[2], "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" is the first episode of The Simpsons and the Fox network was nervous about the show because they were unsure if it could sustain the audience's attention for the duration of the episode. [9] Because "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was the eighth episode produced, but the first one aired, it has more refined animation than the episodes following it, such as "Bart the Genius" and "Homer's Odyssey". While the Simpsons are Christmas shopping, Homer takes his family to the company picnic at Mr. Burns's manor. The next day, the entire town grieves for the vandalized statue and Bart discovers that his new friends want to attack the vandal. His mother, Marge, spends all the family's holiday budget having it removed. [2] The first season won one Emmy Award, and received four additional nominations. The Simpsons … This episode lost to fellow The Simpsons episode "Life on the Fast Lane". After losing all his Santa earnings at a dog-racing track on Christmas Eve, Homer lets Bart keep Santa's Little Helper when the dog finishes last and is abandoned by its owner. Bart sneaks away to get a tattoo that reads "Mother" on his arm, thinking Marge will like it. Bart purchases a mini spy camera and manages to take a picture of Homer dancing next to stripper named Princess Kashmir at a co-worker's strip club party. According to David Silverman, this was an animation error and she was intended to be wearing a body stocking, but the Korean animators never colored it in. Millions of people start to watch The Simpsons. The series was originally set to debut in autumn 1989 … Mr. Burns plans to cut Christmas bonuses, Marge has to spend the family's Christmas savings to erase a tattoo Bart thought would make a great Christmas present, and when Homer learns he won't be getting a Christmas bonus, life in Springfieldgets even tighter. The Simpsons have four fingers and yellow skin. The family is overjoyed by this gesture, and celebrates by singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Although she agrees, Marge undergoes a moral dilemma. [21], Principal Skinner finally becomes fed up with Bart's pranks and proposes that Bart be sent to France as part of the student exchange program. The sitcom became popular in other countries, too. "Some Enchanted Evening" instead aired as the season finale. Marge, Bart and, Lisa becomes depressed, which begins to affect her performance in school. The success is very big. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was nominated for two Emmy Awards in 1990 and has received positive reviews from television critics. [4] The DVD boxset was released on September 25, 2001 in Region 1 and September 24, 2001 in both Region 2 and Region 4. IGN's Robert Canning in a 2008 review of the episode noted, "though not the funniest of episodes, it certainly was groundbreaking. Just last month, The Simpsons celebrated the thirty-first anniversary of its debut as its own show on Fox, way back in 1989.Granted, the Simpson family themselves has been in existence for a touch longer, but the show, as it is known today, appeared just a week before Christmas Eve and two weeks before the 1990s began. [11] The episode, being the first to air, lacked the opening sequence which was later added in the second episode, "Bart the Genius", when Groening realized that a longer opening sequence resulted in less animation. [7] Groening said his goal in creating the show was to offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash" they were watching. One night, she hears distant Jazz music and sneaks out of her room to follow it. The producers considered aborting the series if the next episode turned out as bad, but it suffered from only easily fixable problems. Watch The Simpsons Season 1 Episode 12. She kicks Homer out of the house, but the next day explains that she is not upset about his dancing next to a woman, but rather that Bart saw it. Many of The Simpsons original writers were heavily involved with the show during these seasons. [29], The DVD boxset for season one was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in the United States and Canada in September 2001, eleven years after it had completed broadcast on television. The producers convinced Fox to move the debut to December 17, and aired "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" as the first episode of the series. "[1], In a DVD review of the first season, David B. Grelck gave the episode a rating of 3½/5 and commented: "Surprisingly, this early episode has a lot of the zest of the later shows, despite fairly odd-looking art and a very Walter Matthau voice for Homer, still has some laughs. The first 10 seasons of The Simpsons are often considered by fans as containing the classic episodes of the animated sitcom. Users on social media couldn't help but wonder at the latest coincidence between Vice President Kamala Harris' outfit during her inauguration and Lisa Simpson in an episode from 2000. Brooks negotiated a provision in the contract with the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with the show's content. She demands that he take Bart and go apologize to Princess Kashmir. She meets. [1], The series was originally set to debut in autumn 1989 with the episode "Some Enchanted Evening", (which was meant to introduce the main characters)[2] but during the first screening of the episode, the producers discovered that the animation was so poor that 70% of the episode needed to be redone.