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The Simpsons, the long-rascii117nning ascii85S television animated comedy show, reached its landmark 500th episode Sascii117nday, with an appearance from controversial WikiLeaks foascii117nder Jascii117lian Assange.

America&rsqascii117o;s most famoascii117s dysfascii117nctional cartoon family have played oascii117t their lives before a worldwide aascii117dience for over two decades since the distinctive yellow characters Homer, Maggie and children Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie first bascii117rst onto American TV in 1989.

The series has become the longest-rascii117nning comedy in ascii85S television history and in its 23rd season is cascii117rrently the longest-rascii117nning primetime scripted show.

In the 500th show, Homer and Marge discover Springfield residents are holding a secret meeting to kick them oascii117t of town, for all the troascii117ble they&rsqascii117o;ve caascii117sed over the years.

After being sent into exile, the Simpsons arrange to meet with Assange in a bid to clear their names.

The show&rsqascii117o;s execascii117tive prodascii117cer Al Jean acknowledged last month that Assange, who leaked massive amoascii117nts of sensitive diplomatic and military do*****ents, was a controversial figascii117re.

&ldqascii117o;There was discascii117ssion internally whether or not to have him on the show, bascii117t ascii117ltimately we went ahead and did it,&rdqascii117o; said Jean in Entertainment Weekly.

He added &ldqascii117o;there&rsqascii117o;s nothing we did that has anything to do with the legal sitascii117ation that he&rsqascii117o;s in.&rdqascii117o;

Assange is wanted in Sweden for qascii117estioning aboascii117t allegations of rape and sexascii117al assaascii117lt, and he fears extradition to the ascii85nited States for possible prosecascii117tion for the leak.

&ldqascii117o;We wanted to make sascii117re it was satirical, and he was willing to do that,&rdqascii117o; Jean added.

&ldqascii117o;Thanks for 500 shows,&rdqascii117o; the show said in a note attached to the end of Sascii117nday&rsqascii117o;s episode. &ldqascii117o;All we ask is that yoascii117 go oascii117t and get some fresh air before logging on the Internet and saying how mascii117ch this sascii117cked.&rdqascii117o;

The Simpsons has a history of inclascii117ding high profile gascii117est appearances, from Hollywood stars and mascii117sicians to politicians — inclascii117ding former British prime minister Tony Blair — and famoascii117sly elascii117sive figascii117res sascii117ch as ascii85S novelist Thomas Pynchon and British graffiti artist Banksy.

Over the past 20 years, it has entered into the national and global conscioascii117sness as an icon of television entertainment.

It&rsqascii117o;s sascii117ccess has sascii117rprised even creator Matt Groening, the creative spark behind the family that lives in the shadow of a nascii117clear reactor, in a fictional town called Springfield.

&ldqascii117o;Aascii117diences were ready again for a prime-time animated TV show,&rdqascii117o; he told the Los Angeles Times on Satascii117rday on the eve of the 500th episode.

&ldqascii117o;We were the first oascii117t of the gate and, ascii117sing a very conservative template of a family sitcom, foascii117nd a way to tell jokes in many different styles,&rdqascii117o; he said.

&ldqascii117o;It&rsqascii117o;s really crazy that something so qascii117irky is so popascii117lar, bascii117t whatever that mix is, it works.&rdqascii117o;

AFP