“Mr. Chau” over on the internets asked, “Is there an equivalent to The Simpsons in a show that not only completely overshadows the show it spun off from but becomes so dominant of a culture force that most people don’t even remember where it started.”
Reinforcing his point was the fact that many people don’t realize The Simpsons was even a spin-off, and most didn’t recall its original home on The Tracey Ullman Show, a sketch comedy show that was the Fox network’s second original primetime series. It first aired Sunday night on April 5, 1987 after the premiere of Married … with Children. Yes, I was there, watching on my grandmother’s black-and-white TV. A whole new fourth network was exciting.
People mentioned other popular series with unlikely homes, such as The Andy Griffith Show (The Danny Thomas Show), Mork & Mindy (Happy Days), or Family Matters (Perfect Strangers), but I think people still remember Happy Days and Perfect Strangers .. or at least the latter’s theme song. The Simpsons sketches were never intended as a backdoor pilot, and while they were such a hit that the network ordered a full-length pilot, the 1989 Christmas episode “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire,” what stands out is how little they have to do with The Tracey Ullman Show. (The network promo claimed that the special would “change the face of television forever,” a prediction that exceeded even marketing hyperbole’s expectations.)
The Tracey Ullman Show producers wanted animated shorts to use as transitions between the live-action sketches. Ullman — a vocal virtuoso — famously didn’t perform in The Simpsons sketches, as she was already spending hours in makeup for her main sketches. Thus, cast member Julie Kavner played Marge Simpson, and it’s impossible to imagine anyone else in the role.
I have a clear memory of that first Tracey Ullman Show, probably because Fox aired it and the Married … with Children pilot three times in a row. The second sketch — not counting the juggler (no, really) — is a bit called “High Hopes,” which features Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner as a hapless married couple. It proved very prescient casting. The first Simpsons short, “Good Night,” would air two weeks later on April 19, 1987, but “Homer” and “Marge” have been on Fox since the very beginning. (Watch below.)
The Tracey Ullman Show was a critical favorite, and it was the first Fox series to win an Emmy. However, although Ullman played several recurring characters (single Brit Kay, awkward teen Francesca, lounge singer Angel Tish), it was The Simpsons that proved the breakthrough pop cultural phenomenon, one that best defined the upstart Fox Network. Still, we don’t get The Simpsons without Tracey Ullman. James L. Brooks, who had a deal with Fox, developed the show for Ullman after seeing a compilation tape of her character work. Ullman discovered the unknown Castellaneta at Chicago’s Second City. (Kavner was perhaps the biggest name at the time, having played Valerie Harper’s awkward younger sister on The Mary Tyler Moore Show spin-off Rhoda.)
The Simpsons shorts were vastly different from what The Simpsons would eventually become. Castellaneta in particular transformed a Walter Matthau-inspired angry Dad parody into one of the most enduring characters in TV history. He deserves a lifetime achievement award simply for interpreting the stage direction “annoyed grunt” into an immortal expression that even my well-educated Gen-X wife will shout when frustrated.
The Simpsons would eventually encounter their crudely drawn 1989 incarnations in the 25th Treehouse of Horror from 2014. When The Simpsons kill each other, is it homicide or suicide? These are the questions are good Simpsons Halloween special inspires.
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It’s the Halloween season, so if you haven’t already, you should take advantage of my 40 percent off sale for paid subscriptions. That’s just $30 a year. Thanks to all who have upgraded to paid subscriber status recently. Instead of cat photos, I’m sharing my seasonal decor.
This week, I wrote about actor Glen Powell’s choice to avoid making public political declarations and thus avoiding the inevitable backlash from all sides. Depending on your point of view, he’s either a coward or a professional exercising the better part of career valor.
However, Will & Grace actor Debra Messing, who endorsed Republican Bill Blakeman for New York governor, has not followed Powell’s example. My friend Kaivan Shroff joined me to discuss.
I suggest that maybe socialists should consider diversifying their beliefs, so socialism as an economic principle is not lumped in with every whackadoodle position in existence.
My fellow Batman fan Michael Mora stopped by to chat about the Knightfall animated movie adaptation and billionaire vigilantes.
Oh, 25 years ago, Smallville debuted on the WB. A month after 9/11, the Superman prequel series lifted my spirits, even in Clark Kent couldn’t fly yet.
That’s it for this week. See you on Monday.