| The Simpsons is an American animated television | | | | dysfunctional family and named the characters after |
| sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox | | | | members of his own family, substituting Bart for his |
| Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody | | | | own name. The shorts became a part of The Tracey |
| of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its | | | | Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season |
| eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, | | | | run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime |
| Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional | | | | time show and was an early hit for Fox, becoming the |
| city of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, | | | | first Fox series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a |
| society, television and many aspects of the human | | | | season (1989–1990). |
| condition. | | | | Since its debut on December 17, 1989 the show has |
| The family was conceived by Groening shortly before | | | | broadcast 447 episodes and the twenty-first season |
| a pitch for a series of animated shorts with the | | | | began airing on September 27, 2009. |
| producer James L. Brooks. Groening created a | | | | |