The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company.[1][2][3] Developed by Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon, the series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Set in the fictional town of Springfield, it caricatures society, Western culture, television, and the human condition.
The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a solicitation for a series of animated shorts with producer Brooks. He created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after his own family members, substituting Bart for his own name; he thought Simpson was a funny name in that it sounded similar to "simpleton".[4] The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After three seasons, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and became Fox's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990).
Since its debut on December 17, 1989, 768 episodes of the show have been broadcast. It is the longest-running American animated series, longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, both in seasons and individual episodes. A feature-length film, The Simpsons Movie, was released in theaters worldwide on July 27, 2007, to critical and commercial success, with a sequel in development as of 2018. The series has also spawned numerous comic book series, video games, books, and other related media, as well as a billion-dollar merchandising industry. The Simpsons is a joint production by Gracie Films and 20th Television.[5]
On January 26, 2023, the series was renewed for its 35th and 36th seasons, taking the show through the 2024–25 television season.[6] Both seasons contain a combined total of 51 episodes. Seven of these episodes are season 34 holdovers, while the other 44 will be produced in the production cycle of the upcoming seasons, bringing the show's overall episode total up to 801.[7] Season 35 premiered on October 1, 2023.[8]
The Simpsons received widespread acclaim throughout its early seasons in the 1990s, which are generally considered its "golden age". Since then, it has been criticized for a perceived decline in quality. Time named it the 20th century's best television series,[9] and Erik Adams of The A.V. Club named it "television's crowning achievement regardless of format".[10] On January 14, 2000, the Simpson family was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 37 Primetime Emmy Awards, 34 Annie Awards, and 2 Peabody Awards. Homer's exclamatory catchphrase of "D'oh!" has been adopted into the English language, while The Simpsons has influenced many other later adult-oriented animated sitcom television series.
== Premise ==
=== Characters ===
Main article: List of The Simpsons characters
The main characters are the Simpson family, who live in the fictional "Middle America" town of Springfield.[11] Homer, the father, works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, a position at odds with his careless, buffoonish personality. He is married to Marge (née Bouvier), a stereotypical American housewife and mother. They have three children: Bart, a ten-year-old troublemaker and prankster; Lisa, a precocious eight-year-old activist; and Maggie, the baby of the family who rarely speaks, but communicates by sucking on a pacifier. Although the family is dysfunctional, many episodes examine their relationships and bonds with each other and they are often shown to care about one another.[12]
The family also owns a greyhound, Santa's Little Helper, (who first appeared in the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" and a cat, Snowball II, who is replaced by a cat also called Snowball II in the fifteenth-season episode "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot".[13] Extended members of the Simpson and Bouvier family in the main cast include Homer's father Abe and Marge's sisters Patty and Selma. Marge's mother Jacqueline and Homer's mother Mona appear less frequently.
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Simpsons_cast.png|thumb|The Simpsons sports a vast array of secondary and tertiary characters.
The show includes a vast array of quirky supporting characters, which include Homer's friends Barney Gumble, Lenny Leonard and Carl Carlson; the school principal Seymour Skinner and staff members such as Edna Krabappel and Groundskeeper Willie; students such as Milhouse Van Houten, Nelson Muntz and Ralph Wiggum; shopkeepers such as Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Comic Book Guy and Moe Szyslak; government figures Mayor "Diamond" Joe Quimby and Clancy Wiggum; next-door neighbor Ned Flanders; local celebrities such as Krusty the Clown and news reporter Kent Brockman; nuclear tycoon Montgomery Burns and his devoted assistant Waylon Smithers; and dozens more.
The creators originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokes or for fulfilling needed functions in the town. A number of them have gained expanded roles and subsequently starred in their own episodes. According to Matt Groening, the show adopted the concept of a large supporting cast from the comedy show SCTV.[14]
=== Continuity and the floating timeline ===
Despite the depiction of yearly milestones such as holidays or birthdays passing, the characters never age. The series uses a floating timeline in which episodes generally take place in the year the episode is produced. Flashbacks and flashforwards do occasionally depict the characters at other points in their lives, with the timeline of these depictions also generally floating relative to the year the episode is produced. For example, the 1991 episodes "The Way We Was" and "I Married Marge" depict Homer and Marge as high schoolers in the 1970s who had Bart (who is always 10 years old) in the early '80s, while the 2008 episode "That '90s Show" depicts Homer and Marge as a childless couple in the '90s, and the 2021 episode "Do Pizza Bots Dream of Electric Guitars" portrays Homer as an adolescent in the same period. The 1995 episode "Lisa's Wedding" takes place during Lisa's college years in the then-future year of 2010, the same year the show began airing its 22nd season, in which Lisa was still 8. Regarding the contradictory flashbacks, Selman stated that "they all kind of happened in their imaginary world."[15]
The show follows a loose and inconsistent continuity. For example, Krusty the Clown may be able to read in one episode, but not in another. However, it is consistently portrayed that he is Jewish, that his father was a rabbi, and that his career began in the 1960s. The latter point introduces another snag in the floating timeline: historical periods that are a core part of a character's backstory remain so even when their age makes it unlikely or impossible, such as Grampa Simpson and Principal Skinner's respective service in World War II and Vietnam.
