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The Simpsons
File:C-SimpFamily.png
Clockwise from top left: Homer, Marge, Maggie, Santa's Little Helper, Bart, Snowball II and Lisa.
Created byMatt Groening
Developed byJames L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Sam Simon
StarringDan Castellaneta
Julie Kavner
Nancy Cartwright
Yeardley Smith
Hank Azaria
Harry Shearer
Country of originUSA
No. of episodes374
Production
Executive producersJames L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Sam Simon
Al Jean &
Mike Reiss (S.3–4)
David Mirkin (S.5–6)
Bill Oakley &
Josh Weinstein (S.7–8)
Mike Scully (S.9–12)
Al Jean (S.13–)
Running time21–23 Minutes
Original release
NetworkFOX
ReleaseDecember 17, 1989 –
present (renewed through 2007–2008)
The Simpson family first seen on The Tracey Ullman Show.

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening. It is the longest-running American sitcom and longest-running American animated program of all time, with 17 seasons and 374 episodes since it debuted on December 17, 1989, on FOX. The Simpsons is the highest rated cartoon of all time, at one point in time averaging higher than 25 million viewers.[1] The television series is a spin-off of a series of animated shorts originally aired on The Tracey Ullman Show.

The show has now been renewed for a nineteenth season, which will take place in 2007 and 2008. In May 2007, it will celebrate its 400th episode.[2] A feature-length movie is now being produced simultaneously with the television series, to be released on July 27, 2007. It is produced by Gracie Films for 20th Century Fox.

Highly satirical, the show lampoons many aspects of the human condition, but primarily parodies the "Middle American" lifestyle epitomized by its titular family, as well as American culture, society, and even television itself, particularly its own Fox Broadcasting. It has had an influence on post–Cold War popular culture[3]. The Simpsons was also one of the pioneering shows that changed the view of cartoons to a more adult standard.

Production

History

Matt Groening first conceived of the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. He had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts, and had intended to pitch his Life in Hell series. Upon realizing that he would need to rescind his publication rights for his life's work, and needing to create a new idea from scratch, he hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family. He named the characters after his own family and made them yellow because they don't have a hairline.[4]

The Simpson family first appeared in animated form as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, with the first short, "Good Night," airing on April 19, 1987. Matt Groening admits the reason that they were so crudely drawn in the beginning was because he could not draw well and the animators traced over his drawings. The shorts were aired by the BBC in the UK the first time the shows were broadcast, but not subsequently, though some of them, including "Good Night," were included in a Simpsons anniversary episode. The Simpsons was converted, by a team of production companies that included what is now the Klasky Csupo animation house, into a series for the FOX Network in 1989 and has run as a weekly show on that network ever since. The first full length episode shown was "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," however the intended first episode was "Some Enchanted Evening," but when "Some Enchanted Evening" was completed it was rejected due to poor animation, so Fox aired "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" first.

The Simpsons was the first true TV series hit for the FOX Network; it was the first Fox show to appear in the top twenty highest-rated shows of the time. It also sparked controversy, as Bart Simpson was portrayed as a rebel who caused trouble and got away with it. Parents' groups and conservative spokespersons felt that a cartoon character like Bart Simpson provided a poor role model for children. When a Simpsons T-shirt was marketed featuring Bart and the legend "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')," Simpsons T-shirts and other merchandise were banned from public schools in several areas of the United States. The outcry against Bart was reflected in the second season opener, featuring an episode called "Bart Gets an F" where Bart's school wants to make him repeat the fourth grade. In this episode, the school counselor quotes the controversial T-shirt by stating, "He is an underachiever... and proud of it."

The Simpsons made an appearance on a 1991 episode of Sesame Street, where the family, along with Ray Charles and other celebrities performed the Wubba Wubba Wubba song with the character Grover.

File:Simpsons plane.jpg
The "Simpsons Plane"

In 1995, Western Pacific Airlines repainted a Boeing 737 jet with Simpsons characters to promote the series. The creator Matt Groening and some of the writers didn't go for the plane's first trip as they feared it would crash, and they would die with the Simpsons.

On February 9, 1997 The Simpsons surpassed The Flintstones as the longest-running prime time animated series in America. In 2004 it replaced The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952 to 1966) as the longest-running sitcom (animated or live action) ever in the United States.

In October 2004, Scooby Doo, a Hanna-Barbera animation, overtook The Simpsons with 350 episodes, with the Simpsons count at 335. In April 2005, Scooby-Doo was cancelled again, and ended with 371 episodes, whilst the Simpsons have over 370 by their seventeenth season. A few qualifiers also come into play, namely that Scooby-Doo had experienced several incarnations with each one arguably being a separate show while The Simpsons had been in continuous production since becoming its own show. While this is a large number of episodes for an American animated show, some foreign animated shows, most notably Japanese anime series, including Pokemon, have reached episodes numbering into the hundreds and thousands. Most notable is the series Doraemon with well over 2,000 animated episodes, and Detective Conan with an episode count slightly higher than The Simpsons despite premiering seven years later.

In 2006, the series was renewed through its 19th season.

Producers

The series has gone through numerous executive producers, also known as show runners, throughout its run. The showrunner serves as head writer and is in charge of every aspect of the show's production.

Voice actors

Dan Castellaneta provides the voice of Homer Simpson and many other characters.

