The Simpsons has been one of the most popular cartoon sitcoms since its very creation about 20 years ago. There has also been many spin-off’s of The Simpsons that have used the characteristics the Simpsons employ to entertain their audience. Though The Simpsons strays from its cartoon predecessors, it does so in a way that audiences have found hilarious and have loved for many years. Its popularity does not seem to be waning in the years to come.
One of the main components of The Simpsons is parody. The Simpsons takes everyday events and activities and turns them into hilarious adventures that work to entertain the people watching. A normal school day could turn into one of the characters almost destroying the school or whole city. I think what makes The Simpsons such a good sitcom is that it is in cartoon. Using the episode we watched in class as an example, something like having an underground subway system in the city is really something that is just much easier to have in a cartoon then in a regular sitcom. Things and events like that can happen only in cartoons really and it is much easier to just draw our something happening then all the production that would be necessary in a regular sitcom. The Simpsons also takes real life events, like President Obama’s election and turns them into funny new and inventive episodes all the time. The Simpsons is constantly adapting and creating new things and I believe this inventiveness also leads to its widespread popularity.
Another aspect of The Simpsons that makes it so popular is that the show doesn’t take itself to seriously. Its hyper-reflexivity almost makes it more relatable. People watching the show absolutely love the references it makes to itself and the cartoon that is featured on the Simpsons, ‘The Itchy and Scratchy Show’ is one of audience’s favorite parts. This aspect of the show makes it feel more real, even though it is only a cartoon. The things that go on in this show really do feel more real-life like than some regular sitcoms do.
If I were to compare The Simpsons to one of my favorite cartoons while I was growing up, The Rugrats, I would say The Simpsons would definitely cater to a different audience. While The Rugrats are more for little kids, and the adventures that the characters go on are much more juvenile in nature than The Simpsons I believe the underlying structure is still the same. Just as in real life there couldn’t just be a random subway system under the city that just pops up out of nowhere, there is also no way that a baby can store a screwdriver in his diaper and constantly escape. I think what makes cartoons so popular is that it’s enjoyable for people to sit back and watch all the crazy things that go on. It doesn’t really get boring if it’s on cartoon the way it would if it were on a regular sitcom.
Rugrats ID by ~Rugrats-Club on deviantART
The Simpsons has endured many critics and many events throughout the years and still has stayed extremely popular. Every week people get excited to see what new episode the writers have come up with and what new ideas are being broadcasted. It is amazing that this show has lasted so long and it is a tribute to just how great and inventive the writers are. Many other shows have used the Simpsons ideas as a springboard for their own new and popular shows. I think its safe to say The Simpsons will last for generations to come.
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