For the Love of the Simpsons
Popularity
Why are ‘The Simpsons’ just as popular now
as they ever have been since their first TV appearance in 1987? Perhaps even
more so. But crucially, in a world where the majority of the planet has almost
instant access to any form of entertainment, from the wholesome to the macabre,
why has this simple family based sitcom maintained and possibly increased its
popularity in the face of relentless competition from the Internet and Digital
TV? Why?
Longevity
Is it because the shows creators employ
state of the art animation? Categorically no, the people behind the show are
actually proud of their ‘imperfectly hand-drawn doodles’. So much so that while
they acknowledge the excellence of contemporary computer animated shows and
films they believe their creation’s imperfections are endearing flaws
indicative of the care and attention that only comes from hand-drawn animation.
The weekly global viewing figures of 60 million people would prove them right!
So then surely it must be the comedy writing team behind the animations that
keep the show flying high? Partially.
Peak
At the peak of their powers the dialogue
created for the yellow-skinned folk of Springfield has been nothing short of
genius. Biting satire, sizzling social commentary and side-splitting slapstick
all delivered with digital watch timing. However, at times, the humour in the
show would have been momentarily surpassed by other prime-time stalwarts such
as Friends and Seinfeld. And indeed at times the show can even seem dated when
compared to the razor-edged wit of South Park and Family Guy. But still The
Simpsons remain both the industry reference and benchmark of TV comedy,
animated or not. Why? In truth there is no one answer short of a heady mix of serendipity
and synergy.
When you add the unique ‘imperfectly
endearing’ animation style to some of the funniest and sharpest writing ever
broadcast you already have the makings of Alec Guinness…I mean Genuine Class,
sorry I was never as good as Lisa at that anagram game. However there are other
reasons too. Arrival on our Screens
In the same way that Oasis arrived onto the
music scene at just the right time, when people were craving something new and
fresh, so to did The Simpsons arrive onto our TV sets just as we were about to
switch off because the standard template of the television sitcom had become
stale. Animation had reached an impasse and more importantly the most popular
characters were impossible to relate to. Prehistoric families and talking cats
based on Sergeant Bilko can only divert the attention for so long. Also the
‘live-action’ sitcom had practically reached saturation point. Every channel
had endless episodes of nameless shows with laughter tracks and a sickeningly
trite and happy ending, complete with a climatic and nauseatingly wholesome
message to accompany the fade-out theme tune.
Suddenly the clouds parted (literally) and
the yellow glow of hope came not from Irelands missing person, the Sun, but
from two simple words flying into our sitting rooms, ‘The Simpsons’.
It’s the Theme Tune that does it…
Whatever the reasons behind their sustained
success and popularity, all the analysis and theorising stops the moment one
hears that theme tune. Whatever kind of day you’ve had or whoever you’re with,
the chances are you will feel centred and at ease wherever you are in the world
once the opening credits roll. You know for the next 22 minutes at least you
are with friends. Not the Central Perk frequenting type mind you, though a
side-swiping parody of the group of New Yorkers is not out of the question! But
perhaps the safety and security one feels from seeing everyone from Homer to
Comic Book Guy do their thing is key to the shows longevity. After so long on
the air the audience no longer thinks of these people are animations, they are
characters, ‘real’ people. You know how they are going to react to any given
situation. Even though they have not aged in 20 years you have grown with them
as they have overcome obstacles, made a stand and always found themselves back
at the same point at which they started that particular episode….of their
lives.
Identify
That’s the key, whatever happens during the
show you know these people, you identify with them, can relate to them and
moreover you know by the time the credits roll everything is going to be okay.
When you add quick fire jokes and slapstick humour into the mix you pretty much
have the best half hour of anyone’s day.
The emotional and comedic (not to mention
physical) heavyweight of the show is of course Homer and is probably the ideal
example of how the show has won the world over and continues to do so. Widely
acknowledged as the greatest TV personality of all time, his appeal is as broad
as the Atlantic but occasionally there are moments of incredible depth and
genius. In my opinion the greatest example of how all the shows different
aspects come together to form perfection is not a moment of wonderfully timed comedy.
Achievement
For me the greatest achievement of the
shows creators and writers is to have majority of the civilized world empathise
completely with a badly drawn eternally 38 year old balding American man. For
all his countless social faux pas’ and moments of comedic genius, the one
moment when Homer beautifully illustrates his global appeal and realism is at
the very end of an episode when he is reunited with his estranged outlaw mother
voiced by Glenn Close. As his mother must leave him behind or face serious jail
time she wishes her loving son a fond farewell and drives away in a van with
her hippy compatriots. Homer begins to wave and continues to sadly do so long
after the van and his mother have disappeared over the horizon. Then with the
addition of soft melancholic wind music they scene switches to a wide shot of
Homer sitting quietly on the bonnet of his car staring upwards at a starry sky
as a shooting star flies over head. No words are spoken and even the credits
whizzing by cannot deflate the sense of empathy one feels for the lonely clown.
Anyone who has had their rib tickled and side’s split by Homer Simpson’s antics
over the years cannot help but feel for him as he is once again separated from
his loving mother. That’s the shows genius.
20 Years of Entertainment
Through the 20 years of goofs gaffes and
jokes galore the creators have given us realistic and well rounded characters
that are not bound by real-time or real life boundaries. As we have laughed and
cringed with them over the years we have unknowingly fallen in love with the
Simpson family and their supporting cast of hundreds. True they are cultural
icons for the modern age on a global scale but far more importantly than that;
they are part of our everyday lives as much as our friends and family are.
Solace in Simplicity
Whatever is going on in our lives we know
it will always be safe and fun to swing by 742 Evergreen Terrace. Where no
matter what happens, who’s fighting with who or what the emergency is, we will
go through it with them and in approximately 22 and a half minutes later we
will be back where we started, ready for the next adventure.
If only real life was as simple, fun and
safe.
FIN!
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