Matt Groening - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS Writer | Producer | Animation Department Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Matt Groening did not particularly like school, which is what originally turned him towards drawing. In the mid-1980s, he moved to Los Angeles and started drawing a comic strip named "Life in Hell", which eventually became published in the newspaper where he worked. In 1988, James L. Brooks , looking for a filler in ... See full bio » Born: a list of 23 people created 08 Jun 2011 a list of 35 people created 22 Oct 2011 a list of 42 people created 27 May 2013 a list of 29 people created 03 Sep 2013 a list of 41 people created 07 Apr 2015 Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of Matt Groening's work have you seen? User Polls Won 12 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 wins & 31 nominations.

See more awards » Known For 2014 The Simpsons Take the Bowl (Video) (creator) / (creator) Futurama (TV Series) (created by - 124 episodes, 1999 - 2013) (developed by - 124 episodes, 1999 - 2013) (story by - 2 episodes, 2010) (written by - 1 episode, 1999) - Meanwhile (2013) ...

(creator) / (creator) 2007 The Simpsons Game (Video Game) (creator) 2007 The Simpsons Movie (based on the television series "The Simpsons" created by - uncredited) / (based on the television series "The Simpsons" developed by - uncredited) / (screenplay) 2003 Futurama (Video Game) (creator) / (creator) 1997 The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield (Video Game) (creator) 1994 Virtual Bart (Video Game) (characters - uncredited) 1987-1989 The Tracey Ullman Show (TV Series) (written by - 4 episodes) - Episode #3.21 (1989) ... (written by - segment "Psychiatric Hour") - Episode #2.19 (1988) ... (written by - segment "Fear") - Episode #2.7 (1987) ...

(written by - segment "Space Patrol") 1987 The Simpsons: Good Night (TV Short) (creator) / (screenwriter) Hide Untitled Matt Groening Project (TV Series) (executive producer) ( pre-production ) 1989-2017 The Simpsons (TV Series) (executive producer - 603 episodes) 2016 Planet of the Couches (TV Movie) (executive producer) 2015 Trumptastic Voyage (TV Movie) (executive producer - uncredited) 2013 Futurama Live! (TV Series short) (executive producer) 1999-2013 Futurama (TV Series) (executive producer - 124 episodes) - Meanwhile (2013) ... (executive producer) 1990 Do the Bartman (TV Short) (executive producer) Hide 1999-2013 Futurama (TV Series) (original character designer - 124 episodes) - Meanwhile (2013) ...

(original character designer) 2007 The Simpsons Movie (original character designer - uncredited) 2003 Futurama (Video Game) (original character designer - uncredited) 2000 CyberWorld (Short) (original character designer - uncredited) 1987 The Tracey Ullman Show (TV Series) (animator) Hide 1996 The Simpsons: Cartoon Studio (Video Game) (creative consultant) 1994 Virtual Bart (Video Game) (original characters: The Simpsons - uncredited) 2003 The Pitts (TV Series) Bank teller Soundtrack (4 credits) The Simpsons (TV Series) (lyrics - 2 episodes, 2015 - 2017) (writer - 2 episodes, 2015 - 2017) (arranger - 1 episode, 1993) - Pork and Burns (2017) ... (lyrics: "Spider Pig" - uncredited) / (writer: "Spider Pig" - uncredited) - Puffless (2015) ...

(lyrics: "Spider Pig" - uncredited) / (writer: "Spider Pig" - uncredited) - $pringfield (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) (1993) ...

(arranger: "Jingle Bells" - uncredited) 2007 The Simpsons Movie (lyrics: "Spider Pig", "Springfield Anthem") / (writer: "Spider Pig", "Springfield Anthem") 1999 Olive, the Other Reindeer (TV Movie) (writer: "The Days Still Remaining 'Til Christmas", "Christmas...Bah, Bug and Hum", "We're Not Really Bad At All", "Merry Christmas, After All") 1991 Deep Deep Trouble (TV Movie) (writer: "Deep Deep Trouble") Hide 1989 The Simpsons: Family Therapy (TV Short) (animation sound effects) Hide 2014 Santiago Violenta (inspirational thanks) 2014 Family Guy (TV Series) (special thanks - 1 episode) 1996 The Simpsons: Cartoon Studio (Video Game) (very special thanks) 1994 The Simpsons (TV Series) (acknowledgement - 1 episode) - Another Simpson Clip Show (1994) ...

