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Homer, Snowball II, Lisa, Maggie, Santa’s Little Helper, Bart, and Marge. FOX/Photofest TM FOX

Overview

It was 1989, and the newfangled Fox television network needed a jump-start. It had begun prime-time broadcasting two years earlier but had yet to challenge the big boys with any hit show. Not even Married . . . with Children had attracted a wide-ranging audience. The programming department decided to take a chance on transforming what had been a bumper between sketches on its The Tracey Ullman Show to full-fledged status on Sunday nights. It was called The Simpsons, and it was to be the first major prime-time animated show since what was by that time, literally and figuratively, the archaic Flintstones.

Yeah. Good call. The Simpsons is still going strong twenty-four years later. The creation of young Washington State graduate Matt Groening emerged as the most successful animated show in the history of American television. Its comedic strength is in its characters. The five members of the Simpson clan living in the fictional town of Springfield (state unknown) have become household names. There is dopey, beer-swigging simpleton dad Homer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta); sensible, caring, blue-haired mother Marge (Julie Kavner); precocious son Bart (Nancy Cartwright); wise-beyond-her-years daughter Lisa (Yeardley Smith); and baby Maggie (also Yeardley Smith), who has been sucking on her pacifier for more than two decades. Of course, none of the Simpsons or their many hilarious friends, relatives, or colleagues have aged a bit, and fans of the show wouldn’t want it any other way.

In a case of delicious irony, the lazy nitwit Homer holds the job of safety inspector at a nuclear power plant. Of course, there would be no more Springfield if his carelessness caused a meltdown, so that plotline has never been explored, but suffice it to say that Homer is far more interested in downing brews at nearby Moe’s Tavern than keeping his hometown safe from himself.

Bart is too young to frequent Moe’s Tavern, but he makes many a phony phone call to the establishment, much to the annoyance of the proprietor, who always realizes too late that he had been duped. In one typical exchange, Bart requests Al Coholic. Moe asks if there is an Al Coholic in his bar, and his patrons laugh. Moe wises up and calls Bart a “yellow-bellied rat jackass.” Later in the same episode, Bart calls for Oliver Clothesoff, and the fun starts again. It’s no wonder Bart drives everyone around him crazy, as he skateboards his way in and out of jams with a life-be-damned attitude one can only imagine would change if he ever grew up. Some real-life adults might consider such a troublemaking underachiever a bad influence on young boys, who certainly adore him. T-shirts and other paraphernalia sporting such Bart catchphrases as “Don’t have a cow, man!” and “Ay, Caramba!” flew off the shelves as he emerged as a full-fledged phenomenon.

The females of the family have proved far more levelheaded—someone had to keep the guys in line. Environmentalist Lisa actually cares deeply about those with whom she shares the planet. Her brilliance in the classroom and as a saxophone prodigy would draw greater attention if her brother and father were not so busy getting themselves and everyone around them in trouble, and her mother isn’t always so busy cleaning up the mess.

The hilarity doesn’t end with the Simpsons themselves. The ever-expanding cast of recurring characters has been entertaining viewers for more than two decades. Perhaps the funniest—and certainly the most evil—is scheming, unfeeling Charles Montgomery Burns (Harry Shearer), who plays Homer’s boss at the nuclear plant. Then there are Marge’s outrageously negative, chain-smoking twin sisters Patty and Selma (Kavner), who make no secret of their hatred for Homer. Then there is deeply religious neighbor Ned Flanders (Shearer), defender of all he perceives as moral in Springfield. And Homer’s crusty father, Grandpa Simpson (Castellaneta), is the town historian. Then there is . . . well . . . you get the idea. Dozens of unique supporting characters have helped make The Simpsons easily the most successful animated program ever.

There are even hilarious animated TV characters within the animated TV show. Bart’s favorite is Krusty the Clown, who shows to the kiddies at home the ultraviolent cat and mouse cartoon Itchy and Scratchy, which features the former (the mouse) delightfully turning Scratchy into a bloody, mangled mess or simply blowing him up.

Everything is fair game for The Simpsons, which pokes fun at many aspects of pop culture and modern society. One episode that clearly parodies thriller film Cape Feare features madman Sideshow Bob, whose threatening tone is voiced perfectly by Cheers and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, getting paroled from prison and stalking Bart. The boy, who has always lived by his wits, survives only because he says his last request was to have Sideshow Bob sing the entire score of the comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore. That buys enough time for the boat they are in to run aground and for the police to arrive to arrest Sideshow Bob.

