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The Simpsons. (Image courtesy the Walt Disney Company)

The Walt Disney Company has launched an around-the-clock content stream that offers marathon viewing of the hit animated sitcom “The Simpsons” on its streaming platform Disney Plus.

The 24-hour stream will offer non-stop episodes of The Simpsons pulled from the show’s catalog of 767 episodes across 35 seasons. In a press release on Tuesday, Disney said the content stream will offer “nearly 300 continuous hours with the Simpsons family.”

“From day one, the fans have asked for a stream of The Simpsons, and we’re happy to oblige,” Gabe Lewis, the Senior Vice President of Programming and Content Curation at Disney Plus, said in a statement. “

“Streams on Disney Plus have been a fantastic go-to experience for subscribers looking to sit back and relax with their favorite shows and movies, and we look forward to evolving the user experience and expanding the offering with more streams,...

Amazing news has been announced for fans of The Simpsons. Now, it's going to be easier than ever to put on the series and let classic episodes stream all day long, or even all week long, if one so desires.

Starting on March 18, a new 24/7 always-on Stream channel will be available on Disney+ for The Simpsons. All 767 episodes making up the show's first 35 seasons will be programmed to stream in chronological order at launch. This means nearly 300 continuous hours of The Simpsons can be played automatically.

“The Simpsons Stream will deliver a Simpsons marathon all day, every day — no matter when you tune in, this ultimate Simpsons binge will be there,” The Simpsons showrunner and binge-watcher Matt Selman said of the news in a statement.

The Simpsons Will Be Streaming 24/7 on Disney+

Gabe Lewis, the SVP of Programming & Content Curatio for Disney+, added, "From day one, the fans have asked...

Homer Simpson was famously named after Matt Groening’s own father, but another real-life figure helped to inspire the iconic character — and no, we’re not talking about that corporate merger between a Japanese fishing company and a light-bulb manufacturer.

It’s hard to imagine Homer without his iconic catchphrase: “D’Oh!” But that go-to exclamation wasn’t originally part of the conception of the character. An early script simply called for voice actor Dan Castellaneta to deliver an “annoyed grunt.” Unsure of what to do, Castellaneta asked Groening for guidance, and was told to do whatever he wanted.

So Castellaneta decided to imitate Scottish actor James Finlayson, who he remembered seeing in old Laurel and Hardy movies as a kid. Finlayson, who acted as a foil to the legendary comedy duo, would routinely shout “D— ooohhh” out of frustration.

As Castellaneta told the Television Academy in 2010, he later learned...

For many of us, it's hard to imagine a time before "The Simpsons." As the longest-running scripted television series of all time, "The Simpsons" has been on the air since 1989, and while the show has certainly evolved over 36 seasons, some things have been there since the beginning. Maggie has always been a little too smart for a baby, Homer has always been a bit of a jerk sometimes, and people are rather inexplicably bright yellow, and that goes back to before the animated family even had their own television series. 

Before creator Matt Groening had a show of his own, the Simpson family and their neighbors in Springfield were the stars of a series of shorts on the Emmy-winning Fox sketch comedy series "The Tracey Ullman Show." Though how exactly "The Simpsons" were conceived is contentious, we know for sure that the very first "Simpsons" short aired on the first...

They don’t make ‘em like Love American Style anymore, the ‘70s anthology show that featured out-of-work stars in one-off stories based on the theme of romance. The comedy lasted five seasons but didn’t make much of an impact — unless you count the episode, “Love and the Television Set.” Teenage Ronny Howard, known to viewers as The Andy Griffith Show’s Opie, played a ‘50s kid looking for love. That half-hour episode became the de facto pilot for Happy Days, a show whose 11 seasons more than doubled the run of Love, American Style.

Here are five more sitcoms that began life on another show and outlasted the original…

1 Frasier

Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier Crane seemed an unlikely candidate to lead a spin-off from Cheers. Weren’t Woody and Norm funnier characters? How about Carla and her weird family? But Frasier, with a completely different cast and tone from Cheers,...

Exclusive: The CBS drama series Elsbeth has added Tracey Ullman (The Tracey Ullman Show) and Jordana Brewster (Fast & Furious) to its growing list of guest stars for Season 2. New episodes return on January 30 at 10 p.m.