The only episodes not part of the series' main canon are the Treehouse of Horror episodes, which often feature the deaths of main characters. Characters who die in "regular" episodes, such as Maude Flanders, Mona Simpson and Edna Krabappel, however, stay dead. Most episodes end with the status quo being restored, though occasionally major changes will stick, such as Lisa's conversions to vegetarianism and Buddhism, the divorce of Milhouse van Houten's parents, and the marriage and subsequent parenthood of Apu and Manjula.
=== Setting ===
Main article: Springfield (The Simpsons)
The Simpsons takes place in a fictional American town called Springfield. Although there are many real settlements in America named Springfield,[16] the town the show is set in is fictional. The state it is in is not established. In fact, the show is intentionally evasive with regard to Springfield's location.[17] Springfield's geography and that of its surroundings is inconsistent: from one episode to another, it may have coastlines, deserts, vast farmland, mountains, or whatever the story or joke requires.[18] Groening has said that Springfield has much in common with Portland, Oregon, the city where he grew up.[19] Groening has said that he named it after Springfield, Oregon, and the fictitious Springfield which was the setting of the series Father Knows Best. He "figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it's their Springfield.' And they do."[20] Many landmarks, including street names, have connections to Portland.[21]
== Production ==
=== Development ===
Main articles: History of The Simpsons and The Simpsons shorts
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jameslbrooks.jpg|thumb|James L. Brooks (pictured) asked Matt Groening to create a series of animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show.
When producer James L. Brooks was working on the television variety show The Tracey Ullman Show, he decided to include small animated sketches before and after the commercial breaks. Having seen one of cartoonist Matt Groening's Life in Hell comic strips, Brooks asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts. Groening initially intended to present an animated version of his Life in Hell series.[22] However, Groening later realized that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding of publication rights for his life's work. He therefore chose another approach while waiting in the lobby of Brooks's office for the pitch meeting, hurriedly formulating his version of a dysfunctional family that became the Simpsons.[22][23] He named the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name, adopting an anagram of the word brat.[22]
The Simpson family first appeared as shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987.[24] Groening submitted only basic sketches to the animators and assumed that the figures would be cleaned up in production. However, the animators merely re-traced his drawings, which led to the crude appearance of the characters in the initial shorts.[22] The animation was produced domestically at Klasky Csupo,[25][26] with Wes Archer, David Silverman, and Bill Kopp being animators for the first season.[27] The colorist, "Georgie" Gyorgyi Kovacs Peluce (Kovács Györgyike)[28][29][30][31][32][33] made the characters yellow; as Bart, Lisa and Maggie have no hairlines, she felt they would look strange if they were flesh-colored. Groening supported the decision, saying: "Marge is yellow with blue hair? That's hilarious — let's do it!"[27]
In 1989, a team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The team included the Klasky Csupo animation house. Brooks negotiated a provision in the contract with the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with the show's content.[34] Groening said his goal in creating the show was to offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash" that they were watching.[35] The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989, with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".[36] "Some Enchanted Evening" was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not broadcast until May 1990, as the last episode of the first season, because of animation problems.[37] In 1992, Tracey Ullman filed a lawsuit against Fox, claiming that her show was the source of the series' success. The suit said she should receive a share of the profits of The Simpsons[38]—a claim rejected by the courts.[39]
=== Executive producers and showrunners ===
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Matt_Groening_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg|left|thumb|Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons
List of showrunners throughout the series' run:
* Season 1–2: Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, & Sam Simon
* Season 3–4: Al Jean & Mike Reiss
* Season 5–6: David Mirkin
* Season 7–8: Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
* Season 9–12: Mike Scully
* Season 13–31: Al Jean
* Season 32–present: Al Jean & Matt Selman
Matt Groening and James L. Brooks have served as executive producers during the show's entire history, and also function as creative consultants. Sam Simon, described by former Simpsons director Brad Bird as "the unsung hero" of the show,[40] served as creative supervisor for the first four seasons. He was constantly at odds with Groening, Brooks and the show's production company Gracie Films and left in 1993.[41] Before leaving, he negotiated a deal that sees him receive a share of the profits every year, and an executive producer credit despite not having worked on the show since 1993,[41][42] at least until his passing in 2015.[43] A more involved position on the show is the showrunner, who acts as head writer and manages the show's production for an entire season.[27]
=== Writing ===
Main article: List of The Simpsons writers
The first team of writers, assembled by Sam Simon, consisted of John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti, George Meyer, Jeff Martin, Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky.[44] Newer Simpsons' writing teams typically consist of sixteen writers who propose episode ideas at the beginning of each December.[45] The main writer of each episode writes the first draft. Group rewriting sessions develop final scripts by adding or removing jokes, inserting scenes, and calling for re-readings of lines by the show's vocal performers.[46] Until 2004,[47] George Meyer, who had developed the show since the first season, was active in these sessions. According to long-time writer Jon Vitti, Meyer usually invented the best lines in a given episode, even though other writers may receive script credits.[46] Each episode takes six months to produce so the show rarely comments on current events.[48]
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Simpsons_writers2.jpg|right|thumb|Part of the writing staff of The Simpsons in 1992. Back row, left to right: Mike Mendel, Colin A. B. V. Lewis (partial), Jeff Goldstein, Al Jean (partial), Conan O'Brien, Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein, Mike Reiss, Ken Tsumura, George Meyer, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti (partial), CJ Gibson, and David M. Stern. Front row, left to right: Dee Capelli, Lona Williams, and unknown.
