FREE ESSAY ON THE SUCCESS OF THE SIMPSONS

THE SUCCESS OF THE SIMPSONS

The Improbable Long-Term Success of The Simpsons
When examining the history of modern prime-time television, there is a certain pattern
that virtually every successful show inevitably falls into. After a period of initial
success, perhaps lasting three or four years, the writing on the show becomes stale by
using the same format and same jokes over and over. The viewing audience becomes bored,
and eventually, the show fades into television oblivion. Or, as Jeff MacGregor states in
The New York Times, "Historically…(successful shows) collapse under the weight of
their own complacency, hanging on for a few lifeless seasons while the producers wait to
cash out their millions and move to Maui." Based on this premise, it would seem that "The
Simpsons," an animated series that debuted in 1987 as thirty second segments on "The
Tracey Ullman Show," should have worn out its welcome long ago. 
However, "The Simpsons" is still going strong today. The secret to the show's success
lies in its producers' ability to understand the expectations of the television audience
and the culture that surrounds them. This understanding, combined with "wry sarcasm,
topical themes, and superb scripting that puts most other comedies to shame," as well as
some old-fashioned slapstick comedy, makes "The Simpsons" one of the most popular
programs in television history. The show is often complex and highly intellectual, while
remaining funny at the most basic levels. As Jim Gleeson states in The College Tribune,
"The show is rare in rewarding attention to detail, with especially obscure references
that… even if you had never heard of…you would still laugh, giddy with the
crafted sleight of it all." 
This fact that the show works on several levels at once draws a generationally diverse
fan base. The adults are attracted by the surprisingly sophisticated dialogue, while the
children enjoy the clumsy antics of Homer and the traditionally "cartoonish" aspects of
the program. An example of a multidimensional scene occurs in the episode where Marge,
the mother of the Simpson family, starts a crusade against campaign violence. Maggie, the
baby, is mesmerized by an "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoon show in which the mouse pummels
the cat over the head with a sledgehammer. Later in the episode, Maggie imitates the
actions of the mouse by hitting her father, Homer, on the head with a sledgehammer, with
the music from "Psycho" playing the background. For the younger audience, the sight of
Homer getting hit on the head is funny, much in the same way that the Simpson children
laugh as the mouse batters the cartoon cat. The older portion of the viewers takes
additional pleasure in recognizing the allusion to the famous horror film. 
Another simple example of multilevel humor features Homer sitting on the couch, while
another Homer walks past the outside window. Although it takes place in a matter of
seconds, this scene is one of countless silly but curiously sensational quirks that makes
the show "a masterpiece of tiny, throw-away details that accumulate into a worldview." 
Because the producers of The Simpsons understand the current industry guidelines for
humor and political correctness, they are able to create humor by bluntly crossing these
presumed socially acceptable boundaries, while still sending a positive message. One
frequently addressed subject on the show is religion, which is a normally sensitive issue
on television. The Simpsons, however tackles religious thought head-on. 
In one episode, Homer skips church on a particularly cold, snowy Sunday and has the best
day of his life. After making his "patented, space-age, out-of-this world Moon Waffles"
(melted caramel and waffle batter wrapped around a stick of butter), he watches football
on T.V. and, upon finding a penny on the ground, asks aloud, "Could this be the best day
of my life?" After visualizing, among other things, his wedding day, he proclaims, "We
have a winner!" 
This sequence would seem to present the idea that going church is a bad thing, but by the
end of the episode, the message is reversed. Homer falls asleep amid a pile of
"Playdudes" with a lit cigar in his mouth, which falls onto the magazines and sets the
house on fire. After a miraculous rescue, Marge asks Homer whether the catastrophe has
changed his mind about going to church. Homer then notices that the Flanders' (the
Simpsons' intensely religious neighbors) house has caught fire, and asks why God isn't
saving "Charlie Church's" house. At that moment, a small rain cloud appears above the
Flanders' house and puts out the fire. Homer reevaluates the situation and announces that
he will be at church seated "front and center" (albeit fast asleep) next Sunday. This
episode is an example of the show's ability to be "hilarious and subversive but also,
somehow, uplifting." 
