled: 2003; Revived: 2007/2010 ; Ended: 2013 - 124 Episodes + 4 DVD Movies and 7 Seasons)
-Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Debut: 2000 ; Ended: 2015 - 139 Episodes + 1 Feature Film and 11 Seasons)

American Dad is still alive but I don't think its cable existence will last as long as its FOX run.

Anyway, a few stats on the big three that remain alive and well:

-The Simpsons
Debut: 1989
Seasons: 26 (With 27-28 Renewed, Through the 2016-2017 Season)
Episodes: 574
Other Achievements: 1 Feature Film; Spinoff of The Tracey Ullman Show

-South Park
Debut: 1997
Seasons: 19 (With 20-23, Through the 2019 Season)
Episodes: 258
Other Achievements: 1 Feature Film

-Family Guy
Debut: 1999
Seasons: 13 (With 14-15 Renewed, Through the 2016-2017 Season)
Other Achivements: 1 Spinoff (The Cleveland Show); 2 Cancellations (2000 & 2002)

I always thought South Park would end in its teenage seasons, since Trey Parker & Matt Stone could easily do something new, and they did with The Book of Mormon. But new seasons contain just ten episodes, and since episodes are so quick to produce, it's basically three months tops for production.

But since South Park is good until 2019 at least, I wonder if maybe The Simpsons will finally end first. Of course as it reaches a new milestone (they could go 30 seasons), everyone assumes they'll hold out and they usually do. But when is enough enough?

Family Guy seems poised to last the longest, not necessarily in overall length but at least beyond The Simpsons' and South Park's current runs.

I mean they're all pretty self contained well oiled machines. Simpsons will go until someone major dies, it still has about 10 million viewers per episode (which is funny as its about 50/50 TV vs. On Demand/Internet viewers. The rest are now too scared to do anything else so they'll cling until they don't get renewed.

I know The Simpsons and Family Guy will probably go as long as FOX will air them (I don't think one major death would be a deterrent, depending on who it was, considering Mel Blanc has been dead for years but they still find people who only barely pass as Bugs Bunny and Co.), but I figured Trey and Matt would have tired of doing South Park by now. They didn't seem like guys who would stick with the same thing this long.

Interesting tidbit I picked up while researching these shows: Family Guy was originally going to be shorts to air as a part of MADtv (like The Simpsons on Tracey Ullman in the 80s), but MADtv's budget wouldn't allow for it.

South Park is renewed the longest so I'll put it 3rd. Trey Parker and Matt Stone's contracts are enormous and if they still make these episodes in crazy binge sessions they're off 9-10 months of the year.. South Park is also the one of these three shows that could take a year off whenever they wanted it

Family Guy - I could see Seth Macfarlane getting tired but he also has a yearly salary too big to turn down, and Family Guy's jokes are so mechanical at this point that as long as Seth agreed to still do voices there shouldn't be much difference if he wasn't creatively involved

The Simpsons - My pick. Its ratings are low enough that it would be in cancellation danger if it was another show and the final Simpsons season would bring a lot of buzz and ratings probably, so it may be in their best interest to just cash in on that final season and move on.

I really don't think The Simpsons qualifies as an adult toon. Maybe a teenage toon, but certainly not adult. It's so tame.

You know what I mean. If you want, I'll rename the thread "primetime toon" to distinguish from every day cartoons.

Doesn't matter. Anyway, the answer to the thread is probably South Park. But for all the controversy it causes, maybe Family Guy. Actually I'm not sure if it still causes much controversy, but it used to. The Simpsons should have ended 10 years ago. And I thought South Park had ended years ago. Did it have a comeback?