The Simpsons has not blossomed into an American institution through one-dimensional humor or characterizations. The depth and breadth of both have made it one of the most brilliant sitcoms of all time. The show elicits laughs through comedy that ranges from slapstick, as displayed on Itchy and Scratchy, to sociopolitical, as can be taken from its satirical takes on such issues as gun control, homosexuality, religion, and television itself. Its wide-ranging characters appeal to viewers of almost every demographic because everyone is bound to embrace the personality and humor of someone on The Simpsons.

Gobs of Great Guests

The number of famous actors, musicians, and athletes who have lent their talents as guest voices on The Simpsons is mind-boggling. The following sections serve as a partial alphabetical list, separated into categories.

Actors

Ed Asner, Alec Baldwin, Anne Bancroft, Drew Barrymore, Halle Berry, Ernest Borgnine, Steve Carell, Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe, Ted Danson, Zooey Deschanel, Danny DeVito, Kirk Douglas, Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson, Kelsey Grammer, Larry Hagman, Tom Hanks, Valerie Harper, Neil Patrick Harris, Dustin Hoffman, Ron Howard, Helen Hunt, James Earl Jones, Cloris Leachman, Jack Lemmon, Penny Marshall, Bob Newhart, Paul Newman, Mickey Rooney, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Elizabeth Taylor, Marisa Tomei, Kathleen Turner, Betty White

Comedians

Mel Brooks, George Burns, George Carlin, Johnny Carson, Ellen DeGeneres, Phil Hartman, Bob Hope, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jon Lovitz, Steve Martin

Musicians

Aerosmith, Tony Bennett, Johnny Cash, David Crosby, the Dixie Chicks, Lady Gaga, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Elton John, Little Richard, Paul McCartney, Metallica, Bette Midler, Moody Blues, Willie Nelson, Ted Nugent, Dolly Parton, Katy Perry, Tom Petty, R.E.M., Keith Richards, Kid Rock, Linda Ronstadt, Sonic Youth, Britney Spears, Ringo Starr, Sting, James Taylor, The Who, Hank Williams Jr.

Athletes

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Andre Agassi, Troy Aikman, Wade Boggs, Terry Bradshaw, Tom Brady, Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Frazier, Ken Griffey Jr., LeBron James, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Don Mattingly, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Pete Sampras, Steve Sax, Johnny Unitas, Serena Williams, Venus Williams

Others

Buzz Aldrin, Lance Armstrong, Dick Clark, Bob Costas, Hugh Hefner, Larry King, Stephen King, John Madden, Rupert Murdoch, Dan Rather, Ryan Seacrest, Gore Vidal

Did You Know?

Show creator Matt Groening named several characters after close relatives. His parents were named Homer and Marge. His sisters were Lisa and Maggie. He named his sons Homer and Abe.

They Said It

Homer: Kids, just because I don’t care doesn’t mean I’m not listening.

Lisa: Dad, just for once don’t you want to try something new?

Homer: Oh Lisa, trying is just the first step toward failure.

Krustyburger manager: We need more secret sauce. Put this mayonnaise in the sun.

Homer: You don’t like your job, you don’t strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That’s the American way.

Sherri: Hey, Bart, our dad says your dad is incompetent.

Bart: What does incompetent mean?

Terri: It means he spends more time yakking and scarfing down doughnuts than doing his job.

Bart: Oh, okay. I thought you were putting him down.

Krusty the Clown: Kids, we need to talk for a moment about Krusty Brand Chew Goo Gum Like Substance. We all knew it contained spider eggs, but the hantavirus? That came out of left field. So if you’re experiencing numbness and/or comas, send five dollars to Antidote, PO Box . . .”

Major Awards

Emmy Award Wins (28)

1990 (1): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Life in the Fast Lane”)

1991 (1): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment”)

1992 (6): Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Nancy Cartwright for “Separate Vocations”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Dan Castellaneta for “Lisa’s Pony”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Julie Kavner for “I Married Marge”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Jackie Mason for “Like Father, Like Clown”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Yeardley Smith for “Lisa the Greek”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Marcia Wallace for “Bart the Lover”)

1993 (1): Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Dan Castellaneta for “Mr. Plow”)

1995 (1): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Lisa’s Wedding”)

1997 (2): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Homer’s Phobia”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Alf Clausen and Ken Keeler for the song “We Put the Spring in Springfield” for “Bart after Dark”)

1998 (3): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Trash of the Titans”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Hank Azaria); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Alf Clausen and Ken Keeler for the song “You’re Checking In [A Musical Tribute to the Betty Ford Center]” for “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson”)

2000 (1): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Behind the Laughter”)

2001 (2): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “Homr”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Hank Azaria for “Worst Episode Ever”)

