premise: No longer just primetime entertainment for people tired of the cookie cutter sitcom barrage, the show has grown enough of a following (casual viewers as well as its near-rabid fanbase) to warrant its own feature length film. The journey from television to theater at the show's 18th year of existence—The Simpsons is one of the longest-running TV shows in history—wasn't necessarily a sure thing. Matt Groening, the show's creator, initially imagined that a movie would surface once the series ended. But with the proverbial fat lady still waiting in the wings, it seems as if now's as good a time as any to let Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie take the stage.
hypothesis: The Simpsons was created by Matt Groening.