"The Simpsons'" unabated social and political commentary has been illustrated numerous
times during the series' history. This fearless discussion about controversial topics is
extremely rare on television, and is part of what has made the show so successful.
Gleeson observes that, "The show does not try to score political points. It targets
hypocrisy, corruption and institutionalized laziness wherever it finds them, being
cheerfully vicious to whoever the writers think deserves it." 
One memorable episode, in which an election is taking place in Springfield, provides an
example of this "cheerful viciousness." An unleashed elephant charges first through a
Democratic party convention, which features banners that read "We're not fit to govern,"
and then into a Republican convention, which displays "We're just plain evil" banners.
Because of uncensored social commentary similar to this example, people have accused "The
Simpsons" of being "nothing but a mouthpiece for the dangerously liberal viewpoints of
its creators, and a shameless celebration of dysfunction." Nevertheless, the show remains
as unrestricted as ever.
"The Simpsons" has even created a stir among some of the nation's most influential
political figures. In a 1990 interview with People magazine, former First Lady Barbara
Bush called the show "the dumbest thing I've ever seen." Soon after, Bush received a
letter from "Marge Simpson" demanding an apology. Within two weeks' time, Bush responded
and asked for Marge's forgiveness for "a loose tongue." Also, in a 1992 speech to the
National Religious Broadcasters convention, then-President George Bush said "The nation
needs to be closer to the Waltons than the Simpsons." While these are certainly not
endorsements for the program, it reveals at least that the Simpsons are having somewhat
of a political impact on the country.
Despite the large amount of crude, violent content on the show, "The Simpsons" provides
an attraction to the viewers on a sentimental level as well. One of the main reasons for
this emotional attachment is the thorough development of characters on the program.
Occasionally, the producers will devote an entire episode to supporting characters,
adding depth and personality to an area that is usually underdeveloped by sitcoms. 
These characters often start out as stereotypes of certain factions of society, but over
time evolve into complete individuals with whom the viewers become familiar. Among the
members of the supporting cast are Moe the bartender, Krusty the Klown, Mr. Burns,
Homer's miserly old boss, Chief Wiggum, the fat, lazy police chief, Principal Skinner,
and Bart's chain-smoking teacher, Ms. Krabapple. All of these characters are introduced
as flat characters, but over time their personalities have been comprehensively developed
into much more. By developing these side characters, as well as the members of the
Simpson family, the cartoon figures often become more believable and seem more real than
human, cliched characters on television. This evolution is central to the show's
prolonged prime-time success.
An example of the show's focus on the supporting cast is the documentation of the love
affair between Principal Skinner and Ms. Krabapple. Previously the viewers had only known
them in relation to Bart, but subsequent shows reveal that they were both lonely souls
who found each other, bringing happiness into each other's lives. The writers go so
deeply into the development that, when accused of having sex in the janitor's closet at
school, Principal Skinner reveals that he is a virgin. Principal Skinner is further
developed by the discovery that he is using the name Seymour Skinner as an alias, and
that he is actually a deadbeat from Capital City. The real Seymour Skinner is a war hero
who has come to Springfield to set the record straight. In the end, the town decides that
they like the old Seymour Skinner better, and they send the "real" Seymour Skinner out of
town strapped to a train.
Some characters may be the focal point of the show for weeks at a time, or for a
significant number of shows over a period of years. An example of a continually growing
character is Krusty the Klown, who has had several encounters with the Simpson family
over the years. Krusty is introduced on the show as simply as clown TV star, but over the
years the viewers have come to find out a great deal about him. Through his numerous
appearances on the show, we have discovered that his father disowned him because he
wanted to become a clown instead of a rabbi, he has a pacemaker, he is illiterate, and he
has three nipples. Bart has starred on his show, saved him from a murder accusation, and
convinced him to return to television after he left his show for a life as a fisherman,
yet through another bizarre quirk on the show, Krusty has no idea who Bart is. 
