'The Simpsons' will air its 800th episode Sunday: How to watch

'The Simpsons' survives early controversies

When 'The Simpsons' debuted on a young FOX Network 35 years ago, it got plenty of attention -- both positive and negative. In this LiveNOW & Then full episode, we'll take a look at some of that early media coverage of what's now the longest-running sitcom ever.

"The Simpsons," America's longest running sitcom, will hit another major milestone Sunday with its 800th episode.

Here's what to know: 

When will "The Simpsons" 800th episode air?

Timeline:

The episode will premier Sunday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

What is the episode about?

Big picture view:

According to IMDB, "Irrational Treasure" centers around a trip to the city of Brotherly Love:  

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"Marge's crusade to get Santa's Little Helper in better shape results in a trip to the National Dog Show in Philadelphia, where Marge and Homer find themselves — and their dog — mixed up in a historical conspiracy adventure."

Philadelphia natives Quinta Brunson, Kevin Bacon, and Questlove will guest star.

The City of Pittsburgh will also be a part of the show with stars from the hit series "The Pitt" lending their voices.  In the episode, Noah Wyle plays a doctor, Katherine LaNasa a nurse, and Taylor Dearden the voice of an intern.

RELATED: How ‘The Simpsons’ survived these early controversies

Boyz II Men will sing a new version of "The Simpsons'" opening song and a new version of the music over the episode's closing credits.

What they're saying:

"I think of ‘The Simpsons’ as a forum for different comedy styles," creator Matt Groening said in an interview with The New York Times. "There are so many different kinds of jokes in the show. If the show had stayed consistent with my earliest vision, which was generally much more mild and not as crazy, I don’t know that it would still be on the air. We reinvent the show over and over again, and the writers and animators are trying to surprise themselves over and over again. That keeps it fresh."

History of ‘The Simpsons'

The backstory:

"The Simpsons" follows a dysfunctional family featuring Homer, a beer-loving father, Marge, a hardworking homemaker wife, Bart, a 10-year-old underachiever, Lisa, an 8-year-old genius, and Maggie, the pacifier-loving silent infant. The family lives in the fictional town of Springfield. 

From 1990: The making of 'The Simpsons'

In this two-part report from November of 1990, KTVU's Randy Shandobil goes behind the scenes with the writers, producers, and actors of The Simpsons, just as the new FOX series was taking off. He also talks to Bill Hanna of Hanna-Barbara about Homer Simpson's cartoon predecessors.

It began as animated shorts that aired on "The Tracey Ullman Show" in 1987, and debuted on the Fox network on Dec. 17, 1989, with its first episode titled "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." 

In 2007, "The Simpsons Movie" hit theaters nationwide and grossed over $530 million at the box office, according to IMDb.com.