Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (often referred to simply as Fat Albert ) is an educational American animated television series created, produced, and hosted (in live action bookends ) by comedian Bill Cosby , who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert himself. Filmation was the production company for the series. The show premiered in 1972 and aired until 1985 (with new episodes being produced sporadically during that time frame). The show, based on Cosby's remembrances of his childhood gang, focused on Fat Albert (known for his catchphrase "Hey hey hey!"), and his friends.
160-423: Samuel Michael Simon (June 6, 1955 – March 8, 2015) was an American television producer and animal rights activist who co-developed the television series The Simpsons . While at Stanford University , Simon worked as a newspaper cartoonist and after graduating became a storyboard artist at Filmation Studios . Simon submitted a spec script for the sitcom Taxi , which was produced, and he later became
320-484: A Brown Hornet story. This was the case with "Shuttered Window" which dealt with the issue of death, in which the Brown Hornet encountered a robotic teacher and leader who realizes that his functions are worn out will soon cease to function. The teacher informs Hornet of this fact and Hornet has to let the teacher's citizens know that they must go on without their leader/teacher. This sets up the real world story regarding
480-403: A CD containing the opening theme, the closing theme, and 12 songs from each of the 12 episodes shown in vol. 2. In addition, UrbanWorks Entertainment released a Greatest Hits four-disc DVD box set, containing 20 uncut episodes in their original broadcast presentation and original airdate order, as well as a five-best episodes set via Ventura Distribution . In 2008, Classic Media acquired
640-421: A Good Time", was composed by Ricky Sheldon and Edward Fournier, and performed by Michael Gray (vocals), Kim Carnes (background vocals) and Edward Fournier (background vocals). A cover of the show's theme song, performed by Dig , is included on the 1995 tribute album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits , produced by Ralph Sall and released on MCA Records . The song's chorus ("Na-na-na, gonna have
800-420: A billion-dollar merchandising industry . The Simpsons is a joint production by Gracie Films and 20th Television . On January 26, 2023, the series was renewed for its 35th and 36th seasons, taking the show through the 2024–25 television season. Both seasons contain a combined total of 51 episodes. Seven of these episodes are season 34 holdovers, while the other 44 will be produced in the production cycle of
960-451: A brand new sequence when the show switched to high-definition in 2009). Each has the same basic sequence of events: the camera zooms through cumulus clouds , through the show's title towards the town of Springfield . The camera then follows the members of the family on their way home. Upon entering their house, the Simpsons settle down on their couch to watch television. The original opening
1120-544: A cat, Snowball II , who is replaced by a cat also called Snowball II in the fifteenth-season episode " I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot ". Extended members of the Simpson and Bouvier family in the main cast include Homer's father Abe and Marge's sisters Patty and Selma . Marge's mother Jacqueline and Homer's mother Mona appear less frequently. The show includes a vast array of quirky supporting characters, which include Homer's friends Barney Gumble , Lenny Leonard and Carl Carlson ;
1280-669: A complete series box set on DVD. The DVD set was released on June 25, 2013. On September 4, 2012, Classic Media re-released all three holiday specials together in one collection entitled The Hey Hey Hey Holiday Collection on DVD in Region 1. Gold Key Comics released a comic book adaptation of Fat Albert , which ran for 29 issues from 1974 to 1979. In 2012, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids appeared in MetLife 's "Everyone" commercial during Super Bowl XLVI . In 2004 , 20th Century Fox released
1440-605: A cow, man!" and "Eat my shorts!" appeared on T-shirts in the show's early days. However, Bart rarely used the latter two phrases until after they became popular through the merchandising . The use of many of these catchphrases has declined in recent seasons. The episode " Bart Gets Famous " mocks catchphrase-based humor, as Bart achieves fame on the Krusty the Clown Show solely for saying "I didn't do it". The Simpsons has gained notoriety for jokes that appeared to become reality. Perhaps
1600-458: A division of The Walt Disney Company . Nineteen years later, Disney purchased Fox . Other examples purported as The Simpsons predicting the future include the introduction of the smartwatch , video chat services, Richard Branson 's spaceflight and Lady Gaga 's acrobatic performance at the Super Bowl LI halftime show . Al Jean has commented on the show's purported ability to predict
1760-448: A film adaptation of the series titled Fat Albert . The film stars Kenan Thompson as Fat Albert, Kyla Pratt , and Bill Cosby. The film acts as a sequel to the series where Fat Albert and the boys journey into the real world after jumping out of a television in order to help a lonely girl named Doris ( Kyla Pratt ) with her social anxiety. The boys enjoy being in the real world but after a meeting with their creator, Bill Cosby, Fat Albert
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#17328729731321920-568: A game at writer David Steinberg 's house with several "scholarly" players, which encouraged him to study the game and enter numerous tournaments, although he decided not to become professional. He competed at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) each year between 2007 and 2011, finishing in the money in six events. In 2007 , at the 6,358-player $ 10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold'em Main Event, he finished 329th with $ 39,445. He also finished 16th, winning $ 35,493 at
2080-531: A good time!") was also sampled in Fatboy Slim 's 1998 hit single " Praise You ". Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids was named the 82nd best animated series by IGN . Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids received an Emmy nomination in 1974. Production of the final season of the series overlapped with the start of production of Bill Cosby's live-action sitcom, The Cosby Show , which began airing on NBC in fall 1984. In 1993, TV Guide magazine named Fat Albert and
2240-427: A heavy drinking New York taxi driver. Simon commented: "When I was doing The Simpsons , people couldn't see how smart it was because of the low moments. There's something about this show. People who like it say it's classy. They don't see how vulgar it is." Carlin wrote negatively of his relationship with Simon. On his own website, Carlin wrote of the show: "always check mental health of creative partner beforehand. Loved
2400-475: A long time fan of boxing, attending fights with his grandfather, but his interest increased particularly after seeing the 1990 heavyweight championship fight between Evander Holyfield and James "Buster" Douglas , which he described as "the most electrifying feeling I'd had in my life." He began training and won six out of nine amateur fights; he was also a reserve contestant on the Fox series Celebrity Boxing . Simon
2560-443: A new opening sequence. Matt Groening called it a complicated change because it affected the timing and composition of animation. The Simpsons uses the standard setup of a situational comedy, or sitcom, as its premise. The series centers on a family and their life in a typical American town, serving as a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle . However, because of its animated nature, The Simpsons ' scope
2720-453: A precocious eight-year-old activist; and Maggie (named by Bart), the baby of the family who rarely speaks, but communicates by sucking on a pacifier. Although the family is dysfunctional, many episodes examine their relationships and bonds with each other and they are often shown to care about one another. The family also owns a greyhound , Santa's Little Helper , (who first appeared in the episode " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire ") and
2880-479: A prime-time special entitled Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert . The special, which aired on NBC , was a hybrid of live action and animation. The music for the special was written and performed by jazz pianist/keyboardist Herbie Hancock in 1969 and was released on the Warner Bros. album Fat Albert Rotunda . For the animated portion of the special, it was necessary to develop the actual appearance of each of
3040-475: A provision in the contract with the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with the show's content. Groening said his goal in creating the show was to offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash" that they were watching. The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989, with " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire ". " Some Enchanted Evening " was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not broadcast until May 1990, as
