Television Review

'The Simpsons' affects television history

by Taylor Kingsbury
Staff Writer

The greatest show of all time celebrated its landmark 300th episode Sunday, marking the 300th time Fox has shown something worth watching.

This brings the already legendary show one step closer to eclipsing "Ozzie and Harriet" as the longest running situational comedy on television. While I oppose using the sitcom tag to label "The Simpsons," the fact that it is well on its way to breaking a seemingly unbeatable record speaks volumes about the genius of the show. However, in the days preceding Sunday's celebration, a number of articles scoffed at the significance of "The Simpsons" being on air after 13 years.

In a "Simpsons" article posted on MSN.com, Chris Suellentrop posed the question, "Who turned America's best TV show into a cartoon?" I'll let you ponder that one. Okay, here's the answer: "The Simpsons" is a cartoon. It's not supposed to be realistic. That's why it's funny.

LA Times staff writer Bob Baker described the show's longevity as a bid at "mercilessly overtaking" the long-running record of "Ozzie and Harriet." Baker griped, "It would be swell to be able to take two or three steps without tripping over a certain animated show that has imbedded itself so deeply into our popular culture."

I hardly think "The Simpsons'" creative team is intent on destroying any record. Millions still watch the show, making the show an institution.

For the majority reading this, "The Simpsons" has been on for most of our lives. It's a pretty safe bet that reruns will continue long after we join Maude Flanders, "Bleeding Gums" Murphy, and Julius Hibbert. "The Simpsons" deserves whatever historical notoriety it earns, for it has contributed much to our society.

First and foremost, they saved us from the safe and sane homogenized humor of the late 80's sitcom set by putting Bill Cosby out of work. "The Simpsons" also provided geeks of society endless banter to toss around in any social situation.

Watching any comedy show today, it is impossible not to see the lasting impact "The Simpsons" has on our televised entertainment. The unique and twisted brand of humor we get every Sunday is now the norm, but the when "The Simpsons" began, there was nothing else like it.

The success of "The Simpsons" also spawned a legion of unevenly received but truly hilarious prime-time animated programs like "King of the Hill," "The Critic," "South Park," and the horrendously under-appreciated "Family Guy."

But, most importantly, they have made us laugh for 13 plus years, and hard.

The consistently fresh and witty writing has kept the series at the top of its game, though recent episodes do not quite live up to prior gut-busting standards. Still, the worst "Simpsons" episode is still light years ahead of other prime-time comedy.

"The Simpsons" have given us a universe of characters who are wildly nuanced, but still much more realistic and developed than those on the scriptless sitcoms that dominate the major networks. Instead of six "Friends" passing each other around like doobies, we get a huge town full of stories, and great characters to tell them.

We know that they are running out of ideas; they've been telling us that for three seasons now. But we continually tune in because we know that they are going to think of something. With the microcosm "The Simpsons" has created, the show can, and should, continue on for another 300 episodes.

Taylor Kingsbury, a junior journalism major, is a staff writer of the Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at happyendingrocks@hotmail.com.