Based on the character featured in The Good Wife and The Good Fight, the series follows Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston), the astute but unconventional consent decree attorney working with the NYPD to catch New York’s well-heeled murderers utilizing her unique point of view.

Ullman will portray Marilyn, a professional psychic with elite Manhattan clients who won’t make a move without consulting her first. When the stepson of one of her wealthy clients is murdered, Elsbeth must match wits with a woman whose supernatural gifts usually keep her one step ahead.

Brewster will play Chloe, a beautiful, elegant “lifestyle consultant,” usually found on the arms of the high rollers on billionaire’s row.

As devoted fans and ancient people who were alive in the 1980s are well aware, prior to the premiere of The Simpsons, Homer and his family made their TV debut in the sketch series The Tracey Ullman Show. Matt Groening’s animated shorts were a staple of the short-lived comedy series, although, today, they play about as well as Worker & Parasite.

But Ullman wasn’t always the biggest fan of the now-iconic cartoon characters. According to Ken Estin, the co-creator of The Tracey Ullman Show, “she was not fond of any of the bumpers, because she didn’t think they were the quality of her show.” Still, Ullman did end up guest starring in a Season Two episode of The Simpsons, playing the uptight obedience school instructor in “Bart Gets an F.”

Despite her prominent role in the show’s origins and prodigious talent for voicework, she never returned for...

The Simpsons is currently in its 36th season and recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of the show’s original premiere broadcast. Ending any beloved series is difficult. However, closing one as iconic and groundbreaking as The Simpsons is truly “impossible,” according to executive producer and showrunner Matt Selman, who revealed details of how he feels the long-running and beloved animated series should come to an end.

Speaking with The New York Post, Selman noted that a conventional series finale of The Simpsons would be “impossible.” But the finale has clearly been on the minds of those involved with the show. The 36th season premiere saw the show poking fun at the nostalgia that most series go for when riding off into the sunset. The “series finale” episode made light of saccharine show endings as well as The Simpsons' actual ending, which will happen one day.

Related The Simpsons Season 36 Premiere...

Quick Links Bill Pullman Established a Sizable Career Lewis Pullman Is Carving His Own Niche There Are Clear Parallels & Contrasts to Pull Between the Two

In Hollywood, there are mixed opinions pertaining to families working in the same industry. Some have pointed to success stories as a result of nepotism, that the only reason a performer has made an impact on the big or small screen is because they are related to someone significant. Others suggest that talent can genuinely run in the bloodline and that there are big-name stars who have benefited from the natural skills that they have inherited. Regardless of opinion, there can be a strong sense of competition among a family, especially when it comes to fathers and sons, who both happen to be actors. There's a sense that the junior performer will always be walking in his father's shadow in some way, having to live...

Thirty-five years ago last week, the world got one hell of a Christmas gift when The Simpsons aired its first full episode, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.”

Sparking a nearly four-decade television run — and counting! — an ever-quotable movie and a series of predictions so strangely astute they’ve been known to leave even the most adept psychic shaking their fist at the sky, no one knows the extent of The Simpsons’ legacy quite like voice actress Yeardley Smith.

Last Tuesday, Smith — who has played Lisa Simpson throughout the series’ entire run — headed to Instagram with a glimpse at the Disney+ celebration for The Simpson’s latest holiday installment, “O C’mon All Ye Faithful,” a two-part special scheduled to coincide with the series’ long-awaited coral anniversary.

But beyond just hyping the episode — one the actress dubbed an “instant Christmas classic” — Smith took care to offer a few words of...

When Matt Groening's "The Simpsons" debuted during the Christmas season of 1989, it was an immediate sensation. Some fans might have known the Simpsons characters from their appearances on "The Tracey Ullman Show," and readers of local indie newspapers likely knew of Groening's "Life in Hell" comic strip, but for most audiences, "The Simpsons" was a bolt from the blue. It was an anti-sitcom, a surreal show with weirdly designed characters (yellow skin?) that satirized and deconstructed the middle-class wholesomeness of mainstream 1980s television. It was an antidote to the ultra-conservative "family values" crowd that was so noisy during the Reagan administration. And audiences were ready for it.

"The Simpsons" started big and only got bigger. The year 1990 was big for pop culture, as "The Simpsons" -- along with shows like "Seinfeld" and "Married... with Children" -- undid old tropes and invented new ones. One might even be so bold...

