The Simpsons

The Simpsons is a hugely-successful American animated television program that holds the distinction for the longest-running sitcom in history, running since 1990 on the Fox network. The show was created by Matt Groening who has admitted that the character of Bart is based on himself and the greater Simpsons family is based on his own family. 

Origins
Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office. Brooks had asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts, which Groening initially intended to present as his Life in Hell series. However, when Groening realized that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding of publication rights for his life's work, he chose another approach and formulated his version of a dysfunctional family.[7] He named the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name.[1] The Simpson family as they first appeared in The Tracey Ullman Show. The Simpson family as they first appeared in The Tracey Ullman Show.

The Simpson family first appeared as shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987.[2] Groening submitted only basic sketches to the animators and assumed that the figures would be cleaned-up in production. However, the animators merely re-traced his drawings, which led to the crude appearance of the characters in the initial short episodes.[1]

In 1989, a team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The team included what is now the Klasky Csupo animation house. Jim Brooks negotiated a provision in the contract with the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with the show's content.[8] Groening said his goal in creating the show was to offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash" that they were watching.[9] The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989 with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", a Christmas special.[10] "Some Enchanted Evening" was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not air until May 1990 because of animation problems.[11]

The Simpsons was the Fox network's first TV series to rank among a season's top 30 highest-rated shows.[12] Its success prompted Fox to reschedule the series to compete with The Cosby Show, a move that hurt the ratings of The Simpsons.[13] In 1992, Tracey Ullman filed a lawsuit against Fox, claiming that her show was the source of the series' success. The suit said she should receive a share of the profits of The Simpsons—a claim rejected by the courts.[14]

The show was controversial from its beginning. The rebellious lead character at the time, Bart, frequently received no punishment for his misbehavior, which led some parents and conservatives to characterize him as a poor role model for children.[15][16] At the time, then-current President George H. W. Bush said, "We're going to strengthen the American family to make them more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons."[17] Several US public schools even banned The Simpsons merchandise and t-shirts, such as one featuring Bart and the caption "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')".[17] Despite the ban, The Simpsons merchandise sold well and generated US$2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales.[17]

Characters

 * Homer Simpson is the father of the family. He works at the Springfield Nuclear Plant but has been known to take on other jobs, from police cheif to hunger striker.  He is balding and has a very large appetitte.  As the show went on in later seasons he became more stupid and angry to get laughs.


 * Marge Simpson is Homer's long suffering wife. Though the two have had their difficulties (usually stemming from Homer's drinking and/or stupidity) she always returns to him.  She is known for her distinctive tall blue hair.


 * Bart Simpson is the oldest child. He is in 4th grade.  He is a troublemaker, frequently skipping school, spraypainting the walls of his school, and making prank calls to Moe's Tavern.


 * Lisa Simpson is Bart's younger sister in 2nd grade. She is a genuis who does very well in school and plays the saxophone.


 * Maggie Simpson is the youngest Simpson and still a baby. She frequently trips and has shown skill with firearms.

Film Version
A film version of the show was released on July 27, 2007 to generally positive reviews and massive box office success. To date the film has grossed over 170 million dollars domestically and almost 500 million dollars worldwide. 

Both the film and the television versions take place in a fictional town named Springfield. Sixteen American cities named Springfield (located everywhere, from Oregon to Illinois) vied for the opportunity to host the world premiere of The Simpsons Movie by creating short films about their town and connecting it to the show. The winner was Springfield, Vermont, which premiered the movie on July 21, 2007.  The Hollywood premiere of the Simpsons movie took place in Westwood Village on July 24, 2007. Both premieres had yellow carpets in lieu of the traditional red.

The Hollywood Premiere of The Simpsons Movie. Westwood Village, which is home to several movie theaters including the Mann Bruin and Mann Village, which stand across from each other on Broxton Ave and were both decorated in a Simpsons theme. The Mann Bruin held the well-recognized balding head of Homer Simpson, the Mann Village had Marge Simpson's trademark blue beehive.