Credited with sixty episodes, John Swartzwelder is the most prolific writer on The Simpsons.[49] One of the best-known former writers is Conan O'Brien, who contributed to several episodes in the early 1990s before replacing David Letterman as host of the talk show Late Night.[50] English comedian Ricky Gervais wrote the episode "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife", becoming the first celebrity both to write and guest star in the same episode.[51] Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, writers of the film Superbad, wrote the episode "Homer the Whopper", with Rogen voicing a character in it.[52]
At the end of 2007, the writers of The Simpsons went on strike together with the other members of the Writers Guild of America, East. The show's writers had joined the guild in 1998.[53]
In May 2023, the writers of The Simpsons went on strike together with the other members of the Writers Guild of America, East.[54][55]
=== Voice actors ===
Main articles: List of The Simpsons cast members, List of The Simpsons guest stars, and Non-English versions of The Simpsons
Cast members 	Cast members 	Cast members 	Cast members 	Cast members 	Cast members 	Cast members	Cast members	Cast members
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Dan_Castellaneta_cropped.jpg/84px-Dan_Castellaneta_cropped.jpg	https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Julie_Kavner_1974.JPG/101px-Julie_Kavner_1974.JPG	https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/NancyCartwright2019_%28cropped%29.png/87px-NancyCartwright2019_%28cropped%29.png	https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/YeardleySmith2019.png/111px-YeardleySmith2019.png	https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Hank_Azaria_%2825755582981%29_%28cropped1%29.jpg/120px-Hank_Azaria_%2825755582981%29_%28cropped1%29.jpg	https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Harry_Shearer_%2833906701158%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/89px-Harry_Shearer_%2833906701158%29_%28cropped%29.jpg	 	 	
Dan Castellaneta 	Julie Kavner 	Nancy Cartwright 	Yeardley Smith 	Hank Azaria 	Harry Shearer 	 	 	
Homer Simpson, Abe Simpson, Krusty the Clown, various characters 	Marge Simpson, Patty and Selma Bouvier, additional voices 	Bart Simpson, Maggie Simpson, various characters 	Lisa Simpson 	Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Apu Nahasapeemapetilan (1990–2020), Lou (1990–2020), various characters 	Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Dr. Hibbert (1990–2021), Waylon Smithers, Principal Skinner, Reverend Lovejoy, various characters 	 	 	
The Simpsons has six main cast members: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, and Harry Shearer. Castellaneta voices Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Barney Gumble, and other adult male characters.[56] Julie Kavner voices Marge Simpson and Patty and Selma, as well as several minor characters.[56] Castellaneta and Kavner had been a part of The Tracey Ullman Show cast and were given the parts so that new actors would not be needed.[57] Cartwright voices Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum and other children.[56] Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson, is the only cast member who regularly voices only one character, although she occasionally plays other episodic characters.[56] The producers decided to hold casting for the roles of Bart and Lisa. Smith had initially been asked to audition for the role of Bart, but casting director Bonita Pietila believed her voice was too high,[58] so she was given the role of Lisa instead.[59] Cartwright was originally brought in to voice Lisa, but upon arriving at the audition, she found that Lisa was simply described as the "middle child" and at the time did not have much personality. Cartwright became more interested in the role of Bart, who was described as "devious, underachieving, school-hating, irreverent, [and] clever".[60] Groening let her try out for the part instead, and upon hearing her read, gave her the job on the spot.[61] Cartwright is the only one of the six main Simpsons cast members who had been professionally trained in voice acting prior to working on the show.[49] Azaria and Shearer do not voice members of the title family, but play a majority of the male townspeople. Azaria, who has been a part of the main voice cast since the second season in one episode "Old Money" and then perpetually part of the regular main voice cast since the third season, voices recurring characters such as Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon and Professor Frink. Shearer provides voices for Mr. Burns, Mr. Smithers, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy and formerly Dr. Hibbert.[56] Every main cast member has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance.[62][63]
With one exception, episode credits list only the voice actors, and not the characters they voice. Both Fox and the production crew wanted to keep their identities secret during the early seasons and, therefore, closed most of the recording sessions while refusing to publish photos of the recording artists.[64] However, the network eventually revealed which roles each actor performed in the episode "Old Money", because the producers said the voice actors should receive credit for their work.[65] In 2003, the cast appeared in an episode of Inside the Actors Studio, doing live performances of their characters' voices.