We present our red carpet interviews for Netflix’s Black Doves, which took place at the BFI Southbank in London this evening. Coming from writer/creator Joe Barton, the series stars Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire, Andrew Buchan (Carnival Row), Adeel Akhtar (Fool Me Once), Tracey Ullman (The Tracey Ullman Show), Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country) and Luther Ford (The Crown), Andrew Koji (Warrior), Kathryn Hunter, Sam Troughton, Ella Lily Hyland, Adam Silver Ken Nwosu (Look the Other Way and Run), Gabrielle Creevy and Omari Douglas.

The series has a premiere date of the 5th of December. Linda Marric and Alastair Hall were on the red carpet, here are their interviews.

Black Doves Premiere Interviews

Plot:

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, the series is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

The new NCIS episode tonight featured some interesting cast members.

NCIS guest stars Sara Paxton and Sam McMurray had many viewers wondering about their characters.

The December 2 episode was called Hardboiled. It served as NCIS Season 22, Episode 7.

“Torres receives intel from a confidential informant regarding top secret naval information that’s at risk of being sold,” reads the brief synopsis for Hardboiled.

Only one new episode remains before the NCIS fall finale arrives later in December.

After the fall finale, the show begins its long winter break before returning in 2025.

Sara Paxton and Sam McMurray guest star on NCIS Season 22, Episode 7

A dead naval researcher leads to an intriguing case during the new NCIS episode. That researcher is Roger Carnahan, the new head of Weapons and Warfare at the Office of Naval Research.

It is later discovered that his wife Amber (Sara Paxton) is holed up in a hotel with...

After 35 years and nearly 700 episodes, one of the core cast members of The Simpsons is leaving. Earlier this week, Pamela Hayden, who voices Milhouse, Jimbo Jones, Rod, (sometimes) Todd and dozens of other characters, announced her retirement from the show, saying, “The time has come for me to hang up my microphone, but how do I say goodbye to The Simpsons? Not easily. It’s been an honor and a joy to have worked on such a funny, witty and groundbreaking show.”

Her final performance will be this Sunday, but before she leaves Springfield for good, I caught her on her way out of town to talk about her earliest memories from The Simpsons, Milhouse’s irrepressible optimism and whether or not he and Lisa belong together.

It was such a surprise to hear that you’re leaving The Simpsons, how did you come to the decision to leave?

It was a fabulous run.

Netflix has debuted a new official trailer for the Keira Knightley-led series ‘Black Doves.’

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, the series is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organisation she works for: the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe. Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.

Coming from writer/creator Joe Barton, the series stars Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw,...

Netflix’s second trailer for Black Doves teases the world isn’t run how we think it is and reveals Keira Knightley’s got a dead body in her shed. The holiday-set spy thriller will premiere on December 5, 2024, and Netflix has already ordered a second season of the series.

The six-episode season also stars Ben Whishaw (This is Going to Hurt), Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley), Andrew Buchan (Carnival Row), Andrew Koji (Warrior), Omari Douglas (Rye Lane), Kathryn Hunter (Andor) Sam Troughton (Mank), and Ella Lily Hyland (Fifteen Love). Gabrielle Creevy (Three Women), Paapa Essiedu (The Lazarus Project) Adeel Akhtar (Fool Me Once), Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country), Luther Ford (The Crown), Adam Silver (Masters of The Air), Ken Nwosu (Look the Other Way and Run), and Tracey Ullman (The Tracey Ullman Show) also star in the first season.

Keira Knightley in ‘Black Doves’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)

“Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas,...

Netflix has revealed the final trailer for the Black Doves series, which will premiere globally on December 5, 2024. The streaming service previously confirmed that the spy thriller will return for a second season.

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, Black Doves is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe.

Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.

This year, you won’t have to wait until Christmas to be captivated by Love, Actually’s Keira Knightley.

Netflix on Thursday released a final trailer for Black Doves, its upcoming Knightley-led thriller that’s set for release Thursday, Dec. 5. (Watch it above.)

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The series, which has already been renewed for Season...

After 35 years, The Simpsons is losing one of its most beloved cast members. The Simpsons' primary cast of characters has grown since the main characters Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie debuted in a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. One particular fan-favorite was Milhouse Van Houten, Bart's best friend, who debuted in a Butterfinger commercial before becoming part of the main series. Milhouse has often been framed as the square friend to Bart's cool guy, and some of the series' best lines have come courtesy of him and his voice actor, Pamela Hayden. But all great things must come to an end.

