How ‘The Simpsons’ survived these early controversies
Full episode: 'The Simpsons' survives early controversies
When 'The Simpsons' debuted on a young FOX Network 35 years ago, it got plenty of attention -- both positive and negative. In this LiveNOW & Then episode, we'll take a look at some of that early media coverage of what's now the longest-running sitcom ever.
LOS ANGELES - "The Simpsons" is now television's longest-running primetime show.
As the series marks 35 years since its debut season, it’s hard to imagine the controversy it sparked when it first aired.
"Disrespectful" kids
The backstory:
The iconic animated TV series first aired on FOX on Dec. 17, 1989.
The episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," gave America a first glimpse into what would be one of the most chaotic, dysfunctional – yet beloved – animated TV families for decades to come.
It was a cartoon, and like most cartoons, kids gravitated toward it, which did not sit right with adults back in the day.
Educators, parents and guardians alike felt that the kids (mostly Bart) were mischievous and a downright bad influence on kids.
FOX / file
What they're saying:
"I think he’s disrespectful to his parents at times. I think there’s some disrespect shown in the school setting that they have and I think that’s not appropriate," one teacher said during a 1990 interview with FOX 6 News Milwaukee.
The other side:
While some parents and teachers felt characters like Bart influence kids to act out, there were also adult fans of the show who felt it went against the perceived norm often shown on television depicting the perfect family. In reality, no human is perfect and that goes double for families.
"I am probably the greatest fan of the Simpson family," Judy McBride, a school psychologist, told FOX 6.
"They show a lot of humor, they show a lot of warmth, a lot of understanding of each other as fallible human beings. Bart Simpson is fallible," she added.
From 1990: The making of 'The Simpsons'
In this two-part report from November of 1990, KTVU's Randy Shandobil goes behind the scenes with the writers, producers, and actors of The Simpsons, just as the new FOX series was taking off. He also talks to Bill Hanna of Hanna-Barbara about Homer Simpson's cartoon predecessors.
Popular despite controversy
Dig deeper:
During a rally in 1992, then-President George H. W. Bush was famously quoted, stating he would "strengthen the American family" and make them look "more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons."
Public schools and even JCPenney banned Bart Simpson T-shirts bearing messages such as "Underachiever and proud of it, man" or anything that had his spikey-haired visage.
Despite the vitriol some politicians, educators and parents had toward the show, "The Simpsons" was an undeniably popular series.
What they're saying:
Lee Thomas, an entertainment reporter at FOX 2 Detroit, recalled enjoying the show during his college years but never imagined the show would blow up into the sensation that it became.
It was an animated series and concept that was less well-known in the late 80s and early 90s.
"It was (new) for a variety of reasons because it was an animated series. An animated series about a bumbling dad. Now, if you think back to the '80s and even before that, the dad was the center of the family – Mr. Cleaver, that kind of dad, a know-it-all that gives advice. But for then, to be an animated dad, an irreverent dad and one that not only chased his son and would choke him, but he was just a crazy character," Thomas told FOX.
Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Al Jean, circa 1990.
Homer Simpson vs. Cliff Huxtable
Bart may have had his fair share of enemies: Sideshow Bob, his dad, and who can forget that creepy doppelganger, Lester.
But none more so than Cliff Huxtable from "The Cosby Show," but not in the way you probably think.
Dig deeper:
In 1990, FOX moved "The Simpsons" to a weeknight slot: Thursday nights. This put the show in direct competition with "The Cosby Show."
Though in the beginning "The Simpsons’" ratings were lackluster in comparison to "The Cosby Show," the battle between the shows waged on until the troublemaking Bart finally came out on top with the help of some first-run episodes.
In February 1990, "The Simpsons" beat "The Cosby Show" in ratings for the first time with its episode of "Homer At The Bat," according to a Deadspin report.
The two shows continued to compete for viewers until "The Cosby Show" ended its own long run just two years later in 1992.
Marge Simpson vs. Barbara Bush
Dig deeper:
Former first lady Barbara Bush once told People magazine in 1990 that the popular animated series was "the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen." And "The Simpsons" writers responded to Bush with a letter penned from Marge that read in part:
"I recently read your criticism of my family. I was deeply hurt. Heaven knows we’re far from perfect and, if truth be known, maybe just a wee bit short of normal; but as Dr. Seuss says, ‘A person is a person.'"
Weeks later, Barbara replied to the letter by apologizing, adding a little humor:
"How kind of you to write. I am glad you spoke your mind; I foolishly didn’t know you had one. I am looking at a picture of you, depicted on a plastic cup, with your blue hair filled with pink birds peeking out all over. Evidently, you and your charming family — Lisa, Homer, Bart and Maggie — are camping out. It is a nice family scene. Clearly you are setting a good example for the rest of the country. Please forgive a loose tongue."
FOX / file
While that seemed to end the tension between the show and first lady, her husband took his aforementioned shot at the show in 1992, saying, "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons!"
The show later featured the Bushes as characters – including a less-than-flattering portrayal of the former president as the Simpsons' neighbor.
Still going strong
The backstory:
"The Simpsons" is one of the most successful shows in television history with a huge cultural following dating back 35 years and was one of FOX Network’s first series to ever rank among the top 30 highest-rated shows in 1990.
"The Simpsons," created by Matt Groening, is an animated show that follows a dysfunctional family featuring Homer, a beer loving father, Marge, a hardworking homemaker wife, Bart a 10-year-old underachiever, Lisa an 8-year-old genius, and Maggie, the pacifier loving silent infant. The family lives in the fictional town of Springfield.
The "Simpsons Roasting" episode was the only one that aired in the 1980s and was viewed by 13.4 million people and earned two Emmy nominations. But weekly episodes were broadcast beginning on Jan. 14, 1990.
"The Simpsons" has enjoyed major success, winning numerous awards, including 37 Emmy awards and eight People’s Choice awards, while earning the title as the longest-running sitcom and the longest-running animated series in television history.
In 2009, the show eclipsed "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running, primetime scripted series. And in 1999, Time Magazine named "The Simpsons" the 20th century’s best television series. In 2008, the show ranked No. 1 on Entertainment Weekly’s "Top 100 Shows of the Past 25 Years." And in 2017, TV Guide named it the No. 1 animated series. And in 2000, The Simpsons received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Moreover, the animated franchise expanded its brand to comic books, video games, and, in 2007 "The Simpsons Movie," hit theaters nationwide and grossed over $530 million at the box office, according to IMDb.com.
"The Simpsons" is now in its 36th season and the family's adventures look like they'll continue, in the iconic words of Troy McClure, from now until the show becomes unprofitable.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from an interview with FOX 2 Detroit’s Lee Thomas, archival video of FOX TV Stations’ newscasts, Screenrant, Entertainment Weekly, Deadspin, Western Oregon University, the Los Angeles Times, C-SPAN, "The Simpsons" fandom wiki website, and previous reporting from LiveNOW from FOX. This story was reported from Los Angeles.