A truly popular show is one that has lasted for many years and continues to be popular from generation to generation. And when it comes to animated TV shows, The Simpsons is one of the shows that really made it big and can be considered a classic.
The Simpsons is an animated American TV series shown on Fox channel and made by Matt Groening. Generally speaking, it is a humorous spoof about the American society and culture, several facets of human condition, and the lifestyle of a middle class American family- composed of Marge, Homer, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie- who live in a fictional town called Springfield.
Groening intended The Simpsons family to be dysfunctional. He even named the characters after his own family and used the name Bart to substitute for his own name. On April 19, 1987, the series was incorporated into The Tracey Ullman Show where it lasted for three seasons and was given the big break of being a solo show. It was made into a 30-minute prime time show that became a big hit. It was a great thing for Fox network since The Simpsons is their first series that got into the list of shows with the Top 30 ratings from 1989 to 1990.
The Simpsons has certainly gone very far since it was first aired on the 17th of December, 1989. Currently, the show has 504 episodes and 23 seasons, making it the longest running American sitcom and animated program. In the year 2009, it also became the longest running American primetime under the scripted TV series category. It has also received numerous awards which include a Peabody Award, 30 Annie Awards, and 27 Primetime Emmy Awards. On December 31, 1999 it was named as the 20th century's best TV series by Time Magazine.
Homer is the father and the head of The Simpsons family. He works at the town's nuclear power plant as a safety inspector which is odd, given his slapdash and careless personality. His wife is Marge. She is a conventional American mother and housewife. Their oldest child is Bart, a 10-year-old boy who always gets in trouble. Their second child is Lisa, an intelligent 8-year-old girl who has become an activist at such a young age. The youngest child in the family is Maggie. She is a baby who communicates with family members by sucking on her pacifier.
There are also other characters in the series that play major roles in some episodes including the family's pets, idiosyncratic friends, relatives, colleagues, teachers, and local celebrities. Though the family is dysfunctional, it was shown in certain episodes that they truly care for each other.
The popularity of the show spread in various countries and as a result, many products and The Simpsons games were made. There is a wide variety of The Simpsons games which both adults and children can enjoy. Popular The Simpsons games include Virtual Springfield, The Simpsons Road Rage, The Simpsons Arcade Game, Minutes to Meltdown, and The Simpsons Hit & Run.