Simpsons' reach 300th episode

On Jan. 14, 1990, President Bush cautioned against big defense cuts, the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos made their way into Super Bowl XXIV, and Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III opened its first weekend at the box office. Oh yeah, and one more thing, The Simpsons premiered the first episode of its amazing run with Episode 7G02: "Bart the Genius."

This Sunday, thirteen years later, America's favorite family will star in its 300th episode entitled "Barting Over." In the episode, Bart abandons his family after he discovers that the fortune he earned as a baby starring in commercials was wasted away when Homer decided to name a star. The episode also features skateboarding sensation Tony Hawk and Blink-182.

By reaching this landmark, The Simpsons extends its streak as the longest-running animated prime time show, as it surpassed The Flintstones in 1997.

Josh Belkin, co-president of the No Homers Club (the Simpsons fan club on campus) and co-teacher of the "Simpsons and Society" Ex-College course, attributes the longevity of the show because it "works on so many levels." He also points to the "funny animations, funny plot, and funny dialogue," all of which make it the "most intelligent show on television."

The fact that The Simpsons is even a subject for a college course is a testament to the amazing cultural significance of the show. Pam Aghababian, the other teacher of "Simpsons and Society" along with Belkin, feels the show "is not just a cartoon or slapstick." She said one of the main objects of the course was to delve into why "kids and adults watch it for two different reasons," according to Aghababian. Philosophical and theological books have been written specifically on The Simpsons, with a similar volume on the political commentary of the show coming out later this year. The intellectual attention placed on The Simpsons is amazing, considering the roots of the show.

The Simpsons is often credited with carrying the FOX network into the 1990s as a competitor with the "Big Three" networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC. Slotted against The Cosby Show, the top rated show in the country, The Simpsons held its own and soon became a national phenomenon. Many Americans could identify the derivation of additions to the lexicon like "Ay Carumba" and "Don't have a cow, man." Bart Simpson merchandise inundated toy stores as America's image of the proverbial bad boy. The Simpsons had arrived in American pop culture.

After the first few seasons, as Groening sharpened the animation, and the talented cast (including Tufts alum Hank Azaria) honed the characters' voices, the show hit what Belkin calls, "The golden years, seasons five through seven." Some of the show's best writers, like Conan O'Brien, worked during this time, banging out great episodes. As the central character of the show moved from Bart to Homer, the plots became "zanier and zanier," as Aghababian put it.

Cynics, some of whom are devoted fans, claim that the quality of The Simpsons has gone drastically down hill in recent seasons. Belkin and others believe it's difficult to bring up new storylines considering the writers have already done 299 episodes.

Originally, cartoonist Matt Groening created Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie as the subject for a series of animated shorts for The Tracy Ullman Show, a variety show on the fledgling FOX network. For the most part based on his own family, the Simpsons were designed to be a wacky, animated, dysfunctional family.

In late 1989, as production for the half-hour series began, the shorts fell the way of slap bracelets, and The Simpsons was on its way toward becoming the star of the FOX primetime lineup (Simpsons geeks, like me, will remind you that the first episode, "Simpson's Roasting on an Open Fire," was actually aired on December 17, 1989, while the regularly scheduled programming began with "Bart the Genius."). Now, FOX has signed a contract with Groening and the other producers to extend the show to its 16th season.

Courtesy of cable television and syndication, The Simpsons will have a life on television for many years after its life in primetime. Regardless of why you love The Simpsons, whether its Homer's primal stupidity, Marge's grumbling motherhood, Lisa's political consciousness, Bart's impishness, or Maggie's homicidal tendencies, they are America's favorite dysfunctional family and the stars of the greatest animated program ever on television.