Pamela Hayden is officially set to retire from The Simpsons (via Deadline). While Hayden is best known for voicing Milhouse Van Houten, she has contributed to many other iconic voices in the series. These include bullying Jimbo Jones, Ned Flander's son Rod, and many other minor supporting characters.

One of the long-running stars on “The Simpsons” is retiring. Pamela Hayden, best known for voicing Millhouse, is stepping away from the series after 35 years.

“After much deliberation, I have decided to retire from ‘The Simpsons’ to pursue other creative outlets. Thanks to everyone for their love and support!” Hayden said in a statement.

To celebrate all that she’s done for the show, Fox’s Animation Domination block released a video praising the voice actor. “People are always saying what a nerd [Millhouse] is. But one thing that I love about Millhouse is he’s always getting knocked down but he keeps getting up,” Hayden says in the video. “I love the little guy. It’s this wonderful analogy for life.” Watch the full tribute to Hayden’s work below:

In addition to voicing Millhouse, Harden voiced Rod Flanders, Jimbo Jones and several other characters in Fox’s long-running animated comedy.

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One charming aspect of early "The Simpsons" seasons is how janky the animation looks. Season one of the show was a marked improvement over the animated shorts that buttressed "The Tracey Ullman Show" commercial breaks back in the '80s, but it still looked pretty funky compared to the series that airs today. Back when "Futurama" premiered almost 25 years ago, however, the show actually looked pretty good. Matt Groening's second major TV project debuted with a relatively clean animation style that took advantage of 3D rendering to deliver a hybrid 2D/3D style that set the aesthetics of "Futurama" apart from "The Simpsons."

Of course, as with any TV series, initial designs weren't quite the same as what we eventually saw on-screen. For example, an early design for Bender gave him three antennas, gloves, and Bart Simpson's clothes.

Netflix has launched a full official trailer for the Keira Knightley-led series ‘Black Doves.’

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, the series is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organisation she works for: the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe. Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.

Coming from writer/creator Joe Barton, the series stars Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw,...

Netflix is building buzz for its spy thriller series Black Doves starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw.

The streamer has unveiled trailer and a slew of images promoting the show from Joe Barton, while revealing a premiere date of December 5.

Black Doves, which also stars Sarah Lancashire, is set against the backdrop of London at Christmas. It follows Helen Webb (Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy. For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Whishaw) to keep her safe.

Andrew Buchan (Carnival Row), Adeel Akhtar (Fool Me Once), Tracey Ullman (The Tracey Ullman Show), Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country) and Luther Ford (The Crown), Koji (Warrior), Kathryn Hunter, Sam Troughton, Ella Lily Hyland, Adam Silver Ken Nwosu (Look the Other Way and Run), Gabrielle Creevy and Omari Douglas also star.

The show is the latest splashy offering from Netflix UK, which has made a slew of hits this year including Baby Reindeer and The Gentlemen. It is being co-produced by Sister, which has just seen its previous Netflix show, Kaos, axed after one season. Barton’s outfit Noisy Bear is co-producing.

EPs for Black Doves are Knightley, Barton, Jane Featherstone and Chris Fry. Directors are Alex Gabassi (The Crown) and Lisa Gunning (The Power). Series producer is Harry Munday.

Netflix has revealed the official trailer and key art for the spy thriller Black Doves, which will premiere globally on December 5, 2024. The streaming service previously confirmed that the series will return for a second season.

The trailer features new music from award-winning British singer Raye, who has recorded a cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” This song will be featured throughout the first season of Black Doves.

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, Black Doves is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves.

When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in...

Netflix has debuted a set of first-look images alongside a premiere date of the 5th of December for the Keira Knightley-led series ‘Black Doves.’

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, the series is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organisation she works for: the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe. Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.

Coming from writer/creator Joe Barton,...

Keira Knightley is back in action as the star of the the new spy thriller series Black Doves. Netflix has just announced a premiere date for the series while unveiling some new sneak peek photos.

Black Doves will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 5, 2024. Ahead of the show's debut, it was given an early renewal for Season 2, so viewers can head into Season 1 knowing that the story will continue. It's the next big role for Knightley after she appeared in last year's TV movie Boston Strangler, and the first look photos for Season 1, seen below, reveal a peek at her character in action. A date announcement teaser has also been released.

