It was 20 years ago today, on the FOX network that a little animated show premiered alongside "Married... with Children". Based off of shorts from "The Tracey Ullman Show", Matt Groening, Sam Simon, and James L. Brooks brought to us "The Simpsons".
It's debut episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" didn't look like anything promising. It was just another yellow family with rowdy kids singing "Jingle bells, Batman smells" and a father working at a nuclear power plant for very low wages. Sure. there were some concepts that were bizarre in what Groening would call his satire on American families, but we've seen weird before.
Many of those shows that are self-proclaimed bizarre have seen their rise and fall in an estimated time of five years. Even "Married... with Children" got a sudden axe. But what has happened to "The Simpsons" since then?
There's been strenuous merchandising include several musical compilations starting with "The Simpsons Sing the Blues" and most recently "Testify". There's been countless t-shirts, video games, DVDs, comics, and even a movie grossing $700 million worldwide in 2007 under their belt. But how could this show that started off with practically nothing still be around and still quite successful?
It's hard for me to really determine why it is, but I would have to believe it's really the great American family satire that Groening called it. Yes, this family is still more dysfunctional than majority of viewers, but at it's core, there's a relation to any member at any time. They've gone from simple storylines such as failing tests and triple bypasses to more complex such as religion and politics. It's also one of the leading forces in using pop culture references and entire episodes parodying various movies.
Some people have moved on from the show, claiming that the writing has gotten sloppy, but I have stuck around. I too was born in 1989 and as far back as I can remember, I loved two things: "Animaniacs" and "The Simpsons". It's hard to explain why I loved show from my earliest memories, but somehow I never knew a week where I didn't watch an episode, almost to the point of groaning parents.
I adopted the show's culture, throwing phrases around on the playground, laughing at jokes I've heard 20 times before. I thought they were cool and for the most part, my delusional daily ritual was accepted in the household. In fact, the only real day that my parents didn't find annoying was Sundays because that was the new night.
And the new nights became fun. I didn't read spoilers and I saw commercials as teasers. When those episodes premiered, I tried to be right there from the opening chalkbord gag. The theme song easily transplanted in my head almost to the point of being able to play it backwards. Even though I work on Sundays now, I still try to keep that tradition alive and for the most part, it pays off.
I am not sure if watching this much of "The Simpsons" really qualifies it as obsession, but it's secondhand to me and reassuring to spout lines almost in synch with the TV. The guest stars, as prolific as the list was, were another draw and as I grew older and discovered their outside works, I began to appreciate the episodes more and a lot of times, references I didn't understand were made clear.
So in truth, it almost seems like I watch it not only for entertainment, but to pin point parts I had missed out the first time. I will gladly say that I am devout, but not fanboy. I cannot tell you episode names nor every little tidbit, but I can recite "The Stone Cutter's Theme" from memory or tell you Comic Book Guy's real name and what episode it premiered in.
Another thing I discovered as I got older was how much depth each episode held. When I was younger, I didn't know about whorehouses, I just knew "We Keep the Spring in Springfield" was a catchy tune. The show's versatile amounts of viewpoints never seemed to contradict, but reveal more to me about our culture than sociology or history books have really taught me.
Somehow these viewpoints don't really influence me, but always seem to hold significance in my life. I begin to look around and sure enough, something like TV show spin-offs or cartoon violence come up in the media, and those random episodes come to mind, and I laugh.
It isn't all political analysis, I tell ya. Some of it is just pure fun. I don't really knit pick "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, though I enjoy reciting "The Shinning" (my favorite of the segments) whenever I pop it on. While I understand the parodies, most come across hilarious just because they manage to write it a way original enough to commentate on their subject.
The show has probably been most helped by it's growing array of sub-characters, whose very appearance is rarely a nuisance and is guaranteed a laugh. While "Family Guy" has random gags thrown in, "The Simpsons" manage to use these random characters with more care. Majority have small cameos every week while others are featured in full episodes.
So overall, the show's appeal to me is that it is analysis on life. The fact that it reflects society almost entirely during my lifetime probably helps to create the show's older episodes more as nostalgia. But somehow, even the new episodes about immature older bullies and deadbeat fathers still ring somewhat true to my society.
Probably as a writer, too, I have looked at this show and realized it's formula has been tight knit every year, despite numerous changes in staff. The writing continues to challenge the viewer and concisely twists emotions from sentimental to absurd without kinks. I'm not saying in close to 450 episodes the show has been pristine, but it's managed to keep me interested week to week, day to day, year to year.
What are my hopes for the show? I am not exactly sure. I know it's legacy will remain strong as more people become exposed to it. I know I probably will see more new material in the same old scenes as I grow older, and I hope that the next generation who have fallen into "Family Guy" and A.D.D. name-it-now references (though I will be honest, I am a sucker for "Robot Chicken". Best animated sketch show of the decade, hands down) will appreciate it.
So enjoy the show. Look back at the past and look forward to the future.
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