5 Reasons to Celebrate 27 Seasons of the Simpsons!
By Eliza Sanchez, Marketing Assistant
1) It’s the longest running TV comedy — ever!
The Simpsons has conquered the feat in terms of both seasons (27) and episodes (574+), and has been delighting TV audiences since 1989.
photo via: http://kinographics.blogspot.com/2011/10/evolution-of-simpsons.html
Fun Fact: In its run, The Simpsons has won 32 Emmy Awards and 83 Nominations, and the 1996 Peabody Award
2) In 1998/99, Time magazine listed Bart Simpson as one of the most influential people of the 20th Century.
photos via: http://bartsimpsonpictures.squarelogic.net/
And he’ll probably dominate the 21st century as well! Back in 1998, Bruce Handy of Time said “What Bart, or really the Simpsons, have done is merge social satire with popular animation in a way that hasn’t really been done before. And you can’t talk about 20th century art without taking into account pop culture. It’s almost what defines the century. And when you look at animation — which is arguably the purest form of cinema — I truly believe The Simpsons is both first rate and of lasting quality. I think when people a hundred years from now want to get a sense of what the 90s were like they could do a lot worse than watch The Simpsons. It will still be being viewed and enjoyed when a lot of contemporary, serious literature is forgotten.” So far, Bruce hasn’t been proven wrong!
3) It’s had 600 guest stars since its premiere.
Over the course of its run, The Simpsons has had an incredible amount of talented people and big names appear as guest stars on the show, including Stephen Hawking as himself in “They Saved Lisa’s Brain” and Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob in “Cape Feare.” Check out Paste Magazine‘s July 2014 list of The Simpsons top 100 guest stars here:
4) The play Mr. Burns uses the episode “Cape Feare” as its basis.
Anne Washburn’s play Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play premiered in May 2012 and is a fantastic re-imagining of the iconic “Cape Feare” episode of The Simpsons. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the play follows a group of survivors as they come together to recall, perform, and create a mythos over the course of some decades out of this particular episode
5) The Lyric Stage Company is putting on Mr. Burns this spring — and you should be there!
From April 8, 2016 to May 7, 2016, The Lyric Stage Company will be running Washburn’s Mr. Burns, direct by A. Nora Long, and we want you to check it out! Support both 27 seasons of The Simpsons and the Lyric Stage by ordering your tickets today!