With its twenty-first season (2009–10), the series surpassed Gunsmoke in seasons to claim the spot as the longest-running American prime-time scripted television series, and later also surpassed Gunsmoke in episode count with the episode "Forgive and Regret" on April 29, 2018.
Dengan musim kedua puluh satunya (2009–10), serial tersebut melampaui Gunsmoke dalam hal jumlah musim sebagai serial televisi bernaskah waktu perdana Amerika berjangka terpanjang, dan kemudian juga melampaui Gunsmoke dalam hal jumlah episode dengan episode episode "Forgive and Regret" pada 29 April 2018.