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The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Set in the fictional town of Springfield, it caricatures society, Western culture, television and the human condition.

The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a solicitation for a series of animated shorts with producer Brooks. He created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after his own family members, substituting Bart for his own name; he thought Simpson was a funny name in that it sounded similar to "simpleton". The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After three seasons, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and became Fox's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990).

Since its debut on December 17, 1989, 780 episodes of the show have been broadcast. It is the longest-running American animated series, longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, both in seasons and individual episodes. A feature-length film, The Simpsons Movie, was released in theaters worldwide on July 27, 2007, to critical and commercial success, with a sequel in development as of 2024. The series has also spawned numerous comic book series, video games, books and other related media, as well as a billion-dollar merchandising industry. The Simpsons was initially a joint production by Gracie Films and 20th Television; 20th Television's involvement was later moved to 20th Television Animation, a separate unit of Disney Television Studios. (Full article...)

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Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known by his stage name Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer, and first appeared briefly in the episode "The Telltale Head", although his first major appearance was in "Krusty Gets Busted". Sideshow Bob has been described as "Frasier pickled in arsenic" Frasier being Grammer's character on the series Frasier. In 2006, Grammer won an Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his portrayal of Bob in the episode "The Italian Bob." Sideshow Bob was originally the sidekick on Krusty the Clown's television show, but Krusty's continuous abuse led to Bob framing him for armed robbery. Krusty was arrested and Bart Simpson discovered that Bob was behind the crime, leading to Bob's arrest. Since then he has been a villainous homicidal maniac, as well as Bart's mortal enemy, and as a result he has tried to kill Bart on several occasions. Bob has been featured in ten episodes, with the most recent one airing during the nineteenth season.

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Credit: Joe Shlabotnik

The outside of The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Florida.

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“

We need to bring tourism back to Springfield! As usual, I will open the floor to all crazy ideas that jump to people's minds.

”

— Mayor Quimby ("There's Something About Marrying")

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"Homer at the Bat" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons' third season, which originally aired February 20, 1992. The episode follows the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, led by Homer, having a winning season and making the championship game. Mr. Burns makes a large bet that the team will win and brings in nine ringers from the "big leagues" to ensure his success. It was written by John Swartzwelder, who is a big baseball fan, and directed by Jim Reardon. Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey, Jr., Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, José Canseco, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Scioscia all guest starred as themselves, playing the ringers hired by Mr. Burns. Terry Cashman also sang a song over the end credits. The guest stars were recorded over several months, with differing degrees of cooperation. The episode is often named among the show's best, and was the first to beat The Cosby Show in the ratings on its original airing. Jon Lovitz also guest voices.

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Did you know...

...that The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer, a book that analyzes The Simpsons using philosophical concepts, is the main textbook in philosophy courses offered at some universities?

...that Maggie Simpson has been voiced by several different actors, including Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones and Harry Shearer?

...that since leaving the series in 1993, Sam Simon has been credited as "Sam 'Sayonara' Simon" in the opening credits of Treehouse of Horror episodes?

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The following are images from various The Simpsons-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1In 2001, Yeardley Smith's character Lisa Simpson won an EMA Award. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 2The Simpsons' visit to Rio de Janeiro almost led to a lawsuit and a diplomatic incident. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 3Matt Selman won a WGA Award in 2004. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 4"Lisa the Vegetarian", an episode produced by David Mirkin, won a Genesis Award in 1996
Image 5David Silverman, director of The Simpsons Movie.
Image 6
David Mirkin
Image 7Part of the writing staff of The Simpsons in 1992 (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 8In 1991, Nancy Cartwright accepted a Kids' Choice Awards while wearing a Bart Simpson costume. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 9Moe's Bar in Concepción, Chile, based on images from The Simpsons (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 10The Simpsons Movie premiered in Springfield, Vermont. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 11The show was criticized by several conservatives. Among those were President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 12Michael Jackson co-wrote the single "Do the Bartman" (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 13Morgan Spurlock produced a documentary on The Simpsons in order to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 14Voice actress Maggie Roswell left The Simpsons over a pay dispute, but returned three years later. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 15A Seattle 7-Eleven store transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 16In 2004, Matt Groening won a Lifetime achievement British Comedy Award.
Image 17
Mike Scully
(from History of The Simpsons)
Image 18Voice actor Phil Hartman was killed by his wife in a murder–suicide in 1998. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 19Hank Azaria has won four Emmy awards for Outstanding Voice-over Performance (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 20The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop, as seen in the Springfield section of Universal Studios Hollywood (from Springfield (The Simpsons))

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I did a lot of really crappy sitcoms before I got to The Simpsons. .. It's a writer's paradise. You have no interference from the studio or the network, so you really get to do what you want. I know that once I leave the show, it's not going to be that way. So I'm very happy kind of milking it to the end.

— Mike Scully

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