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| "The Simpsons" recently celebrated its
350th episode. — AP/FOX TV |
When a show reaches an
impressive 350 episodes, it’s fair to reflect on its mortality.
So how long can The Simpsons, which hits that milestone
on Sunday, keep going?
“I
don’t see any end in sight,” said creator and executive producer
Matt Groening.
Those
are reassuring words for the millions of fans who have remained
loyal to the Simpson family through 16 seasons,
and counting. Writers are already at work on episodes for
2005-06, the 17th season. The key to its longevity
is simple, Groening said: “We try to keep surprising the audience.
That’s what you’re looking for in television — surprise.”
As long as the show can meet that burden, “we’ll keep
going.”
Executive
producer Al Jean, who has been with the animated comedy since
it was spun off Tracey Ullman’s variety show in 1989, muses
about other aspects of the equation.
With
the ensemble cast signed through the next three seasons,
“I would consider it highly likely we will do those seasons,”
Jean said.
The
series features the voices of Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner
as parents Homer and Marge Simpson; Nancy Cartwright as son
Bart, and Yeardley Smith as daughter Lisa.
Castellaneta
and Kavner also voice a number of different characters, as
do cast members including Harry Shearer (Mr Burns and Ned
Flanders among them) and Hank Azaria (police chief Wiggum,
Moe and others).
The
future also depends on the continued profitability of the
brand that has brought an estimated $1 billion (39.6 billion
baht)-plus to Fox and parent company News Corp through the
TV show, DVDs and a vast array of other goods.
Although
ratings are not stellar compared with top shows like
Fox’s own American Idol, The Simpsons has held
steady with just under 10 million weekly viewers for several
years and remains Fox’s Sunday bulwark.
It’s
a creative mainstay as well, say Groening and Jean.
“I’m
particularly proud of our recent episodes. I think they’re
as sharp and surprising as anything we’ve done since the beginning
of the show,” Groening said.
(He
concedes that some fans carp that the new episodes
are inferior to old ones; being measured against a fond memory
is a standard problem for comedies, Groening argues.)
“Nothing
lasts forever,” said Jean. “But I do think this past year,
in my view, is one of the best we’ve had in a long time.”
For
those who contend that the show’s satirical
boldness has ebbed, Jean notes it has tackled the subject
of gay marriage and points to a future episode that will cover
assisted suicide.
The
Simpsons
has been able to turn any number of subjects into comic fodder
with scant interference from the network, something
that is virtually unheard of in television.
Groening
attributes this freedom to the clout of executive producer
James Brooks, a TV and movie heavyweight whose credits
include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi and
Terms of Endearment.
On
Sunday’s 350th episode, Ray Romano is heard as the voice of
Homer’s new best friend, a roofer. But there’s a mystery behind
the character that Jean compares to the film A Beautiful
Mind.
In
a bonanza for viewers Fox is running two new Simpsons
episodes back-to-back for the next three weeks. In Sunday’s
second episode, an ailing Bart has to attend a fitness
camp, with Albert Brooks voicing one of the instructors.
Although
The Simpsons has logged the most seasons of any TV
sitcom, it has yet to match the episode count of two others:
The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, which holds
the record at 435 episodes, and My Three Sons with
380.
A
wry Groening said he’s set his own dream goal.
“I
want to get to 366 so we have one for every day of the year,
including leap year.” AP
LYNN ELBER
|
mortality
the
state of not living forever
milestone
a
very important stage or event in the development of
something
loyal
remaining
faithful to somebody/something and supporting them or
it
seasons
a
series of a television programme
longevity
lasting
a long time
burden
a
duty, responsibility, etc. that causes worry, difficulty
or hard work
muse
to
think carefully about something for a time |
ensemble
a
small group of musicians, dancers or actors who perform
together
stellar
excellent
bulwark
a
person or thing that protects or defends something
mainstay
a
person or thing that is the most important part of something
and enables it to exist or be successful
concedes
to
admit that something is true, logical, etc
contend
to
say that something is true, especially in an argument
satirical
(satire)
a
way of criticising a person, an idea or an institution
in which you use humour to show their faults or weaknesses |
ebb
to
become gradually weaker or less
fodder
people
or things that are considered to have only one use
scant
hardly
any
heavyweight
a
very important person, organisation or thing that influences
others
bonanza
a
situation where there is a large amount of something
pleasant
ailing
ill
and not improving
leap
year
one
year in every four years when February has 29 days instead
of 28
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