(acknowledgement: writing contribution) 1991 Peefeeyatko (Documentary) (special thanks) Hide 2010 Comic-Con 2010 Live (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2010 The Simpsons: Celebrity Friends (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2010 The Simpsons: Mischief & Mayhem (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2010 The Simpsons: Access All Areas (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2008 Comic-Con '08 Live (TV Movie) Himself 2008 New Heroes of Comedy (TV Series documentary) Himself 2008 Caiga quien caiga (TV Series) Himself 2007 'Futurama' Returns (Video documentary short) Fan #3 (voice, uncredited) 2007 Charlie Rose (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2007 Comic-Con 2007 Live (TV Movie) Himself 2007 The Culture Show (TV Series documentary) Himself 2007 Cinetipp (TV Series documentary) Himself 2007 The Daily Show (TV Series) Himself 2007 Bob & Doug McKenzie's Two-F

our Anniversary (TV Movie documentary) Himself (uncredited) 2006 Movie Rush (TV Series documentary) Himself 2005 100 Greatest Cartoons (TV Special documentary) Himself 2002 Futurama Featurette (Video documentary short) Himself 2000 Great Performances (TV Series) Himself 2000 The Beatles Revolution (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2000 'The Simpsons': America's First Family (TV Special documentary) Himself 2000 My Wasted Life (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2000 The Big Breakfast (TV Series) Himself 2015 Some Jerk with a Camera (TV Series documentary) Himself Personal Details Other Works: 10 Interviews | 5 Articles | 1 Magazine Cover Photo | See more » Alternate Names: Bat Groaning | Bat Groening | Brat Groening | Mad Matt Groening | Mad Groening | Malevolent Matt Groening | Matt ''Mildly Frightening'' Groening | Matt ''Scary Nickname'' Groening | Matt 'Count Chocula' Groening | Matt 'El Monstro' Groening | Matt 'Funk Lord of USA' Groening |

 Matt 'Grave-Robbin' Groening | Matt 'Griddlecakes' Groening | Matt 'Merchandising' Groening | Matt 'Monstroso' Groening | Matt 'Mr Spooky' Groening | Matt 'Scary Nickname' Groening | Morbid Matt Groening | Mummified Matt Groening | Rat Groening | Wotsa Matta U.

Groening | Matt Gruesome | Bat Groin Injury | Matt Groin Injury | Grat Moaning | The Rock Bottom Remainders Height: Did You Know? Personal Quote: The history of television has traditionally been not to do anything that would scandalize Grandma or upset Junior. Our solution on The Simpsons is to do jokes that people who have an education, or some frame of reference, can get. And for the ones who don't, it doesn't matter, because we have Homer banging his head and saying, "D'oh!". See more » Trivia: Despite the fact that there are many "Star Trek" references on both The Simpsons (1989) and Futurama (1999), he claims to have never seen a complete episode of Star Trek (1966). See more » Trademark: Cartoon characters with overbites See more » Star Sign: The Simpsons | Simpsons Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Dolby Digital 5.1 (2009–present) Original Run December 17, 1989 – present The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and produced by the Fox Broadcasting Company .

The main characters are a satire of a working-class family, consisting of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The series lampoons many aspects of American culture, society, politics and history. The cartoon made its debut as 60-second animated bumpers for the The Tracey Ullman Show, with the first short airing on April 19, 1987. The shorts were then expanded into a full-length 30-minute television spin-off by 20th Century Fox, first airing on December 17, 1989. As of 2016, 27 seasons of the series have been produced, with the 28th season premiered on September 25, 2016. The series currently holds the record for the longest-running prime-time sitcom in the US, running for 27 years since 1989, and becoming the longest-running program on FOX. Contents Main article: History of The Simpsons The Simpsons were conceived in the lobby of James L.

Brooks ' office by Matt Groening .He was asked to do a series of animated shorts, and decided to do his Life in Hell series; but since he realized that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding of publication rights for his life's work, he chose another approach and formulated his version of a dysfunctional family. He named the characters after his own family, and substituted Bart for his own name; as it was an anagram of 'brat'. The Original Simpsons: Left to Right, Maggie , Lisa , Marge , Homer and Bart . The Simpsons first appeared to the world on April 19, 1987 on The Tracey Ullman Show . Groening submitted crudely drawn sketches of the family to the animators, assuming they would clean them up in production. However, the animators just re-traced over his drawings; that is why the Simpsons appear crudely drawn in the shorts. UK: 20th Century Fox. In 1989, a team of production companies adapted the Simpsons into a half-hour primetime series for FOX.

FOX was initially nervous to air the Simpsons, as there hasn't been a cartoon in primetime since The Flintstones, and that they were unsure if they could keep the audience's attention for the duration of the episode. They proposed doing three seven-minute shorts and four specials until the audience adjusted, but the producers gambled for thirteen half-hour episodes for the series. The Simpsons was originally to premiere in the fall of 1989, with " Some Enchanted Evening ," but when the episode came back from animation in Korea, it had major, major problems with it. James L. Brooks was extremely dissatisfied with the product and called for many parts of the episode to be redone. The producers then agreed to just go ahead and air " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire ," on December 17, 1989 as a Christmas Special. Production Executive Producers Through the entire show's history, Matt Groening and James L. Brooks have served as the show's executive producers. Sam Simon was also in this position, although not credited. When Simon left in 1993, he arranged a deal to be credited as executive producer as well as get profits even though he no longer works on the show.

