One form of self-parody that the show illustrated was in one opening couch scene, when the family as we now know them was surprised to find sitting on their couch, the Simpsons of the Tracey Ullman era, showing how they once were. Many of these parodies stem from the various allusions in each episode. Also, since each episode is based on a satire of suburban life or religion or the middle class, every show is in a sense, parodying life. Their characters have also developed over the years. Not only character development changes over the history of the show, but the town changes as well.
People die, businesses grow, more citizens come to the town and stores shut down.
Along with the ever-evolving town, the humor of the show has changed over the years. Starting with a superficial, sophomoric humor, the show has expanded to keep the humor it started with and add to it intellectual comedy that is directed towards a more sophisticated audience. Even when the shows are being written, they are constantly being scrutinized. Poirier emphasized that sincerity is a necessity for art. In addition, any sound implanted on the show could go over the next joke, causing the audience to miss out.