2003 (2): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “Three Gays of the Condo”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Hank Azaria for “Moe Baby Blues”)

2004 (1): Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Dan Castellaneta for “Today I Am a Clown”)

2006 (2): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “The Seemingly Never-Ending Story”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Kelsey Grammer for “The Italian Bob”)

2008 (1): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind”)

2009 (1): Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Dan Castellaneta for “Father Knows Worst”)

2010 (2): Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Anne Hathaway for “Once upon a Time in Springfield”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation (Charles Ragins for “Postcards from the Wedge”)

2013 (1): Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation (Paul Wee, Character Animation, “Treehouse of Horror XXIII”)

Emmy Award Nominations, in addition to wins (48)

1990 (4): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Simpsons Raosting on an Open Fire”); Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music (Danny Elfman); Outstanding Editing for a Mini-Series or a Special, Single Camera Production (Ric Eisman and Brian K. Roberts for “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”); Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special (Brad Brock, Jim Fitzpatrick, Gary Montgomery, and Brad Sherman for “Call of the Simpsons”)

1991 (1): Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special (Brad Brock, Jim Fitzpatrick, and Gary Montgomery for episode “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment”)

1992 (3): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Radio Bart”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Treehouse of Horror II”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special (Brad Brock, Peter Cole, Anthony D’Amico, and Gary Gegan for “Treehouse of Horror II”)

1993 (2): Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Treehouse of Horror III”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special (Brad Brock, Anthony D’Amico, Greg Orloff, and R. Russell Smith for “Treehouse of Horror III”)

1994 (2): Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen episode “Cape Feare”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Alf Clausen and Greg Daniels for the song “Who Needs the Kwik-E Mart?” for “Homer and Apu”)

1995 (3): Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Treehouse of Horror IV”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Alf Clausen and John Swartzwelder for the song “We Do [The Stonecutter’s Song]” for “Homer the Great”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special (Ronny Cox, Anthony D’Amico, Greg Orloff, and R. Russell Smith for “Bart vs. Australia”)

1996 (2): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Treehouse of Horror VI”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Alf Clausen, Bill Oakley, and Josh Weinstein for the song “Señor Burns” for “Who Shot Mr. Burns?”)

1997 (2): Outstanding Music Direction (Alf Clausen for “Simpsoncalifragilisticexpial-i[Annoyed Grunt]cious”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special (Ronny Cox, Greg Orloff, and R. Russell Smith for “The Brother from Another Series”)

1998 (2): Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Treehouse of Horror VIII”); Outstanding Music Direction (Alf Clausen for “All Singing, All Dancing”)

1999 (2): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming One Hour or Less (for “Viva Ned Flanders”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Treehouse of Horror IX”)

2001 (1): Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Simpson Safari”)

2002 (2): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “She of Little Faith”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Alf Clausen and Jon Vitti for the song “Ode to Branson” for “The Old Man and the Key”)

2003 (1): Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Alf Clausen, Ian Maxtone-Graham, and Ken Keeler for the song “Everybody Hates Ned Flanders” for “Dude, Where’s My Ranch?”)

2004 (3): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “The Way We Weren’t”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Treehouse of Horror XIV”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Alf Clausen and Dana Gould for the song “Vote for a Winner” for “The President Wore Pearls”)

2005 (3): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “Future-Drama”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Treehouse of Horror XV”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Alf Clausen and Carolyn Omine for the song “Always My Dad” for “A Star Is Torn”)

2007 (1): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “The Haw-Hawed Couple”)

2008 (1): Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Treehouse of Horror XVIII”)

2009 (4): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “Gone Maggie Gone”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Hank Azaria for “Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Harry Shearer for “The Burns and the Bees”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Gone Maggie Gone”)

2010 (3): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “Once Upon a Time in Springfield”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Hank Azaria for “Moe Letter Blues”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Dan Castellaneta for “Thursdays with Abie”)

2011 (3): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “Angry Dad: The Movie”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Dan Castellaneta for “Donnie Fatso”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series, Dramatic Underscore (Alf Clausen for “Treehouse of Horror XXI”)

2012 (2): Outstanding Animated Program for Programming Less Than One Hour (for “Holidays of Future Passed”); Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (Hank Azaria for “Moe Goes from Rags to Riches”)

2013 (1): Outstanding Animated Program (for episode “Treehouse of Horror XXIII”)

Golden Globe Nomination (1)

2003 (1): Best TV Series, Musical/Comedy

Humanitas Prize Nominations

2009: 30-Minute Category (John Frink)

2010: 30 Minute-Category (Kevin Curran)

Peabody Award

1997: 20th Century Fox Television and Gracie Films