3200-399: A recurring theme. In times of crisis, the family often turns to God, and the show has dealt with most of the major religions. Sexuality is often a source of jokes in the series or serves as the theme of certain episodes. Even though homosexuals are sometimes sources of gags, the series often comments on how American society treats them, with " Homer's Phobia " devoting an entire episode to
3360-594: A share of the profits every year, and an executive producer credit despite not having worked on the show since 1993, at least until his passing in 2015. A more involved position on the show is the showrunner , who acts as head writer and manages the show's production for an entire season. The first team of writers, assembled by Sam Simon, consisted of John Swartzwelder , Jon Vitti , George Meyer , Jeff Martin , Al Jean , Mike Reiss , Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky . Newer Simpsons ' writing teams typically consist of sixteen writers who propose episode ideas at
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#17328729731323520-472: A single viewing. Some are so fleeting that they become apparent only by pausing a video recording of the show or viewing it in slow motion. Kristin Thompson argues that The Simpsons uses a "flurry of cultural references, intentionally inconsistent characterization, and considerable self-reflexivity about television conventions and the status of the programme as a television show." One of Bart's early hallmarks
3680-465: A strain on the pair's relationship. Simon left Gracie Films and The Simpsons in 1993; he commented that he "wasn't enjoying it anymore," wished to pursue other projects, and that of "any show I've ever worked on, it turns me into a monster. I go crazy. I hate myself." Before leaving, he negotiated a deal that saw him receive a share of the show's profits every year, particularly from home media, and an executive producer credit despite not having worked on
3840-418: A substantial "source of revenue". Simon also briefly managed heavyweight Steve Vukosa, but retired from boxing management soon after Brewster became WBO Heavyweight Champion. Simon was a regular player of poker, and Texas hold 'em in particular. He was introduced to the game as a child through weekly family poker games and casino trips with his grandfather. Simon did not consider himself a serious player until
4000-406: A vast array of television channels, which enables the producers to make jokes about the entertainment industry and the press. Some commentators say the show is political in nature and susceptible to a left-wing bias. Al Jean acknowledged in an interview that "We [the show] are of liberal bent." The writers often evince an appreciation for progressive leanings , but the show makes jokes across
4160-411: A wide spectrum of society so that viewers from all generations can enjoy the show. Such references, for example, come from movies, television, music, literature, science, and history. The animators also regularly add jokes or sight gags into the show's background via humorous or incongruous bits of text in signs, newspapers, billboards , and elsewhere. The audience may often not notice the visual jokes in
4320-489: A writer and producer on Cheers from seasons one to three (1982–1985), writing five episodes: "Endless Slumper", "Battle of the Ex's", "Fairytales Can Come True", "Cheerio Cheers" and "The Bartender's Tale". Simon created, wrote and produced the short-lived sitcom Shaping Up in 1984, alongside Ken Estin ; the show starred Leslie Nielsen as a gym owner and ran for five episodes on ABC . Simon also wrote and produced for Best of
4480-401: Is "fresh humor, funky music, and the strong positive messages". As of 2013, Fat Albert was seen Saturday mornings on Retro Television Network (RTV), TheCoolTV , and weekdays and weekends on Bounce TV , both of which are digital networks. It was also seen weekdays on the now-defunct Sky Angel services Angel Two and Kids & Teens TV , as well as World Harvest Television . Fat Albert
4640-451: Is "nothing [which gives him] more pleasure than" helping others via his charities, and gave away most of his fortune. It's more than a hobby. I take my responsibilities very seriously and get very involved emotionally in Lamon's fights. The three days before a fight feel like they're an hour or two long for me. I love the rules meetings and press conferences and hanging out in the hotel lobby with
4800-499: Is also one of the few programs dubbed in both standard French and Quebec French . The show has been broadcast in Arabic, but due to Islamic customs, numerous aspects of the show have been changed. For example, Homer drinks soda instead of beer and eats Egyptian beef sausages instead of hot dogs. Because of such changes, the Arabized version of the series met with a negative reaction from
4960-503: Is consistently portrayed that he is Jewish , that his father was a rabbi , and that his career began in the 1960s. The latter point introduces another snag in the floating timeline: historical periods that are a core part of a character's backstory remain so even when their age makes it unlikely or impossible, such as Grampa Simpson and Principal Skinner 's respective service in World War II and Vietnam . The only episodes not part of
Sam Simon - Misplaced Pages Continue
5120-439: Is inconsistent: from one episode to another, it may have coastlines, deserts, vast farmland, mountains, or whatever the story or joke requires. Groening has said that Springfield has much in common with Portland, Oregon , the city where he grew up. Groening has said that he named it after Springfield, Oregon , and the fictitious Springfield which was the setting of the series Father Knows Best . He "figured out that Springfield
5280-437: Is larger than that of a regular sitcom. The town of Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. By having Homer work in a nuclear power plant , the show can comment on the state of the environment. Through Bart and Lisa's days at Springfield Elementary School , the show's writers illustrate pressing or controversial issues in the field of education. The town features
5440-498: The Friends season three episode "The One Without the Ski Trip" in 1997, and several episodes of The Norm Show (1999) and The Michael Richards Show (2000). From 1998 to 2003, he served as a consulting producer and director for The Drew Carey Show , and directed the show's series finale. He was also a creative consultant on Bless This House in 1996. From 1999 to some time in
5600-612: The Linguistic Data Consortium , remarked, " The Simpsons has apparently taken over from Shakespeare and the Bible as our culture's greatest source of idioms, catchphrases and sundry other textual allusions." The most famous catchphrase is Homer's annoyed grunt: " D'oh! " So ubiquitous is the expression that it is now listed in the Oxford English Dictionary , but without the apostrophe. Dan Castellaneta says he borrowed
5760-531: 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
5920-490: The Simpson family , who live in the fictional " Middle America " town of Springfield. Homer , the father, works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant , a position at odds with his careless, buffoonish personality. He is married to Marge ( née Bouvier), a stereotypical American housewife and mother. They have three children: Bart , a ten-year-old troublemaker and prankster; Lisa ,
6080-803: The USA Network in 1989. In the late 1990s, Bill Cosby developed a second animated series, Little Bill , which was intentionally designed to look different from Fat Albert . The executive producer of Little Bill , Janice Burgess , stated that the Fat Albert character was "more broadly comic" and exaggeratedly cartoonish than Little Bill . However, the two shows shared similar educational messages. Lou Scheimer, Jay Scheimer, Erika Scheimer (as "Erika Carroll"), Keith Sutherland, Lane Scheimer, Bill Cosby, Eric Suter, Gerald Edwards, Jan Crawford, Eric Greene, Ty Henderson, Kim Hamilton, Frank Welker , Linda Gary and Greg Morris provided additional voices. Fat Albert
6240-404: 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
6400-476: The twentieth season was put on hold due to new contract negotiations with the voice actors, who wanted a "healthy bump" in salary to an amount close to $ 500,000 per episode. The negotiations were soon completed, and the actors' salary was raised to $ 400,000 per episode. Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel the series unless production costs were cut, the cast members accepted a 30 percent pay cut, down to just over $ 300,000 per episode. In addition to
6560-429: The $ 1,000 1,048-player No-Limit Hold'em w/Re-Buys in 2007; 41st, winning $ 10,708 at the $ 1,000 706-player No-Limit Hold'em w/ReBuys in 2008 ; 53rd, winning $ 10,692 at the $ 1,000 879-player No-Limit Hold'em w/ReBuys in 2008; 20th, winning $ 24,066 at the $ 10,000 275-player World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em in 2009 ; and 500th, winning $ 23,876 at the $ 10,000 6,865-player No-Limit Hold'em Championship in 2011 . He also won