The six main actors were paid $30,000 per episode, until 1998, when they were involved in a pay dispute with Fox. The company threatened to replace them with new actors, even going as far as preparing for casting of new voices, but series creator Groening supported the actors in their action.[66] The issue was soon resolved and, from 1998 to 2004, they were paid $125,000 per episode. The show's revenue continued to rise through syndication and DVD sales, and in April 2004 the main cast stopped appearing for script readings, demanding they be paid $360,000 per episode.[67][68] The strike was resolved a month later[69] and their salaries were increased to something between $250,000[70] and $360,000 per episode.[71] In 2008, production for the twentieth season was put on hold due to new contract negotiations with the voice actors, who wanted a "healthy bump" in salary to an amount close to $500,000 per episode.[71] The negotiations were soon completed, and the actors' salary was raised to $400,000 per episode.[72] Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel the series unless production costs were cut, the cast members accepted a 30 percent pay cut, down to just over $300,000 per episode.[73]
In addition to the main cast, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Marcia Wallace, Maggie Roswell, and Russi Taylor voice supporting characters.[56] From 1999 to 2002, Roswell's characters were voiced by Marcia Mitzman Gaven. Karl Wiedergott has also appeared in minor roles, but does not voice any recurring characters.[74] Wiedergott left the show in 2010, and since then Chris Edgerly has appeared regularly to voice minor characters. Repeat "special guest" cast members include Albert Brooks, Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Joe Mantegna, Maurice LaMarche, and Kelsey Grammer.[75] Following Hartman's death in 1998, the characters he voiced (Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz) were retired;[76] Wallace's character of Edna Krabappel was retired as well after her death in 2013. Following Taylor's death in 2019, her characters (including Sherri, Terri, and Martin Prince) are now voiced by Grey Griffin.[77]
Episodes will quite often feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including actors, athletes, authors, bands, musicians and scientists. In the earlier seasons, most of the guest stars voiced characters, but eventually more started appearing as themselves. Tony Bennett was the first guest star to appear as himself, appearing briefly in the season two episode "Dancin' Homer".[78] The Simpsons holds the world record for "Most Guest Stars Featured in a Television Series".[79]
The Simpsons has been dubbed into several other languages, including Japanese, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. It is also one of the few programs dubbed in both standard French and Quebec French.[80] The show has been broadcast in Arabic, but due to Islamic customs, numerous aspects of the show have been changed. For example, Homer drinks soda instead of beer and eats Egyptian beef sausages instead of hot dogs. Because of such changes, the Arabized version of the series met with a negative reaction from the lifelong Simpsons fans in the area.[81]
=== Animation ===
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:David_Silverman_in_2007-cropped.JPG|right|thumb|Animation director David Silverman, who helped define the look of the show[27]
Several different U.S. and international studios animate The Simpsons. Throughout the run of the animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, the animation was produced domestically at Klasky Csupo.[25] With the debut of the series, because of an increased workload, Fox subcontracted production to several local and foreign studios.[25] These are AKOM,[82] Anivision,[83] Rough Draft Studios,[84] USAnimation,[85] and Toonzone Entertainment.[86]
For the first three seasons, Klasky Csupo animated The Simpsons in the United States. In 1992, the show's production company, Gracie Films, switched domestic production to Film Roman,[87] who continued to animate the show until 2016 when they were replaced by Fox Television Animation, which allowed the show to be made more in-house. In Season 14, production switched from traditional cel animation to digital ink and paint.[88] The first episode to experiment with digital coloring was "Radioactive Man" in 1995. Animators used digital ink and paint during production of the season 12 episode "Tennis the Menace", but Gracie Films delayed the regular use of digital ink and paint until two seasons later. The already completed "Tennis the Menace" was broadcast as made.[89]
The production staff at the U.S. animation studio, Film Roman, draws storyboards, designs new characters, backgrounds, props and draws character and background layouts, which in turn become animatics to be screened for the writers at Gracie Films for any changes to be made before the work is shipped overseas. The overseas studios then draw the inbetweens, ink and paint, and render the animation to tape before it is shipped back to the United States to be delivered to Fox three to four months later.[90]
