The Simpsons premiered on the Fox network on . The series launched with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," a Christmas special that introduced the world to Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. However, the characters originally appeared earlier in short cartoon segments on The Tracey Ullman Show starting in 1987.
Groening had been summoned by producer James L. Brooks, the genius behind The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Terms of Endearment . Brooks wanted Groening to pitch an animated short for The Tracey Ullman Show . Groening panicked—he didn’t want to lose the rights to his Life in Hell comic strip characters. So, in the lobby before the meeting, he scribbled a family named after his own parents and sisters: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. year the simpsons started
Between 1987 and 1989, 48 shorts aired during The Tracey Ullman Show. These early versions of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie were crude and jittery, but the chemistry was undeniable. By the time 1989 rolled around, the demand for a full series was overwhelming, leading Fox to take a gamble on a prime-time animated sitcom—a concept that hadn't been successful since The Flintstones in the 1960s. Why 1989 Was a Turning Point for TV The Simpsons premiered on the Fox network on