Sam Simon - Misplaced Pages Continue
6720-452: The $ 300 438-player No-Limit Hold'em Bounty $ 100,000 Guarantee at the 2009 L.A. Poker Open, winning $ 22,228. His biggest win in terms of both field size and prize money was the $ 200 1,082-player No-Limit Hold'em $ 150,000 Guarantee at the 2010 Winnin O' The Green, where he won $ 57,308. Simon's private poker games between him and his celebrity friends have been described as "raucous and very entertaining". Their reputation led Playboy TV to produce
6880-557: The 1970s. During most of the 1980s, US pundits considered animated shows as appropriate only for children, and animating a show was too expensive to achieve a quality suitable for prime-time television. The Simpsons changed this perception, initially leading to a short period where networks attempted to recreate prime-time cartoon success with shows like Capitol Critters , Fish Police , and Family Dog , which were expensive and unsuccessful. The Simpsons ' use of Korean animation studios for tweening , coloring, and filming made
7040-454: The Clown and news reporter Kent Brockman ; nuclear tycoon Montgomery Burns and his devoted assistant Waylon Smithers ; and dozens more . The creators originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokes or for fulfilling needed functions in the town. A number of them have gained expanded roles and subsequently starred in their own episodes. According to Matt Groening, the show adopted
7200-433: The Clown , Groundskeeper Willie , Mayor Quimby , Barney Gumble , and other adult male characters. Julie Kavner voices Marge Simpson and Patty and Selma , as well as several minor characters. Castellaneta and Kavner had been a part of The Tracey Ullman Show cast and were given the parts so that new actors would not be needed. Cartwright voices Bart Simpson , Nelson Muntz , Ralph Wiggum and other children. Smith,
7360-522: The Cosby Kids DVDs including a two-volume collection featuring 24 episodes, as well as all specials to coincide with the theatrical release of the feature film adaptation. Volume 1 contains two DVDs with episodes 1–12 (airdates 9/9–11/25/1972), along with a CD containing the opening theme, the closing theme, and 12 songs from each of the 12 episodes shown in vol. 1 Volume 2 contains two discs with episodes 13–24 (airdates 12/2/1972–9/13/1975), along with
7520-475: The Cosby Kids the best cartoon series of the 1970s in its issue celebrating 40 years of television. In 2002, Fat Albert was placed at number 12 on TV Guide 's list of the 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time. In 2020, Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media argued that the series is an "old-school cartoon...[with] strong positive messages." She noted that while the show's themes like kidnapping, racism, and child abuse may cause parents to be concerned, there
7680-510: The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Starting in 2002, he self-funded, at an annual cost of several million dollars, The Sam Simon Foundation, which has a mobile clinic that provides free surgeries for cats and dogs, as well as rescuing and retraining shelter dogs who might otherwise be euthanized. An episode of 60 Minutes broadcast in March 2007 described it as "the grandest dog shelter in
7840-548: The Fat Albert Gang's characters. For this, Ken Mundie relied on animator Amby Paliwoda , a former Disney artist. Paliwoda not only created all the Gang's characters, but painted a "group portrait" which was eventually shown on the front page of TV Guide magazine shortly before the showing of the special. The producers wanted NBC to bring Fat Albert to Saturday mornings, but the network programming managers rejected this because
8000-533: The Simpson family was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . It has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 37 Primetime Emmy Awards , 34 Annie Awards , and 2 Peabody Awards . Homer's exclamatory catchphrase of " D'oh! " has been adopted into the English language, while The Simpsons has influenced many other later adult-oriented animated sitcom television series. The main characters are
8160-544: The West (1981), Barney Miller (1982) and It's Garry Shandling's Show (1987–1988), and wrote the 1991 film The Super . In the beginning, I was skeptical it could be successful, but I was not skeptical it could be good. I was hoping for 13 episodes that my friends would like. It's a good lesson, isn't it? If you do something trying to make your friends laugh and that you can be proud of, you can also be successful. —Simon on his work on The Simpsons . Simon co-developed
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#17328729731328320-408: The actors, loved the crew. Had a great time. Couldn't wait to get the fuck out of there." In his final book, the posthumously published Last Words (2009), Carlin elaborated: "I had a great time. I never laughed so much, so often, so hard as I did with cast members Alex Rocco , Chris Rich , Tony Starke . There was a very strange, very good sense of humor on that stage ... The biggest problem, though,
8480-399: The adventures of a black crime fighter in outer space whose design resembled a caricature of Bill Cosby, who also performed vocal talents on the character. His shows always contained an object lesson for the viewers. The gang would watch the program at the beginning of each episode, and then they would invariably face a situation that forced them to apply the object lesson. In 1984, the show
8640-508: The age of five. He once was told by Walt Disney that he would one day work at his studio. Simon attended Beverly Hills High School , where he was on the football team and served as a cartoonist for the school newspaper. He was named "Most Humorous" and "Most Talented" in his senior yearbook. He later attended Stanford University , graduating in 1977. Simon had not wished to attend college, but Stanford persuaded him to apply due to his sufficient grades and proficiency at football; Simon quit
8800-447: The animated series The Simpsons , which premiered on the Fox network in 1989 and has remained on air ever since. The show is regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time, with Time magazine naming it the 20th century's best series. The premise for the series originated as a series of short cartoons airing in 1987 as part of The Tracey Ullman Show , on which Simon
8960-437: The animators and assumed that the figures would be cleaned up in production. However, the animators merely re-traced his drawings, which led to the crude appearance of the characters in the initial shorts. The animation was produced domestically at Klasky Csupo , with Wes Archer , David Silverman , and Bill Kopp being animators for the first season. The colorist, "Georgie" Gyorgyi Kovacs Peluce (Kovács Györgyike) made
9120-424: The beginning of each December. The main writer of each episode writes the first draft. Group rewriting sessions develop final scripts by adding or removing jokes, inserting scenes, and calling for re-readings of lines by the show's vocal performers. Until 2004, George Meyer, who had developed the show since the first season, was active in these sessions. According to long-time writer Jon Vitti, Meyer usually invented
9280-436: The best lines in a given episode, even though other writers may receive script credits. Each episode takes six months to produce so the show rarely comments on current events. Credited with sixty episodes, John Swartzwelder is the most prolific writer on The Simpsons . One of the best-known former writers is Conan O'Brien , who contributed to several episodes in the early 1990s before replacing David Letterman as host of
9440-480: The cast appeared in an episode of Inside the Actors Studio , doing live performances of their characters' voices. The six main actors were paid $ 30,000 per episode, until 1998, when they were involved in a pay dispute with Fox. The company threatened to replace them with new actors, even going as far as preparing for casting of new voices, but series creator Groening supported the actors in their action. The issue
9600-497: The characters he voiced ( Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz ) were retired; Wallace's character of Edna Krabappel was retired as well after her death in 2013. Following Taylor's death in 2019, her characters (including Sherri, Terri , and Martin Prince ) are now voiced by Grey Griffin . Episodes will quite often feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including actors, athletes, authors, bands, musicians and scientists. In
9760-551: The characters yellow; as Bart, Lisa and Maggie have no hairlines, she felt they would look strange if they were flesh-colored. Groening supported the decision, saying: "Marge is yellow with blue hair? That's hilarious — let's do it!" In 1989, a team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company . The team included the Klasky Csupo animation house. Brooks negotiated