Writers The first team of writers for The Simpsons was assembled by Sam Simon. These were: John Swartzwelder , Jon Vitti , George Meyer , Jeff Martin , Al Jean , Mike Reiss , Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky . Newer Simpsons writing teams usually have 16 writers and episode ideas are thought of and proposed in early December. The main writer writes the first draft and the group changes it, adding in jokes and removing parts they don't like. This can sometimes change a script entirely. Up until 2004, the head of these groups was George Meyer , who apparently wrote a lot of the best lines from episodes. But the idea of all this came from the magic hand of Matt Groening who invented the pictures Voice Actors Mr. Burns , Smithers , Ned Flanders , Rev. Lovejoy , Kent Brockman , Dr. Hibbert , Lenny , Principal Skinner , Otto , Rainier Wolfcastle , and many others. Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner were already members of The Tracey Ullman Show .

Rather than hire more actors for voices for the Simpsons animated shorts, the producers asked both Castellaneta and Kavner to provide the voices of characters Homer and Marge . Yeardley Smith originally wanted to play the role of Bart , but the producers found her voice too "girlish". Instead, she was given the role of Bart 's sister, Lisa Simpson . Bart was voiced by Nancy Cartwright , who originally auditioned for the role of Lisa but chose to be the voice of Bart instead after finding out that Lisa had a lack of personality at the time, while the character of Bart was "devious, underachieving, school-hating, irreverent, and clever". Hank Azaria was a voice actor for the short-lived cartoon "Hollywood Dog" at the time. The casting director of the cartoon was also casting director of The Simpsons, and Hank signed up for the role of Moe Szyslak . Later, he voiced several other characters, including Chief Wiggum and Apu . Harry Shearer was reluctant to be a voice actor on the show but was convinced by James L.

Brooks to join the cast "after three phone calls." The Main Characters Homer Simpson is the main protagonist of The Simpsons franchise and film. He is a loving, lazy, fun-spirited and thrill seeking man with three mischivieous children that go on crazy adventures with his family and works at a power plant. Marge Simpson is the deuteroagonist of The Simpsons franchise and film. She is a motherly, hard working woman that is the wife of Homer and the mother of Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Bart Simpson , Lisa Simpson , and Maggie Simpson are the tritagonists of The Simpsons franchise and film. Bart is a mischievous boy that loves pulling pranks on his close friends and loved ones and has a hidden alter ego called El Barto. Lisa is the smartest and sweetest child of her other two siblings. Maggie is the youngest sibling and a very adorable, sweet but sometimes violent baby. Abraham Simpson II is the tetartaginist of The Simpsons franchise and film. He is the father of Homer and his other siblings, the father-in-law of Marge Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson. Charles Montgomery Burns and Waylon Smithers, Jr.

are the main antagonists and at times anti-heroes of The Simpsons franchise. Mr. Burns is the rich, snobbish employer/rival of Homer Simpson and Waylon Smithers is his second-in-command. The Terwilliger family are the secondary antagonists of The Simpsons series and the archenemies of The Simpson family and they are a family of homicidal maniacs who want to kill the son of the family, Bart Simpson . Kodos and Kang are the tertiary antagonists of The Simpsons series who are aliens that want to take over the world and destroy it and enslave the human race. Nelson Muntz is the quinary antagonist of The Simpsons series and film. He is the bully and archrival of Bart Simpson who is known for bullying Bart and his laugh. Ad Gallery Characters All characters from The Simpsons The Simpsons are a typical family who live in a fictional Middle American town of Springfield. [1] Homer, the father, works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant , homer simpson is pronouned for being lazy and untidy as he is not a perfect role model to bart. position at odds with his careless, buffoonish personality.

He is married to Marge Simpson, a stereotypical American housewife and mother. They have three children: Bart, a ten-year-old troublemaker; Lisa, a precocious eight-year-old activist; and Maggie , a baby who rarely speaks, but communicates by sucking on a pacifier. The show continuously resets time so the characters have the same amount of age. The family owns a dog, Santa's Little Helper , and a cat, Snowball V , renamed Snowball II in " I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot ". Both pets have had starring roles in several episodes. Despite the passing of yearly milestones such as holidays or birthdays, the Simpsons do not physically age and still appear just as they did at the end of the 1980s. 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. [2] The show includes an array of quirky characters: co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople and local celebrities. The creators originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokesters 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 "Second City Television". [3] Homer Add a photo to this gallery Setting The show mainly takes place in the fictional town of Springfield , which was partially based on Matt Groening 's hometown of Portland, Oregon , [4] but according to the producers, it was supposed to represent any town in the United States of America. The state that Springfield is in located is never mentioned in the series, a fact that has become an joke throughout the series. David Silverman once jokingly claimed that the state was "North Takoma". This may have been so during one scene when the Simpsons' car is visible from the rear, and that state's registration tag reads "NT". [5] Hallmarks See also Couch gag , Chalkboard gag , Billboard gag The opening sequence is one of the most memorable hallmarks and running jokes of the series. The opening sequence differs from episode to episode. Prior to the show's transition to HD format, three elements of the opening sequence constantly change: a Chalkboard gag, Lisa's saxophone solo, and a Couch gag.

