How television has evolved! This very week in 1989, civilization took a giant slouch forward with the arrival of the most wonderfully dysfunctional family ever. 30 years later The Simpsons is the longest running scripted primetime television series–and one of the most influential–in U.S. history.
It’s hard to fathom now, but back in the prehistoric 80s many primitive parents were afraid to let their children watch The Simpsons. During those primordial years, cave-dwelling progenitors feared it would have a bad influence on their little rock rats. To which my wife and I sympathetically replied, “Don’t have a cow, man!”
We gleefully solved the problem by watching the series with our kids and regularly inserting comments like, “Don’t act like Bart or you’ll grow up to be a Homer!” It worked. We would often overhear them admonishing one another when either did something sneaky or selfish, “Hey, don’t be a Bart!” I also frequently reminded myself (still do) not to be a Homer, i.e. to use my brain for something other than a DTD (donut tracking device).
So thank you, Simpsons, for teaching us how not to be. And for making us laugh so hard that our beverages of choice still frequently emanate from our collective noses.
D’oh! and one final note: To those who don’t like The Simpsons, I would simply like to add, with much love and respect,
“Eat my shorts.” ;>)
Mitch Teemley 
I’m a fan of his comic strip, Life in Hell.
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I have been a fan of the Simpsons since the prehistoric days and LOVE them! My wife, however, is not a fan, so I have to steal glimpses on the sly. Happy 30th Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Apoo!
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I’m reminded of the “womb” of the Simpsons, the Tracey Ullman Show. As great as the little “Simpsons” episode within each show was, the surrounding Ullman show was even better. Tracey is an absolute comic genius. At least for my sense of humor. 🙂
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Indeed, Ullman is an amazing talent.
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Oh, I agree about Tracey Ullman! Remember her character of Kay? So funny, yet so human and sad at the same time.
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The Simpson’s are clever…they are not all about shock value…there is a reason they do what they do. The first 5 seasons had some great writing.
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Thanks for the insight. I am possibly one of less than 10 Americans who have never seen it!
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!! We all have those pop culture gaps. I never watched The Brady Bunch or Full House.
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One of the most amazing things about The Simpsons is the character Ned Flanders. He is the constant object of Homer’s abuse–yet he persists as one of the most sympathetic Christian portrayals in American media. Naive, yes. Silly, most in-doodily. Muscular, yes that was a shock!
Yet is is constantly portrayed (barring that Halloween aberration) as generous, honest, patient and compassionate. His integrity is uncompromised. Whereas Lisa is sweet, perky and considerate, Ned is profoundly good.
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I agree, Rob. I attended a panel discussion with tv sitcom writers back in the 90s, btw, and The Simpsons showrunner (head writer) turned out to be a Christian. That hasn’t always been the case, but it was at that time.
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There is a close resemblance to Homer and Real Humans. What really excites me is that without technology, we would be viewing this information in a very simplistic medium. But with all advances, we find that our instincts seem to dwindle. The saving grace is that some “get it” and we accept the change yet keep our sanity. Mitch, this is a great post.
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