All episodes (with the exception of one) list only the voice actors (not the characters they voice) in keeping with the mystique of having the audience not associate any one character with an actor — this is to discourage the audience from easily identifying exactly which voice actor did what. Yeardley Smith, voice actress of Lisa Simpson, and Marcia Wallace, voice actress of Edna Krabappel, are the only cast members who regularly do one voice, though both have on occasion voiced one-shot characters. Dan Castellaneta performs the voices of Homer Simpson, his dad, Abraham Simpson, and Krusty the Klown, among others and was the only cast member so far to guest star as himself in the episode Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife. Julie Kavner performs the voices of Marge Simpson and her sisters, mother, and (in one episode) her aunt. She is also known for refusing to perform Marge's voice in public to not break the mystique of the animated character. Nancy Cartwright performs the voice of Bart Simpson and other children from the school that he attends. Hank Azaria voices Moe, Chief Wiggum, and Apu, as well as other miscellaneous characters. Harry Shearer performs perhaps the largest array of characters, including Mr. Burns, Smithers, Principal Seymour Skinner, Otto Mann, Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman, Reverend Lovejoy, Dr. Julius Hibbert, and others. Guest stars had performed as well.

The voice actors have been involved in much-publicized pay disputes with Fox on more than one occasion. In 1998, the voice actors stopped working, forcing 20th Century Fox TV to increase their salary from $30,000 per episode to $125,000. The actors were supported in their action by series creator Matt Groening.[5] As the revenue generated by the show continued to increase through syndication and DVD sales, six actors (playing over 50 characters) — Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, and Harry Shearer — stopped showing up for script readings in April 2004 after weeks of unsuccessful negotiations with Fox. They asked for $360,000 per episode, or $8 million for a 22-episode season. On May 2, 2004, the actors resolved their dispute with Fox after having their demands met.[6]

Further information: List of cast members of The Simpsons

Writing

During its initial run, and well into its first several seasons, The Simpsons had been widely heralded as a unique form of television satire that took an intellectual look and examination of common everyday life. While it was in animated form, it did not rely on the medium for its comedic basis, but rather focusing on realistic situations and events, playing off the absurdity of what society consider the norm and intelligently poking fun at that. Fair targets included family, work, religion, school and society in general, using subtle wit and well made observations about the seeming absurdity of it all--all delivered compellingly through written dialogue and stories.

As seasons progressed, new producers and teams of writers took the helm, gradually introducing new visions and style to the show. While wit and satire were still key in stories, a shift from realism to more fantasy-type situations occurred. In order to fit this new style, character changes also came to pass, trading depth for somewhat of a one-dimensionalism to better blend into the types of zany and outlandish situations that stories were now introducing, particularly physical and visual humor often taking the place of complex intellectual dialogue. The shift was mainly from an esoteric style to more broad humor, which has helped widen its audience yet alienate others.

The writers have shown a love for cameo appearances by celebrities and extended pastiches of contemporary and classic movies, as well as subtle visual jokes.

John Swartzwelder is the most prolific writer on the Simpsons staff, personally writing over 50 episodes (more than any other Simpsons writer). According to the DVD commentaries, he used to write episodes while sitting at a booth in his favorite restaurant "drinking copious amounts of coffee and smoking endless cigarettes" (Matt Groening). When the state of California passed an anti-smoking law, Swartzwelder bought a diner booth and installed it in his house.

George Meyer became a writer for the show in 1989, and in 2000 was called "the funniest man behind the funniest show on TV" by The New Yorker.[7]

Current late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien was a writer during the fourth and fifth season. He wrote "New Kid on the Block" (9F06), "Marge vs. the Monorail" (9F10), "Homer Goes to College" (1F02) and part of "Treehouse of Horror IV" (1F04).

Ian Maxtone-Graham has been a prominent writer for The Simpsons since the eighth season. Ian was the basis for the Very Tall Man character in the Season 7 episode 22 Short Films About Springfield

The character Professor John Frink was named for a friend of Al Jean's, John Frink, who later became a writer/producer of the show.

In 2004 English comedian Ricky Gervais was asked to write an episode.[8] Entitled "Homer Simpson, This is Your Wife,". The episode aired March 26, 2006.

Animation

Overseas animation studios involved:

AKOM—198 episodes

  • Exclusively produced the first two seasons of the series.
  • Produced various episodes throughout the run of the series.

Anivision—55 episodes

  • Produced animation for episodes from seasons 3–10.

Rough Draft Studios—117 episodes

  • Produced animation for episodes from season four onwards.

U.S. Animation, Inc.—2 episodes

Toonzone Entertainment—2 episodes

The Simpsons has been animated by many different studios over the past 18 years, both domestic and overseas. Throughout the run of the animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, the animation was solely produced domestically at Klasky Csupo. Klasky Csupo was also the animation studio during the first three seasons of the half-hour length series, however, due to the increased workload, production was now being subcontracted to overseas studios, usually in South Korea. While character and background layout is done by the domestic studio, inbetweening, coloring and filming is done by the overseas studios. Throughout the years, different overseas studios have animated different episodes, even episodes within the same season.

During season four, Gracie Films made a decision to switch domestic production to Film Roman, which continues to animate the show to this day. The last episode to be animated by Klasky Csupo was "Kamp Krusty," in production order.

After season 13, production was switched from traditional cel animation to digital ink and paint. The first episode to experiment with digital coloring was "Radioactive Man" in 1995, and again during season 12 with the episode "Tennis the Menace," but after seeing the results, Gracie Films decided to hold off for two more seasons. "Tennis the Menace," however, being already completed, was broadcast this way.

Broadcasting

FOX programming history

All times Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5)

  • Season 1 (1990), 8:30 pm Sunday
  • Season 2–5 (1990–1994), 8:00pm Thursday
  • Season 6–present (1994–present), 8:00pm Sunday

The Simpsons has originally been shown at the FOX network in the United States. It has been widely distributed internationally afterwards.