The series began high-definition production in Season 20; the first episode, "Take My Life, Please", aired February 15, 2009. The move to HDTV included a new opening sequence.[91] Matt Groening called it a complicated change because it affected the timing and composition of animation.[92]
== Themes ==
Main articles: Media in The Simpsons, Politics in The Simpsons, and Religion in The Simpsons
The Simpsons uses the standard setup of a situational comedy, or sitcom, as its premise. The series centers on a family and their life in a typical American town,[11] serving as a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle.[93] However, because of its animated nature, The Simpsons' scope is larger than that of a regular sitcom. The town of Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. By having Homer work in a nuclear power plant, the show can comment on the state of the environment.[94] Through Bart and Lisa's days at Springfield Elementary School, the show's writers illustrate pressing or controversial issues in the field of education. The town features a vast array of television channels, which enables the producers to make jokes about the entertainment industry and the press.[95]
Some commentators say the show is political in nature and susceptible to a left-wing bias.[96] Al Jean acknowledged in an interview that "We [the show] are of liberal bent."[97] The writers often evince an appreciation for progressive leanings, but the show makes jokes across the political spectrum.[98] The show portrays government and large corporations as evil entities that take advantage of the common worker.[97] Thus, the writers often portray authority figures in an unflattering or negative light. In The Simpsons, politicians are corrupt, ministers such as Reverend Lovejoy are dismissive to churchgoers, and the local police force is incompetent.[99] Religion also figures as a recurring theme.[100] In times of crisis, the family often turns to God, and the show has dealt with most of the major religions.[101]
Sexuality is often a source of jokes in the series or serves as the theme of certain episodes. Even though homosexuals are sometimes sources of gags, the series often comments on how American society treats them, with "Homer's Phobia" devoting an entire episode to the family making a gay friend and Homer's initial hostility to him. In 1990, The Simpsons became the first animated early evening show to depict a kiss between two men in "Simpson and Delilah".
== Hallmarks ==
=== Opening sequence ===
Main article: The Simpsons opening sequence
The Simpsons' opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable hallmarks. The standard opening has gone through three iterations (a replacement of some shots at the start of the second season, and a brand new sequence when the show switched to high-definition in 2009).[102]
Each has the same basic sequence of events: the camera zooms through cumulus clouds, through the show's title towards the town of Springfield. The camera then follows the members of the family on their way home. Upon entering their house, the Simpsons settle down on their couch to watch television. The original opening was created by David Silverman, and was the first task he did when production began on the show.[103] The series' distinctive theme song was composed by musician Danny Elfman in 1989, after Groening approached him requesting a retro-style piece. This piece has been noted by Elfman as the most popular of his career.[104]
One of the most distinctive aspects of the opening is that three of its elements change from episode to episode: Bart writes different things on the school chalkboard,[103] Lisa plays different solos on her saxophone (or occasionally a different instrument), and different gags accompany the family as they enter their living room to sit on the couch.[105]
=== Halloween episodes ===
Main article: Treehouse of Horror
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bart_Night_Gallery.jpg|thumb|Bart Simpson introducing a segment of "Treehouse of Horror IV" in the manner of Rod Serling's Night Gallery
The special Halloween episode has become an annual tradition. "Treehouse of Horror" first broadcast in 1990 as part of season two and established the pattern of three separate, self-contained stories in each Halloween episode.[106] These pieces usually involve the family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting and often parody or pay homage to a famous piece of work in those genres.[107] They always take place outside the normal continuity of the show. Although the Treehouse series is meant to be seen on Halloween, this changed by the 2000s (and again in 2020), when new installments have premiered after Halloween due to Fox's current contract with Major League Baseball's World Series.[108] Prior to 2020 (between 2011 and 2019), every Treehouse of Horror episode had aired in October.
