Category: Television (Page 54 of 66)

The Simpsons first appeared in 1987 as a series of 30-second shorts produced by Groening for the FOX series “The Tracey Ullman Show.” The first of these shorts aired on April 19, 1987, during the third week of primetime broadcasts on FOX. Soon they had their own series, premiering on FOX as a half-hour Christmas special on Dec. 17, 1989 (20 years ago today), and then as a regular series on Jan. 14, 1990.

Aside from the wide range of souvenir items generated by the program, some of the character’s sayings have become part of pop culture history, such as “Don’t have a cow” and “D’oh.” Fun fact: when The Simpsons first went on the air, there were 193 million television sets in U.S. homes — today, the number is more than 300 million.

This needs no explanation. Enjoy.

CNN reporter Ted Leopold writes:

As it turns 20 on Thursday, “The Simpsons’ ” greatest enemy may be itself.

For many fans — particularly hard-core followers in the mold of the show’s sneering Comic Book Guy — the glory days are long past. Some refuse to watch anymore; others admit they still find it funny, but they’re disappointed the show didn’t bow out at the top of its game.

In the 1990s, “The Simpsons” was one of the most inventive shows ever broadcast, taking on high and low culture with equal abandon, becoming engrained within the culture at large. It was revolutionary; at the very least, it helped make Fox a big-league player.

What do you think? Is it time for The Simpsons to leave the airwaves? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.