‘The Simpsons’ at 30

For the past three decades, there has been one constant in America’s comedy landscape: “The Simpsons.” With that animated sitcom now approaching the start of its 30th season, on Sept. 30, it’s a good time to reflect on how “The Simpsons” has evolved during its unparalleled run, and how each era in that evolution has reflected — or failed to reflect — the state of comedy, and of the culture, as a whole.

Posted 10:17 p.m. Sep 28, 2018 — Updated 10:17 p.m. Sep 28, 2018

Brian Tallerico

, New York Times

Neither “The Simpsons” nor history has stood still since the show debuted in 1989. The first family of Springfield has witnessed five American presidents, the dawn of the internet age, the end of the Cold War, at least two prolonged conflicts in the Middle East, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and more. And while Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have stayed the same age, what the world finds funny has changed — in no small part because of those characters’ influence. Almost 30 years after its premiere, “The Simpsons” still matters.

Below, we’ve broken down the history of “The Simpsons” into six distinct eras, based on the ways its humor has changed over the years. We’ve also recommended the episodes that best represent each era. (FXX has a website with every episode of “The Simpsons” but not the original shorts; a subscription to cable or FXNOW is required. Hulu also streams recent episodes.)

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THE WARM-UP: THE SHORTS

Episode to Watch: ‘Good Night’

Characters on “The Simpsons” first found their voices (and early sense of humor) in shorts that accompanied Fox’s “The Tracey Ullman Show” from 1987 to 1989. The creator of “The Simpsons,” Matt Groening, originally planned to adapt his popular “Life is Hell” comic strip into bumpers for the show, but balked upon discovering he would have to give up the rights to his creation. Thus the Simpson family was born.

It all started on April 19, 1987, with “Good Night” — 47 more shorts were created over the next two years. They’re clearly personal — Groening named and modeled the characters after his own family — and remarkably crude. As Groening told the BBC, he submitted hand-drawn sketches to his animation team and was stunned when they just traced over what he gave them.

However, even in “Good Night,” you can see the roots of the Simpsons’ quirky subversion of the modern American TV family. We watch as Homer and Marge try to put their kids to bed, but instead of comforting the kids, they traumatize them; all three children wind up shivering in Marge and Homer’s bed. That idea that a well-meaning action can go horribly awry became a foundation of “Simpsons” humor.

Also watch: “The Pacifier,” “Burping Contest,” “Jumping Bart,” “Making Faces,” “World War III”

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THE FOUNDATION: SEASONS 1-2

Episode to Watch: ‘Bart the Daredevil’ (2.8)

The first two seasons of “The Simpsons” established much about what people still know and love about the show. Viewers above a certain age will remember when a skateboarding Bart covered every type of merchandise imaginable, and this brilliant Season 2 episode plays with that iconography. It also subverted the TV comedy conventions of its time — when this episode debuted, “Family Matters,” “Full House,” “The Cosby Show” and “Empty Nest” were Top 15 programs. Is it any wonder that some groups saw a back-talking child and a beer-drinking father as a threat?

But “The Simpsons” wouldn’t have worked if it were merely thumbing its nose at the Huxtables. It worked because, in many ways, the Simpsons were more relatable — they didn’t hide their flaws. We could all remember wanting to do something dangerous, and parents could understand Homer’s conflict between not wanting Bart to die ... and also thinking that his plan to jump Springfield Gorge on his skateboard sounded pretty cool. The physical humor of Homer’s extended plummet down the gorge only solidified this episode as one of the series’ best.

Also watch: “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” (1.1), “Moaning Lisa” (1.6), “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish” (2.4), “Itchy and Scratchy and Marge” (2.9), “Lisa’s Substitute” (2.19)

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THE PRIME: SEASONS 3-8

Episode to Watch: ‘Last Exit to Springfield’ (4.17)

You could make the case that there was no better program in the ‘90s than “The Simpsons,” and its best seasons are among the finest of any show in any era. “Seinfeld” is frequently credited for redefining the sitcom but, in these seasons, “The Simpsons” was just as transformative. No longer was edge-pushing humor relegated to explicitly “adult” shows like “Married ... With Children.” “The Simpsons” proved it could be incorporated into the family dynamic in a way that made it funnier, smarter and even more truthful.

While there may be laugh-out-loud funnier episodes from this era, few get at the themes that define the best of “The Simpsons” while also illustrating the genius of its writers better than “Last Exit to Springfield.” What other show could reference “Last Exit to Brooklyn,” “Yellow Submarine,” “The Godfather Part II,” “Citizen Kane” and “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” in a way that doesn’t feel forced or, as with so many of the show’s imitators, gratuitous. “Roseanne” got a lot of attention in the ‘90s for representing middle-class America, but Homer’s fight here to keep his union’s dental plan is as cleareyed as anything that series did. And like many of the best episodes, “Last Exit to Springfield” ends on a moving note without feeling manipulative: Lisa wields a guitar in protest, singing, “They have the plant, but we have the power,” and we’re reminded of how often Homer strives for the betterment of his kids. This is as good as “The Simpsons,” or television really, gets.