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#17328729731329920-509: The characters." Simon crafted much of the world of Springfield , and designed the models for many of the show's recurring characters, including Mr. Burns , Dr. Hibbert , Chief Wiggum and Eddie and Lou , as well as many of the one-time and guest-star roles, such as Bleeding Gums Murphy . One of his contributions to the show's character development was his proposal that Waylon Smithers should be gay, but that this should never have too much attention drawn to it; Smithers' sexuality became one of
10080-616: The claimed prophecies, explaining that the show's extensive run means "a lot of jokes, and a lot of opportunities for coincidences to appear" and "most of these 'predictions' have rather simple and mundane explanations". For example, the device shown on The Simpsons with autocorrection is an Apple Newton , a real 1993 device notorious for its poor handwriting recognition . Technologically advanced watches have appeared in numerous works of fiction, decades before The Simpsons . A number of neologisms that originated on The Simpsons have entered popular vernacular. Mark Liberman , director of
10240-504: The closing song segments, 1984 re-broadcasts with the live-action Cosby segments re-filmed, or alternate prints of 1972 episodes with no laugh track. The 11th volume included the Christmas and Halloween specials. These were the only DVD releases to present the show in its original NTSC format, as future DVD releases use PAL prints. In 2004, UrbanWorks Entertainment acquired the rights to the series, subsequently releasing several Fat Albert and
10400-500: The commercial breaks. Having seen one of cartoonist Matt Groening 's Life in Hell comic strips, Brooks asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts. Groening initially intended to present an animated version of his Life in Hell series. However, Groening later realized that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding of publication rights for his life's work. He therefore chose another approach while waiting in
10560-467: The concept of a large supporting cast from the comedy show SCTV . Despite the depiction of yearly milestones such as holidays or birthdays passing, the characters never age. The series uses a floating timeline in which episodes generally take place in the year the episode is produced. Flashbacks and flashforwards do occasionally depict the characters at other points in their lives, with the timeline of these depictions also generally floating relative to
10720-481: The country, a five star, [6 acres (0.024 km; 0.0094 sq mi)] spread in Malibu, perhaps the most desirable real estate on the planet. Here, among the waterfalls and the manicured grounds, The Sam Simon Foundation gives stray and abandoned dogs a new lease on life, literally." As Simon explained, the foundation aims to "rescue dogs" and "train them to be service dogs, [to help] people with disabilities," primarily
10880-470: The deaf. It also provides free veterinary surgeries to pets belonging to low-income families, and trains dogs to help soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan deal with post-traumatic stress disorder . Simon said the money he used was "well spent just for the pleasure it gives me." The training program has a 20% success rate, because many of the rescued dogs "have physical and psychological problems" but
11040-499: The dictionary in August 2007. Many quotes/scenes have become popular Internet memes , including Jasper Beardley's quote "That's a paddlin ' " from " The PTA Disbands " ( season 6 , 1995) and "Steamed Hams" from " 22 Short Films About Springfield " ( season 7 , 1996). The Simpsons was the first successful animated program in American prime time since Wait Till Your Father Gets Home in
11200-533: The divorce of Milhouse van Houten 's parents, and the marriage and subsequent parenthood of Apu and Manjula . The Simpsons takes place in a fictional American town called Springfield . Although there are many real settlements in America named Springfield, the town the show is set in is fictional. The state it is in is not established. In fact, the show is intentionally evasive with regard to Springfield's location. Springfield's geography and that of its surroundings
11360-495: The dogs who cannot be trained are put up for adoption. The foundation is non-profit, and does not accept public donations. In 2011, Simon established and self-funded a second non-profit called The Sam Simon Foundation: Feeding Families. This is a food truck which delivers vegan food to about 200 low-income families each week. He also donated an undisclosed sum to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in 2012 for
11520-468: The earlier seasons, most of the guest stars voiced characters, but eventually more started appearing as themselves. Tony Bennett was the first guest star to appear as himself, appearing briefly in the season two episode " Dancin' Homer ". The Simpsons holds the world record for "Most Guest Stars Featured in a Television Series". The Simpsons has been dubbed into several other languages , including Japanese, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. It
11680-472: The early 2000s, Simon was President of e-Nexus Studios the once entertainment content arm of ZeniMax Media , Parent Company of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks . After E-Nexus was shut down, Simon became President of the creative group at ZeniMax Productions, another subsidiary of ZeniMax. After leaving The Simpsons and The George Carlin Show , Simon sought to find a "life outside television," as working in
11840-516: The end of most episodes (with some exceptions in the case of particularly serious themes), the gang would sing a song about the theme of the day. This sequence, similar to those seen in other Filmation shows including The Archie Show , has often been parodied. The musical sequence was dropped during the Brown Hornet / Legal Eagle years. When Fat Albert entered syndication, some of the episodes produced prior to 1979 had their songs removed in favor of
12000-973: The end of the early episodes, the gang typically joins in their North Philadelphia junkyard to play a song on their cobbled-together instruments, summarizing the show's lesson. The New York Times noted that the show "enjoyed enormous success" throughout its run. The show's success led Cosby to create a second animated series, Little Bill , in the late 1990s. Little Bill was intentionally designed to be visually different from Fat Albert , while retaining similar educational lessons and roots in Cosby's childhood experiences. The character Fat Albert first appeared in Bill Cosby's stand-up comedy routine "Buck Buck," as recorded on his 1967 album Revenge . The stories were based upon Cosby's tales about growing up in inner city North Philadelphia . In 1969, Cosby and veteran animator Ken Mundie brought Fat Albert to animation in
12160-532: The episode's teleplay. Simon also substantially contributed to the episode " Stark Raving Dad ," pitched the episode " Homer at the Bat ," and proposed the "Land of Chocolate" sequence from " Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk ." Simon's final writing credit was for the "Dial 'Z' For Zombies" segment of " Treehouse of Horror III ." Although they initially worked well together, Simon and Groening's relationship became "very contentious" according to Groening. Simon never expected
12320-470: The episodes cheaper. The success of The Simpsons and the lower production cost prompted US television networks to take chances on other adult animated series. This development led US producers to a 1990s boom in new, animated prime-time shows for adults, such as Beavis and Butt-Head , South Park , Family Guy , King of the Hill , Futurama (which was created by Matt Groening), and The Critic (which
12480-713: The family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting and often parody or pay homage to a famous piece of work in those genres. They always take place outside the normal continuity of the show. Although the Treehouse series is meant to be seen on Halloween, this changed by the 2000s (and again in 2020), when new installments have premiered after Halloween due to Fox 's current contract with Major League Baseball 's World Series . Prior to 2020 (between 2011 and 2019), every Treehouse of Horror episode had aired in October. The show's humor turns on cultural references that cover
12640-411: The family making a gay friend and Homer's initial hostility to him. In 1990, The Simpsons became the first animated early evening show to depict a kiss between two men in " Simpson and Delilah ". The Simpsons ' opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable hallmarks. The standard opening has gone through three iterations (a replacement of some shots at the start of the second season, and
