The Simpson’s was/is one of the funniest, most clever and most subversive programmes on television, an astonishingly inventive and brilliantly written tumult of irony, satire and, on occasion, life-affirming sincerity. An average episode could pack in more quality gags than most sitcoms manage in a lifetime. There was so much going on in classic Simpson’s that you’d often be hard-pressed to catch everything on first viewing. But in their tireless pursuit of the perfect gag, the writers never sacrificed characterization.
Homer Simpson is one of the all-time great comedy creations, a brilliantly drawn dollop of astonishing stupidity, selfishness and greed, who still manages to be loveable.
Contrary to misinformed belief, The Simpson’s are actually a loving family, a point which George Bush snr famously missed when he declared that “America needs to be a lot more like The Walton’s and a lot less like The Simpson’s”, an incident the programme subsequently spoofed.
So give a three-fingered salute to The Simpson’s on their 20th Birthday
As Homer himself would doubtless drool: “Mmmm, birthday cake…”
-Kyle