“The Simpsons” Celebrates 30th Anniversary Today
This is a story that will make you say "D'oh!" because it will make you realize just how old you are.
On this date in 1989, The Simpsons debuted on the Fox Television Network as a standalone television program. The premiere episode was a Christmas special, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." The animation was crude compared to what fans of the show would come to expect, but that episode launched what has become a media juggernaut.
That juggernaut got its true start two years earlier as a series of shorts on another Fox program, The Tracey Ullman Show. The positive response led to creator Matt Groening and the network developing those shorts as a standalone sitcom, and the rest is history. In that time, The Simpsons has won 34 Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and a list of other honors that's too long to mention.
The Simpsons has been renewed for at least one more year. Here's hoping that wonderful program continues on for many more.
And, since it's Christmas, here's Robert Goulet performing a holiday classic during a 1993 episode.