The program finally made an official debut in Arabic-speaking markets in September of 2005, under a title that transliterates as "Al-Shamshoon" (In Arabic, الشمشون) In addition to being dubbed in Arabic (with subtitles provided for shots including written English, such as the chalkboards), references to alcohol (Duff Beer & Moe's Tavern), pork (bacon & hot dogs), and numerous other themes have been deleted or significantly modified. For instance, Homer drinks pop (not beer) and eats beef sausages, while some characters, notably Apu, Reverend Lovejoy and Krusty the Clown were omitted from the shows altogether, presumably due to their religions, Hindu, Christian and Jewish, respectively. The characters were also given typical Arabic names (such as Omar, Mona and Abar for Homer, Marge and Bart respectively) as part of the retooling, while voices were provided by leading actors including Egyptian film star Mohamed Heneidi as "Omar." Some fans have argued that such widespread changes almost make it a different show entirely.

Further information: [[:List of TV channels that air The Simpsons]]

SHIT

SHIT IN MY PANTS!! I HATE TO POOH! =p

Storyline

Characters

Main article: List of characters from The Simpsons

The main characters were originally created by Matt Groening as part of a series of original animated segments for The Tracey Ullman Show. Over the course of the series Groening has used many of the themes present in his long-running comic strip series, Life in Hell. (For instance, the idea of creative school children constantly being persecuted and suppressed by totalitarian grown-ups stems from the strip). Many of the characters in The Simpsons take their names from important people and places in Groening's life — for example Lisa, Maggie, Marge and Homer share names with Groening's sisters, mother and father respectively. Bart, however, is an anagram for brat, with Groening having stated that he thought naming the boy "Matt" would be too obvious.

  • Homer, a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, is a generally well-meaning buffoon whose short attention span often draws him into outrageous schemes and adventures. He has an outright love for donuts and is often seen drinking Duff brand beer.
  • Marge (Marjorie) (of French origin) was once intelligent and sophisticated, but has come to conform with the stereotype of housewife/mother.
  • Bart (Bartholomew), the oldest sibling at the age of 10, is a troublemaker and classroom terror ("the devil's cabana boy," as Lisa once described him) who thinks of himself as a rebel.
  • Lisa, the 8 year old once portrayed having a genius intellect (with adult mannerisms, perception and extraordinary articulation), has leveled into a more average girl yet brainy student, who also happens to be a vegetarian, Buddhist and jazz music fan who dreams of a better future (she is referred to as "the future of the family").
  • Maggie (Margaret) is an eternal baby who is shown to be comically smart and self-reliant when she shoots Fat Tony and the mafia hitmen to protect Homer. Some may say that she is the most well-adjusted and smartest of the Simpsons. Despite the fact that numerous years (and birthdays) clearly pass (for example, many Christmas episodes), the Simpsons do not appear to age. Some characters' ages have fluctuated throughout the years; this is most likely due to simple oversight on the part of the writers.
The Simpsons sports a vast array of secondary and tertiary characters.

Homer describes his family as "upper lower middle class," similar to a quote which George Orwell used to describe his own family. The Simpson family (which sometimes includes Homer's father, Abraham "Abe" Simpson, who inexplicably refuses to recognize Missouri as a state and accordingly flies a 49-star American flag) lives in a relatively large double-story four-bedroom house bordering a friendly neighbour, Ned Flanders, on one side, and many varying things, including a cemetery and a mansion where George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford have lived, on the other. The Simpson lifestyle yo-yos depending on whether or not Homer is employed at the time; Marge is largely a stay-at-home mom. The Simpsons go several years into the internet age before acquiring a computer, reflecting the fact that the Simpson family is perpetually several years out of date. There are other clues as well, such as the avocado-green kitchen equipment (this color was popular in the 1960s and '70s) and the family's two cars, both of which appear to have been manufactured in the early 1980s (Homer's being made from "Old Soviet tanks" in Croatia, actually being a "Yugo", an imported Zastava built in Serbia).

The show also has a vast array of quirky supporting characters, including co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, and local celebrities. Originally, most (if not all) of these were supposed to either say something funny in one episode and not return, such as Groundskeeper Willie, or simply fill a function that someone had to fill, such as newscaster Kent Brockman (né Kenny Brockelstein). However, many characters have gotten many episodes of their own, like Krusty the Klown or Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. Many of these characters have developed a vast cult following of their own and serve to represent facets of the USA society that the show scathingly critiques. Some of these, like Itchy and Scratchy, ultraviolent versions of Tom and Jerry, are fictional even within the Simpsons universe. For a comprehensive list, see characters from The Simpsons. Major changes to a character (e.g. Homer benefitting from a hair growth formula in season 2) are generally undone by the end of the episode (excluding deaths), annoying some fans who want more variety or consider the change an improvement.

Setting

Main article: Springfield (The Simpsons)

The Simpsons is set in a fictional Springfield, Kentucky. Throughout the show's history fans have tried to determine where Springfield is by taking the town's characteristics, surrounding geography and nearby landmarks as clues (as Lisa once said of the state, "It's a bit of a mystery, yes, but if you look at the clues, you'll figure it out"). Both the town itself and its location are fictional; nearly every state and region in the U.S. has been both suggested and ruled out by conflicting "evidence" of a location for Springfield, so that the town could not really be anywhere. It seems it is kept indeterminate on purpose so that the location can suit any plot, as Springfield and its surrounding areas have been shown to contain coastlines, deserts, vast farmland, and tall mountains, or whatever the story requires. (For more discussion on locations, see Where is Springfield?.)

Creator Matt Groening has stated that Springfield has much in common with Portland, Oregon, the city he grew up in[9], and the name "Springfield" was chosen because virtually every state has a town or city with that name.

According to David Silverman, an animation director for the series, Springfield is in North Tacoma. This has not been confirmed officially.

Animation scholars and fans have noted that the series uses the medium of animation to its advantage, allowing the show to take place in many settings and feature a far greater cast of characters than a live-action sitcom. The cost of having an episode of The Simpsons take place in the mountains, Europe, the city park, or a cruise ship on the ocean (all of which simply use drawn and painted backgrounds) is hardly more than placing the family in the more conventional sitcom settings of a living room, a kitchen, and perhaps one or two related settings. This allows for far more flexibility in plot development than in a typical live-action sitcom constrained by physical limitations and logistics.

