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The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Developed by Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon, the series 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, 764 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 2018. 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 is a joint production by Gracie Films and 20th Television. (Full article...)

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Troy McClure is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who was voiced by Phil Hartman, and first appeared in the episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment." McClure was based on B-movie actors Troy Donahue and Doug McClure, as well as Hartman himself. After Phil Hartman's murder in 1998, the character was retired, and last appeared in the season ten episode "Bart the Mother." He is one of the show's most popular recurring characters and, had Hartman not died, would have been the subject of a live-action film.

McClure is a washed-up actor, frequently shown presenting infomercials and educational videos. He is vain, and cares principally for himself, marrying Selma Bouvier to aid his failing career and quash rumours about his personal life. McClure appears as the central character only in the episode "A Fish Called Selma", but presents the episodes "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" and "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase."

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Credit: Bill Oakley

Part of the writing staff of The Simpsons in 1992. Back row, left to right: Mike Mendel, Colin ABV Lewis (partial), Jeff Goldstein, Al Jean (partial), Conan O'Brien, Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein, Mike Reiss, Ken Tsumara, George Meyer, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti (partial), CJ Gibson and David M. Stern. Front row, left to right: Dee Capelli, Lona Williams and Leslie Richter.

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“

I find the defendant not guilty. As for Science versus Religion, I'm issuing a restraining order. Religion must stay 500 yards from Science at all times.

”

— Judge Roy Snyder ("Lisa the Skeptic")

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"He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs", also known as "He Loves to Fly", is the season premiere of The Simpsons’ nineteenth season and first aired on September 23, 2007. Homer gets to fly in Mr. Burns's private jet and likes it so much that he decides never to fly commercial again. He tries to find a job that involves flying in a corporate jet, and hires a life coach named Colby Kraus to assist him with his goal. It was written by Joel H. Cohen, directed by Mark Kirkland and guest stars Lionel Richie as himself and Stephen Colbert as Colby Kraus. The episode averaged 9.7 million viewers and a 4.7 overnight Nielsen rating and a 12 percent audience share, making the highest rated episode of The Simpsons since "The Wife Aquatic", which aired January 7, 2007. The episode's title is a reference to the former Delta Air Lines slogan, "We love to fly and it shows."

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...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 for "Homerpalooza", Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Pearl Jam and Hole were all sought to guest star but all four turned the offer down?

...that when it came time to give Grampa Simpson a first name, the writers named him Abraham which by coincidence was the name of Matt Groening's grandfather?

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

Image 1Morgan Spurlock produced a documentary on The Simpsons in order to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 2James L. Brooks has won twelve Emmys with 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 5
David Mirkin
Image 6In 2004, Matt Groening won a Lifetime achievement British Comedy Award.
Image 7The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop, as seen in the Springfield section of Universal Studios Hollywood (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 8Part of the writing staff of The Simpsons in 1992 (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 9Voice actress Maggie Roswell left The Simpsons over a pay dispute, but returned three years later. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 10The Simpsons Movie premiered in Springfield, Vermont. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 11Hank Azaria has won four Emmy awards for Outstanding Voice-over Performance (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 12Michael Jackson co-wrote the single "Do the Bartman" (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 13A Seattle 7-Eleven store transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart. (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 14The Simpsons' visit to Rio de Janeiro almost led to a lawsuit and a diplomatic incident. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 15In 2001, Yeardley Smith's character Lisa Simpson won an EMA Award. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 16
Mike Scully
(from History of The Simpsons)
Image 17The 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 18In 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 19Voice actor Phil Hartman was killed by his wife in a murder–suicide in 1998. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 20David Silverman, director of The Simpsons Movie.
Image 21Moe's Bar in Concepción, Chile, based on images from The Simpsons. (from Springfield (The Simpsons))

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We're really writing a show that has some of the most esoteric references on television. I mean really, really, really strange, odd, short little moments that very few people get and understand. We do that for ourselves. We're writing it for adults and intelligent adults at that.

— David Mirkin

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