12800-402: The fighters. But on the night of a fight, once we get to the locker room, everything moves very slowly. I feel very tense in a way that nothing else, including my own wrestling matches and gym fights, ever made me feel. I'm aware that Lamon's career is on the line and he's risking his life every time he steps into the ring. —Simon in 2004 on his role as Lamon Brewster 's manager. Simon was
12960-541: The first three seasons, Klasky Csupo animated The Simpsons in the United States. In 1992, the show's production company, Gracie Films, switched domestic production to Film Roman , who continued to animate the show until 2016 when they were replaced by Fox Television Animation , which allowed the show to be made more in-house. In Season 14 , production switched from traditional cel animation to digital ink and paint . The first episode to experiment with digital coloring
13120-453: The football team after one day. Simon drew comics for The Stanford Daily , a college newspaper, but was denied admission to a drawing class for not being talented enough. As he recalled to the Stanford alumni magazine, he was told, "You'd be taking the space of a student who has talent." Simon majored in psychology , but did not focus on his academics. While still at Stanford, Simon's first job
13280-404: The future, explaining that they are really just "educated guesses" and stating that "if you throw enough darts, you're going to get some bullseyes." Producer Bill Oakley stated, "There are very few cases where The Simpsons predicted something. It's mainly just coincidence because the episodes are so old that history repeats itself." Fact-checking sources such as Snopes have debunked many of
13440-467: The greatest moments of his life; it "eclipsed everything he had achieved in a glittering 26-year showbiz career." Before the Klitschko fight, Simon calculated he had spent several hundred thousand dollars funding Brewster, paying him a large salary on top of match fees as well as letting him stay rent-free at one of his houses, and taking only a 10% cut of the match fees; however, he never intended boxing to be
13600-461: The industry "made [him] crazy." On working in television, Simon concluded: "In some ways, it's the greatest job in the world. You make a product that's given away, and all it does is make people smile. Nobody gets hurt, there's no damage, and you can get crazy rich." Simon retired from full-time television work, although still worked in the media, frequently contributing, as a writer and a participant, to Howard Stern 's radio shows. He wrote and directed
13760-460: The job on the spot. Cartwright is the only one of the six main Simpsons cast members who had been professionally trained in voice acting prior to working on the show. Azaria and Shearer do not voice members of the title family, but play a majority of the male townspeople. Azaria, who has been a part of the main voice cast since the second season in one episode " Old Money " and then perpetually part of
13920-423: The last episode of the first season, because of animation problems. In 1992, Tracey Ullman filed a lawsuit against Fox, claiming that her show was the source of the series' success. The suit said she should receive a share of the profits of The Simpsons —a claim rejected by the courts. List of showrunners throughout the series' run: Matt Groening and James L. Brooks have served as executive producers during
14080-488: The lifelong Simpsons fans in the area. Several different U.S. and international studios animate The Simpsons . Throughout the run of the animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show , the animation was produced domestically at Klasky Csupo . With the debut of the series, because of an increased workload, Fox subcontracted production to several local and foreign studios. These are AKOM , Anivision , Rough Draft Studios , USAnimation , and Toonzone Entertainment. For
14240-476: The lobby of Brooks's office for the pitch meeting, hurriedly formulating his version of a dysfunctional family that became the Simpsons. He named the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name, adopting an anagram of the word brat . The Simpson family first appeared as shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Groening submitted only basic sketches to
14400-613: The main cast, Pamela Hayden , Tress MacNeille , Marcia Wallace , Maggie Roswell , and Russi Taylor voice supporting characters. From 1999 to 2002, Roswell's characters were voiced by Marcia Mitzman Gaven . Karl Wiedergott has also appeared in minor roles, but does not voice any recurring characters. Wiedergott left the show in 2010, and since then Chris Edgerly has appeared regularly to voice minor characters. Repeat "special guest" cast members include Albert Brooks , Phil Hartman , Jon Lovitz , Joe Mantegna , Maurice LaMarche , and Kelsey Grammer . Following Hartman's death in 1998,
14560-447: The management of his trust as well as the lack of donations to groups that he supported in his lifetime. The Simpsons episode " Waiting for Duffman " was dedicated to him. The Simpsons 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
14720-466: The marriage lasted three weeks. Simon was engaged to chef and caterer Jenna Stewart around 2011. In 2012, he began dating Kate Porter, a make-up artist; they were together until his death. Simon became a vegetarian at the age of 19 and when joining People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals around 2000, he turned to veganism . He had three dogs. He lived in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles , in
14880-454: The most famous example comes from the episode " Bart to the Future ", which mentions billionaire Donald Trump having been president of the United States at one time and leaving the nation broke. The episode first aired in 2000, sixteen years before Trump (who at the time was exploring a presidential run ) was elected. Another episode, " When You Dish Upon a Star ", lampooned 20th Century Fox as
15040-497: The most refined Simpsons pop references ever," and knows "people that consider this the point that they realized The Simpsons could be both highly hilarious and highly intelligent." Simon co-wrote the episode " Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish " with Swartzwelder, an episode which Tom Shales of The Washington Post has described as "a bull's-eye political satire". The final episode he co-wrote for season two
15200-417: The one-off radio sitcom "The Bitter Half" for Stern's Howard 101 in 2006. Simon had his own show on Radioio . Simon returned to television production work in 2012, serving as a consultant and director on the series Anger Management for half a day a week. Simon was a staunch advocate for animal rights and veganism , and described himself as an "animal lover". Around the year 2000, he joined People for
15360-402: The original casts of Auguste Rodin 's The Thinker . He also had a sculpture by Robert Graham and works by Alberto Vargas , Gil Elvgren , Ed Ruscha and Richard Estes . In late 2012, Simon was diagnosed with terminal colorectal cancer that later metastasized to his other organs, including his liver and kidneys. He had been feeling ill for some time and had earlier been misdiagnosed. He
15520-517: The other members of the Writers Guild of America, East . The show's writers had joined the guild in 1998. In May 2023, the writers of The Simpsons went on strike together with the other members of the Writers Guild of America, East . The Simpsons has six main cast members: Dan Castellaneta , Julie Kavner , Nancy Cartwright , Yeardley Smith , Hank Azaria , and Harry Shearer . Castellaneta voices Homer Simpson , Grampa Simpson , Krusty
15680-521: The phrase from James Finlayson , an actor in many Laurel and Hardy comedies, who pronounced it in a more elongated and whining tone. The staff of The Simpsons told Castellaneta to shorten the noise, and it went on to become the well-known exclamation in the television series. Groundskeeper Willie 's description of the French as " cheese-eating surrender monkeys " was used by National Review columnist Jonah Goldberg in 2003, after France's opposition to
15840-405: The political spectrum. The show portrays government and large corporations as evil entities that take advantage of the common worker. Thus, the writers often portray authority figures in an unflattering or negative light. In The Simpsons , politicians are corrupt, ministers such as Reverend Lovejoy are dismissive to churchgoers, and the local police force is incompetent. Religion also figures as
16000-658: The proposed invasion of Iraq . The phrase quickly spread to other journalists. " Cromulent " and "embiggen", words used in " Lisa the Iconoclast ", have since appeared in the Dictionary.com 's 21st Century Lexicon, and scientific journals respectively. "Kwyjibo", a fake Scrabble word invented by Bart in " Bart the Genius ", was used as one of the aliases of the creator of the Melissa worm . "I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords",