Related Game of Thrones Creators' New Netflix Series Rounds Out Its Cast

The next Netflix series from the Game of Thrones creators has new cast members joining Michael Shannon, Matthew Macfadyen, and Nick Offerman.

Along with Knightley, the series stars Ben Whishaw,...

Playing both sides when you’re a spy is a dangerous game. You must keep your lies straight if you hope to survive, and knowing who to trust is a constant struggle. People you coordinate missions with say they have your best interests and protection in mind, but do they? Who’s to say they won’t throw you to wolves to save their skin when everything goes south? Keira Knightley will find out who has her back and who wants her dead in the upcoming spy thriller series Black Doves, premiering globally on Netflix on December 5, 2024.

Here’s the official logline for Black Doves courtesy of Netflix:

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, Black Doves is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy. For ten years, she’s...

Netflix has announced the premiere date for the spy thriller Black Doves alongside a first look at the series starring Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire.

Black Doves Season 1 will premiere globally on Netflix on December 5, 2024. The streaming service has already confirmed that the series will return for a second season.

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, Black Doves is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves.

When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe.

Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to...

The premiere of The Simpsons season 36 has sparked a debate among fans about whether the show's quality is returning to its former glory. The animated series premiered on Fox in 1989, after first being introduced in The Tracey Ullman Show. Although the series has been running for 36 seasons, viewers have felt that the show declined in quality after season 9 or 10. However, The Simpsons returned with a fake "series finale." The premiere episode featured altered bits from classic episodes that instead had tragic outcomes.

On X, @tonygoldmark shared a clip from the premiere (an alternate version of "Bart the Daredevil" where Homer dies after falling down the gorge) and wrote about feeling that the show "is good again." The user also shared a theory that the show's recent quality could be because the current writers grew up watching the series during its golden age in the 1990s. The full post can be...

The best episode of The Simpsons gets recreated in popart style. Originally airing in 1989, The Simpsons is entering season 36. A TV staple, The Simpsons is overflowing with iconic episodes and hilarious gags. Many consider the early years of The Simpsons to be the best the series has to offer. This includes the classic season 4, episode 12 "Marge vs. The Monorail." The episode was written by Conan O'Brien and features Phil Hartman as Lyle Lanley and Leonard Nimoy as himself.

Art from felipeflorescomics recreates the end of the song Lyle Lanley gets the town of Springfield to sing when conning them into building a monorail. The song is one of the most iconic moments in Simpsons history. The art features the townsfolk emerging from Springfield Town Hall and triumphantly singing "Monorail" at the conclusion of the song. The recreation painstakingly places all the characters featured exactly where they are in the animated episode.

George Lucas has already contributed so much to pop culture, from Star Wars, to Indiana Jones, to the somewhat less successful Radioland Murders Cinematic Universe. And just when you thought that he couldn’t be any more responsible for your childhood, it turns out that Lucas inadvertently led to the creation of another beloved franchise about a father who routinely attacks his son: The Simpsons.

When Simpsons creator Matt Groening was first tapped by producer James L. Brooks to come up with animated segments for The Tracey Ullman Show, he planned on simply adapting his popular Life in Hell comic strip. So what happened?

When asked this very question during a 1990 interview, Groening replied, “Fox, back in 1977, made Star Wars, and George Lucas asked for the merchandising rights, and they said, ‘Fine, go ahead.’ (Fox) swore they’d never make that mistake again. So I don’t own the Simpsons,...

The Simpsons was originally brought to the screen in the form of short comedy sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. They garnered enough popularity to get green-lit as a sitcom, which has since become one of the most iconic cartoons ever made. But when did Matt Groening's brainchild ever return to its roots? That would be in 2012's Oscar-nominated The Last Daycare. Then, after a long break, another great short movie was released in 2020.

On December 17, 1989, America sat down to watch "The Simpsons." The animated characters created by Matt Groening first appeared in short segments on the variety series "The Tracey Ullman Show," but by 1989, the Simpson family was ready to take on their own series.

Or were they?