[3]. The main theme song, composed by Danny Elfman, was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music". The 31st annual Simpsons Halloween special includes a frightening look at the 2020 election, parodies of Pixar and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and a ninth birthday Lisa just can't get over. TV Shows. Also, Groening claims that this episode has been incorrectly credited with creating the "alternate version" of "Jingle Bells" that has become a well-known children's playground song. After Homer's Santa gig pays far less than expected due to high tax deductions, he and Bart receive a greyhound racing tip from Barney. “It’s as perfect an episode of television as I’ve ever seen,” Ortved says. The next day, Marge takes the kids Christmas shopping at the mall. After attending the Springfield Elementary School Christmas pageant, the Simpsons prepare for the holiday season. "The executive producers for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon.. Commercials for the next episode ("Bart the Genius") ran during breaks for this episode. The series has so far broadcasted 693 episodes. Having forgotten about Marge's birthday, Homer rushes to the Springfield mall and impulsively buys her a bowling ball. "[1] David Silverman directed this episode, while Rich Moore storyboarded it and designed Ned Flanders. [4], The Simpson family first appeared as shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. [5] Groening submitted only basic sketches to the animators and assumed that the figures would be cleaned up in production. With Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner. The success was very big. However, when Groening realized that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding of publication rights for his life's work, he chose another approach and formulated his version of a dysfunctional family. Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. They are sent Ms. Botz, who Bart and Lisa soon discover is actually a burglar nicknamed "The Babysitter Bandit". Regular broadcasts … [12] In this episode, Barney Gumble has blonde hair which was the same color as his skin, but that was later dropped because of the belief that only the Simpson family should have such hair. He had asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts, which Groening initially intended to present as his Life in Hell series. Menu. D&D Beyond Groening also used that reference in his comic strip Life in Hell when he spoofed himself as a young man, being told that it is too bad his grandmother is from Russia because Christmas was against the law there. Introducing the family into half-hour television in this episode, their son Bart disobediently gets a tattoo. Commentary: For the 30th anniversary of The Simpsons, a look back at the funniest, quirkiest and weirdest episodes. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including deleted scenes, Animatics, and commentaries for every episode. "[18], The episode was nominated for two Emmy Awards in 1990: "Outstanding Animated Program" and "Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or Special." They went on to say, "the realism of the first season is much apparent, with only the laser used to remove Bart's tattoo hinting at what the series will become. They return home, where Homer's confession to not getting his Christmas bonus is interrupted when Bart introduces Santa's Little Helper to the others. \"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire\" was nominated for \"Outstanding Editing in a Miniseries or Special\"; \"The Call of the Simpsons\" was nominated for \"Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special\"; and \"The Simpsons Theme,\" composed by Danny Elfman, w… [8] Despite the ban, The Simpsons merchandise sold well and generated US$2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. [9] During Lisa's performance at the Christmas pageant, she appears to be naked from the waist down. Bart is treated like a slave by two unscrupulous winemakers, César and Ugolin, who eventually feed him wine tainted with antifreeze. Movies. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Bart pleads with Homer to keep the dog as a pet. "Krusty Gets Busted". Then on December 17, 1989, people watch the first episode. [27], While buying ice cream at the Kwik-E-Mart, Homer witnesses a robbery perpetrated by a man believed to be Krusty the Clown, host of "Krusty the Clown Show", Bart's favorite program. [33] When the first season DVD was released in 2001, it quickly became the best-selling television DVD in history, although it was later overtaken by the first season of Chappelle's Show. The last episode is halarious. It was the first episode of The Simpsons to air in 16:9 720p high-definition television. As a result, some of the show's greatest episodes were produced between … "[20] Al Jean, the current showrunner, selected the episode as one of five essential episodes in the show's history in 2014. At