Residents of Eugene, Oregon suggest that Groening's Springfield is modeled after Oregon's Eugene-Springfield area. This theory is mostly unfounded, but has its roots in similarities like the Springfield Weyerhaeuser plant, which employed a sizeable portion of Springfield in the 1980s and is responsible for some of the area's pollution. Eugene/Springfield was founded by pioneer Eugene Skinner, whose statue, located on the University of Oregon campus, closely resembles the fictional Jebediah Springfield.

Themes

The show routinely mocks and satirizes show business conventions and personalities. Krusty the Klown has an enthusiastic following among Springfield's kids, but offstage he is a jaded, cynical hack, in poor health from a long history of overindulgence, gambling and substance abuse. He will endorse any product for a price. Kent Brockman is a self-important, spoiled TV news anchorman with little regard for journalistic ethics. Many wealthy characters are members of the Republican Party, which meets in a dark castle. Even Rupert Murdoch—whose corporate empire includes The Simpsons broadcast network, Fox—has been gently spoofed in a couple of episodes. In fact, ridiculing Fox has become a running joke, of sorts. Fox News has been portrayed as having an extreme conservative bias.

Race relations are also the subject of satire in the show, as the handful of African American characters are almost always portrayed as being more intelligent and rational than their "Yellow" counterparts. Some people interpret this as a satire of Hollywood and TV's portrayal of exaggerated 'reverse stereotypes' in which the computer genius is always a black actor. For instance, Dr. Hibbert, despite a tendency to laugh at the most inappropriate times, is arguably among the least dysfunctional characters in the series, and is certainly more professionally qualified for medical practice than Dr. Nick Riviera. Furthermore, Police Sergeant Lou is constantly lecturing Chief Wiggum on his inept law enforcement practices, and Homer's co-worker, Carl Carlson, while sometimes as idiotic as Lenny Leonard and Homer, often insults their stupidity and has a Master's degree in Nuclear Physics.

During the more recent years of Simpsons production, some social conservatives have come to embrace the show. One of the main explanations of this shift is that The Simpsons portrays a traditional nuclear family among a lineup of television sitcoms that now portray less traditional families. The show has toyed with the possibility of extramarital affairs, such as when Homer falls for a female nuclear technician who shares his love of donuts, or when Marge's ex-boyfriend Artie Ziff tries to rekindle their old romance. Nevertheless, these affairs never occur, and by the end of every episode, Homer and Marge's marriage is strongly affirmed. Social conservatives and some evangelical Christians have also pointed to the positive role model of devout Christian Ned Flanders, whose fretfulness is occasionally ridiculed but whose decency never wavers despite constant provocation from Homer. In several episodes, God actually intervenes to protect the Flanders family, invoking such Protestant concepts as Predestination. As compared with the Simpson family, the Flanders family is relatively well-off and less dysfunctional, although it can be agreed that the Flanders family is quirky in its own way, with over-the-top devotion and their fundamentalist interpretations of the Holy Bible.

Plots

Template:Spoiler

A standard "template" Springfield situation, in terms of characters and events, has emerged over the years. Each episode presents some sort of change in that situation, its consequences, and almost always how things get back to normal. Episode plots rarely follow any sort of linear course, often taking several digressions to move story lines in unexpected directions, often termed plot drift. The first direction that the plot goes in can have nothing to do with where it ends up. For example, the description of the 2003 episode "Dude, Where's My Ranch?" offered to Shaw Cable subscribers reads: "After David Byrne turns Homer's anti-(Ned) Flanders song into a monster hit, the family vacations at a dude ranch, where Lisa falls in love."

The plots of many episodes focus on the adventures of one particular family member, frequently Homer. However the plots have never been particularly predictable or constant and tend to be very character-driven. Recurring themes ("stock") in episodes include:

  • Homer gets a new job (Simpson writers had Homer count 30 of them in a recent episode but the actual list is far longer) or attempts to make money in a get-rich-quick scheme.
  • Marge attempts to escape the monotony of keeping house by finding employment or taking up a hobby.
  • Homer and Marge break up, then get back together.
  • Bart causes a large problem and attempts to fix it, cover it up, or ignore it entirely.
  • Lisa embraces or advocates the merits of a particular political cause or group.
  • The entire family goes on vacation in which Homer or Bart gets in some sort of trouble. These episodes are canonically introduced by Homer saying "The Simpsons are going to ---!" Although sometimes this is used as misdirection. (Because of these vacations the entire family has been to every continent on Earth with the exception of Antarctica, prompting Homer to exclaim that all he has to do now is "kill a penguin").
  • Grampa Simpson needs help sorting out issues from his past and calls upon the main Simpson family.
  • Sideshow Bob attempts to kill Bart.
  • The episode is a clip show.
  • The episode is a Halloween special: see Treehouse of Horror
  • The episode focuses on the problems of a secondary or tertiary character, such as Apu Nahasapeemapetilon or Krusty the Clown, which are usually solved with the help of a member of the Simpson family.

Hallmarks

Opening sequence

File:Simpsons chalkboard gag.jpg
A typical chalkboard gag.
File:Simpsons couch gag.jpg
A memorable couch gag.