The Chalkboard gag involves Bart writing a sentence repeatedly on a chalkboard at Springfield Elementary , and the Couch gag involves the Simpsons family sitting on the couch in the living room, usually accompanied with a visual joke, i.e. the couch turning into a giant octopus and eating the entire family. Lisa's saxophone solo in the opening sequence is different each episode. After the show's transition to HD format, the opening sequence was changed heavily to fit the new format, including the addition of many recurring characters into the sequence. An additional gag was added: a Billboard, which changes each episode. Seasons The real life Simpsons: The Groening family tree - Telegraph TV and Radio The real life Simpsons: The Groening family tree Simpsons creator Matt Groening named his cartoon family after members of his own. Explore our interactive family tree to see where reality and Springfield collide. By Alice Vincent , Entertainment writer. Graphic by Mark Oliver 7:46PM BST 09 May 2013 When Margaret Groening died at the end of April, her son's tribute to her in a local paper ignited interest from Simpsons fans. Margaret, who was 94, was the mother of Matt, the man behind hit cartoon The Simpsons.

His obituary in The Oregonian remembered a woman who loved Double-Crostics puzzles and the Oregon Symphony orchestra, but also a mother to Lisa and Maggie, and wife to Homer. Last year Matt Groening discussed how he named his famously yellow family during an interview with the Smithsonian magazine, saying he "basically drew [his] own family". Had he known what a success The Simpsons would become, he said, "he wouldn’t have subjected my family to the humiliation of having some of the characters named after them." However, the families are now intertwined - click on our infographic to see how. ‘Simpsons’ and ‘Family Guy’ creators Matt Groening and Seth MacFarlane talk crossover episode, movies, rivalry – EW.com EW: We have Duff beer right over there. Are we allowed to crack that open? GROENING: That is unauthorized beer. The real beer is coming out. Real Duff beer. EW: Is Pawtucket Patriot Ale coming? MACFARLANE: I had heard something about it, but I don’t know if it’s happening. GROENING: What? You don’t have your own beer? MACFARLANE: They don’t trust me around alcohol.

GROENING: The show has got to have its own beer, man! That’s when you know you’ve made it! MACFARLANE: I know. We have to follow in the footsteps of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Ale. EW: What do you remember thinking the first time you saw each other’s show? MACFARLANE: [Pointing at Groening] His show redirected the course of where I wanted my professional life to go. I wanted to be a Disney animator, and then The Simpsons came out, and in every way—writing-wise, production-wise, timing-wise, animation-wise—it just rewrote the rulebook. Suddenly I was laughing out loud at cartoons. We all love the Bugs Bunny cartoons and the Road Runner cartoons, and you acknowledge how great they are and how hilarious they are, but how often are you really laughing? The Simpsons made me laugh. I was doing stand-up at the time and I loved it, and I thought, “It’s too bad there isn’t a way to do adult humor in cartoons.” And they just opened that door for everybody.

That show came out and I remember thinking, “Oh my God, this is what I want to do.” It’s like All in the Family. It’s that degree of altering the landscape. GROENING: And I had gotten into animation because of Family Guy. It’s the exact same story! [Laughs] In my mind, growing up, watching animation, I didn’t think there would ever be anything good, because it just seemed like in the history of TV animation, things got worse and worse. There were some good shows [when I was] growing up, but then in the ‘70s and ‘80s, animation just got so bad on TV, for the most part. MACFARLANE: You guys literally single-handedly reversed that trend. GROENING: I saw the pilot episode of Dennis the Menace, and I was so excited that there was a show about a menace that had an animated opening of him as a cyclone a la the Tasmanian Devil. I thought “Oh my god! A kid that I can relate to!” And then it was Jay North and he’s a nice guy… and he had a slingshot in his back pocket, but he never used it.

The feeling I got from watching that cyclone in the opening title, that’s what I wanted to see on TV. So, when I got a chance in 1987 to do cartoons for The Tracey Ullman Show, I was originally going to do the Life In Hell rabbits—I’d been drawing this comic strip. Then I thought, “You know, bunnies… it’s not going to make it. It’s gotta be humans.” MACFARLANE: He never once used the slingshot? GROENING: Oh, I don’t know. Maybe he did. MACFARLANE: I used to get pissed when I watched Silver Spoons that he never played the video games. EW: That was such a cool home arcade. MACFARLANE: He had, like, Dragon’s Lair, and he just never went near them. It didn’t occur to me, “Oh, that would not be a good episode of television just watching a kid play…” GROENING: See, now, I think this is the major difference between us. My reference is to the 1960s and yours is… I don’t even know what Silver Spoons is.

It’s ‘80s, right? I didn’t watch TV in the ‘80s. That’s why I never get your show. (They laugh.) MACFARLANE: Believe me, you’re just fine. Don’t go looking for Silver Spoons. That way lies madness. EW: So, Matt, you see Seth’s show for the first time. What are your thoughts? GROENING: Here’s the thing: You understand that there are shows that come in your footsteps, right? But generally they’re on a competitive network. MACFARLANE: That’s one thing we’ve always tried to do, is come in The Simpsons’ footsteps. GROENING: No, no, wait! Let me back up. First of all, I thought if The Simpsons hit—and I thought it would be a hit—my worry was that adults wouldn’t watch because it’s a cartoon and there were no good cartoons on for adults. When that hit, I knew there would be new shows following, and ultimately there are all these shows out there now that are creator-driven—that is, they’re a vision of somebody who can draw.

