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What's Not to Like About Matt Groening's The Simpsons?

By Jake Spencer


The Simpsons, an animated family that lives in the fictional town of Springfield, is perhaps the most popular family on American television due to their dysfunctional yet entertaining nature.Brought to life in 1989 by Matt Groening, the wild family is composed of boorish father Homer, loving matriarch Marge, pesky son Bart, straight-A daughter Lisa and youngest child Maggie.Aside from the Simpson family, the diverse group of secondary and tertiary characters include Indian immigrant and Kwik E-Mart owner Apu, Bible thumper Ned Flanders, Bart’s geeky sidekick Milhouse, children’s TV show host Krusty the Clown and cold-blooded billionaire and nuclear plant owner Montgomery Burns.

In every episode, the writers make numerous references to pop culture, keeping the show up to date with the constant changes in society.Aside from the main cast members, The Simpsons also often feature guest stars that voice either special characters or themselves, such as Tony Bennett as himself and Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob, Krusty’s sidekick.

At present, The Simpsons has garnered many recognitions, such as longest-running animated program and longest running American sitcom, as well as numerous awards, like 27 Primetime Emmy Awards and one Peabody Award.Aside from paving the way for the appearance of numerous adult-oriented animated TV shows, The Simpsons also affected retail businesses with the emergence of related merchandise like Simpsons tshirts, toys and other memorabilia.

Despite controversies of many episodes and characters, as well as criticisms about the show’s declining quality, the show’s fame has never wavered.Even after 22 years, the show has been able to maintain a large viewership, and sales of the products related to the show, like Simpsons t-shirts, DVDs of the past seasons and character collectibles have remained popular.

These days, it is not uncommon to see people of all ages and backgrounds watching the hit animated show or sporting a Simpsons t-shirt.It is a simple testament of how a working class American family was able to influence people with their unique way of shedding light on the different aspects of the human condition.




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