=== Humor ===
The show's humor turns on cultural references that cover a wide spectrum of society so that viewers from all generations can enjoy the show. Such references, for example, come from movies, television, music, literature, science, and history.[109] The animators also regularly add jokes or sight gags into the show's background via humorous or incongruous bits of text in signs, newspapers, billboards, and elsewhere. The audience may often not notice the visual jokes in a single viewing. Some are so fleeting that they become apparent only by pausing a video recording of the show or viewing it in slow motion.[110] Kristin Thompson argues that The Simpsons uses a "flurry of cultural references, intentionally inconsistent characterization, and considerable self-reflexivity about television conventions and the status of the programme as a television show."[111]
One of Bart's early hallmarks was his prank calls to Moe's Tavern owner Moe Szyslak where he asks for a gag name. Moe tries to find that person in the bar, but soon realizes it is a prank call and angrily threatens Bart. These calls were apparently based on a series of prank calls known as the Tube Bar recordings, though Groening has denied any causal connection.[112] Moe was based partly on Tube Bar owner Louis "Red" Deutsch, whose often profane responses inspired Moe's violent side.[113] As the series progressed, it became more difficult for the writers to come up with a fake name and to write Moe's angry response, and the pranks were dropped as a regular joke during the fourth season.[114][115] The Simpsons also often includes self-referential humor.[116] The most common form is jokes about Fox Broadcasting.[117] For example, the episode "She Used to Be My Girl" included a scene in which a Fox News Channel van drove down the street while displaying a large "Bush Cheney 2004" banner and playing Queen's "We Are the Champions", in reference to the 2004 U.S. presidential election and claims of conservative bias in Fox News.[118][119]
The show uses catchphrases, and most of the primary and secondary characters have at least one each.[120] Notable expressions include Homer's annoyed grunt "D'oh!", Mr. Burns' "Excellent" and Nelson Muntz's "Ha-ha!" Some of Bart's catchphrases, such as "¡Ay, caramba!", "Don't have a cow, man!" and "Eat my shorts!" appeared on T-shirts in the show's early days.[121] However, Bart rarely used the latter two phrases until after they became popular through the merchandising. The use of many of these catchphrases has declined in recent seasons. The episode "Bart Gets Famous" mocks catchphrase-based humor, as Bart achieves fame on the Krusty the Clown Show solely for saying "I didn't do it."[122]
==== Purported foreshadowing of actual events ====
The Simpsons has gained notoriety for jokes that appeared to become reality. Perhaps the most famous example comes from the episode "Bart to the Future", which mentions billionaire Donald Trump having been president of the United States at one time and leaving the nation broke.[123] The episode first aired in 2000, sixteen years before Trump (who at the time was exploring a presidential run) was elected.[124] Another episode, "When You Dish Upon a Star", lampooned 20th Century Fox as a division of The Walt Disney Company. Nineteen years later, Disney purchased Fox.[125] Other examples purported as The Simpsons predicting the future include the introduction of the Smartwatch, video chat services, autocorrection technology, Richard Branson's spaceflight,[126][127] Lady Gaga's acrobatic performance at the Super Bowl LI halftime show[128] and the Titan submersible implosion.[129]
Al Jean has commented on the show's purported ability to predict the future, explaining that they're really just "educated guesses" and stating that "if you throw enough darts, you're going to get some bullseyes."[130] Fact-checking sources such as Snopes have debunked many of the claimed prophecies, explaining that the show's extensive run means "a lot of jokes, and a lot of opportunities for coincidences to appear" and "most of these 'predictions' have rather simple and mundane explanations".[131] For example, the device shown on The Simpsons with autocorrection is an Apple Newton, a real 1993 device notorious for its poor handwriting recognition.[132] Technologically advanced watches have appeared in numerous works of fiction, decades before The Simpsons.[133]
== Influence and legacy ==
=== Idioms ===
A number of neologisms that originated on The Simpsons have entered popular vernacular.[134][135] Mark Liberman, director of the Linguistic Data Consortium, remarked, "The Simpsons has apparently taken over from Shakespeare and the Bible as our culture's greatest source of idioms, catchphrases and sundry other textual allusions."[135] The most famous catchphrase is Homer's annoyed grunt: "D'oh!" So ubiquitous is the expression that it is now listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, but without the apostrophe.[136] Dan Castellaneta says he borrowed the phrase from James Finlayson, an actor in many Laurel and Hardy comedies, who pronounced it in a more elongated and whining tone. The staff of The Simpsons told Castellaneta to shorten the noise, and it went on to become the well-known exclamation in the television series.[137]
Groundskeeper Willie's description of the French as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" was used by National Review columnist Jonah Goldberg in 2003, after France's opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq. The phrase quickly spread to other journalists.[135][138] "Cromulent" and "embiggen", words used in "Lisa the Iconoclast", have since appeared in the Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon,[139] and scientific journals respectively.[135][140] "Kwyjibo", a fake Scrabble word invented by Bart in "Bart the Genius", was used as one of the aliases of the creator of the Melissa worm.[141] "I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords", was used by Kent Brockman in "Deep Space Homer" and has become a snowclone,[142] with variants of the utterance used to express obsequious submission. It has been used in media, such as New Scientist magazine.[143] The dismissive term "Meh", believed to have been popularized by the show,[135][144][145] entered the Collins English Dictionary in 2008.[146] Other words credited as stemming from the show include "yoink" and "craptacular".[135]
The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations includes several quotations from the show. As well as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys", Homer's lines, "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is never try", from "Burns' Heir" (season five, 1994) as well as "Kids are the best, Apu. You can teach them to hate the things you hate. And they practically raise themselves, what with the Internet and all", from "Eight Misbehavin'" (season 11, 1999), entered the dictionary in August 2007.[147]
Many quotes/scenes have become popular Internet memes, including Jasper Beardley's quote "That's a paddlin'" from "The PTA Disbands" (season 6, 1995) and "Steamed Hams" from "22 Short Films About Springfield" (season 7, 1996).
