The Simpsons (TV Series)

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This article is about the television show. For the franchise, see The Simpsons (franchise). For other uses, see The Simpsons (disambiguation).
The Simpsons
The Simpson family. From left to right: Bart, Marge, Santa's Little Helper (dog), Maggie, Homer, Lisa, and Snowball II(cat)
Genre Animated sitcom
Created by Matt Groening
Based on The Simpsons shorts 
by Matt Groening
Developed by James L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Sam Simon
Voices of Dan Castellaneta
Julie Kavner
Nancy Cartwright
Yeardley Smith
Hank Azaria
Harry Shearer
(Complete list)
Theme music composer Danny Elfman
Opening theme "The Simpsons Theme"
Composer(s) Richard Gibbs (1989–1990)
Alf Clausen (1990–2017)
Bleeding Fingers Music (2017–present)
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of Seasons 31
No. of episodes 672 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) List
Running time 21–24 minutes
Production company(s) 20th Century Fox Television
Gracie Films
The Curiosity Company (2015–present, uncredited)
[a]
Distributor 20th Television
Broadcast
Original channel Fox
Picture format 480i (1989–2009)
720p (16:9 HDTV) (2009–present)
Audio format Stereo (1989–1991)
Dolby Surround 2.0 (1991–2009)
Dolby Digital 5.1 (2009–present)
Original run December 17, 1989 –
present
Chronology
Preceded by The Simpsons shorts from
The Tracey Ullman Show
External links
Official website

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of working-class life epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture, society, television, and the human condition.

The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a solicitation for a series of animated shorts with producer James L. Brooks. Groening created 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 and became an early hit for Fox, becoming the network's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–90).

Since its debut on December 17, 1989, 672 episodes of The Simpsons have been broadcast. It is the longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, both in terms of seasons and number of episodes. The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters worldwide on July 27, 2007, and grossed over $527 million. Then on October 30, 2007, a video game was released. Currently, The Simpsons finished airing its thirtieth season, which began airing September 30, 2018. The Simpsons was renewed for a thirty-first and thirty-second season on February 6, 2019, the latter of which will contain the 700th episode. The Simpsons is a joint production by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television and syndicated by 20th Television.

The Simpsons received acclaim throughout its first nine or ten seasons, which are generally considered its "Golden Age". Time named it the 20th century's best television series, and Erik Adams of The A.V. Club named it "television's crowning achievement regardless of format". On January 14, 2000, the Simpson family was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 34 Primetime Emmy Awards, 34 Annie Awards, and a Peabody Award. Homer's exclamatory catchphrase "D'oh!" has been adopted into the English language, while The Simpsons has influenced many other later adult-oriented animated sitcoms. However, it has also been criticized for a perceived decline in quality over the years.

Contents

[edit] Premise

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of The Simpsons characters

[edit] Setting

[edit] Production

[edit] Development

Main article: History of The Simpsons and The Simpsons shorts

[edit] Executive producers and showrunners

List of showrunners throughout the series' run:

[edit] Writing

Main article: List of The Simpsons writers

[edit] Voice actors

[edit] Animation

[edit] Themes

Main article: Media in The Simpsons, Politics in The Simpsons, and Religion in The Simpsons

[edit] Hallmarks

[edit] Opening sequence

Main article: The Simpsons opening sequence

[edit] Halloween episodes

Main article: Treehouse of Horror

[edit] Humor

[edit] =Foreshadowing of actual events

[edit] Influence and legacy

[edit] Idioms

[edit] Television

[edit] Reception and achievements

Season Time Slot (ET) Season premiere Season finale TV season No. of
episodes
Avg. viewers
(in millions)
Most watched episode Viewers
(millions)

[edit] Early success

[edit] Run length achievements

[edit] Awards and accolades

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons
File:The Simpsons star.jpg
The Simpsons have been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

[edit] Criticism

[edit] Controversy

[edit] Ban

[edit] Declining quality

[edit] Apu controversy

[edit] Other media

Main article: The Simpsons (franchise)

[edit] Comic books

Main article: List of The Simpsons comics

[edit] Film

Main article: The Simpsons Movie

[edit] Music

Main article The Simpsons discography

[edit] The Simpsons Ride

Main article: The Simpsons Ride

[edit] Video games

Further information: List of The Simpsons video games

[edit] Syndication

[edit] Streaming and digital sell-through

[edit] Merchandise

See also: List of The Simpsons books and List of The Simpsons home video releases

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

a. ^ Animation for the series is outsourced to Klasky Csupo for seasons 1–3, Film Roman from seasons 4–27 and Fox Television Animation from season 28 onwards.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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