The Simpsons is an animated sitcom created by Matt Groening that premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company on December 17, 1989, following the daily lives of a working-class American family in the fictional town of Springfield. It is the longest-running American animated series, the longest-running American sitcom and the longest-running American scripted primetime series by both seasons and episodes, and its debut is widely credited with changing the direction of American television comedy and inspiring the wave of adult-oriented animated sitcoms that followed. The show has been called, by more than one linguist, a source of idioms and catchphrases in American culture rivaling Shakespeare and the Bible, and it has won 37 Primetime Emmy Awards along with two Peabody Awards, with its earliest seasons especially remembered as a creative golden age.
Facts
Classification
Original Language Release Year FAQs
Did The Simpsons begin as a half-hour series?
It began in 1987 as a cartoon short on The Tracey Ullman Show.
No. The Simpsons began in 1987 as a cartoon short on The Tracey Ullman Show, a variety program on the Fox Broadcasting Company. It was later expanded to half an hour.
Is Springfield a real town in a real state?
The state is never stated; Groening named it after Springfield, Oregon.
The show never states which state its Springfield is in. Creator Matt Groening has said that he named it after Springfield, Oregon, but that he wanted it to be generic enough to seem like it could exist anywhere in America.
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Source The Simpsons, Wikipedia
In Medium
Source The Simpsons, Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases
Original Language
Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.
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Source The Simpsons, WikipediaLead sentence 1Quote, Lead sentence 1
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L.
Sources
1. The Simpsons, Wikipedia
Lead, debut sentence (year)
Since its debut on December 17, 1989, 809 episodes of the show have been broadcast.
Lead, sentence 1 (country)
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company.
The Simpsons (TV series), Description, original language
It is the longest-running American animated series, the longest-running American sitcom and the longest-running American scripted primetime series by both seasons and episodes, and its debut is widely credited with changing the direction of American television comedy and inspiring the wave of adult-oriented animated sitcoms that followed.
Wikipedia category (annie-award), checked 2026-09-27
Wikipedia category for annie-award
In Medium: Television, Article lead sentence
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L.
Created By: Matt Groening, Article lead sentence
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company.
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