Woo-hoo! 300 episodes later, 'The Simpsons' rule

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Friday, February 14, 2003

Woo-hoo! 300 episodes later, 'The Simpsons' rule

By MELANIE McFARLAND
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER TELEVISION CRITIC

It was love at first sight, and never unrequited.

The first time I laid eyes on shorts of "The Simpsons" on the "The Tracey Ullman Show," I knew it would play a significant role in my life. I wasn't the only one who felt this way. My high school biology teacher would hurry through her Monday lectures to save a few minutes at the end of the hour to show us her tape of the short from the previous night.

Fourteen years after those end-of-bio treats, I can't remember much about cell membranes or the intricate glories of frog innards. Sorry, Ms. Brown.

But every Valentine's Day, I can't get Ralph Wiggum's chirpy voice out of my head: "You choo-choo-choose me!" Surely you remember.

Usually I'm more in a Homer state of mind. You'd be surprised at the aphorisms attributable to him. Such as, "The strong must protect the sweet."

And the humbling, "No matter how good you are at something, there's always about a million people better at it than you."

Or, "Not now. Eating."

Yep, "The Simpsons" stuck with me. And the rest of us, for that matter.

Ullman's sketch series, one of Fox's first programs, lasted only 3 1/2 years. Conversely -- perversely? -- Matt Groening's weirdly illustrated, functioning dysfunctional family struck out on its own in 1989 -- with the help of renowned TV and film director James L. Brooks and producer Al Jean -- and never looked back.

This Sunday, Fox airs Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie and Bart's 300th misadventure at 8 p.m. on KCPQ/13. The 90-minute celebration begins at 7:30 p.m. with a rerun, and the 301st episode follows at 8:30 p.m.

In keeping with a show tradition of never creating special episodes beyond the celebration of holidays, the landmark episode, "Barting Over," runs on the same abnormality as the rest of the series' 299 shows. Bart finds out he was a TV commercial star as an infant but Homer squandered his earnings, so he goes to court to seek emancipation from his parents.

But at this episode's center, there's still a palpable feeling of love as Homer pursues his beloved brat to bring him home.

Jean, one of "The Simpsons' " executive producers, knows this well. Actually, he told the P-I, love's the main thing that keeps us tuning in. "It's the real deal," Jean said. "It's like a Tiffany ring or a Cartier watch. It's a thing that people know they'll love all their lives, because it's genuine."

And warm. And so relatable that it's easy to forget it's animated. Yes, Springfield occurrences defy reality, but somehow the show ends up being more human than most live-action sitcoms.

Fox shows come, vie to get "The Simpsons" as a lead-in and eventually go, but it appears our favorite family will stay with us forever, thanks to syndication.

The key, Jean explained, is a formula of sameness. Homer, blue-haired Marge, Bart, child genius Lisa and baby Maggie will evolve, somewhat, but never age.

Springfield will continue to lack a concrete location -- that's what makes the town universal. The main constant, Jean said, "is that we look for more relationships between the people that we can explore."

Plenty of fodder there, what with "The Simpsons' " 60-plus characters from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, many of whom are voiced by the show's 10 regulars.

Within those ranks, Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Grandpa, Barney), Julie Kavner (Marge, Patty, Selma), Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders), Hank Azaria (Moe, Apu, Dr. Nick), Yeardley Smith (Lisa) and Nancy Cartwright (Bart) are the principals. Point of trivia: Azaria's voice is behind most of the show's characters.

But the Springfield fold welcomes a wide range of celebrities, as a "Simpsons" cameo is now one of the signs a star has truly made it. Sunday, Tony Hawk and blink-182 get the spotlight for the landmark show.

Funny how a program first cited as an example of what's wrong with our society is now one of American culture's flag bearers.

In the years following "The Simpsons' " introduction, morality pundits had, shall we say, a cow over Bart Simpson shirts bearing snarky slogans like "Underachiever -- And Proud of It, Man!"

Bill Cosby railed against "The Simpsons' " family-unfriendly themes in the early '90s, which spurred Fox to schedule Bart and the bunch in the same time slot as NBC's already-ailing "The Cosby Show." They buried the Huxtables and, in a gleeful nod to the "Cosby" series finale, had Bart and Homer acknowledge that show's greatness while declaring their intent to run their own show into the ground.

It could happen. When the 14th season of "The Simpsons" ends in May, TV's rowdiest clan will tie with the goody-goody Nelsons of "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" for the title of longest-running family sitcom. Fox's reupping of the series through a 16th season in 2005 ensures they'll skate away with it, no problem.

Over the years, Jean said, he, Brooks and Groening would shoot for "The Simpsons" to match or beat the longevity of "Gunsmoke," the longest-running prime-time series at 20 years.

But there's a price for such a distant target. "The only drawback with the show is that you wish you could stop it for six months to take a break, but you can't," Jean said. "Then again, it breaks my heart to think that someday, it will stop forever."

As long as the love keeps coming their way, that won't happen any time soon.

Channel surfing

Turn on ABC at 7 p.m. Sunday for three hours of "Meredith Willson's The Music Man," starring Matthew Broderick. It too has a "Simpsons" connection, thanks to the monorail song. Check out the lyrics at www.endresnet.com /mmmarge.html.

P-I TV critic Melanie McFarland can be reached at 206-448-8015 or tvgal@seattlepi.com.

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