After 21 seasons, it’s next to impossible to stay original and fresh. But somehow the Simpsons have accomplished the feat with ease. Possibly America’s most watched dysfunctional family on cable and satellite TV, the Simpsons revolve around the lives of the lovable oaf Homer Simpson, his beautiful, caring wife Marge, his brainy daughter Lisa and his trouble making son Bart.

The Simpsons have come a long way in the 21 years of its existence. Starting as nothing more than a comedy centering on extracting humor from injuries endured by Homer Simpson and the misbehavior of his mischievous son Bart, the show is almost unrecognizable to its original roots. It’s hard to even find a recent episode that uses superficial phrases such as “Cowabunga” that were created primarily to make money through the sale of t-shirts and other various Simpsons paraphernalia. Recent episodes focus much more on contemporary issues such as immigration, political elections, social bigotry and artistic creation.

In a recent episode, Homer goes to the hardware store and buys a bbq pit. However, in his attempt to build it, Homer accidentally creates an artistic masterpiece and soon finds himself rubbing elbows with famous artists such as Jasper Johns. However, Homer struggles to maintain his status as an artistic genius when he cannot come up with a second creative design. This episode comments on abstract art and the complexities and effort that goes into creating a masterpiece. Some viewers may look at a piece of abstract art and think that no artistic creation is involved, however, as this episode shows, this could not be further from the truth.

Facing stiff competition from other cable and satellite TV shows such as Family Guy, American Dad and South Park, the Simpsons has held it’s own in recent years by reaching further and creating more inventive, creative jokes. The popularity of the show has even led to the show transcending onto the big screen, to widespread acclaim. Much like the show, the movie has something for everyone, from child to scholar. For example, when the town of Springfield realizes that imminent doom is near, all the occupants of the town bar run into the church next door while the occupants of the church run into the bar. This type of satirical humor has kept intellectuals tuned in to the Simpsons for years. But the movie is equally satisfying for people looking for simple silliness. For example, in another part of the movie, Homer adopts a pet pig and dresses it up like Spiderman or “Spiderpig” as he refers to it and parades him around the house.

The Simpsons is the most celebrated and popular cartoon in the history of television. Having already won 25 Emmys and with more likely on the way, the Simpsons will be around long after it is canceled. Already the longest running animated sitcom of all time; it seemingly gets better with age. Catch the Simpsons every Sunday at 8 pm on Fox and Fox HD. The Simpsons is also available online at Fox.com, Hulu and various other websites free of charge. Don’t miss an episode!

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