The Simpsons

***The Simpsons*** is a long-running adult animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company.. The show was considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time

## Why It Rocks

1. Great animation in its purest form.
2. It's not only the longest-running show on FOX, but also the longest-running American animated show in general, having put out episodes non-stop since 1989. In addition, the show has been renewed to season 32.
3. Had crossovers with *Family Guy*, *The Critic* and *Futurama*.
4. Clever humor and writing.
5. Good voice acting.
6. Likable and memorable characters, especially Homer Simpson himself.
7. Each of the family members have a very distinct personality. Homer is the dim-witted but well-meaning dad, Marge is the loving mother, Bart is the troublemaking son, Lisa is the overachieving daughter, and Maggie is the silent member of the family.
8. Many, **MANY** hilarious and unforgettable running gags.
	* Sideshow Bob repeatedly trying to kill Bart Simpson after the events of *Krusty Gets Busted*.
	* A different kind of couch gag at the beginning of every episode.
	* Homer Simpson's famous and signature catchphrase, *"D'oh!"*.
	* The way Superintendant Chalmers says *"Skinner!"*.
	* *Itchy & Scratchy*, which parodies the violent cartoons of the early-to-mid 20th century.
	* Nelson's famous laugh.
9. Memorable opening theme.
10. It's sophisticated and generous in its humor.
11. Gives out a lot of good morals and lessons for viewers of all ages like "be careful what you wish for".
12. The episodes where The Simpsons travel around the world to other countries and other US states are great (all except for "Kill the Alligator and Run").
13. Loads of hilarious moments, funny couch gags, great stories and relatable pop-culture references like references to Dr. Seuss, South Park, Monty Python, Scooby-Doo, The Beatles, Nintendo, Looney Tunes, SpongeBob, Michael Jackson, Marvel, etc.
14. The "Treehouse of Horror" specials are funny, terrifying and unforgettable at the same time.
15. Gives us decent facts and real-life events about celebrities, politicians, etc.
16. Many supporting side characters (Lenny and Carl, Ned Flanders, Moe Szyslak, Krusty the Clown, Milhouse, Chief Wiggum etc.)
17. It also has a share of many entertaining antagonists (Mr. Burns, Sideshow Bob, Frank Grimes, Kang and Kodos).
18. The series was so popular that it had its own film adaptation in 2007.
19. Unlike most FOX shows, they take aim to jab at both the Democratic and Republican parties, depicting Republicans as corrupt warmongers and Democrats as brainless idiots. Not even presidents were safe from criticism, as Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton were subjected to mockery on the show.
20. *The Simpsons* had many famous celebrity guest stars in their episodes (Ringo Starr, Barry White, George Carlin, Leonard Nimoy, Mark Hamill, FOX owner Rupert Murdoch, Alec Baldwin, etc).

## Bad Qualities

1. On some occasions, the humor is done at the wrong time and barely makes sense.
2. Season 1 had pretty iffy animation.
3. The darker themed episodes are not for people who take life more seriously than most others.
4. Can overuse of pop-culture references at times, even in the pre-movie and post-movie seasons.
5. Patty and Selma's voices are pretty horrendous for women.
6. It's often argued that the show's quality went rapidly downhill after Seasons 9 or 10. All that's known is that *the series has been going downhill*TTSW since at least season 11, getting to the point where the show was mediocre at best longer than it was good. But this decline in quality is at least nowhere as horrible, not as offensive, not as unwatchable, nor was it as bad as how bad the Fairly OddParents got in 2016.
7. Some of the couch gags (whilst very enjoyable) can get pretty weird or outright disturbing (like the Don Hertzfeldt one in "Clown in the Dumps", which is disturbing, but in a good way).
8. They banned one of the early episodes called, "Stark Raving Dad", as Michael Jackson guest-starred, and allegations resurfaced in 2019 with the release of an HBO documentary.
9. Lisa can be an unlikable buzzkill at times.

## Trivia

* The show is a spin-off of a successful series of shorts on *The Tracey Ullman Show* from 1987 to 1989.
* The first episode (The Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire) was a Christmas special.
* "Some Enchanted Evening" was originally going to air as the first ever episode of the show on September 1989, but due to delays with said episode during production, the episode's plot had to be rewritten and pushed to a decade later. However, according to the original production order of season 1, it still remains to be the first episode.