The Simpsons is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning, animated American sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox TV Network. It is a satirical parody of the "Middle American" lifestyle epitomized by its title family, consisting of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Set in the fictional town of Springfield, the show lampoons many aspects of the human condition, as well as American culture, society as a whole, and even television itself.
The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a pitch for a series of animated shorts with James L. Brooks. He sketched out his version of 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.
The Simpsons was an early hit for Fox, winning several major awards. Time magazine's 1998 issue named it the century's best television series, and on January 14, 2000 it was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is the longest-running American sitcom, as well as the longest-running American animated program. As a testament to the show's influence on popular culture, Homer's annoyed grunt "D'oh!" has been adopted into the English lexicon. The Simpsons is also cited as an influence to many adult-oriented animated sitcoms of the late 1990s.
Since its debut on December 17, 1989, the show has aired 395 episodes over 18 seasons, and as of March 20, 2006, it was renewed for a 19th season, due to be aired in 2007–2008. The 18th season finale will be the 400th episode, and 2007 marks the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons franchise. A feature-length film, The Simpsons Movie, is currently being produced, to be released on July 27, 2007
1 comment:
I have grown to love watching the Simpsons and all five charters have unique personalities that I think everyone can get a good laugh at. I have enjoyed years of watching the Simpsons everyday on FOX and since DISH Network came out with there HD free for life I have been enjoying it in a clear 1080i picture quality. DISH Network has more HD channels than any other provider and I did not realize this until I got there service. Even if I miss an episode of the Simpsons I really did not miss it because a co-worker at DISH informed me that DISH customers can go online and watch there favorite episodes online at no charge.
Post a Comment