The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture, society, television, and many aspects of the human condition.
The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a solicitation for a series of animated shorts with the producer James L. Brooks. Groening created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after members of his own family, substituting Bart for his own name; he thought Simpson 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 a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and was an early hit for Fox, becoming the network's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990).
Since its debut on December 17, 1989, 703 episodes of the show have been broadcast. It is the longest-running American animated series, longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, both in terms of seasons and number of episodes. A feature-length film, The Simpsons Movie, was released in theaters worldwide on July 27, 2007, and grossed over $527 million, 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 a billion-dollar merchandising industry. The Simpsons is a joint production by Gracie Films and 20th Television. Its thirty-second season premiered on September 27, 2020 and includes the show's 700th episode. On March 3, 2021, it was announced that the series had been renewed for seasons 33 and 34 up to 2023, surpassing an episode count of 750.
The Simpsons received 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, 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 34 Primetime Emmy Awards, 34 Annie Awards, and 2 Peabody Awards. Homer's exclamatory catchphrase "D'oh!" has been adopted into the English language, while The Simpsons has influenced many other later adult-oriented animated sitcoms.
International broadcast[]
| Country | Network(s) | Local title |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Fox, FXX, Freeform, Syndication, Other | The Simpsons |
| Asia | Fox | |
| Australia | Eleven, Network 10, 7 Network, 7mate, 7flix, Fox8 | |
| Canada | Global, Teletoon, Citytv, Omni Television, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, FX, NTV, CTV Television Network, FXX, CBC Television, Other | |
| Denmark | TV3, 3+, TV3 Max, Disney+ | |
| Greece | ANT1, Fox, Makedonia TV | |
| Ireland | Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Two, TG4, RTÉ One, RTÉ2, Virgin Media Three | |
| New Zealand | TV3, Four, Sky 5, TVNZ 2 | |
| Philippines | Jack TV, Cartoon Network, Star World, RPN 9 | |
| United Kingdom | BBC One, BBC Two, Sky 1, Sky 2, Channel 4, S4C, 4seven, | |
| Argentina | Telefe | Los Simpson |
| Bolivia | Red Uno de Bolivia, Unitel | |
| Chile | Canal 13, Chilevisión | |
| Colombia | Canal Uno, Caracol Television, Producciones Cinevisión | |
| Costa Rica | Repretel | |
| Dominican Republic | Telesistema 11, Antena Latina, Telemicro | |
| Ecuador | Teleamazonas, Gamavisión | |
| Guatemala | TV Azteca Guatemala | |
| Honduras | Telesistema Hondureño, TV Azteca Honduras | |
| Latin America | Star Channel | |
| Mexico | Imevisión, Canal 5, Azteca 7 | |
| Nicaragua | Canal 10, TN8 | |
| Panama | RPC-TV | |
| Paraguay | Sistema Nacional de Televisión, Telefuturo | |
| Peru | Latina Televisión, Panamericana Televisión | |
| Puerto Rico | Univision, MundoMax | |
| Spain | La 2, Canal+, Antena 3, Telecinco, Fox, Neox, Disney+ | |
| Uruguay | Monte Carlo TV, Canal 10 | |
| Venezuela | Televen | |
| Belgium (French) | Canal+ Belgique, RTL-TVI, Club RTL, Plug RTL, Tipik | Les Simpson |
| Canada (French) | Super Écran, V, Télétoon, Disney+ | |
| France | Canal+, France 3, W9, M6, 6ter, Série Club | |
| Luxembourg (French) | RTL TV | |
| Morocco | 2M | |
| Switzerland (French) | RTS 1, RTS 2 | |
| Austria | ORF eins, ProSieben | Die Simpsons |
| Germany | ZDF, ProSieben, Sat.1 Comedy, Jetix | |
| Switzerland (German) | SF zwei, ProSieben, Puls 4, Puls 8 | |
| Belgium (Dutch) | VIER, VTM 3, Play6 | De Simpsons |
| Netherlands | RTL 4, Veronica, SBS6, Comedy Central, Fox | |
| Croatia | Fox, HRT, RTL, RTL Kockica | Simpsoni |
| Latvia | TV6 | |
| Brazil | Rede Globo, SBT, Rede Bandeirantes, Fox, TV Cultura, Disney+ | Os Simpsons |
| Portugal | RTP1, RTP2, RTP Açores, RTP Madeira, Fox, FX, Fox Comedy, Disney+ | |
| Czech Republic | ČT1, ČT2, Prima TV, Prima Cool | Simpsonovi |
| Serbia | Pink, Fox | |
| Norway | TV3, Viasat 4, Disney+ | Simpsons |
| Sweden | TV3, TV6, ZTV, TV4, Disney+ | |
| Albania | Junior TV | Simpsonët |
| Arab World | MBC 1, Fox Series | آل شمشون |
| Armenia | Shant TV | Սիմփսոնները |
| Bulgaria | Fox, Fox Life | Семейство Симпсън |
| China | Xing Kong, Tencent Video | 辛普森一家 |
| Estonia | TV3, TV6 | Simpsonid |
| Finland | MTV3, Sub, Fox, Disney+ | Simpsonit |
| Hungary | TV3, Viasat 3, Viasat 6, Comedy Central, Fox, TV2 Comedy, TV2 Kids, Minimax | A Simpson család |
| Iceland | Stöð 2, RÚV | Simpson-fjölskyldan |
| Israel | Channel 1, Star World, Arutz HaYeladim, Bip, yes Comedy, Hop! Channel | משפחת סימפסון |
| Italy | Canale 5, Italia 1, Fox, Fox Animation, Disney+ | I Simpson |
| Japan | WOWOW, Fox, Higashinippon Broadcasting, TV Shinshu, Sun Television, Kyoto Broadcasting System, Nagasaki International Television, Fox Movies Japan, Fox Sports & Entertainment | ザ・シンプソンズ |
| Lithuania | TV3 | Simpsonai |
| Luxembourg (Luxembourgish) | RTL2 | D’Simpsons |
| North Macedonia | MRT1, MRT2 | Симпсонови |
| Pakistan | Geo TV | ਤੇਦਿ ਸਿਮ ਸਿਮ |
| Poland | TV Puls, Fox Kids, Fox, TVP1, Canal+, Fox Comedy | Simpsonowie |
| Romania | TVR1, TVR2, Pro TV, Pro X, Minimax | Familia Simpson |
| Armenia (Russian) | ATV Filmzon | Симпсоны |
| Russia | REN-TV, 2x2 | |
| Slovakia | TV Luna, Jednotka, Dvojka, TV JOJ, JOJ Plus | Simpsonovci |
| South Korea | MBC, EBS | 심슨 가족 |
| Taiwan | Fox | 辛普森家庭 |
| Thailand | Fox | เดอะซิมป์สันส์ |
| Turkey | Fox, Show TV, Cine5, CNBC-e, FX | Simpsonlar |
| Ukraine | STB, M1, 2+2, PlusPlus, QTV, PravdaTUT, NLO TV | Сімпсони |