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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, 767 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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“

Dear Friends of the Simpson Family, We had some sadness and some gladness this year. First the sadness: our little cat Snowball was unexpectedly run over and went to Kitty Heaven. But we bought a new little cat, Snowball II, so I guess life goes on. Speaking of life going on, Grampa is still with us, feisty as ever. Maggie is walking by herself, Lisa got straight A's and Bart... well, we love Bart. The magic of the season has touched us all. Homer sends his love. Happy Holidays, The Simpsons.

”

— Marge Simpson ("Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire")

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Hank Azaria voiced Frank Grimes in the episode.

"Homer's Enemy" is the twenty-third episode of The Simpsons’ eighth season, first broadcast by Fox on May 4, 1997. It was directed by Jim Reardon and written by John Swartzwelder, although the idea for the episode came from Bill Oakley. The plot of the episode centers on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's hire of a new character named Frank Grimes. Homer attempts to befriend Grimes; however, Grimes ends up hating Homer and declares himself Homer's enemy. Meanwhile, Bart buys a run-down factory for a dollar. "Homer's Enemy" is one of the darkest and most famous episodes of The Simpsons, and is a favorite of several members of the production staff, including Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein, Matt Groening, as well as The Office creator Ricky Gervais. Although Grimes makes his only appearance in this episode, he was later named one of the "Top 25 Simpsons Peripheral characters" by IGN.

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Did you know...

...that in 1995, Matt Groening got in a major disagreement with James L. Brooks and other Simpsons producers over "A Star Is Burns", and requested his name be taken off the episode?

...that for The Simpsons Movie, Isla Fisher, Minnie Driver, Erin Brockovich, Edward Norton and Kelsey Grammer all had guest spots cut?

...that Bart Simpson's catchphrase "Eat My Shorts" was an ad-lib by Nancy Cartwright in one of the original table readings, harking back to an incident when she was at college?

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

Image 1Voice actor Phil Hartman was killed by his wife in a murder–suicide in 1998. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 2Voice actress Maggie Roswell left The Simpsons over a pay dispute, but returned three years later. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 3James L. Brooks has won twelve Emmys with The Simpsons.
Image 4In 2001, Yeardley Smith's character Lisa Simpson won an EMA Award. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 5Part of the writing staff of The Simpsons in 1992 (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 6Hank Azaria has won four Emmy awards for Outstanding Voice-over Performance (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 7
Mike Scully
(from History of The Simpsons)
Image 8Moe's Bar in Concepción, Chile, based on images from The Simpsons. (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 9In 2004, Matt Groening won a Lifetime achievement British Comedy Award.
Image 10
David Mirkin
Image 11Michael Jackson co-wrote the single "Do the Bartman" (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 12Matt Selman won a WGA Award in 2004. (from List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons)
Image 13"Lisa the Vegetarian", an episode produced by David Mirkin, won a Genesis Award in 1996
Image 14In 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 15The 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 16Morgan Spurlock produced a documentary on The Simpsons in order to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 17The Simpsons Movie premiered in Springfield, Vermont. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 18A Seattle 7-Eleven store transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart. (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 19The Simpsons' visit to Rio de Janeiro almost led to a lawsuit and a diplomatic incident. (from History of The Simpsons)
Image 20The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop, as seen in the Springfield section of Universal Studios Hollywood (from Springfield (The Simpsons))
Image 21David Silverman, director of The Simpsons Movie.

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The big thing from the beginning has been to preserve the emotional reality of the characters .. Even though they're cartoon characters, if you insult them, they get mad. It's not the sort of TV give-and-take where somebody is called much worse than you would ever say to a real person, and they just go about their business.

— Jon Vitti

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