On this day in 1987, the longest running prime time sitcom in TV history debuted. The Simpsons began as a video short on The Tracy Ullman Show. Two years later it was spun off on its own and has now aired more than 650 episodes. It has received numerous awards. The Simpson family has their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Matt Groening has said that his goal in creating The Simpsons was to offer audiences an alternative to the "mainstream trash" they were watching. And while the show often tackles heavy-hitting topics like religion, climate change, poverty, gun control, and nuclear power, its silly jokes and occasionally coarse humor have put some people off. In the early '90s, President George H.W. Bush encouraged Americans to be more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons. First Lady Barbara Bush called The Simpsons "the dumbest thing she had ever seen."
But to be like Simpsons may not be so bad after all. The characters embrace and reflect some of the best qualities of the American middle class. Homer is prone to making bad choices, of course, but he is well-meaning, earnest, and a faithful husband. Like many Americans, he works a steady if unfulfilling job to support his family. Marge is a devoted homemaker who would go to any lengths for her children and who loves her husband; Bart is a free spirit who distrusts authority; and Lisa, a vegetarian and environmentalist who reads a lot, is the voice of concern and informed outrage.
Many famous writers, artists, and thinkers have made guest appearances on the show, including authors Thomas Pynchon, John Updike, Stephen King, Amy Tan, J.K. Rowling, Jonathan Franzen, Gore Vidal, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, artist Jasper Johns, and architect Frank Gehry. Hawking insisted on "speaking" his own lines, laboriously typing them into his voice synthesizer.
Some critics consider the seasons between 1992 and 1997 the show's best for biting satire and exceptional writing. Love them or hate them, the Simpson family has had a major impact on American culture. In Chris Turner's book Planet Simpson, Syracuse professor Robert Thompson is quoted as saying, "Three centuries from now, English professors are going to be regarding Homer Simpson as one of the greatest creations in human storytelling."
Homer Simpson said, "Three sentences will get you through life. Number one, 'Cover for me.' Number two, 'Oh, good idea, Boss.' Number three, 'It was like that when I got here.'"
I think he left out "Here; hold my beer."
There was a time when The Simpsons was the smartest show on TV and it still isn't half bad. The writers had enormous respect for their audience, and never talked down to them. What other show could parody an art house flick, 33 Short Films About Glenn Gould, and not worry about explaining the joke?
They're also a bunch of math and science geeks. Any time you see equations on a show, they are for real, and frequently a joke.
Here is said parody, which, for my money, is the best episode they ever made: 22 Short Films About Springfield. It is a set of one minute interlocking stories that form a complete circle.
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