As TV shows go, The Simpsons have had one of the best runs. Premiering over thirty years ago and running non-stop since then, the yellow family at the center have had their fair share of adventures. While the show has been accused of getting worse over the years, it still remains one of the most prominent and watched animations of all time.
Across its long and impressive history, the show acquired a lot of interesting stories behind the scenes. Here are ten of the best behind the scenes facts about The Simpsons.
The Series Came From The Tracey Ullman Show
Once upon a time, The Simpsons wasn’t a household name. It wasn’t the first thing you thought of when the word cartoon entered your head, but a series of shorts that cropped up on The Tracey Ullman Show fronted prominently by creator Matt Groening. Back then, the show was crudely drawn, the voices of the characters hadn’t fully formed, and the storylines were often restricted to their Evergreen Terrace house. Very few side characters were introduced, and the show remained under the radar for a while. Fast forward just a few years and it was a worldwide phenomenon, with Homer winning a Grammy and being sent to space.
Conan O’Brien Was Once A Writer
In the years since The Simpsons first took off, Conan O’Brien has become a household name. He hosts his own self-titled talk show. Not as many people know that he balanced his Saturday Night Live writing with his writing for The Simpsons. The American funnyman is credited with various writer and producer credits between 1991 and 1993.
It was he who wrote “Marge Vs The Monorail,” an episode often seen as one of the best of all time, as well as “New Kid On The Block,” “Homer Goes To College,” and “Treehouse Of Horror IV.”
The Movie Was Written Strangely
Rather than choosing one of their many talented writers, Matt Groening and James L. Brooks decided that the best way to write the first feature-length Simpsons Movie was to copy their process from the episodes. They gave writers from the early years of the show a section of the film each to work on, before combining everything and working it into a more simple final product that made sense. It was even supposed to be a musical at one point.
Hank Scorpio Was Going To Be In The Simpsons Movie
Hank Scorpio is the Blofeld-Esque villain who appears in the acclaimed season 4 episode “You Only Move Twice.” He is incredibly nice to Homer throughout the episode (delivering the classic lines about the ‘hammock district’ in the process), before his reveal as a world-dominating supervillain, capable of killing a James Bond-type spy. Before Russ Cargill ended up as the main villain in The Simpsons Movie, it was originally planned that Albert Brooks would reprise his iconic role instead.
It Really Was Michael Jackson
The Simpsons is known for being able to attract some incredibly impressive guests. Paul McCartney, Metallica, Ricky Gervais, Tom Hank, Mark Hamill, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, and the list goes on. However, the appearance of arguably the most famous celebrity of all time, Michael Jackson, has been a point of secrecy for many years. The creators of the show were notoriously quiet around the appearance, before finally confirming it in 2019, nearly thirty years later. When you think about it, it seems rather obvious that only Jackson himself could create the sound of “Lisa It’s Your Birthday.”
Springfield Doesn’t Have An Official Location
There are so many places in the USA called Springfield that the official location of the fictional town has been a source of debate for many years. The main theory is that it isn’t based on a real town at all, though many have claimed it to be theirs.
The geography of the surrounding areas changes depending on the plot of the episode, while various states and cities are referenced (from Ohio to Maine to Nevada), while area codes change throughout.
Homer And Krusty Were Supposed To Be The Same Person
You may have wondered for a long time why Krusty The Clown and Homer Simpson have such a similar look. They both have the same head shape (which is also possessed by Bender in Futurama), and features, and there is one episode in which Homer is able to convincingly pretend to be the failed clown. This is because, originally, it was going to be revealed that Homer was Krusty; the father figure and influence Bart couldn’t find in his father when he was being himself. This twist was shelved when it was deemed too complex for the show.
(Almost) Everyone Voices Multiple Characters
There are a lot of main characters in The Simpsons. Aside from the main family of five (plus their pets and relatives), various colorful characters are dotted around the town of Springfield, and a lot of them are played by the main cast.
Homer himself, Dan Castellaneta, plays his own father, Abe Simpson, Krusty The Clown, Barney Gumble, Mayor Quimby, and Hans Moleman. Voice of Marge, Julie Cavner, lends her voice to her sisters and mother, while Bart’s Nancy Cartwright is also the voice of Nelson, Ralph, and many others. It is only Lisa’s voice actress, Yeardley Smith, who mostly sticks to Lisa.
Sideshow Bob’s Family Connections
One of the best things about The Simpsons is its impressive list of celebrity appearances. Star of Frasier, Kelsey Grammar, lends himself to the murderous recurring character Sideshow Bob. However, in an interesting turn of events, his on-screen brother Cecil is played by Kelsey Grammar’s on-screen brother in Frasier, David Hyde Pierce. Even more interesting is the fact that their on-screen father in Frasier, John Mahoney, plays the father of the brothers in The Simpsons. Confusing, but very cool.
They Reuse Couch Gags
The Couch Gags are one of the most notable things about The Simpsons. Even if you’ve never seen the show, you know that each episode opens with a different thing being written on the chalkboard and more and more bizarre happenings on the couch.
However, they don’t actually make a new one for each episode. The ‘circus line’ gag is the most used, with a few others making their way across seasons, with special longer ones appearing to pad out a shorter episode. Recent years have seen more one-off gags.