16160-721: The purpose of purchasing another vessel for their fleet , the MY ; Sam Simon , which was unveiled in December 2012. Simon was also a board member for Save the Children , and hosted the largest annual fundraiser for PETA, who named him an Honorary Director and their Norfolk, Virginia headquarters building after him. Simon has stated that animal rights charities have been his main target for donations, over other causes like human disease and environmental damage, because "your money can bring success" with visible results. Simon stated in 2011 that there
16320-403: The recurring character Undeen and the sudden death of her Uncle Monty (although no reference to the Brown Hornet story told by Fat Albert as is the normal case in the 1979–84 episodes). The series enjoyed one of the longest runs in the history of Saturday morning cartoons . In 1979, the show was re-titled The New Fat Albert Show and featured a new segment titled "The Brown Hornet" detailing
16480-456: The regular main voice cast since the third season, voices recurring characters such as Moe Szyslak , Chief Wiggum , Apu Nahasapeemapetilon and Professor Frink . Shearer provides voices for Mr. Burns , Mr. Smithers , Principal Skinner , Ned Flanders , Reverend Lovejoy and formerly Dr. Hibbert . Every main cast member has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance . With one exception, episode credits list only
16640-525: The restored Bailey House, designed by Richard Neutra . After his home was destroyed by a fire in 2007, Simon redesigned it to be environmentally friendly; much of the interior is constructed from recycled materials, while solar panels provide virtually its entire power needs. The building has a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certificate. He had an extensive art collection; he owned paintings by Thomas Hart Benton , John Singer Sargent and one of
16800-430: The rights to the series and stated at the time that they intended to release the entire series on DVD. This never happened as they only re-released The Fat Albert Halloween Special and The Fat Albert Easter Special on DVD via distribution partner Genius Products . On April 6, 2012, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series (under license from Classic Media ) and planned to release
16960-479: The same period. The 1995 episode " Lisa's Wedding " takes place during Lisa's college years in the then-future year of 2010, the same year the show began airing its 22nd season , in which Lisa was still 8. Regarding the contradictory flashbacks, Selman stated that "they all kind of happened in their imaginary world." The show follows a loose and inconsistent continuity. For example, Krusty the Clown may be able to read in one episode, but not in another . However, it
17120-468: The school chalkboard, Lisa plays different solos on her saxophone (or occasionally a different instrument), and different gags accompany the family as they enter their living room to sit on the couch. The special Halloween episode has become an annual tradition. " Treehouse of Horror " first broadcast in 1990 as part of season two and established the pattern of three separate, self-contained stories in each Halloween episode. These pieces usually involve
17280-404: The school principal Seymour Skinner and staff members such as Edna Krabappel and Groundskeeper Willie ; students such as Milhouse Van Houten , Nelson Muntz and Ralph Wiggum ; shopkeepers such as Apu Nahasapeemapetilon , Comic Book Guy and Moe Szyslak ; government figures Mayor "Diamond" Joe Quimby and Clancy Wiggum ; next-door neighbor Ned Flanders ; local celebrities such as Krusty
17440-551: The series on VHS and DVD through mail-order. Each volume contained two episodes, with the DVD releases containing a bonus third episode, along with character profiles and a bonus Brown Hornet segment from the 1980-82 seasons. The episodes included were from the 1972-76 seasons, with only one coming from the New Fat Albert season in 1979. Some of the episodes were edited versions, either using 1979-82 Brown Hornet re-broadcasts in place of
17600-431: The series progressed, it became more difficult for the writers to come up with a fake name and to write Moe's angry response, and the pranks were dropped as a regular joke during the fourth season. The Simpsons also often includes self-referential humor . The most common form is jokes about Fox Broadcasting. For example, the episode " She Used to Be My Girl " included a scene in which a Fox News Channel van drove down
17760-433: The series was not continuous. It also spent another season in first-run syndication (1984–85). Three prime-time holiday specials ( Halloween , Christmas , and Easter ) featuring the characters were also produced. Like most Saturday morning cartoons of the era, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids contained an adult laugh track , which was eliminated during the final season. The series was rerun on NBC Saturday mornings and on
17920-474: The series was too educational. Bill Cosby and a new production company, Filmation Associates , then took the property to CBS . The Fat Albert gang's character images were primarily created by the artist Randy Hollar, with the assistance of one-time Disney animator Michelle McKinney, under the direction of Ken Brown. Retitled Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids , the series premiered on September 9, 1972, on CBS . Production lasted for 12 years, though production of
18080-527: The series' showrunner . Over the next few years, Simon wrote and produced for Cheers , It's Garry Shandling's Show and other programs, as well as writing the 1991 film The Super . Simon turned to fields outside television in his later years. He regularly appeared on Howard Stern 's radio shows, managed boxer Lamon Brewster and helped guide him to the World Boxing Organization Heavyweight Championship in 2004, and
18240-454: The series' main canon are the Treehouse of Horror episodes, which often feature the deaths of main characters. Characters who die in "regular" episodes, such as Maude Flanders , Mona Simpson and Edna Krabappel , however, stay dead. Most episodes end with the status quo being restored, though occasionally major changes will stick, such as Lisa's conversions to vegetarianism and Buddhism ,
18400-501: The show Sam's Game , a televised version featuring Simon as host and master of ceremonies of a Las Vegas celebrity Texas Hold 'em match; he produced the show. He had previously appeared on a 2009 episode of High Stakes Poker . Additionally, Simon won a Peabody Award for The Simpsons in 1996. Simon was married to actress and fellow poker player Jennifer Tilly from 1984 to 1991; they remained friends after their divorce. He married Playboy Playmate Jami Ferrell in 2000, and
18560-480: The show because Simon deliberately kept women out of the writing team. Simon has been credited with "developing [the show's] sensibility." Former Simpsons director Brad Bird has described him as "the unsung hero" of the show, while Vitti has stated to "leave out Sam Simon" is to tell "the managed version" of The Simpsons ' history, because "he was the guy we wrote for." Writer Ken Levine called Simon "the real creative force behind The Simpsons ... The tone,
18720-446: The show since 1993. The deal means he made over $ 10 million a year from The Simpsons ; he later told Stanford Magazine that "tens of millions" was a closer figure. Simon commented: "When I was there I thought I was underpaid. I thought I wasn't getting enough credit for it. Now, I think it's completely the opposite. I get too much credit for it. And the money is ridiculous." In January 1994, Simon co-created with comedian George Carlin
18880-459: The show to be a success, often proclaiming to fellow staff members "We're thirteen and out"—meaning that the show would be cancelled after the thirteenth episode of the first season. Therefore, he also told the staff that they had creative freedom to do whatever they wanted to make The Simpsons as good a show as possible, regardless of network or public opinion, because he thought it inevitably would not be renewed; he elaborated in 2009 that "Really I
19040-402: The show's entire history, and also function as creative consultants. Sam Simon , described by former Simpsons director Brad Bird as "the unsung hero" of the show, served as creative supervisor for the first four seasons. He was constantly at odds with Groening, Brooks and the show's production company Gracie Films and left in 1993. Before leaving, he negotiated a deal that sees him receive
19200-498: The show's longest-running gags. Simon saw The Simpsons as a chance to solve "what [he] didn't like about the Saturday-morning cartoon shows [he had] worked on ... [he] wanted all the actors in a room together, not reading their lines separated from each other. The Simpsons would have been a great radio show. If you just listen to the sound track, it works." The Simpsons utilized a process of collaborative script re-writing by
19360-467: The show's whole writing staff; this meant the credited writer may not have been responsible for the majority of an episode's content. Nevertheless, Simon was credited with co-writing the season one episodes " The Telltale Head ," " The Crepes of Wrath ," and the season finale " Some Enchanted Evening ." "Some Enchanted Evening" was intended to be the show's premiere but was delayed due to substandard animation. Simon adapted Edgar Allan Poe 's The Raven for