It’s amazing what’s happening in animation now… But getting to Seth, my first take was: Oh my God, we got competition. And they’re outflanking us. This show is wilder and harsher and nastier. We used to get in trouble. We used to be the cause of the downfall of the United States. MACFARLANE: I remember what used to make people mad when The Simpsons first came out was that Bart is talking disrespectfully to his parents. Remember the outrage? GROENING: We got in trouble for Bart wearing an “Underachiever and Proud of It, Man” T-shirt. That’s because cartoons up until The Simpsons had been aimed at children. One of the smartest things that we did was insist that it’s for adults, with the idea that there are a lot of smart kids out there who will get jokes that grown-ups get. Anyway, so for a little while, we were like: We gotta chase your tail! Then you got canceled. Phew! MACFARLANE: [Laughs] So everything worked out. GROENING: You guys have completely your own style. At the very beginning you were accused of copying us, and we were accused of copying you.

So I stopped watching your show just because I didn’t want it to be in my head. MACFARLANE: I’m the first person to say, stylistically, absolutely, we took 100 cues from The Simpsons. Look at when All in the Family came out. Suddenly it created a whole new style of doing things. The timing style of Family Guy was directly influenced by The Simpsons because it worked. They cracked that nut. EW: Let’s talk about where your pop-culture influences intersect on a Venn diagram, whether it’s your love of a cartoon or classic comedy like All in the Family. GROENING: (to MacFarlane) Well, I’ve heard you talk about All in the Family a lot. Of course, that was big for me. MACFARLANE: I’m such a huge fan of Jackie Gleason. At least with Peter, I always catch myself from time to time slipping into those cadences. But I will say one of the other things—and we forget this—that The Simpsons made acceptable was using actual pop-culture references in their real form….In a way, it made those characters feel like they were more in the real world than anyone on TV.

Why I remember this, I have no f—ing clue. I remember seeing an episode of Kate & Allie where Susan St. James made a reference to Punky Brewster. And I was like, “How do you know about other TV shows? You’re on a TV show!” It occurred to me that that’s strange. And yet it oddly makes the characters seem like they’re not in this fictionalized TV land; they’re in the same world that I’m in. That was something I noticed when The Simpsons came out. EW: The Simpsons showed its characters watching TV. GROENING: You know where that came from? As a kid, watching the movie 101 Dalmatians, the puppies were watching a Western on TV and they’re watching a commercial and I went, “Oh my god! The cartoon dogs are watching TV just like I do!” The idea of a cartoon within a cartoon, that’s something that always stuck with me. Itchy & Scratchy—we have to take it one step further. I want Itchy & Scratchy to watch a cartoon. But we haven’t done that…. As a kid, I said, “The Munsters and The Addams Family—they should get together!

Pugsley Addams and Eddie Munster—(to MacFarlane) sort of our counterparts—should be pals!” So, in a way, the Family Guy–Simpsons crossover—that’s going to blow some minds. SM: It’ll cause some problems. (They laugh.) Show Full Article The Simpsons - Season 1 Reviews - Metacritic Starring: Hank Azaria , Harry Shearer , Harry Shearer Summary: Originally created by cartoonist Matt Groening, "Our Favorite Family," has graced the small screen in one form or another for over 20 years. The Simpson family first appeared on television as the subjects of interstitial "shorts" on The Tracey Ullman Show in April of 1987. The SimpsonsOriginally created by cartoonist Matt Groening, "Our Favorite Family," has graced the small screen in one form or another for over 20 years. The Simpson family first appeared on television as the subjects of interstitial "shorts" on The Tracey Ullman Show in April of 1987.

The Simpsons remained a staple on The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons until they premiered in their own half-hour series, on December 17, 1989. With the help of Jim Brooks and Sam Simon, Matt Groening's cartoon family turned into an instant success. Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general. Currently in its 21st season, The Simpsons has piled up over 440 episodes, over 20 Emmy Awards, a handful of music albums, countless endorsements and merchandise, and even made the jump to the silver screen in the summer of 2007 with The Simpsons Movie.

And according to Matt Groening, "There is no end in sight."… Expand Genre(s): Comedy, Animation Season 1 premiere date: Dec 17, 1989 Episode Length: 30 Matt Groening - TV.com Matt Groening EDIT Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Matt Groening did not take a particular interest in school, which is what originaly turned him towards drawing.

