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The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Developed by Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon, the series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Set in the fictional town of Springfield, it caricatures society, Western culture, television, and the human condition.

The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a solicitation for a series of animated shorts with producer Brooks. He created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after his own family members, substituting Bart for his own name; he thought Simpson was a funny name in that it sounded similar to "simpleton". The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After three seasons, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and became Fox's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990).

Since its debut on December 17, 1989, 768 episodes of the show have been broadcast. It is the longest-running American animated series, longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, both in seasons and individual episodes. A feature-length film, The Simpsons Movie, was released in theaters worldwide on July 27, 2007, to critical and commercial success, with a sequel in development as of 2018. The series has also spawned numerous comic book series, video games, books, and other related media, as well as a billion-dollar merchandising industry. The Simpsons is a joint production by Gracie Films and 20th Television. (Full article...)

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The Simpsons' first season originally aired between December 17 1989 and May 13 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The show runners for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon. The series was originally set to debut in the fall of 1989 with the episode "Some Enchanted Evening", which was meant to introduce the main characters. However, during the first screening of the episode, the producers discovered that the animation was so appalling that 70% of the episode needed to be redone. The first season won one Emmy Award, and received four additional nominations. Although television shows are limited to one episode a category, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was considered a separate special, and nominated alongside "Life on the Fast Lane" for Outstanding Animated Program; "Life on the Fast Lane" won the award. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was also nominated for "Outstanding Editing in a Miniseries or Special", while "The Call of the Simpsons" was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special". The main theme song, composed by Danny Elfman, was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music". The DVD box set was released on September 25, 2001 in Region 1 and September 24, 2001 in both Region 2 and Region 4.

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Credit: e5capeveloc1ty

James L. Brooks has a cameo role in the fourteenth season episode, "A Star Is Born-Again". Brooks started his own production company Gracie Films in 1984, which produced The Tracey Ullman Show and The Simpsons.

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Character quote

“

All I remember about the last two months is giving a guest lecture at Villanova... or maybe it was a street corner.

”

— Barney Gumble ("The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson")

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"He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs", also known as "He Loves to Fly", is the season premiere of The Simpsons’ nineteenth season and first aired on September 23, 2007. Homer gets to fly in Mr. Burns's private jet and likes it so much that he decides never to fly commercial again. He tries to find a job that involves flying in a corporate jet, and hires a life coach named Colby Kraus to assist him with his goal. It was written by Joel H. Cohen, directed by Mark Kirkland and guest stars Lionel Richie as himself and Stephen Colbert as Colby Kraus. The episode averaged 9.7 million viewers and a 4.7 overnight Nielsen rating and a 12 percent audience share, making the highest rated episode of The Simpsons since "The Wife Aquatic", which aired January 7, 2007. The episode's title is a reference to the former Delta Air Lines slogan, "We love to fly and it shows."

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Did you know...

...that The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer, a book that analyzes The Simpsons using philosophical concepts, is the main textbook in philosophy courses offered at some universities?

...that for The Simpsons Movie, Isla Fisher, Minnie Driver, Erin Brockovich, Edward Norton and Kelsey Grammer all had guest spots cut?

...that Bart Simpson's catchphrase "Eat My Shorts" was an ad-lib by Nancy Cartwright in one of the original table readings, harking back to an incident when she was at college?

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The following are images from various The Simpsons-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1"Lisa the Vegetarian", an episode produced by David Mirkin, won a Genesis Award in 1996
Image 2Voice actor Phil Hartman was killed by his wife in a murder–suicide in 1998. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 3A Seattle 7-Eleven store transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart. (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 4The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop, as seen in the Springfield section of Universal Studios Hollywood (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 5Voice actress Maggie Roswell left The Simpsons over a pay dispute, but returned three years later. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 6Morgan Spurlock produced a documentary on The Simpsons in order to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 7In 1991, Nancy Cartwright accepted a Kids' Choice Awards while wearing a Bart Simpson costume. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 8David Silverman, director of The Simpsons Movie.
Image 9
Mike Scully
(from History of The Simpsons)
Image 10Matt Selman won a WGA Award in 2004. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 11The show was criticized by several conservatives. Among those were President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 12The Simpsons' visit to Rio de Janeiro almost led to a lawsuit and a diplomatic incident. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 13Moe's Bar in Concepción, Chile, based on images from The Simpsons. (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 14Michael Jackson co-wrote the single "Do the Bartman" (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 15In 2001, Yeardley Smith's character Lisa Simpson won an EMA Award. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 16In 2004, Matt Groening won a Lifetime achievement British Comedy Award.
Image 17
David Mirkin
Image 18Part of the writing staff of The Simpsons in 1992 (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 19The Simpsons Movie premiered in Springfield, Vermont. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 20James L. Brooks has won twelve Emmys with The Simpsons.
Image 21Hank Azaria has won four Emmy awards for Outstanding Voice-over Performance (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)

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We've repeated some basic themes and situations, but there's still plenty of material to keep it going. And, of course, we've developed a wealth of supporting characters over the years, so the writers don't have to build every show around Homer, Marge, or the kids. I think some of our best shows have been built around the secondary characters. No, believe me, we've still got plenty of juice left in 'The Simpsons'.

— Dan Castellaneta

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