The first episode to make it to air was the holiday special "Simpsons Roasting on and Open Fire," in which a down-on-his luck Homer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) takes a job as a mall Santa. Eventually, the family adopts a greyhound dog named Santa's Little Helper, and Christmas is saved. It may not be the best episode of "The Simpsons," but it certainly made history: as of this writing, "The Simpsons" is still on the air, having just wrapped its 35th season. But back in 1989, a completely different episode of "The Simpsons" could've been the premiere. Then everything changed at the last minute.

Read more:...

Thrillho may have Bonestorm, but Bart has a Butterfinger.

Ever since his introduction to the series proper, Milhouse Van Houten has been the kind of sidekick to Bart who is so meek and nebbish-y that he’s almost asking for the abuse that he so frequently receives. Famously, the blue-haired, bespectacled schlimazel boasts President Richard Nixon’s middle name for a moniker because “Milhouse” was the most “unfortunate name Matt Groening could think of for a kid." And, fittingly, Milhouse’s misfortune started before he even appeared in a single episode of The Simpsons. In fact, it goes back to a time before The Simpsons even had entire episodes, back when what would become the most popular adult animated comedy of all time was just a series of segments on The Tracey Ullman Show.

In 1988, Milhouse made his TV debut in a Butterfinger commercial as he sat across from Bart...

Animators on The Simpsons didn't have a model sheet at first, leading to evolution in character designs over time. Changes in animation for Homer and the family were beneficial to the show, enhancing expressions and character movements. It's interesting to hear how model sheets influence animation evolution on long-running shows like The Simpsons.

Franchise animator David Silverman explains why character designs in The Simpsons have changed over time. Created by Matt Groening, the beloved comedy revolves around the Simpson family and other residents of Springfield. Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner voice Homer and Marge, respectively, while other cast members include Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria. The humor and strangely accurate foresight of The Simpsons remain notable qualities, and after premiering on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987, the animation has changed considerably.

During Corridor Crews latest video, Silverman revealed why designs for Homer Simpson and other characters transformed as The Simpsons progressed.

If there had never been “The Tracey Ullman Show,” there likely would never have been “The Simpsons.” Too, without “Happy Days,” then “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy” would never have seen the light of primetime. Television series spinoffs have been a thing going back to some the earliest days of the medium itself, when “The Honeymooners” premiered in 1955 after beginning life as a series of sketches on “The Jackie Gleason Show” a few years earlier. Thus was born the concept of introducing a character or characters on a show that prove so popular it’s decided they deserve their own series.

SEEHappy 30th anniversary! 30 greatest ‘Frasier’ episodes, ranked worst to best [Photos]

Sometimes, the strategy hasn’t worked out so brilliantly, such as when “Cheers” gave birth to “The Tortellis,” “M*A*S*H” to “AfterMASH” and “The Brady Bunch” to “The Brady Brides” (we’ll save the rest...

Jennifer Aniston was part of a cast on a sketch comedy series that killed off characters in every episode, leading to darkly comedic scenarios. Anistons early career consisted of being on many canceled shows, but she remained confident and eventually became a star in Friends. The Edge, the sketch comedy show with Aniston, featured edgy humor and a talented cast, including future stars like Tom Kenny and Wayne Knight.

TV Legend: Jennifer Aniston was a cast member on a short-lived sketch comedy series that "killed off" the cast every episode.

When Friends made its debut in 1994, basically the entire cast became instant superstars, but an interesting thing about the cast is that while none of them were "stars" before Friends came out, pretty much the entire cast Were familiar faces to the viewing public. Courteney Cox, of course, was the most famous of the six, having a number of notable roles,...

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for May the 12th Be with You!

May the 12th Be with You is a new Simpsons Disney+ short celebrating Mother's Day with a galactic adventure. Co-showrunner Al Jean breaks down when he had the initial idea, how he built out the special's story, and whether fans can find every Disney character and Easter egg in the short. Jean was also thrilled to include Seth MacFarlane in a cameo appearance as Family Guy's Stewie, though he cautions about expecting future crossovers and when The Simpsons Movie 2 will happen.

The Simpsons is celebrating Mother's Day in a unique new fashion with its May the 12th Be with You short. The Disney+ short sees Marge joining up with a variety of mothers and mother figures from Disney's 100-year roster of characters to go on a special intergalactic adventure to celebrate the May holiday. Between trying to find...

The Simpsons will be reaching its 800th episode with its upcoming 36th season, and better yet for fans, the end is still not yet in sight for the animated series. Co-showrunner Al Jean says that the future is bright for the show, envisioning several more seasons to follow Season 36.