=== Television ===
The Simpsons was the first successful animated program in American prime time since Wait Till Your Father Gets Home in the 1970s.[148] During most of the 1980s, US pundits considered animated shows as appropriate only for children, and animating a show was too expensive to achieve a quality suitable for prime-time television. The Simpsons changed this perception,[25] initially leading to a short period where networks attempted to recreate prime-time cartoon success with shows like Capitol Critters, Fish Police, and Family Dog, which were expensive and unsuccessful.[149] The Simpsons' use of Korean animation studios for tweening, coloring, and filming made the episodes cheaper. The success of The Simpsons and the lower production cost prompted US television networks to take chances on other adult animated series.[25] This development led US producers to a 1990s boom in new, animated prime-time shows for adults, such as Beavis and Butt-Head, South Park, Family Guy, King of the Hill, Futurama (which was created by Matt Groening), and The Critic (which was also produced by Gracie Films).[25] For Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, "The Simpsons created an audience for prime-time animation that had not been there for many, many years ... As far as I'm concerned, they basically re-invented the wheel. They created what is in many ways—you could classify it as—a wholly new medium."[150]
The Simpsons has had crossovers with four other shows. In the episode "A Star Is Burns", Marge invites Jay Sherman, the main character of The Critic, to be a judge for a film festival in Springfield. Matt Groening had his name removed from the episode since he had no involvement with The Critic.[151] South Park later paid homage to The Simpsons with the episode "Simpsons Already Did It".[152] In "Simpsorama", the Planet Express crew from Futurama come to Springfield in the present to prevent the Simpsons from destroying the future.[153] In the Family Guy episode "The Simpsons Guy", the Griffins visit Springfield and meet the Simpsons.[154]
The Simpsons has also influenced live-action shows like Malcolm in the Middle, which featured the use of sight gags and did not use a laugh track unlike most sitcoms.[155][156] Malcolm in the Middle debuted January 9, 2000, in the time slot after The Simpsons. Ricky Gervais called The Simpsons an influence on The Office,[157] and fellow British sitcom Spaced was, according to its director Edgar Wright, "an attempt to do a live-action The Simpsons."[158] In Georgia, the animated television sitcom The Samsonadzes, launched in November 2009, has been noted for its very strong resemblance with The Simpsons, which its creator Shalva Ramishvili has acknowledged.[159][160]
=== LGBT representation ===
See also: LGBT representation in The Simpsons
The Simpsons has historically been open to portrayals of LGBT characters and settings, and it has routinely challenged heteronormativity.[161][162] It was one of several animated television shows in the United States that began introducing characters that were LGBT, both openly and implied, in the 1990s.[161] While early episodes involving LGBT characters primarily included them through the use of stereotypes, The Simpsons developed several prominent LGBT characters over its run.[163] Producers of the show, such as Matt Groening and Al Jean, have expressed their opinion that LGBT representation in media is important, and that they seek to actively include it.[162][164] Some characters, such as Julio, were created with their sexual orientation in mind, with it being central to their character.[165] The show expanded its roster of openly LGBT characters through episodes in which prominent characters Patty Bouvier and Waylon Smithers came out in seasons 16 and 27, respectively.[166][167]
== Release ==
=== Broadcast ===
Main article: List of The Simpsons episodes
Season	Season 	No. of
episodes	Originally aired 	Originally aired	Originally aired	Viewership	Viewership 	Viewership
Season	Season 	No. of
episodes	Season premiere 	Season finale 	Time slot (ET) 	Avg. viewers
(in millions)	Most watched episode	Most watched episode
Season	Season 	No. of
episodes	Season premiere 	Season finale 	Time slot (ET) 	Avg. viewers
(in millions)	Viewers
(millions) 	Episode title
1 	1989–90 	13	December 17, 1989 	May 13, 1990 	Sunday 8:30 pm 	27.8 	33.5[168] 	"Life on the Fast Lane"
2 	1990–91 	22	October 11, 1990 	July 11, 1991 	Thursday 8:00 pm	24.4 	33.6[169] 	"Bart Gets an 'F'"
3 	1991–92 	24	September 19, 1991	August 27, 1992 	Thursday 8:00 pm	21.8 	25.5[170] 	"Colonel Homer"
4 	1992–93 	22	September 24, 1992	May 13, 1993 	Thursday 8:00 pm	22.4 	28.6[171] 	"Lisa's First Word"
5 	1993–94 	22	September 30, 1993	May 19, 1994 	Thursday 8:00 pm	18.9 	24.0[172] 	"Treehouse of Horror IV"
6 	1994–95 	25	September 4, 1994 	May 21, 1995 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	15.6 	22.2[173] 	"Treehouse of Horror V"
