Evolving, adapting since 1989
With more than 750 episodes, a feature film, comics, and its catchphrases embedded in the pop-culture across nearly four decades, The Simpsons continues its legacy, remaining one of the most loved shows on television.
At this year's Annecy Animation Festival, The Simpsons creators joined to celebrate the long-running show, which has recently been greenlit for more episodes. The re-order will see it cross 40 seasons.
"The fans are as intense as ever. In fact, more intense. When we were here last, we got a pretty great response. But this time, it's completely nuts," series creator Matt Groening told Variety during an interview at the festival.
Since 1989
The buzz, achieved by the series, is perhaps due to the fact that The Simpsons has never taken a hiatus since its debut, carving a solid base with its consistency.
"We've been on the air since 1989," Groening said. "The show goes year-round. The fact that we're here in France to celebrate the show means we're going to be a week behind."
While the show has been a mainstay on TV, streaming has only amplified its impact. "Being on Disney+ has been somewhat rejuvenating for us," Matt Selman said. "Not that we realised we needed rejuvenation, but we appreciate it."
The audience doesn't have to wait for reruns on TV or buy DVDs. It's all available with just one click. "Now instead of the kids watching it on local TV in the afternoon, they can just watch it all, all the time, all day, all forever," Selman added. "We really have that super connection to young people."
While the connection with young people has always been there for the show, their access to it wasn't always easy. Many parents didn't allow their children to watch The Simpsons due to the show's mature elements and cartoon violence. But the allure of the forbidden always outweighs restrictions. And The Simpsons's relevance among the younger audience through the decades is just one proof piece of evidence for that.
"One of the best things that ever happened in the course of the show was that some people forbade the show," Groening recalled. "It became this exotic, forbidden thing. Bart Simpson Underachiever T-shirts were once controversial and banned in schools. So when we did a Lisa Simpson Overachiever T-shirt, but we got in trouble for that because it said 'Damn I'm Good.'"
New seasons
The new four seasons will have 17 episodes each, instead of the usual 22.
"Work has a way of expanding to fill the time available," Groening said. "But if you know that you have four seasons to think about, it changes how you approach storytelling."
However, the show, which has seen entire distribution and marketing methods evolve through the times, has never quite stayed limited to TV. It has expanded into music, games, and even merchandise such as lunchboxes. For the creators, even the merch becomes part of the storytelling.
"It is storytelling," said Groening. "Even merchandise – even a lunch box – we try to tell a little story, and include a little joke. We try to avoid what's called in the biz a 'label slap,'" he added. "We actually try to have jokes on everything."
Silverman pointed out the meta humour they include via the characters, "Even comment on what we're doing, you know, like our characters being on a lunch box – it's sort of making some observation about being on a lunch box."
Selman, on the other hand, brought up the satire vs commercialisation argument. "The show was always sort of able to have its cake and eat it too, in terms of selling a lot of merchandise but also satirising the phenomenon of over-merchandising. It was like, 'Look, can you believe we're doing this?'"
The creators cite an example from the show when in an early episode, they showed Krusty Flakes on a kitchen table with the cereal's slogan 'Because only sugar has more sugar.'
When the team later attempted to develop a healthier cereal in the real world, "there was not a single cereal company in America that would put it out," as Groening said,
Editing process
The makers also discussed the editing process of the show. They pointed out the struggles of getting the pacing right since otherwise, the whole episode collapses.
"If a show is cut really tight and the jokes don't breathe, the scenes seem too fast-paced," Selman said. "None of it really seems as funny or as engaging."
"This is the kind of thing we agonise over," Groening added.
It's fantastic to see the makers, who have already seen and done it all for decades, not rest on their laurels after all the decades. They are constantly adapting and evolving with the times and learning to expand and understand and be on the same page with the real-world surroundings. Undoubtedly, this approach is the cause of the success of The Simpsons.
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