The Simpsons opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable hallmarks. Almost every episode opens with a title shot coming through the cumulus clouds and into the school where Bart is writing lines on the class chalkboard, presumably set as a punishment by one of his teachers for some mischievous deed or wayward comment; Homer is shown leaving the power plant. Mr. Burns & Mr. Smithers are seen looking at a layout plan then Burns puts his watch up to his ear and shakes it to make it work in the background. In the first season an employee eating a sandwich is seen in the place of Burns and Smithers. Marge and Maggie are shown checking out at the supermarket with Maggie traveling across the scanner, ringing up at $847.63, the widely believed monthly cost of raising a baby but in reality just a random number; the sequence then introduces Lisa (who leaves a band rehearsal); the family is then shown on their way to their house at 742 Evergreen Terrace (the address varied in the beginning, but the writers now use 742 Evergreen Terrace exclusively). The members of the family weave dangerously through traffic and in between fellow (and, from the second season onward, familiar) Springfield denizens, all miraculously reaching home at the exact same time. Upon entering, they all speed towards the family room couch where, in comedic parallel with the audience, they settle to watch their "must-see" TV show.

For each episode, the sequence includes a number of variations:

  • Bart writes something different on the chalkboard (however, in Barting Over, he chops it in half with an axe);
  • Lisa may play a different solo on her tenor saxophone;(or as Homer calls it a saxamapohone)
  • Bart weaves through pedestrians on his skateboard (in the first season he passes a group of people waiting for a bus, Bart steals the bus sign and the people chase the bus)
  • Homer screams in a different way (only done in the first couple of seasons);
  • The family attempts to sit on the couch as something goes awry in an often surreal manner.

In the syndicated version, part or all of the opening sequence is usually cut in order to include more commercials in the show's allotted timeslot.

During four episodes, the opening sequence was parodied; once as "The Thompsons" where the Simpsons enter a witness relocation program, once with an overweight Bart where he cracks the pavement when he leaves the school, runs over pedestrians, gets hit by Marge's car, and crushes the roof of Homer's car, once as "The Hurricane", and a last time in a Treehouse of Horror opening as many elements of the sequence are seen with more gruesome results (Bart breaks his neck skateboarding off of the car, Homer is run over by Marge, etc.).

The "couch gag" sequence is frequently used to help show staff make the show longer or shorter, depending on the length of the episode itself. Most couch gags last only about five seconds, but the longest one on record lasted 46 seconds. There are several kinds of opening; nowadays (season 17) the show frequently just uses the clouds, driveway and couch gag. Homer leaving work, the chalkboard, Lisa's sax solo, etc. are not used so much, albeit they are not entirely gone.

The first season opening sequence featured a number of differences from the later seasons, including a scene in which in place of Mr. Burns and Smithers at the Power Plant was a co-worker eating a sandwich with tongs. In addition, Bart snatched a bus stop sign, forcing several dazed Springfieldians to chase the bus (replaced from the second season by a sequence showing Bart weaving his skateboard between a group of characters), and a shot of Lisa riding her bike on the way home (changed to a camera whip pan across a crowd of characters towards the Simpsons' house).

The series' distinctive theme tune was composed by musician Danny Elfman in 1989, when Groening approached him wanting a "retro" style piece. Taking two days to create, it is perhaps the most recognizable music piece of his career. In a 1999 L.A. Times article, Elfman joked that the theme earns him $11.50 every time it is played.

The current arrangement, which dates back to the third season, is orchestrated by Alf Clausen. In Episode 1F11 — "Bart Gets Famous," Bart is whistling the tune and Marge tells him "not to whistle that annoying tune".

In 2006, Sky One in the United Kingdom began advertising The Simpsons using a live-action recreation of the series' opening sequence. [10] This was then used by FOX to open the March 2006 episode "Homer Simpson, This is Your Wife".

See also: Chalkboard gag, Lisa's sax solo gags on The Simpsons, and Couch gag

Halloween episodes

Main article: Treehouse of Horror
Bart introducing a segment of "Treehouse of Horror IV" in the manner of Rod Serling's Night Gallery.

An annual tradition is a special Halloween episode consisting of three separate, self-contained pieces. These pieces usually involve the family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting; they always take place outside the normal continuity of the show (and are therefore considered to be non-canon), and completely abandon any pretense of being realistic. Regular Simpsons characters play humorous special roles, occasionally being killed in gruesome ways by zombies, monsters, or even each other. Groundskeeper Willie has died many times in the Treehouse of Horror episodes, mostly by being stuck in the back or impaled by a sharp object or dolphin. Homer and Maggie have killed Willie a number of times. In "Treehouse of Horror V," for example, he was axed in the back in all three segments: by Homer in the first act, by Maggie in the second, and by Principal Skinner in the third, at which point he says, "Oh...I'm bad at this..." In addition to parodying many classic horror and science fiction films such as The Shining, these Halloween segments frequently spoof episodes of The Twilight Zone such as "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," "To Serve Man," "Living Doll," "It's a Good Life", "A Kind of a Stopwatch" and "Little Girl Lost."

The yearly Halloween special was named "Treehouse of Horror" because the original special depicted the Simpson children in their treehouse telling scary stories to one another. In later years the series dropped the framing device of characters telling stories, but kept the Treehouse title. For several years the characters broke the fourth wall and introduced their pieces directly to the audience. In "Treehouse of Horror II" the writers decided to give the cast and crew of the show scary names in the opening and closing credits (like "Mad Matt Groening" and "James Hell Brooks"). This also became a tradition, and has been done in every Halloween episode except I, XII, and XIII. The names have changed in subsequent seasons. Another mainstay of the Halloween shows is the appearance of the two space aliens Kang and Kodos, introduced in the second segment of the first "Treehouse of Horror".

In a section of "Treehouse of Horror VI" called "Homer³," Homer and Bart go into a three-dimensional world, which Homer likens to Tron, created by Pacific Data Images, a computer animation company. This segment from the Halloween episode was also used as a segment of a film shown in the IMAX 3D film Cyberworld. This was the first and one of the few times The Simpsons have strayed from their traditional 2D animation, and the longest, as other moments consisted of live action couch gags or short claymation or CGI television and film parodies. Other Treehouse segment name parodies include "Citizen Kang," "The Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace," "The Thing and I," "House of Whacks," "I've Grown a Costume On Your Face," "The Shinning" and "Reaper Madness".