19520-457: The show. As well as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys", Homer's lines, "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is never try", from " Burns' Heir " ( season five , 1994) as well as "Kids are the best, Apu. You can teach them to hate the things you hate. And they practically raise themselves, what with the Internet and all", from " Eight Misbehavin' " ( season 11 , 1999), entered
19680-460: The show. Simon later spoke well of Groening's influence, particularly on the show's positive tone. As well as Groening, Simon was often at odds with Brooks and production company Gracie Films . While working on The Simpsons , he and Brooks had co-created the series Sibs (1991) and Phenom (1993) as part of a multi-series deal for ABC. Simon did not want to work on either series, both of which were poorly received and swiftly canceled, which put
19840-407: The sitcom The George Carlin Show for Fox. It aired for 27 episodes before being canceled in December 1995. Simon served as showrunner throughout its run and directed several episodes. Simon persuaded Carlin to do the show after writing it as something which would not be "typically sitcomy." He conceived the show as what Carlin's life would have been like had he never become a comedian; Carlin played
20000-420: The smartest writers I've ever worked with, although unpleasant and mentally unbalanced." According to John Ortved's book The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History , when the show became successful Simon resented the media attention Groening received, particularly the praise for the show's writing; Simon felt that Groening's involvement was limited, and that he should have been the one receiving credit for
20160-417: The storytelling, the level of humor—that was all developed on Sam's watch." Levine says that Simon "brought a level of honesty to the characters" and made them "three-dimensional," adding that his "comedy is all about character, not just a string of gags. In The Simpsons , the characters are motivated by their emotions and their foibles. 'What are they thinking?'—that is Sam's contribution. The stories come from
20320-607: The street while displaying a large "Bush Cheney 2004" banner and playing Queen 's " We Are the Champions ", in reference to the 2004 U.S. presidential election and claims of conservative bias in Fox News . The show uses catchphrases , and most of the primary and secondary characters have at least one each. Notable expressions include Homer's annoyed grunt " D'oh! ", Mr. Burns' "Excellent" and Nelson Muntz 's " Ha -ha!" Some of Bart's catchphrases, such as " ¡Ay, caramba! ", "Don't have
20480-481: The talk show Late Night . English comedian Ricky Gervais wrote the episode " Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife ", becoming the first celebrity both to write and guest star in the same episode. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg , writers of the film Superbad , wrote the episode " Homer the Whopper ", with Rogen voicing a character in it. At the end of 2007, the writers of The Simpsons went on strike together with
20640-419: The third segment of the season two episode " Treehouse of Horror ." Groening was nervous about "The Raven" because it did not have many gags, and felt it would be "the worst, most pretentious thing [they had] ever done" on the show. Nevertheless, the segment has often been praised as one of the best Treehouse of Horror stories in the show's history. Ryan J. Budke of TV Squad described the segment as "one of
20800-557: The upcoming seasons, bringing the show's overall episode total up to 801. Season 35 premiered on October 1, 2023. Season 36 premiered on September 29, 2024. The Simpsons received widespread acclaim throughout its early seasons in the 1990s, which are generally considered its "golden age". Since then, it has been criticized for a perceived decline in quality . Time named it the 20th century's best television series, and Erik Adams of The A.V. Club named it "television's crowning achievement regardless of format". On January 14, 2000,
20960-459: The voice actors, and not the characters they voice. Both Fox and the production crew wanted to keep their identities secret during the early seasons and, therefore, closed most of the recording sessions while refusing to publish photos of the recording artists. However, the network eventually revealed which roles each actor performed in the episode " Old Money ", because the producers said the voice actors should receive credit for their work. In 2003,
21120-415: The voice of Lisa Simpson , is the only cast member who regularly voices only one character, although she occasionally plays other episodic characters. The producers decided to hold casting for the roles of Bart and Lisa. Smith had initially been asked to audition for the role of Bart, but casting director Bonita Pietila believed her voice was too high, so she was given the role of Lisa instead. Cartwright
21280-463: The words "damn" and "bastard" (Cosby had appeared in the beginning of the episode advising viewers that those words would be used as part of the story's dialogue to realistically depict jail life). Another notable episode, "Gang Wars", featured a child being shot and killed. Another segment was added: "Legal Eagle", a crime-fighting eagle with a pair of bumbling police deputy squirrels. Production of new episodes ceased in 1985. The theme song, "Gonna Have
21440-445: The writers at Gracie Films for any changes to be made before the work is shipped overseas. The overseas studios then draw the inbetweens , ink and paint, and render the animation to tape before it is shipped back to the United States to be delivered to Fox three to four months later. The series began high-definition production in season 20; the first episode, " Take My Life, Please ", aired February 15, 2009. The move to HDTV included
21600-423: The year the episode is produced. For example, the 1991 episodes " The Way We Was " and " I Married Marge " depict Homer and Marge as high schoolers in the 1970s who had Bart (who is always 10 years old) in the early '80s, while the 2008 episode " That '90s Show " depicts Homer and Marge as a childless couple in the '90s, and the 2021 episode " Do Pizza Bots Dream of Electric Guitars " portrays Homer as an adolescent in
21760-407: Was syndicated and renamed The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids . The lack of network restrictions allowed the producer to delve into more mature subject matter. A notable episode ("Busted") featured the kids having an inadvertent brush with the law and given a Scared Straight! -style tour of an occupied maximum security prison ; it even contained utterances (by the jail's inmates) of
21920-568: Was " Radioactive Man " in 1995. Animators used digital ink and paint during production of the season 12 episode " Tennis the Menace ", but Gracie Films delayed the regular use of digital ink and paint until two seasons later. The already completed "Tennis the Menace" was broadcast as made. The production staff at the U.S. animation studio, Film Roman, draws storyboards , designs new characters, backgrounds, props and draws character and background layouts, which in turn become animatics to be screened for
22080-483: Was " The Way We Was ," alongside Jean and Reiss. While Reiss and Jean took over as showrunners, Simon remained on the writing staff for seasons three ( 1991–1992 ) and four ( 1992–1993 ). For the third season he co-wrote " Treehouse of Horror II ," and conceived the story for the Sideshow Bob episode " Black Widower ," together with mystery author Thomas Chastain , hoping to construct a full mystery story; Vitti wrote
22240-464: Was "self-taught and unschooled," but Simon felt the majority of what the studio produced was "awful". On the suggestion of Filmation producer Lou Scheimer who was impressed by Simon's writing ability, Simon submitted a spec script for the series Taxi which was produced as "Out of Commission" and aired in 1981 during its third season. Simon was hired as a writer, quickly becoming showrunner for its fifth and final season in 1983. Simon next worked as
22400-527: 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, 775 episodes of the show have been broadcast. It is the longest-running American animated series , longest-running American sitcom , and
22560-431: Was a newspaper sports cartoonist for The San Francisco Chronicle and The San Francisco Examiner . After graduating, he worked as a television storyboard artist, and later a writer, at Filmation Studios . There he worked on several animated shows, including The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1979). Simon recalls Filmation approving of his work because he
