When Did the Simpsons First Appear on Television?

As of 2010, The Simpsons has aired four hundred and sixty four episodes, and completed twenty one seasons.

The initial idea was that the show would be a series of animated shorts, and the shorts would be shown on The Tracey Ullman Show. The Simpsons first appeared on television as an animated short on April 19, 1987.

In 1989, Fox decided to turn the animated shorts into a half an hour show. Jim Brooks negotiated a deal with Fox which would prevent them from dictating content for the show. The first half an hour show for The Simpsons debuted on December 17, 1989. The episode was called “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.”

Creating the Simpsons

The creator of the series is Matt Groening. Ironically, the idea for the show was a backup plan that Groening created while waiting for a pitch meeting to begin. Groening was meeting with James L. Brooks, and Brooks asked Groening for an idea for animated shorts.

Groening planned to pitch his Life in Hell series that he had been working on for most of his life. However, while in the lobby, he realized that if the series was accepted, he would lose publication rights. So, Groening came up with the idea for The Simpsons. In fact, most of the characters were named after his own family.

Characters on the Simpsons

The main characters of the Simpson family include:

• Homer Simpson - the father of the family
• Marge Simpson - the mother
• Bart Simpson - the oldest child
• Lisa Simpson - the middle child
• Maggie Simpson - the baby

As the series evolved, a number of peripheral characters were added to the cast.

• A police chief was added named Chief Wiggum.
• Bart was given a best friend named Nelson.
• The Simpsons family was given a group of neighbors named the Flanders family.
• Homer worked for an evil boss, named Mr. Burns.

As the show grew, the cast grew as well.

Writers of the Simpsons

The first group of writers for the series consisted of such writers as John Viti, George Meyer, Jeff Martin, and Al Jean to name a few. Over the years, the show has had many different writers. For example, Conan O’Brien wrote for the show in the years prior to becoming a late night talk show host. As of 2010, John Swartzwelder has written the most episodes for the show. He is credited with sixty episodes for The Simpsons.

Voices of the Characters

As an animated show, The Simpsons has actors play the voices of the characters. Usually, an actor will play more than one character. The main voice actors are Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaira, and Harry Shearer.

• Dan Castellaneta is credited with voicing Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Barney, Krusty the clown, Groundskeeper Willie, and Mayor Quimby to name a few.
• Julie Kavne is credited with voicing Marge Simpson and her two sisters.
• Nancy Cartwright voices the characters of Bart Simpson, Ralphie, Todd Flanders, and a number of other peripheral characters.
• Yeardley Smith is only responsible for voicing Lisa Simpson.
• Hank Azaira voices a number of characters which include: Moe, Chief Wiggum, Apu, Professor Frink, and Dr. Nick.
• Harry Shearer is responsible for are Mr. Burns, Smithers, Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman, and Principal Skinner.

The show has won twenty five Emmy Awards, and as of 2010 it is the longest running American sitcom in history.