In a new interview with Screen Rant, Jean commented on the future of The Simpsons. He addressed the quality of the series, feeling that the show is still in "fantastic shape" with the potential to keep going for the foreseeable future. Jean went on to note how his hope is to reach 1000 episodes, ideally going on for at least another 200 after reaching the 800-episode milestone.

Related 'Sorry if Some Fans Are Upset': The Simpsons Producer Addresses Character Death A co-executive producer from The Simpsons explains why a longtime character was killed off after 34 years.

"With the help of our animators, we...

Itchy and Scratchy are responsible for some of the most memorable episodes of "The Simpsons." Every fan will fondly remember "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show" or Marge's crusade against the ultra-violent kids' cartoon in "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge." Indeed, "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show" landed at number five on /Film's ranking of the best episodes of "The Simpsons," with "Itchy and Scratchy Land" coming in at number 15.

Clearly, then, "Itchy and Scratchy" was more than a parody of "Tom & Jerry"-style cartoons. Though the central joke was as simple as "What if Tom & Jerry was super violent," the show-within-a-show was often used as a way to extend the cultural satire that was so integral to "The Simpsons." Plus, as legendary writer John Schwartzwelder once told The New Yorker, it allowed the writers a break from the rules of the show overall:

"We could show...

Yeardley Smith has been voicing Lisa Simpson for over 35 years, finding her to be the best version of a human being. Despite her success in live-action roles, Smith feels grateful for the opportunity to be creative through voice acting. Smith has no plans to step down from voicing Lisa Simpson, even if The Simpsons were to continue for another 20 years.

For over 35 years, Yeardley Smith has voiced the character of Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons, which is not only the longest-running American animated series in history, but the longest-running American sitcom as well. First lending her voice to the role in 1987 for some short skits on The Tracey Ullman Show, Smith's high-pitched tone became a staple on TV in 1989 when The Simpsons made its standalone debut. While some actors might get tired of portraying the same character over such a long stretch of time, Smith says she can't ever imagine...

The Simpsons star Yeardley Smith recalls her very first day recording the voice of Lisa Simpson. She also admits that she didn't think the series would make it on the silver screen.

In an interview with Variety posted to Twitter on April 5, Smith was asked about her first day recording for The Simpsons. "So, it was actually when we were doing the little shorts on Tracey Ullman, and we were in a makeshift soundproof booth behind the audience bleachers where Tracey would do the live show - Or not the live show, but the recording in front of an audience... Not soundproof, by the way," Smith recalled.

Related Conan O'Brien's Pitch for The Simpsons Final Episode is Ridiculously Dark Conan O'Brien's dark pitch for a dour ending for Fox's long-running The Simpsons is rooted in one of the show's most enduring subplots. Yeardley Smith recalls the first day she recorded #TheSimpsons.

Season 1 of "The Simpsons" is a whole different beast. You've got brown Mr. Smithers, character designs out of a Dr. Seuss book, and Homer inexplicably sounding like Walter Matthau. It's a charming affair, but it also hasn't yet turned into "The Simpsons" we've come to know and love.

What complicates the first season even more is the way that Fox aired certain episodes out of order. This was famously a much bigger problem with the classic era of "Futurama," but it also led to some inconsistencies in early "Simpsons." While the animation, character designs, and voices were all slowly evolving in the right direction throughout the first three seasons, the out-of-order episodes meant the show would sometimes take a seemingly random, large step back in animation quality. A case in point was the season 1 finale, "Some Enchanted Evening," which inexplicably looked closer to the old bumpers on "The Tracey Ullman Show...

Erin & Aaron, a Nickelodeon musical comedy that followed similarly named teenagers whose worlds are turned upside-down when the former’s dad marries the latter’s mother, will not be returning for Season 2, a network spokesperson confirms for TVLine.

Erin & Aaron premiered in April 2023 and ran for 12 episodes, averaging barely 100,000 weekly viewers. The cast was led by Ava Ro (Dino Ranch) and Jensen Gering, and also included TV vet Larisa Oleynik (Pretty Little Liars, The Secret World of Alex Mack) as Aaron’s mom.

More from TVLineJosh Peck Offers Support to Drake Bell and Other Survivors After Watching Quiet...