22720-494: Was a regular poker player and six-time in the money finisher at the World Series of Poker . Simon founded the Sam Simon Foundation, which consists of a mobile veterinary clinic that goes into low-income neighborhoods offering free surgeries for cats and dogs several days per week, as well as a program that rescues and trains shelter dogs. He also funded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel MY Sam Simon . Simon
22880-408: Was a writer and executive producer alongside James L. Brooks , with whom Simon had worked on Taxi . The cartoons were developed into a full series two years later. For The Simpsons , Simon served alongside Matt Groening (who conceived the show and the five main characters ) and Brooks as executive producer and showrunner for the show's first ( 1989–1990 ) and second ( 1990–1991 ) seasons, and
23040-646: Was also available streaming online from HallmarkSpiritClips.com. As of July 2015, Fat Albert was no longer on Bounce TV's lineup. Bounce TV had previously pulled the comedy series Cosby from their lineup in the wake of the Bill Cosby sexual assault allegations , but it is unclear if the cancellations of the Fat Albert episodes was related to these allegations. However, several months after returning reruns of The Cosby Show in December 2016, Bounce TV quietly re-added Fat Albert to its schedule in March 2017, until it
23200-555: Was also produced by Gracie Films). For Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane , " The Simpsons created an audience for prime-time animation that had not been there for many, many years ... As far as I'm concerned, they basically re-invented the wheel. They created what is in many ways—you could classify it as—a wholly new medium." Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids The show features an educational lesson in each episode, emphasized by Cosby's live-action segments. In addition, at
23360-570: Was born on June 6, 1955, in Los Angeles , California . He grew up in Beverly Hills and Malibu . Simon's family lived opposite Groucho Marx . Simon's father was a clothing manufacturer and was of Estonian-Jewish heritage. Simon had a childhood which has been described as "comfortable" and "privileged". Although his parents wanted Simon to become a lawyer, he was interested in art from a young age, appearing on televised local art programs as young as
23520-468: Was created by David Silverman , and was the first task he did when production began on the show. The series' distinctive theme song was composed by musician Danny Elfman in 1989, after Groening approached him requesting a retro-style piece. This piece has been noted by Elfman as the most popular of his career. One of the most distinctive aspects of the opening is that three of its elements change from episode to episode: Bart writes different things on
23680-421: Was creative supervisor for the first four seasons. He assembled and led the initial team of writers, consisting of John Swartzwelder , Jon Vitti , George Meyer , Jeff Martin , Al Jean , Mike Reiss , Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky . The cartoonist and writer Mimi Pond , who wrote the first broadcast episode " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire " (1989), claimed that she was not permitted to permanently join
23840-634: Was engaged at the time of his death, having been previously twice married, including to the actress Jennifer Tilly . Following a profile of Simon on 60 Minutes in 2007, CBS writer Daniel Schorn wrote in an online article that Simon was "perhaps the Renaissance man of the baffling, uncertain age we live in." Simon was diagnosed with terminal colorectal cancer in 2012 and given only three to six months to live. He bequeathed his $ 100 million estate to various charities that he actively supported during his lifetime. He died on March 8, 2015. Samuel Michael Simon
24000-460: Was eventually removed from the schedule again in late April 2018. During the mid-1980s, Thorn EMI Video released several volumes of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids on VHS as part of their "Children's Matinee" line of animated programs, with each cassette typically containing three episodes. Additional volumes were released later in the decade by Video Treasures , including the three holiday specials. In 2002, Time Life distributed 11 volumes of
24160-465: Was for eight years the manager of heavyweight boxer Lamon Brewster , the now-retired former World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion. He met Brewster in 1997 and began managing him, helping him rise to the top of the WBO rankings. He considers guiding Brewster to his April 2004 victory over Wladimir Klitschko to win the vacant WBO Heavyweight Championship, with Klitschko the heavy favorite, to be amongst
24320-596: Was given between three and six months to live; chemotherapy treatment reduced the size of his tumors over the following six months. He arranged for his fortune to be left to various charitable causes, stating: "The truth is, I have more money than I'm interested in spending. Everyone in my family is taken care of. And I enjoy this." Simon died in his Los Angeles home from complications of the disease on March 8, 2015, aged 59. His remains were interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Controversy surrounds
24480-519: Was his prank calls to Moe's Tavern owner Moe Szyslak where he asks for a gag name . Moe tries to find that person in the bar, but soon realizes it is a prank call and angrily threatens Bart. These calls were apparently based on a series of prank calls known as the Tube Bar recordings , though Groening has denied any causal connection. Moe was based partly on Tube Bar owner Louis "Red" Deutsch , whose often profane responses inspired Moe's violent side. As
24640-886: Was honored and noted for its educational content, which included Cosby earning a Doctorate in Education . In every show's opening Cosby would playfully warn: This is Bill Cosby comin' at you with (lots of) music and fun, and if you're not careful, you may learn something before it's done. So let's get ready, OK? (Fat Albert voice) Hey, hey, hey! During each episode, Fat Albert and his friends (aka The Junkyard Gang), dealt with an issue or problem commonly faced by children, ranging from stage fright , first loves, medical operations, and personal hygiene to more serious themes (though toned down for younger children) including vandalism , stealing , racism , rape, smoking, being scammed by con artists , sexually transmitted diseases , child abuse , kidnapping , drug use, gun violence , and death. At
24800-429: Was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, 'This will be cool; everyone will think it's their Springfield.' And they do." Many landmarks, including street names, have connections to Portland. When producer James L. Brooks was working on the television variety show The Tracey Ullman Show , he decided to include small animated sketches before and after
24960-413: Was originally brought in to voice Lisa, but upon arriving at the audition, she found that Lisa was simply described as the "middle child" and at the time did not have much personality. Cartwright became more interested in the role of Bart, who was described as "devious, underachieving, school-hating, irreverent, [and] clever". Groening let her try out for the part instead, and upon hearing her read, gave her
25120-399: Was saying that to take the pressure off of everyone. I was just saying let's just go out and make 13 episodes that are really good and really funny." However, Groening interpreted it as meaning Simon was uncommitted and did not care whether the show was a success or not, as Simon's career would survive, whereas his own would not. In 2001, Groening described Simon as "brilliantly funny and one of
25280-471: Was soon resolved and, from 1998 to 2004, they were paid $ 125,000 per episode. The show's revenue continued to rise through syndication and DVD sales, and in April 2004 the main cast stopped appearing for script readings, demanding they be paid $ 360,000 per episode. The strike was resolved a month later and their salaries were increased to something between $ 250,000 and $ 360,000 per episode. In 2008, production for
25440-413: Was that Sam Simon was a fucking horrible person to be around. Very, very funny, extremely bright and brilliant, but an unhappy person who treated other people poorly." Simon described himself as "combative" and said that most people see him as having a "bad attitude". In the late 1990s, Simon primarily worked as a director. He directed on the American adaptation of the sitcom Men Behaving Badly in 1996,
25600-577: Was used by Kent Brockman in " Deep Space Homer " and has become a snowclone , with variants of the utterance used to express obsequious submission. It has been used in media, such as New Scientist magazine. The dismissive term " Meh ", believed to have been popularized by the show, entered the Collins English Dictionary in 2008. Other words credited as stemming from the show include "yoink" and "craptacular". The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations includes several quotations from
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