In the mid-1980' s, Matt Groening moved to Los Angeles and started drawing a comic strip named "Life in Hell" which eventually became published in… more Credits S 5: Ep 6 Fashion 2/12/15 S 6: Ep 11 Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences 8/26/10 S 2: Ep 6 Scary Surf & Turf 5/12/10 S 21: Ep 1 Homer the Whopper 9/27/09 S 15: Ep 17 My Big Fat Geek Wedding 4/18/04 S 12: Ep 91 Matt Groening 7/18/07 S 56: Ep 144 July 19, 2007 7/19/06 S 35: Ep 17 Chuck Jones: Mr Bugs Bunny 11/17/01 S 3: Ep 10 Glen Campbell 10/9/96 S 29: Ep 180 Show #4410 9/26/91

 S 2: Ep 21 Marketing & Merchandising 2/28/91 S 9: Ep 120 Show #1379 10/26/90 S 8: Ep 148 Show #1233 12/12/89 S 1: Ep 1 Olive, the Other Reindeer 12/17/99 S 1: Ep 1 Space Pilot 3000 3/28/99 S 7: Ep 21 22 Short Films About Springfield 4/14/96 S 3: Ep 20 Colonel Homer 3/26/92 S 1: Ep 13 Some Enchanted Evening 5/13/90 S 1: Ep 8 The Telltale Head 2/25/90 Executive in Charge of Production (2) Role S 1: Ep 1 Olive, the Other Reindeer 12/17/99 S 2: Ep 22 Blood Feud 7/11/91 S 2: Ep 20 The

 War of the Simpsons 5/2/91 S 2: Ep 19 Lisa's Substitute 4/25/91 S 2: Ep 18 Brush with Greatness 4/11/91 S 6: Ep 2 In-a-Gadda-Da-Leela 6/24/10 S 6: Ep 1 Rebirth 6/24/10 S 23: Ep 14 At Long Last Leave 2/19/12 S 23: Ep 1 The Falcon and the D'ohman 9/25/11 S 2: Ep 7 Bart vs.

Thanksgiving 11/22/90 S 2: Ep 6 Dead Putting Society 11/15/90 S 3: Ep 5 Amazon Women in the Mood 2/4/01 S 3: Ep 4 Parasites Lost 1/21/01 S 1: Ep 1 Space Pilot 3000 3/28/99 S 10: Ep 16 Make Room for Lisa 2/28/99 S 4: Ep 17 Last Exit to Springfield 3/11/93 S 4: Ep 16 Duffless 2/18/93 S 4: Ep 15 I Love Lisa 2/11/93 S 4: Ep 14 Brother From the Same Planet 2/4/93 S 2: Ep 7 Bart vs.

Thanksgiving 11/22/90 S 2: Ep 6 Dead Putting Society 11/15/90 S 2: Ep 5 Dancin' Homer 11/8/90 S 2: Ep 2 Simpson and Delilah 10/18/90 S 23: Ep 14 At Long Last Leave 2/19/12 S 23: Ep 1 The Falcon and the D'ohman 9/25/11 S 3: Ep 5 Homer Defined 10/17/91 S 2: Ep 7 Bart vs.

Thanksgiving 11/22/90 S 2: Ep 6 Dead Putting Society 11/15/90 S 3: Ep 5 Amazon Women in the Mood 2/4/01 S 3: Ep 4 Parasites Lost 1/21/01 S 1: Ep 1 Space Pilot 3000 3/28/99 S 23: Ep 14 At Long Last Leave 2/19/12 S 23: Ep 1 The Falcon and the D'ohman 9/25/11 S 2: Ep 7 Bart vs.

Thanksgiving 11/22/90 S 2: Ep 6 Dead Putting Society 11/15/90 S 2: Ep 5 Dancin' Homer 11/8/90 S 3: Ep 5 Amazon Women in the Mood 2/4/01 S 3: Ep 4 Parasites Lost 1/21/01 S 1: Ep 1 Space Pilot 3000 3/28/99 Become a contributor Important: You must only upload images which you have created yourself or that you are expressly authorised or licensed to upload. By clicking "Publish", you are confirming that the image fully complies with TV.com’s Terms of Use and that you own all rights to the image or have authorization to upload it. Please read the following before uploading Do not upload anything which you do not own or are fully licensed to upload. The images should not contain any sexually explicit content, race hatred material or other offensive symbols or images. Remember: Abuse of the TV.com image system may result in you being banned from uploading images or from the entire site – so, play nice and respect the rules!

Choose background: The Simpsons - Wikisimpsons, the Simpsons Wiki The Simpsons This article is about TV series. For other uses, see The Simpsons (disambiguation) . The Simpsons Dolby Digital 5.1 (2009–present) Website: The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening and produced by the Fox Broadcasting Company . The main characters are a satire of a working class family , consisting of lazy family father, Homer , hard working stay-at-home mother, Marge and their three children, troublemaker, Bart , charismatic Lisa , and pacifier-sucking Maggie . The series lampoons many aspects of American culture, history, politics, and society. The cartoon made its debut as 60 second animated bumpers for the The Tracey Ullman Show , with the first short airing on April 19, 1987 . The shorts were then expanded into a full length 30 minute television spin-off by 20th Century Fox , first airing on December 17, 1989 . As of January 2017 , 27 seasons have aired and its twenty-eighth season is currently airing.