BAFTA winner Adeel Akhtar (“Fool Me Once”), Tracey Ullman (“The Tracey Ullman Show”), Finn Bennett (“True Detective: Night Country”) and Luther Ford (“The Crown”) have joined the cast of Netflix spy series “Black Doves.”

The previously announced cast includes Keira Knightley (“Boston Strangler”) Ben Whishaw (“Passages”), Sarah Lancashire (“Happy Valley”), Andrew Buchan (“Carnival Row”), Andrew Koji (“Warrior”), Kathryn Hunter (“Andor”), Sam Troughton (“Chernobyl”), Ella Lily Hyland (“Fifteen Love”), Adam Silver (“The Diplomat”), Ken Nwosu (“Look the Other Way and Run”), Gabrielle Creevy (“In My Skin”) and Omari Douglas (“Rye Lane”).

The series is written and created by “The Lazarus Project” showrunner Joe Barton. Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, “Black Doves” follows Helen Webb (Knightley), a quick-witted, down to earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy. For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organisation she works for: the Black Doves.

Let a television series stick around long enough, and the cast members, provided there isn't a tremendous amount of turnover, begin to feel like family. They're weekly guests in your living room, and they're doing all the entertaining. It's a nifty arrangement.

This coziness would be impossible to maintain over double-digit seasons if the sets of these series weren't friendly, respectful environments. There are deadlines and airdates to hit, so it behooves everyone to be not only professional, but pleasant. This means being an adult and realizing that everyone has their quirks and bad days. You cut people slack, and you make as much room as possible for whatever tsuris is going on in their life — because if you keep at it for enough years, your work family is family full-stop.

And this isn't always a difficult situation. Sometimes, a co-worker's personal mess adds color and joy to the creative process.

Ben Lanzarone, the composer, arranger, musical director and pianist who wrote music for such shows as Dynasty, Happy Days, Mr. Belvedere and The Tracey Ullman Show, has died. He was 85.

Lanzarone died Friday in his Los Angeles home of lung cancer, his family announced.

The Brooklyn native toured with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Art Garfunkel, Mary Travers, Anthony Newley, Petula Clark, Lainie Kazan and Mason Williams and for Broadway served as the musical director on the original 1972-1980 production of Grease and arranger on 1972’s Via Galactica and 1975’s Truckload.

His long association with TV producers Aaron Spelling and Douglas S. Cramer resulted in scores for Dynasty, The Colbys, The Love Boat, Vega$, Matt Houston and Hotel.

And for production companies led by Thomas Miller, Edward Milkis and/or Bob Boyett, he came up with music for episodes of Happy Days (including the one in 1977 when Henry Winkler’s...

The premise of David X. Cohen and Matt Groening's "Futurama" is pretty simple. On New Year's Eve in the year 1999, a feckless and directionless pizza delivery boy named Fry (Billy West) accidentally falls into a cryogenic freezing tube and remains suspended for a thousand years. He awakens just as the world rings in the year 3000, and eventually takes a job working for a distant nephew named Professor Farnsworth (West), who owns a space-bound delivery company of his own. He also develops a crush on an impatient cyclops named Leela (Katey Sagal). The world of the year 3000 is replete with sci-fi trappings familiar to any fan of the genre; there are robots, aliens, space travel, and ineffable technologies.

The central joke of "Futurama" is that, despite all of humanity's advancements, human beings are still dumb and petty and concerned with their selfish creature comforts and base impulses. Fry may have been whisked into the future,...

Television spin-offs are a funny thing. For every Frasier, begat from Cheers, there is a Joey, the offspring of Friends. Rare is the television sitcom that has launched multiple spin-offs, with series on both the W*A*L*T*E*R end and The Simpsons end. ABC's iconic Happy Days, the series that ran between 1974 and 1984, is one of those unicorns of television history. The show was ground zero for five sitcoms, three animated series, and two others that never made it past conception. Let's take a look at the spin-off history of Happy Days, and not "sit on it" any longer.

Seven top film producers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2024 awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Tuesday, November 28, at 6:00 p.m. Pt; 9:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Daniel Montgomery and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to our entire ongoing contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Lionsgate)

Synopsis: When her family moves from the city to the suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.

Bio: James L. Brooks was a three-time Oscar winner for “Terms of Endearment” and was also nominated for “Broadcast News,...