The Simpsons is an American adult animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company.[1][2][3] The series is a satirical depiction of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture, society, television, and many aspects of the human condition.
The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a solicitation for a series of animated shorts with the producer James L. Brooks. Groening created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after members of his own family, substituting Bart for his own name. The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and was an early hit for Fox, becoming the network's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–90).
Since its debut on December 17, 1989, the show has broadcast 564 episodes, and the 26th season began on September 28, 2014. The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and in 2009 it surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest-running American scripted primetime television series. The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters worldwide on July 27, 2007, and grossed over $527 million. On October 28, 2014, executive producer Al Jean announced that Season 27 had started production,[4] renewing the series through the 2015–16 season.[5]
Time magazine's December 31, 1999, issue named it the 20th century's best television series, and 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 31 Primetime Emmy Awards, 30 Annie Awards, and a Peabody Award. Homer's exclamatory catchphrase "D'oh!" has been adopted into the English language, while The Simpsons has influenced many adult-oriented animated sitcoms.
Appearences in EDP Projects[]
- Animation Lookback: Walt Disney Animation Studios in part 4, when talking about Lady and the Tramp, after he says that one of Tramp's deleted names was Homer, a puzzled Homer Simpson appears on screen with a yellow question mark above his head.
- Top 10 Best Animated Sequels near the end of discussing #10 on the list, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, he describes the acting in the film as "crap-tacular" using a quote from Bart in a clip from an episode of the show called, "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace".
- Animation Lookback: Hanna-Barbara The show appears a couple of times in the episode. In part 4, it is indirectly mentioned when he talks about the other segments on Dexter's Laboratory, he says that TV Puppet pals is "the show within the show like Itchy & Scratchy".
- Top 10 Worst Films Based on a Cartoon When he starts discussing #10 on the list, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, he mentions that the original cartoon that the film was based on influenced shows like The Simpsons. Also, when talking about the Honorable Mention, films based on cartoons made by their original creators, the film adaptation of the show, The Simpsons Movie is one of them with footage of the film shown.
- Animation Lookback: Pixar Animation Studios In part 2, when he talks about the production of Finding Nemo and how Al Brooks wasn't excited about doing a voice for animation, the show, alongside the movie, are mentioned by AniMat as other animated projects that Brooks did voices for.
- The Epic Mickey Files in the file on Mr. Smee, when explaining said character, he describes him as "the Disney version of Smithers", and an image of Smithers, Mr. Burns' assistant on The Simpsons, appears onscreen at mention alongside one of Smee (he also notes a difference between the two is that with Smee, the audience wouldn't question his sexuality). Also, in the file on the Phantom Blot, he does the same as before by describing him as "the Disney version of Sideshow Bob", and an image of Sideshow Bob, a recurring main antagonist on The Simpsons, appears onscreen at mention.
- Top 10 Controversial Cartoons the episode "Blame it on Lisa" is ranked up at #5, due to committing the controversy crime, racism subject: Brazilians, which depicted them as thieves, kidnappers and criminals who live in multi-colored slums and give no concern to it's tourists, which was even harder since they had recently paid a generous donation to tourism for the country.
- AniMat's Classic Reviews - The Simpsons Movie It's pretty obvious that this wouldn't be a Simpsons movie with out the Simpsons.
- AniMat's Classic Reviews - We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story When discussing the characters, AniMat describes Cecilia Nuthatch as being, "Both a love interest for Louie, and Lisa Simpson mostly because she's just a goody two-shoes. ....And voiced by Yeardley Smith."