The Simpsons showrunner Mike Reiss reveals that he missed a detail from season 1, episode 4, after it was highlighted by a viewer. First airing in 1989, The Simpsons stands as the longest-running animated show ever, following Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie as they go about their daily lives in the town of Springfield. Season 1, episode 4, titled “There’s No Disgrace Like Home,” sees the Simpson family make fools of themselves at a company picnic before Homer then drags his family members to Dr. Marvin Monroe, a family therapist.
Showrunner and executive producer Reiss now responds to a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, revealing that he completely missed a subtle Simpsons joke from “There’s No Disgrace Like Home”.
@SoloFlow786 points out that the picture-perfect family Homer is jealous of at the company picnic actually ends up going to Dr. Marvin Monroe’s office for therapy as well, with Reiss saying: “I co-wrote this episode and had no idea about this.”
Why The Simpsons Stands The Test Of Time
Fox’s Hit Animated Sitcom Has Layers
While not necessarily a laugh-out-loud joke, the inclusion of the family from the company picnic at Dr. Monroe’s office speaks to The Simpsons’ attention to detail. Even though Reiss may not even have known that detail was included, it suggests that everyone working on the show was constantly looking for ways to make it funnier and more engaging, including auxiliary jokes, visual gags, and references to enhance the viewing experience and make it more rewarding.
Being rewarding to watch has ultimately helped earlier seasons of The Simpsons stand the test of time. Instead of just relying on the main jokes, which are reliably clever and funny, there are often layers to the scenes that perhaps don’t become evident until subsequent watches. Sometimes, jokes have multiple meanings that aren’t discovered until years later, while other times what Bart is doing in the background of a scene for a quick moment ends up being just as funny as what Homer is doing in the foreground.
In addition to the layered jokes, another aspect that makes the show so rewarding is The Simpsons’ knack for predicting the future. It’s entertaining to watch older episodes because they so often seem to feature storylines, characters, or moments that somehow end up mirroring real-life. These elements ultimately complement strong writing, unique animation, relatable characters and premises, and a strong cast, with these elements combining to make The Simpsons‘ earlier seasons fun to revisit.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is a long-running animated TV series created by Matt Groening that satirically follows a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield. Homer, a bit of a schmoe who works at a nuclear power plant, is the provider for his family, while his wife, Marge, tries to keep sanity and reason in the house to the best of her ability. Bart is a born troublemaker, and Lisa is his super-intelligent sister who finds herself surrounded by people who can’t understand her. Finally, Maggie is the mysterious baby who acts as a deus ex machina when the series calls for it. The show puts the family in several wild situations while constantly tackling socio-political and pop-culture topics set within their world, providing an often sharp critique of the subjects covered in each episode. This series first premiered in 1989 and has been a staple of Fox’s programming schedule ever since.
- Release Date
- December 17, 1989
- Cast
- Tress MacNeille , Julie Kavner , Harry Shearer , Pamela Hayden , Nancy Cartwright , Hank Azaria , Dan Castellaneta , Yeardley Smith
- Seasons
- 35
- Story By
- Matt Groening and James L. Brooks
- Writers
- Matt Groening , James L. Brooks , Sam Simon
- Network
- FOX
- Franchise(s)
- The Simpsons
- Directors
- David Silverman , Jim Reardon , Mark Kirkland
- Showrunner
- Al Jean