The final gag of the Treehouse series comes after the end credits (where the production companies are mentioned). This is set to organ-played minor-chord versions of the Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Fanfare closing logo themes.

Although the Treehouse series is meant to be seen on Halloween, in recent years new installments have premiered after Halloween. This is due to Fox's current contract with Major League Baseball's World Series. If the Series does not go the full seven games, Fox usually airs the previous season's Treehouse episode on the Sunday before Halloween (or if Sunday happens to fall on Halloween). However, it has been known on many occasions for new shows to premiere on the West Coast only in time for Halloween regardless of how long the World Series lasts (it gets the full national premiere, of course, as scheduled in November, after Halloween).

Guest celebrities

Main article: List of celebrities on The Simpsons

Many episodes feature celebrity guests contributing their voices to the show, as either themselves (especially during the middle of the Simpsons years, i.e. seasons 7 to 13) or as fictional characters (mainly during the early and later seasons). In fact, the highest rated episode featuring celebrity guest voices was New Kids on the Blecch, shown during the 12th season, in which pop stars N*Sync supplied their voices to give helpful advice and dance moves to Bart's boy band "The Party Posse". British comedian Ricky Gervais has wrote an episode of The Simpsons, which aired in April 2006.

Cultural impact

File:TVGuidesimpsons.jpg
The Simpsons on the cover of TV Guide magazine.

Many of the characters, concepts and catchphrases from The Simpsons have become common knowledge in modern society. A number of neologisms originated on The Simpsons have become a part of the universal lexicon, the most famous of which is Homer's saying: "D'oh!," which is referred to in scripts, as well as four episode names, as "annoyed grunt". So ubiquitous is the catchphrase that it is now listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, but without the apostrophe. "D'oh" is the accepted spelling, and is certainly the most common; the closed captions for the program (at least in the U.S.), however, spell it "D-OHH". A much earlier use of the same expression, often similarly used to denote thwarted expectation, was established in the long-running BBC (UK) radio series The Archers, where it was used, almost as a catch-phrase, by the character 'Walter Gabriel' (voiced by actor Chris Gittings). Dan Castellaneta has explained that he borrowed the phrase from James Finlayson, an actor in early Laurel and Hardy comedies, who pronounced it more stretched-out and whiny. Castellaneta was told by the show's director to shorten the noise, leading to the annoyed grunt we know today. In the German translation of the show, Homer says 'Nein!' (No!).

Other Simpsons expressions that have entered into popular use include the word "excellent" — drawn out as a sinister and breathy "eeeexcelllent…" in the style of Montgomery Burns — Homer's triumphant "Woohoo!" and Nelson Muntz's mocking "HA-ha!". "Woohoo" subsequently became the catch phrase of Melissa Joan Hart's portrayal of Sabrina in Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Character Barney Gumble, whose name is in reference to The Flintstones' Barney Rubble, is also famous for frequently delivering long belches. For some time Bart used the catch-phrase 'Don't have a cow, man!' which was fairly popular, though it hasn't been used much in the last several years. This phrase was later joined by another Bart catchphrase, 'Ay Caramba!' which is used far more often by Bart these days.

The character Waylon Smithers is another such example. Since the debut of the show, the term "Smithers" has become a common eponym for a spineless underling. The show's creators also take pride in having passed on schoolyard rhymes to a new generation of children who otherwise may not have heard them.

Specific citings

Groundskeeper Willie's description of the French as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" was used by conservative National Review columnist Jonah Goldberg, a fan of the show, in 2003, after France's opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq, and quickly spread to other journalists.

In various internet communities, the popular phrase "I, for one, welcome our new <Insert topic here> overlords!" stems from a quote of Kent Brockman from the episode "Deep Space Homer". A reference to this scene can be heard on VCPR radio in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: "I, for one, welcome our new Russian masters".

At the finale of progressive metal band Dream Theater's Metropolis 2000 tour in New York, guitarist John Petrucci played part of the series' theme tune as part of "A Change Of Seasons".

See also: List of neologisms on The Simpsons

Academia

Simpsons-related publications include:

  • "The World According to The Simpsons: What Our Favorite TV Family Says About Life, Love, and the Pursuit of the Perfect Donut" by Steven Keslowitz ISBN 1-4022-0655-9
  • Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation by Chris Turner ISBN 0679313184
  • Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture (Contemporary Film and Television Series) by John Alberti ISBN 0814328490
  • The Simpsons And Society: An Analysis Of Our Favorite Family And Its Influence In Contemporary Society by Steven Keslowitz ISBN 1587362538
  • The Gospel According to The Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the World's Most Animated Family by Mark I. Pinsky ISBN 0664224199
  • The Gospel According to the Simpsons: Leaders Guide for Group Study by Mark I. Pinsky, Samuel F. Parvin ISBN 066422590X
  • The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer by William Irwin (Editor), Mark T. Conard (Editor), Aeon Skoble (Editor) ISBN 0812694333
  • The Gospel According to Bart: Examining the Religious Elements of The Simpsons by Beth L. Keller
  • "Mister Sparkle meets the Yakuza: Depictions of Japan in The Simpsons", by Hugo Dobson. Journal of Popular Culture 39 (2006): 44–64.

Critical reactions

Awards

Main article: List of awards won by The Simpsons
File:Simpsons Hollywood Walk of Fame.jpg
The Simpsons' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 21 Emmy Awards, 22 Annie Awards, a Peabody and numerous others. On January 14, 2000 the Simpsons were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In its 1998 issue celebrating the greatest achievements in arts and entertainment of the 20th century, TIME magazine named The Simpsons the century's best television series. In that same issue, Bart Simpson was named to the Time 100, the publication's list of the century's 100 most influential people. He was the only fictional character on the list. In 2002 it made the top 10 on TV Guide's list of the greatest shows of all time.

