Great TV shows: The Simpsons.

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening. The series offers a satirical image of a middle class American family. The Simpson famly, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, portray the characteristics of American middle class lifestyle. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture, society, television, and many aspects of the human condition.

Groening created this dysfunctional family of yellow characters in 1986 for a series of short sketches. He used the names of members of his family to name the characters.

The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. The shorts became popular and after three years, the sketches were developed into a half-hour episodes. The Simpsons soon became a hit and in a few months it was in the Top 30 ratings .

Since its debut on December 17, 1989, the series has broadcast 587 episodes. It is currently airing its 27th season, what makes it the longest-running American sitcom. The Simpsons Movie was released worldwide in 2007, and was a huge success making over $527 million.

The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series and Time magazine named it the 20th century's best television series. The Simpsons has been the model for many other animated sitcoms.

On January 14, 2000, the Simpson family was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Homer's catchphrase "D'oh!" has been adopted into the English language. Despite this, the show has also been criticized for what many perceive as a decline in quality over the years.

Condensed from Wikipedia.