"The Simpsons" (1989)TV series 1989-????

Creator:

Matt Groening

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19

Release Date:

17 December 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy

Tagline:

On Your Marks, Get Set, D'Oh!

Plot:

The satiric adventures of a working class family in the misfit city of Springfield.

Plot Keywords:

Parental Relationship | Blue Hair | Dumb Police | Little Girl | Young Boy

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 97 wins & 101 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. May 15	7:00 PM	Fox	Homerpalooza	#7.24
Thur. May 15	11:30 PM	Fox	Homer and Marge Turn a Couple Play	#17.22

Cast

Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / ... (418 episodes, 1989-2008)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson / ... (418 episodes, 1989-2008)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson / ... (418 episodes, 1989-2008)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson / ... (418 episodes, 1989-2008)
Harry Shearer	...	Ned Flanders / ... (417 episodes, 1989-2008)
Hank Azaria	...	Chief Wiggum / ... (409 episodes, 1989-2008)
Pamela Hayden	...	Milhouse Van Houten / ... (342 episodes, 1989-2008)
Tress MacNeille	...	Agnes Skinner / ... (292 episodes, 1990-2008)
Karl Wiedergott	...	Additional Voices / ... (185 episodes, 1998-2008)

Runtime:

22 min (400 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Albanian | French | Japanese | German | Russian | Hindi | Swahili | Italian | Swedish | Turkish | Cantonese | Mandarin | Hebrew | Arabic | Klingon | Bengali

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (seasons 3- | Stereo (season 1-2)

Certification:

Canada:14A (Manitoba) (DVD) | Australia:M (4 episodes) | USA:TV-14 (some episodes) | Netherlands:AL | South Korea:15 | Ireland:12 (DVD rating) (seasons 2, 4, 5, and 6) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (DVD) | Canada:G (Quebec) (DVD) | Ireland:G (Some episodes) | Ireland:PG (DVD rating) (seasons 1, 3, and 7) | China:(Banned) (Banned from Prime Time TV) | Italy:T | Denmark:11 (DVD releases) | Singapore:NC-16 (season 6) (season 10) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G (some episodes) | Australia:PG | Brazil:12 (some episodes) | Brazil:Livre | Finland:K-12 (some episodes) | Finland:K-7 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-8 | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Japan:U | Mexico:A | Portugal:M/12 (some episodes) | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:7 | UK:12 (some episodes) | UK:PG | UK:U (some episodes) | USA:TV-G (some episodes) | USA:TV-PG | Australia:PG (Season 2+ DVD) | Australia:G (Season 1 DVD)

Filming Locations:

Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The main characters were given a yellow coloring to attract the attention of channel hoppers.

Goofs:

Continuity: Louis, Bart's black friend, appears yellow in one frame in "The Crepes Of Wrath" when Principal Skinner is introducing his mother to Bart and his friends.

Quotes:

[Burns learns about the stock market crash of 1929]
Mr. Burns: Oh no. Smithers, why didn't you tell me about this market crash?
Smithers: Well, sir, it happened 25 years before I was born.
Mr. Burns: Oh, that's your excuse for everything.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest Cartoons (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

'The Itchy & Scratchy Show' Theme

It started off fantastic...

No one, not even Matt Groening himself, could've imagined that The Simpsons would become as big as it did. Nor could anyone anticipate it could become so cultural. "D'oh" is in the dictionary, and it has spawned off several catch-phrases and one liners. Truly, The Simpsons is the biggest thing since Seinfeld! The first three seasons showed them as if they were an actual family. Like the kind of family you'd meet on the street (only a lot more dysfunctional). Homer trying to do the fatherly thing in each episode. Marge being the voice of reason all the time. Lisa and Bart with their sibling rivalry. These first three seasons are not usually sighted as being the best, but they are often brought up when one speaks of "The Best Episode Ever!" By Season four, the show took a turn for what may have been the best. It left it's more realistic roots and became more of a satire. With more zany antics and more clever, witty, and often times sophisticated humor, The Simpsons became the most popular family on television. Each episode still contained it's own merits, themes and messages. Seasons 4 to about 10 are often said to be the "Golden Age" of The Simpsons.

However, as the year 2000 came, fans began to see themselves divided. Those who stuck with the show since it came about in 1989 were quick to jump on how the show changed. The humor became more lurid and toilet like, with antics becoming heavily more unrealistic and zany (to the point where some even say it isn't funny... but stupid). Some characters becoming unrealistically stupid, and the show shifting gears from focusing on Bart to Homer... to everyone outside of the Simpson family. The show also began to see more cumbersome and meaningless plots. Plots that didn't focus on current issues, or that didn't seem to be as strong as older episodes. Despite this, new fans seem to have come about to replace then, and the show continues to remain at the top of its game, even today.

I'm sure you all know where I stand on that debate. Nine stars to nine fantastic seasons.