Similar extensive development is provided for countless other characters on the show,
revealing more about the main and supporting characters than any other show on
television. The growth of the cast members allows the viewers to form somewhat of a
relationship with the members of the show. This relationship translates into loyalty,
which has contributed to the endurance of the show's popularity over time. 
During the early years of "The Simpsons," the show seemed to be simply a cartoon version
of the other mindless shows on the air. Bart, the rebellious, spunky fourth-grader, was
the focus of the show and a marketing superstar. His signature catchphrases, such as "Aye
Carumba!" and "Eat my shorts," were plastered on the shirts and lunchboxes of children
across the nation. If the creators had chosen to continue to emphasize Bart as the star
of the show, as they easily could have done, the program would have inevitably died in a
few years' time. 
Fortunately, the producers recognized this reality. In fact, they were so aware that they
actually based an episode on a nearly identical situation. Bart, while making an
unscheduled appearance on the "Krusty the Klown Show," accidentally knocks down the
entire set of the show. He stares at the mess for a moment, looks at the audience and
says, "I didn't do it." The crowd goes wild, and each time Bart repeats the line, the
crowd gets louder. He is an instant star. Toys, t-shirts, and dolls featuring Bart flood
the stores, and Krusty focuses his entire show around Bart and his magical phrase for a
few weeks. Then, all of a sudden, the line loses its charm. Bart instantly goes from
celebrity to washed-up, and he realizes the fleeting nature of fame. The producers of
"The Simpsons" obviously realized that the same thing would have happened to the show if
they had not made an adjustment. As a result, the focus of the show shifted from Bart to
Homer around the fourth season, and writers began developing the characters of the
residents of Springfield. 
Bart was recently listed as one of the twenty most important cultural figures of the
twentieth century by Time magazine, but an analysis of the program reveals that Homer has
been the true sustaining force. The creator of "The Simpsons," Matt Groening, stated that
his original intention was for the Simpsons to be a TV family superficially similar to
those of his '60s childhood, only one you could feel superior to. The essence of Homer's
appeal lies in the latter portion of that statement. He is the ultimate, typical bumbling
TV father. He concocts wild schemes that the viewer knows will fail miserably, and the
audience takes pleasure in watching as he stumbles his way into inevitable disaster. As
hard as he tries, Homer is simply not very bright, and the viewers can sympathize with
him and feel good about themselves. 
In a way, Homer is living out the fantasies of the average Joe. He sleeps his way through
work, repeatedly, inexplicably keeping his job despite massive mistakes. He drinks beer
and goes bowling seemingly every night, and comes home to a loving wife and family with a
hot meal on the table. Whenever he gets the urge to go after something new, he ignores
any possible consequences and goes for it. Because he has the same dreams that the
viewers have, the audience relates to him and, in a way, envies him. The viewers
therefore feel a connection to Homer and, consequently, to the show. 
One theory suggests that the success of "The Simpsons" is a consequence of television
history, and could not have taken place if the show had originated twenty years earlier.
The medium of television needed time to build up complexity and diversity, so that the
show could virtually redefine what is expected of a television program. Based on this
theory, "The Simpsons'" effect on television is similar to the Beatles' effect on music.
The theory predicts that the show will continue on until, just like the Beatles, they
have nothing left to do.
At its current pace, "The Simpsons" seems like it could go on forever. The show is
continually progressing and perhaps funnier than ever. The writers are further developing
the characters with each passing episode, and the show's possibilities, for the time
being, seem limitless. It is difficult to explain exactly what the allure of the show is,
but at the core its most appealing characteristic is that it is simply funny. From the
simple pleasure of watching Homer fall flat on his face to the most obscure reference
imaginable, "The Simpsons" continues to entertain over a decade after its conception and
shows no signs of slowing down.