Over the years, virtually every Simpsons character has appeared on a magazine cover, ranging from TIME to Christianity Today and even Airliners.

Criticism

As The Simpsons has progressed over the years, it has also received some criticism. With turnovers in the writing staff, the tone and emphasis of the show has gradually changed. By 2000, a segment of long-term fans became disillusioned with the show's movement from its older, more character-driven plots to what they percieved as an overemphasis of zany antics, with some critics going so far as to call the show "tired" [11][12]. Of course, while some fans left the show for these reasons, others who enjoy the current format have replaced them. As a result, there is a significant divide between those who believe the show has jumped the shark, and those who believe it is fine.

In a Top 10 Episodes list chosen by a Simpsons fan site webmaster and published in USA Today to celebrate the show's 300th episode ("Barting Over"), resulted in "Homer's Phobia" being the latest episode included. In another USA Today article from the same day, Simpsons writers were asked for 15 memorable moments from the show's history, resulting in 2000's "Behind the Laughter" being the latest episode included.

In 2004, Harry Shearer critiqued the show's sliding quality in an interview: "I rate the last three seasons as among the worst, so Season 4 looks very good to me now."[13]

Simpsons publications

File:Simpsons comic books.jpg
Simpsons comic books.

Numerous different Simpsons-related comic book series have been published by Bongo Comics since 1993. The Simpsons, Futurama, and Bart Simpson comics are also reprinted in the UK, under the same titles, with various stories from the other Bongo series reprinted in the main Simpsons comic. The comics have also been collected in book form; many other Simpsons books such as episode guides have also been published.

Music is prominently featured in The Simpsons, with virtually all members of the cast breaking into song at least once during the course of the series. Perhaps the best known song is "Do The Bartman," which was released as a single and became an international success. The Simpsons Sing the Blues and The Yellow Album contained cover versions of songs, as well as some originals (including "Do The Bartman"). Songs in the Key of Springfield and Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons are CD collections of original music featured in the TV series.

With the popularity of The Simpsons, especially amongst children, it was only natural for the video game industry to turn to the characters and world of Springfield. While there have always been flops, the majority of Simpsons games did very well commercially and some (such as The Simpsons: The Arcade Game and Bart vs. the Space Mutants) are considered minor video game classics in their own right.

See also: List of The Simpsons publications

DVDs

Many episodes of the show have been released on DVD and VHS over the years. When the first season DVD was released in 2001, it quickly became the best-selling television DVD in history (although it would later be overtaken by the first season of Chappelle's Show) [14]. The seven DVD volumes rank as the best-selling television DVD series of all time. In particular, these DVDs have been released in North America (Region 1), Europe (Region 2) and Australia/New Zealand/Latin America (Region 4).

Further information: The Simpsons DVDs

Video games

Video games starring the Simpsons have been made since 1991. The first game was The Simpsons (arcade game), published by Konami. It was, at the time, one of the most successful arcade games ever.

Various games have been made, including The Simpsons: Hit and Run, The Simpsons Road Rage, and Krusty's Super Fun House. However, other than the classic arcade game, most Simpsons video games were despised by critics for their poor workmanship and actual functionality (with the significant exception of Bart's Nightmare on the Super Nintendo.) However, the recent generation has been better received by the general public, starting with The Simpsons Road Rage; which, while not considered a good game, was certainly an improvement. The most well-regarded Simpsons game is The Simpsons: Hit and Run, which incorporated the free-roaming environment made popular by the Grand Theft Auto series as well as the involvement of The Simpsons writing staff, creating an authentic, interactive Springfield that was praised by critics and the fanbase alike. There are at least two Simpsons pinball games as well, one released after the first season, and the other still available.

File:Simmonopoly.jpg
The Simpsons Monopoly Edition

Vivendi Universal Games, the publisher of recent Simpsons games, announced shortly after the release of The Simpsons: Hit and Run that there was a sequel in the works. However, no news or any development has been announced since then. These plans by Vivendi to create a sequel were no doubt cancelled when Electronic Arts announced in November, 2005, that they would purchase the exclusive licensing rights to publish future Simpsons video game titles, perhaps as a tie-in to the upcoming Simpsons feature film, as Electronic Arts has successfully overseen many film-to-video game projects. The new Simpsons games are supposed to be on next-generation game systems like Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Revolution. With the release of these games, Simpsons videogames will have spanned five generations of consoles.

The Simpsons film

Main article: The Simpsons Movie

Talk about a possible feature-length Simpsons movie has been going on since the early days of the series. The episode "Kamp Krusty" was originally going to be a movie, but became a regular episode after difficulties were encountered in trying to expand the script to feature-length; other rumours about a live-action movie were hoaxes. It is now confirmed that a Simpsons movie is in the works. It is produced by 20th Century Fox, Gracie Films, and Film Roman, and is scheduled to be released July 27, 2007. A teaser trailer was released before the movie, Ice Age: The Meltdown, as well as appearing during The Simpsons episode "Million Dollar Abie" on April 2, 2006.

Catch phrases and recurring jokes

Main article: The Simpsons catch phrases

There are many running gags on The Simpsons, many of which have been retired during the series or implemented later on in the run.

The Simpsons has perhaps most entered the public consciousness in the form of the numerous catch phrases that are repeated by characters of the show. Homer, when frustrated or making an obvious blunder, shouts out the famous catch phrase "D'oh!", which has achieved such mainstream usage as to be featured in the Oxford English Dictionary. Bart's trademark "¡Ay, caramba!", "Don't have a cow, man!" and "Eat my shorts" were also featured on t-shirts in the early days of the show's run.