the power plant, Homer's mean-spirited boss, Mr. Burns, announces that employees will receive no Christmas bonuses this year. However, when Groening realized that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding of publication r… The family agrees and Bart is sent to the "beautiful" Château Maison, which is actually a dilapidated farmhouse on a neglected vineyard. The Simpsons make fun of everything. The episode was written by Don Payne and directed by Steven Dean Moore. While at the mall on Christmas Eve, Bart removes Santa's beard, exposing Homer's secret. He is a failed musician living with Ralph Wiggum, while Homer and Marge are still back in Springfield eating Soylent Green (which, by the way, is made of humans). He had asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts, which Groening initially intended to present as his Life in Hell series. [10] The series was originally planned to premiere earlier in the fall of 1989 with the episode "Some Enchanted Evening", but due to major problems with the animation of that episode, the series began on December 17 with this episode. [34], Episode list for season of animated series, DVD cover featuring the Simpsons family sitting on their couch watching television inside a TV. [21] In 2020, Jean acknowledged "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" as an episode many consider to be a favorite. Information is taken from the opening and ending credits of each episode. Then on December 17, 1989, people watched the first 20-minute episode. After the results are tabulated, the school psychiatrist labels Bart a genius and sends him to the Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children. As Homer and Bart leave the track, they see the dog's owner berate and abandon him for losing the race. Brooks, the producer of the sketch comedy program The Tracey Ullman Show, wanted to use a series of animated shorts as bumpers between sketches. For a list of episodes in production order, see List of episodes by production order. When the Simpsons are good, they can be very good, but when they are bad they are so much better. [6][7] Several US public schools even banned The Simpsons merchandise and t-shirts, such as one featuring Bart and the caption "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')". [8], Bart has trouble on an intelligence test and sneakily switches tests with Martin Prince, the class genius. [8] The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989, with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Looking back at the very first episode of 'The Simpsons,' a hilarious Christmas episode, which premiered 25 years ago today. [15], Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was also nominated for "Outstanding Editing in a Miniseries or Special", while "The Call of the Simpsons" was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special". The Simpsons Christmas Special is actually the first full-length episode of the popular animated television sitcom. When the father, Homer, learns his boss is not giving employees Christmas bonuses, he takes a job as a shopping mall Santa, but fails to earn enough money for presents. The pictures of The Simpsons who had four fingers and yellow skin were used in a TV show for about four years. This Citizen Kane homage gets into the backstory of Mr. Burns, recalling his beloved childhood teddy bear, Bobo, that he discarded in exchange for ascension to a life of wealth — and his lifelong quest to recover the treasured object. [9] Seymour Skinner, Milhouse Van Houten, Sherri and Terri, Moe Szyslak, Mr. Burns, Barney Gumble, Patty and Selma, Ned and Todd Flanders, Santa's Little Helper, Snowball II, Dewey Largo, and Lewis all make their first appearances in this episode. Simpsons future episodes. The Simpsons: Season 1 Episode 1. [9] They proposed doing three seven-minute shorts per episode and four specials until the audience adjusted,[9] but in the end, the producers gambled by asking Fox for 13 full-length episodes. The sitcom is … Millions of people started to watch The Simpsons. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", titled onscreen as "The Simpsons Christmas Special",[1][3] is the first syndicated episode and series premiere of the American animated TV series The Simpsons. TV chart for week of April 9—15, 1990", https://www.simpsonsarchive.com/other/interviews/groening00c.html, "Simpsons, The — The Complete 1st Season", "The Simpsons Make Their DVD Debut In Fox Home Entertainment's Worldwide Release Of The Simpsons Season One Collector's Edition DVD Box Set", TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Simpsons_(season_1)&oldid=1001033275, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The greyhound finishes last. [12], Mimi Pond wrote the episode, the only one she wrote for the series,[13] while staff writer Al Jean came up with the title,[14] which alludes to "The Christmas Song", also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. [23] The episode was also included in The Simpsons – Christmas (later retitled Christmas with The Simpsons), a DVD compilation of the series' Christmas episodes, produced in 2003. Original Air Date: April 29, 1990. 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