Also watch: “A Streetcar Named Marge” (4.2), “Marge vs. the Monorail” (4.12), “Fear of Flying” (6.11), “Homie the Clown” (6.15), “Homer’s Enemy” (8.23)

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THE TRANSITION: SEASONS 9-12

Episode to Watch: ‘Skinner’s Sense of Snow’ (12.8)

The turn of the millennium was a fascinating phase for “The Simpsons,” one in which many fans jumped ship as the writers struggled to figure out where to go next. The show became increasingly self-referential, perhaps following the lead of “Seinfeld,” resulting in a less-consistent batting average for what was still one of the best shows on TV. This identity crisis could result in attention-grabbing moments like the death of Maude Flanders or the bizarre attempt to revise Principal Skinner’s history. This is the era in which the heirs to “The Simpsons” — “South Park,” “Family Guy” and others — came forward to challenge the throne, adding to the sense that “The Simpsons” wasn’t as fresh or daring as it was in its prime.

But there’s still gold in these seasons. Take “Skinner’s Sense of Snow,” a Season 12 episode that merely allows its already iconic characters to have some fun. “The Simpsons” struggles when it tries to clutter episodes with characters and subplots, which makes an episode about a snowstorm that traps the kids in school with Skinner so sublime: It is beautifully simple. In the DVD commentary, writer Tim Long reveals that the episode was based on an event from his childhood when his was the only public school to remain open during a snowstorm. In this version, the students take revenge accordingly. It’s fitting that, in an era when so much comedy was still following the lead of the early “Simpsons,” the show found itself again by getting personal.

Also watch: “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson” (9.1), “Das Bus” (9.14), “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” (10.2), “Homer to the Max” (10.13), “HOMR” (12.9)

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THE DECLINE: SEASONS 14-19

Episode to Watch: ‘Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind’ (19.9)

While writers in the previous era seemed intent on figuring out what was next, they sometimes seemed to be giving up in these seasons. At the same time, TV comedy had matured: Shows like “Arrested Development,” “30 Rock” and “The Office” were exploding conventions and leaving Homer and his family behind.

But there are episodes from this era in which “The Simpsons” appeared once again to be trying to break new ground. These tended to be episodes in which the show embraced its form, using animation to create landscapes that a live-action series never could. Season 19’s “Eternal Moonshine” is the perfect example, an episode in which Homer wakes up with no memory of the night before, having been given a Forget-Me-Shot by Moe. (The title and premise are a reference to the Michel Gondry film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”) With Homer forced to reconstruct what happened that night, while also flashing back through and gaining insight into his past, “Eternal Moonshine” could have been a series finale. It’s that smart — tying together themes from the show’s entire history in a hysterical, poignant package.

Also watch: “Diatribe of a Mad Housewife” (15.10), “The Seemingly Never-Ending Story” (17.13), “The Monkey Suit” (17.21), “Springfield Up” (18.13), “The Debarted” (19.13)

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THE PERPETUAL MOTION MACHINE: SEASONS 20-29

Episode to Watch: ‘A Test Before Trying’ (24.10)

Modern TV comedy has become defined by singular, personal voices — think of “Master of None,” “Insecure” and “Atlanta.” Alternatively, “The Simpsons” these days feels increasingly like the product of a machine: It often leans hard into its guest stars instead of its writing (“Lisa Goes Gaga,” from Season 23, is a prime example), and it sometimes seems out of touch — as in its woeful handling of the Apu controversy last season in “No Good Read Goes Unpunished.”

Perhaps that’s why “The Simpsons” in the modern era works best when it goes back to the drawing board, finding new stories within old templates. The show has probably broken all the ground it ever could, and now it connects best when it tries to be just flat-out funny. A great example is “A Test Before Trying,” which is a clever riff on the over-testing of kids in the 2010s — using Bart, arguably the most iconic child underachiever in television history. (Bart’s fantasy when Skinner tells him a poor test performance could “destroy the school” is a dark delight.) The episode scores major laughs and deftly recalls what we love so much about “The Simpsons.”

What more could we ask from a show in its third decade? Let’s hope the writers find that magic more often as it enters its fourth.

Also watch: “Coming to Homerica” (20.21), “The Bob Next Door” (21.22), “Angry Dad: The Movie” (22.14), “Holidays of Future Passed” (23.9), “Barthood” (27.9)

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