Many main characters have catch phrases that serve to illuminate the nature of the speaker's character. This is sometimes shown explicitly, as the characters' thoughts are broadcast for the audience to hear. Homer's "Mmmm... [name of food]" shows his weakness for pleasure, while Marge's disapproving throat noise displays her innate uncertainty and nervous nature. On the other hand, Maggie's character is shown only through body language, as she is unable to speak during regular episodes and is prevented from doing so in the episodes which take place in the future (although one episode reveals that her first word is 'Daddy'. Her falls are a common background noise in early episodes of the show. Finally, Abraham Simpson's frailty is demonstrated by the ease and speed at which he falls asleep.

Numerous phrases also exist for other characters, including Barney Gumble's belch, Nelson Muntz's "Ha-ha!", and Mr. Burns' "Excellent...". Dr. Julius Hibbert often laughs in inappropriate situations. Characters frequently rush out of a room to escape an embarrassing situation, followed by the sound of screeching tires. For many seasons, Mr. Smithers sexuality and feelings for his boss create tension during scenes in which the two are together. The anger of the characters toward one another is often highlighted. Homer strangles Bart in an exaggerated fashion for even minor offenses, and threatens them with "Do it..." when they are uncertain about his leadership. Other members of the family frequently take up this phrase as well.

The "Stay-On-the-Line and Cry" routine (more prevalent in earlier seasons of the show), a running gag in which one of the members of the Simpson family — usually Homer and Marge — would wait on the phone, but then break down and cry when a popular song pertaining to the situation would be played as Soft/Easy Listening Music. One example would be the Missing Baby Hotline playing "Baby Come Back" by Player. Bart often makes a prank call to Moe's Tavern, asking for someone with a name such as "Amanda Huggankiss," "Mike Rotch," "Jacque Strap," "Oliver Clozoff," "Heywood U. Cuddleme" or "Hugh Jass" (this latter case being one in which Bart's prank call backfires, as there actually is a Hugh Jass in the bar). Moe falls for the trap every time, and when he realises that the joke is at his expense shouts threats back at Bart. This is a reference [15] to the (in)famous Tube Bar prank calls pulled on grumpy New Jersey bar owner, Louis "Red" Deutsch in the late 1960s by John Davidson and Jim Elmo which follows an almost identical pattern (with much more profanity).

The contrast between the world of the commercial and real life is also a major theme put forward by the show's catch phrases. Krusty the Clown often starts his TV shows with a cry of "Hey-hey, kids!" and a distinctive laugh, which is a great contrast to his off-screen personality. Similarly, actor Troy McClure always introduces himself with the phrase 'Hi, I'm Troy McClure, you may remember me from such (whatever) as (insert cheesy-sounding program titles)...'. Dr. Nick Riviera seems unable to remove himself from the world of infomercials that he is seen to appear in, and always announces his entrances with "Hi, everybody!," to which everybody in the room responds "Hi, Dr. Nick!". Many commercial establishments on the Simpsons have comically farcical names (that are puns) such as "Try-N'Save," (a convenience store) "Nuts Landing" (a pet sterilization clinic), and "Blood, Bath, and Beyond" (a gun shop). Finally, certain groups are represented by stereotypes, such as the ginger-haired and green-clad Irishman who occasionally appears.

Forgetfulness is another occasional theme. Mr. Burns is unable to remember Homer Simpson's name, despite the countless times the two have met. Smithers usually reminds him that Homer works in Sector 7G of the power plant, describing him with a term such as "organ bank," "gastropod" or "drone". Krusty the Clown never remembers Bart, a boy who has helped him on numerous occasions. This suggests a division between famous or rich characters and the common people.

In later episodes, meta-references have become a theme in running gags. Attention is drawn to the fact that Homer rarely appears at his legitimate day-job at the Nuclear Power Plant. He seems to be fired and rehired from the job on a regular basis without cause. For many years, the show refused to reveal the location of Springfield. In finally breaking this rule, the writers maintained the confusion by stating two alternate locations in the original and syndicated version of an episode.

See also

Lists

References

Print

Web based

  1. ^ The Complete Simpsons Bibliography at SNPP.com
  2. ^ Simpsons renewed for 2 more seasons at comingsoon.net
  3. ^ A news article on the University of British Columbia website about Chris Turner, author and journalist, and his views ont the Simpsons
  4. ^ Hocking, Tammy, Rose, Matt. List of Inquiries and Substantive Answers-Series Background. SNPP. http://www.snpp.com/guides/lisa-2.html#2.1.4.
  5. ^ Matt Groening at SNPP.com
  6. ^ Rick McGinnis, Star talks Simpsons, metro, August 9, 2004
  7. ^ David Owen, Taking Humor Seriously, The New Yorker, March 13, 2000
  8. ^ Gervais writing Simpsons episode, BBC News, December 23, 2004
  9. ^ Don Hamilton , Matt Groening's Portland, Portland Tribune, July 19, 2002
  10. ^ Vince Soodin and Veronica Lorraine, The Simpsons come to life, The Sun
  11. ^ Jaime J. Weinman Worst Episode Ever, Salon.com, Jan. 24, 2000
  12. ^ Jon Bonné, ‘The Simpsons’ has lost its cool, MSNBC, Oct. 2, 2000
  13. ^ Chris Leggett, One of the lead actors on The Simpsons believes the hit TV cartoon is in a slump, UK Teletext, August 4, 2004
  14. ^ David Lambert, Chapelle's Show — S1 DVD Passes The Simpsons As #1 All-Time TV-DVD; Celebrates by Announcing Season 2!, TVshowsonDVD.com, October 19, 2004
  15. ^ Mike Walsh, The Legendary Tube Bar Recording at MissionCreep.com
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