WVAH Fox 11: The Simpsons

The Simpsons

Fact Sheet

Homer

Marge

Bart

Lisa

Maggie

Matt Groening

For exact broadcast times check the PROGRAM SCHEDULE

The Simpsons
Sundays 8:00 PM

Now the longest-running prime-time animated series in television history, The Simpsons has changed the face of the medium forever. Award-winning and critically acclaimed, the series delivers solid messages about family, society and the environment, without sacrificing the social and political satire or edgy humor for which it is heralded.

The Simpsons has been honored with a Peabody Award, Emmy Awards, Annie Awards, Genesis Awards, International Monitor Awards and Environmental Media Awards, among numerous other nods. Certainly a colorful family, the Simpsons reside in the town of Springfield. Homer works at the local nuclear power plant; Marge is a loving wife and mother who takes pride in her hair and occassionally seeks work outside the home; Bart is a 10-year-old provocateur who can instantly go from brother to bother; Lisa is an intelligent, precocious, jazz saxophone-playing 8-year-old, wise beyond her years; and toddler Maggie manages to convey a wide range of emotions via pacifier sucks.

Giving voice to the family are Dan Castellaneta as Homer, Julie Kavner as Marge, Nancy Cartwright as Bart and Yeardley Smith as Lisa. Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer also provide the voices of a myriad of characters.

This season, Helen Hunt, Janeane Garofalo, Fyvush Finkel, Rod Steiger, Jan Hooks, Bob Denver, Martin Sheen, Andrea Martin, Alex Trebek, Jim Varney, Joe Namath and comedian Bobcat Goldwaith are among those who will join the list of guest voices, which reads like a celebrity "Who's Who."

The Simpsons, created by cartoonist Matt Groening, first appeared in 1987 as a series of 30-second spots produced by Groening for the FOX series "The Tracey Ullman Show." Response was so positive that The Simpsons premiered on FOX as a half-hour Christmas special on Dec. 17, 1989, and then as a regular series on Jan. 14, 1990.

See the REAL LIFE Simpsons Theme!

The show has transformed the way the television industry and audiences perceive animation and comedy series in general. Evidenced by the proliferation and success of new animated series which appeal to adults, The Simpsons has become the standard against which all others are measured. One aspect of its appeal may be that the show's producers and writers, socially savvy, well-educated and sometimes politically correct, work throughout the year to fill each episode with erudite references and sight gags. For enthusiasts, VCRs are a must. As creator Matt Groening has often said, "You get rewarded for paying attention." Each episode takes six to eight months to produce, so changes are frequently made to keep references topical.

In May 1997, The Simpsons received its first Peabody Award. The series has won three Emmy Awards as Outstanding Animated Program in 1990, 1991 and 1995. James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Mike Scully are executive producers. The Simpsons is a Gracie Films Production in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television.

The Simpsons characters and photos TM & ©1998 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All Rights Reserved.

PRIME PICKS

AMERICAN IDOL
Tonight at 8:00 PM
Scott MacIntyre and Matt Giraud perform; four contestants are eliminated; the top 12 finalists are revealed

HOME | PROGRAMS | NEWSROOM | SCHEDULE | COMMUNITY