7 	1995–96 	25	September 17, 1995	May 19, 1996 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–24)
Sunday 8:30 pm (Episode 25)	15.1 	22.6[174] 	"Who Shot Mr. Burns? – Part II"
8 	1996–97 	25	October 27, 1996 	May 18, 1997 	Sunday 8:30 pm (Episodes 1–3)
Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 4–12, 14–25)
Friday 8:00 pm (Episode 13)[175]	14.5 	20.41[176] 	"The Springfield Files"
9 	1997–98 	25	September 21, 1997	May 17, 1998 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	15.3 	19.80[177] 	"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons"
10 	1998–99 	23	August 23, 1998 	May 16, 1999 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	13.5 	19.11[178] 	"Sunday, Cruddy Sunday"
11 	1999–2000	22	September 26, 1999	May 21, 2000 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	8.8 	19.16[179] 	"Faith Off"
12 	2000–01 	21	November 1, 2000 	May 20, 2001 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	15.5 	18.52[180] 	"HOMR"
13 	2001–02 	22	November 6, 2001 	May 22, 2002 	Tuesday 8:30 pm (Episode 1)
Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 2–20)
Sunday 7:30 pm (Episode 21)
Wednesday 8:00 pm (Episode 22)	12.5 	14.91[181] 	"The Parent Rap"
14 	2002–03 	22	November 3, 2002 	May 18, 2003 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–11, 13–21)
Sunday 8:30 pm (Episodes 12, 22)	14.4 	22.04[182] 	"I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can"
15 	2003–04 	22	November 2, 2003 	May 23, 2004 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	11.0 	16.30[183] 	"I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot"
16 	2004–05 	21	November 7, 2004 	May 15, 2005 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–7, 9–16, 18, 20)
Sunday 10:30 pm (Episode 8)
Sunday 8:30 pm (Episodes 17, 19, 21)	10.2 	23.07[184] 	"Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass"
17 	2005–06 	22	September 11, 2005	May 21, 2006 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	9.55 	11.66[185] 	"Treehouse of Horror XVI"
18 	2006–07 	22	September 10, 2006	May 20, 2007 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	9.15 	11.63[186] 	"The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer"
19 	2007–08 	20	September 23, 2007	May 18, 2008 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	8.37 	11.74[187] 	"Treehouse of Horror XVIII"
20 	2008–09 	21	September 28, 2008	May 17, 2009 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–7, 9–21)
Sunday 8:30 pm (Episode 8)	7.1 	12.40[188] 	"Treehouse of Horror XIX"
21 	2009–10 	23	September 27, 2009	May 23, 2010 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	7.1 	14.62[189] 	"Once Upon a Time in Springfield"
22 	2010–11 	22	September 26, 2010	May 22, 2011 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	7.09 	12.55[190] 	"Moms I'd Like to Forget"
23 	2011–12 	22	September 25, 2011	May 20, 2012 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	6.15[191] 	11.48[192] 	"The D'oh-cial Network"
24 	2012–13 	22	September 30, 2012	May 19, 2013 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–21)
Sunday 8:30 pm (Episode 22)	5.41[193] 	8.97[194] 	"Homer Goes to Prep School"
25 	2013–14 	22	September 29, 2013	May 18, 2014 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–11, 13–22)
Sunday 7:30 pm (Episode 12)	5.02[195] 	12.04[196] 	"Steal This Episode"
26 	2014–15 	22	September 28, 2014	May 17, 2015 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	5.61[197] 	10.62[198] 	"The Man Who Came to Be Dinner"
27 	2015–16 	22	September 27, 2015	May 22, 2016 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	4.0[199] 	8.33[200] 	"Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles"
28 	2016–17 	22	September 25, 2016	May 21, 2017 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	4.80[201] 	8.19[202] 	"Pork and Burns"
29 	2017–18 	21	October 1, 2017 	May 20, 2018 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	4.07[203] 	8.04[204] 	"Frink Gets Testy"
30 	2018–19 	23	September 30, 2018	May 12, 2019 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	3.10[205] 	8.20[206] 	"The Girl on the Bus"
31 	2019–20 	22	September 29, 2019	May 17, 2020 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	2.58[207] 	5.63[208] 	"Go Big or Go Homer"
32 	2020–21 	22	September 27, 2020	May 23, 2021 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–10, 12–22)
Sunday 9:00 pm
(Episode 11)	2.32[209] 	4.93[210] 	"Treehouse of Horror XXXI"
33 	2021–22 	22	September 26, 2021	May 22, 2022 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–10, 12–22)
Sunday 9:00 pm
(Episode 11)	2.25[211] 	3.97[212] 	"Portrait of a Lackey on Fire"
34 	2022–23 	22	September 25, 2022	May 21, 2023 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–8, 10–22)
Sunday 8:30 pm (Episode 9)	1.83[213] 	4.77[214] 	"From Beer to Paternity"
35 	2023–24 	18	October 1, 2023 	May 19, 2024 	Sunday 8:00 pm (Episodes 1–5, 7, 10–18)
Sunday 8:30 pm (Episodes 6, 8, 9)	1.99[215] 	5.41[216] 	"Do the Wrong Thing"
Category:1989 cartoons
Category:20th Century Fox Cartoons