The series currently holds the record for the longest running primetime sitcom in the history of television, running for 27 years since 1989, the most guest stars , and becoming the longest running program on FOX. The Simpsons is also the most popular show on the Internet, with the most Facebook fans compared to other shows [1] . Contents Main article: History The Simpson family were conceived in the lobby of James L. Brooks ' office by Matt Groening. He was asked to do a series of animated shorts, and decided to do his Life in Hell series; but since he realized that animating Life in Hell would cause Fox to gain the copyright, so he chose another approach and formulated his version of a dysfunctional family. He named the characters after his own family, and substituted Bart for his own name; as it was an anagram of "brat". The original Simpson family as seen on The Tracy Ullman Show : Left to right, Maggie , Lisa , Marge , Homer and Bart . The Simpsons first appeared to the world on April 19, 1987 on The Tracey Ullman Show .

Matt Groening submitted crudely drawn sketches of the family to the animators, assuming they would clean them up in production. However, the animators just re-traced over his drawings; that is why The Simpsons appear crudely drawn in the shorts. In 1989, a team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour primetime series, for the FOX Broadcasting Company. FOX was initially nervous to air The Simpsons; as there hasn't been a cartoon in primetime since The Flintstones , and that they were unsure if they could keep the audience's attention for the duration of the episode. They proposed doing three seven-minute shorts and four specials until the audience adjusted, but the producers gambled for thirteen half-hour episodes for the series. The Simpsons was originally to premiere in the fall of 1989; with " Some Enchanted Evening ," but when the episode came back from animation in Korea, it had major, major problems with it. James L. Brooks was extremely dissatisfied with the product and called for many parts of the episode to be redone.

The producers then decided to just go ahead and air " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire ," on December 17, 1989 as a Christmas Special. Executive Producers[ edit ] Through the entire show's history, Matt Groening and James L. Brooks have served as the show's executive producers. Sam Simon was also in this position, although not credited. When Simon left in 1993, he arranged a deal to be credited as executive producer as well as get profits even though he no longer works on the show. Writers[ edit ] The first team of writers for The Simpsons were assembled by Sam Simon. These were: John Swartzwelder , Jon Vitti , George Meyer , Jeff Martin , Al Jean , Mike Reiss , Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky . Newer Simpsons writing teams usually have 16 writers and episode ideas are thought of and proposed in early December. The main writer writes the first draft and the group changes it, adding in jokes and removing parts they don't like. This can sometimes change a script entirely. Up until 2004, the head of these groups was George Meyer , who apparently wrote a lot of the best lines from episodes.

But the idea of all this came from the magic hand of Matt Groening who invented the pictures Characters[ edit ] The Simpsons are a typical family who live in a fictional Middle American town of Springfield. [3] 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 Simpson, a stereotypical American housewife and mother. They have three children: Bart, a ten-year-old troublemaker; Lisa, a precocious eight-year-old activist; and Maggie , a baby who rarely speaks, but communicates by sucking on a pacifier. The family owns a dog, Santa's Little Helper , and a cat, Snowball V , renamed Snowball II in " I, (Annoyed Grunt)-bot ". Both pets have had starring roles in several episodes. Despite the passing of yearly milestones such as holidays or birthdays, the Simpsons do not physically age and still appear just as they did at the end of the 1980s. 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.

[4] The show includes an array of quirky characters: co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople and local celebrities. The creators originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokesters 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 "Second City Television". [5] Homer Setting[ edit ] Springfield The show takes place in the fictional town of Springfield , which was partially based on Matt Groening 's hometown of Portland, Oregon , [6] but according to the producers, it was supposed to represent any town in the United States of America. The state that Springfield is in located is never mentioned in the series, a fact that has become an joke throughout the series. David Silverman once jokingly claimed that the state was "North Takoma". This may have been so during one scene when the Simpsons' car is visible from the rear, and that state's registration tag reads "NT". [7] See also Couch gag , Chalkboard gag , Billboard gag The opening sequence is one of the most memorable hallmarks and running jokes of the series.

The opening sequence differs from episode to episode. Prior to the show's transition to HD format, three elements of the opening sequence constantly change: a Chalkboard gag, Lisa's saxophone solo, and a couch gag. The Chalkboard gag involves Bart writing a sentence repeatedly on a chalkboard at Springfield Elementary , and the couch gag involves the Simpsons family sitting on the couch in the living room, usually accompanied with a visual joke, i.e. the couch turning into a giant octopus and eating the entire family. Lisa's saxophone solo in the opening sequence is different each episode. After the show's transition to HD format, the opening sequence was changed heavily to fit the new format, including the addition of many recurring characters into the sequence. 2 additional gags were added: a Billboard which changes each episode, and sometimes a sequence with various gags in the sky. Matt Groening | Simpsons Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Sisters: Lisa , Maggie , Patricia Matthew Abraham Groening (pronounced GREY-ning) is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell and television series The Simpsons and Futurama . Groening made his first professional cartoon sale of Life in Hell to the avant-garde Wet magazine in 1978.

