Staying alive
For the past 20 years, no family has been more synonymous with primetime television than the Simpsons. This past month, Fox celebrated the success of ‘The Simpsons’ by airing the show’s 451st episode followed by a special tribute episode that commemorated the show’s history on television.
‘The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3D! On Ice!’ explored the success of the dysfunctional yellow family and their animated world by interviewing the creators, executive producers, writers, voice talents and people who were inspired by the show.
‘The Simpsons’ follows the life of the Simpson family. The clan is headed by the lazy yet lovable father Homer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta), whose wife is the patient and understanding Marge (voiced by Julie Kavner). Their mischievous son Bart (voiced by Nancy Cartwright), brilliant daughter Lisa (voiced by Yeardley Smith) and pacifier-dependent toddler Maggie add to the comical team. Creator Matt Groening did not intend for the show to revolve solely around the Simpsons, so he created an entire world filled with a diverse set of characters. Groening has noted that some of the characters were first created as extras that grew in popularity, and some eventually even starred in their own episodes.
What started out as short skits from ‘The Tracy Ullman Show’ turned into a 13-episode hit series on Fox. On Dec. 17, 1989, ‘The Simpsons’ became the highest-rated series premiere up to that date on the Fox network. It even beat out NBC’s ‘The Cosby Show,’ which had been the No. 1 show on television. The premiere also became the first Fox show ever to land in Nielsen’s rating of the top 30 shows of the 1989-90 season.
As the seasons progressed, ‘The Simpsons’ grew in popularity. Characters from ‘The Simpsons’ graced the covers of TV Guide magazine nearly 40 times, Entertainment Weekly three times and Rolling Stone twice, as well as the covers of at least 50 other magazines. This includes the unforgettable November 2009 issue of Playboy, which featured a nude Marge. The Oxford English Dictionary even added Homer’s signature catchphrase ‘D’oh!’ in its 2001 update. Additional phrases from the show have been inducted into other English dictionaries.
The show has also been an award magnet, winning more than 100 awards from around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia, which recognize the series’ excellence in voice work, directing, writing and music.
The show has been so popular that writers felt the need to create a big-screen version of the show, released in 2007. ‘The Simpsons Movie’ grossed a staggering $527 million worldwide.
Many writers and producers have tried to recreate the success of ‘The Simpsons’ with their own versions of a dysfunctional cartoon family. Seth MacFarlane found the most success with his show ‘Family Guy’ and its spinoffs ‘American Dad’ and ‘The Cleveland Show.’ Mike Judge also found success with his animated ‘King of the Hill,’ which aired from 1997 to 2009. ‘The Simpsons’ also influenced live-action shows such as ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ and ‘Scrubs.’
Offscreen, ‘The Simpsons’ creates enormous profits for its studio, 20th Century Fox, due to its merchandising products. Products ranging from apparel, comic books, video games, toys, trading cards and even commemorative stamps have been based on the series. In 2008, Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., and Hollywood opened up ‘The Simpsons Ride,’ which takes riders through ‘Krustyland,’ based off ‘Simpsons’ character Krusty the Clown.
Even though recent years have brought criticism for the show’s declining quality, ‘The Simpsons’ still remains a staple of Fox’s ‘Animation Domination’ Sunday night lineup. While many people argue the show should conclude sooner rather than later, there is no definitive date for when the world will see the end of this beloved animated family.
Published on January 24, 2010 at 12:00 pm