The cartoon is still carried in 250 weekly newspapers. The Simpsons is his most successful subject. Life in Hell caught the attention of James L. Brooks . In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with the proposition of working in animation for the FOX variety show The Tracey Ullman Show . Originally, Brooks wanted Groening to adapt his Life in Hell characters for the show. Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening decided to create something new and came up with a cartoon family, the Simpsons , and named the members after his own parents and sisters — while Bart was an anagram of the word brat. The shorts would be spun off into their own series: The Simpsons, which has since aired over 550 episodes in 26 seasons. In 1997, Groening got together with David X. Cohen and developed Futurama, an animated series about life in the year 3000, which premiered in 1999. After four years on the air, the show was canceled by Fox in 2003, but Comedy Central commissioned 16 new episodes from four direct-to-DVD movies.

In June 2009, Comedy Central ordered 26 new episodes of Futurama, to be aired over 2 seasons. His advice to beginning cartoonists is to not care about what other people think and just try to make yourself laugh. He said that if he did not think up The Simpsons, he would probably be in a tire shop, drawing doodles of his boss on the break room wall. Groening has won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards , ten for The Simpsons and one for Futurama as well as a British Comedy Award for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004. In 2002, he won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell. In Some Simpsons Comics, he gives himself a fake title, like Big Daddy (Taming Your Wild Child),Cartoonist Gone Wild (Bart's Beard),and Former Heartthrob (Faking the Band). Contents Biography Early life Groening was born Matthew Abraham Groening on February 15, 1954 in Portland, Oregon . He grew up in Portland, and attended Ainsworth Elementary School, and Lincoln High School. He was the middle child of 5 children.

His Norwegian mother, Margaret Wiggum, was once a teacher, and his German father, Homer Philip Groening, was a filmmaker, advertiser, writer and cartoonist. Homer, born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada, grew up in a Mennonite, Plautdietsch-speaking family. Matt's grandfather Abram Groening was a professor at Tabor College, a Mennonite Brethren liberal arts college in Hillsborough, Kansas before moving to Albany College (now known as Lewis and Clark College) in Oregon in 1930. From 1972 to 1977, Groening attended the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, a liberal school which he described as "a hippie college, with no grades or required classes, that drew every weirdo in the Northwest." He served as the editor of the campus newspaper, The Cooper Point Journal, for which he also wrote articles and drew cartoons. He befriended fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry after discovering that she had written a fan letter to Joseph Heller, one of Groening's favorite authors, and had gotten a reply back.

Groening has credited Barry with being "probably [his] biggest inspiration." He has also cited the Disney animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians as what got him interested in cartoons. Matt Groening in "Simpsons" form Main article: Futurama After spending a few years researching science fiction, Groening got together with Simpsons writer/producer David X. Cohen (still known as David S. Cohen at the time) in 1997 and developed Futurama, an animated series about life in the year 3000. By the time they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and storylines; Groening claimed they had gone "overboard" in their discussions. Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of [his] grown-up life." The show premiered on March 28, 1999. Groening's sole writing credit for the show was the premiere episode, "Space Pilot 3000", co-written with Cohen. After four years on the air, the show was cancelled by Fox.

In a similar situation as Family Guy , however, strong DVD sales and very stable ratings on Cartoon Network brought Futurama back to life. When Comedy Central began negotiating for the rights to air Futurama reruns, Fox suggested that there was a possibility of also creating new episodes. When Comedy Central committed to sixteen new episodes, it was decided that four straight-to-DVD films— Bender's Big Score (2007), The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008), Bender's Game (2008) and Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009)—would be produced. Since no new Futurama projects were in production, the movie Into the Wild Green Yonder was designed to stand as the Futurama series finale. However, Groening had expressed a desire to continue the Futurama franchise in some form, including as a theatrical film.

In an interview with CNN, Groening said that "we have a great relationship with Comedy Central and we would love to do more episodes for them, but I don't know...We're having discussions and there is some enthusiasm but I can't tell if it's just me." On June 9, 2009, it was confirmed that Comedy Central had picked up the show for 26 new episodes that aired in 2010. However, on September 4, 2013, the show was cancelled once again. Awards and nominations Groening has been nominated for 26 Emmy awards and has won eleven: ten for The Simpsons and one for Futurama in the "Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or less)" category. Groening received the 2002 National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award, and had been nominated for the same award in 2000. He received a British Comedy Award for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004. On February 14, 2012, Groening received the 2,459th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The star is located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. Personal life Groening is said to be a fan of Doctor Who and shows a preference for the Fourth Doctor, as that is the only incarnation of the Doctor that ever appears in his work. The Simpson Game Matt Groening is seen as the bad guy in the Simpsons game. He nearly destroys the game engine and leaves, but before he does, he signs his name - Matt Groening. He makes his final appearance in Game Over, where The Simpsons win a dance off with God and destroy the Hii.

Question: Which TV family was created by Matt Groening?
Answer: The Simpsons