The Simpsons, an American Popular Culture Phenomenon? Essay Example
The Simpson's' an American Popular Culture phenomenon?
American popular culture has a tremendous effect on the everyday people. The fields of television film and pop music are dominated by media representations produced in the USA. The invasion of the American popular culture has been so powerful that many people get most of their information about the world through American films and television shows. "Popular culture enthusiasts are thus absorbed into a situation where American-made popular culture texts inevitably affect their worldviews" (Mikko Vaatainen, 2002), whether they want them or not. The perspectives to real-life phenomena offered by American popular culture products are bound to be one-sided. Yet, they are a central aspect in the forming of people's conceptions concerning the world. The popular television series, The Simpson's' can be seen as an example of an American popular culture that has radically affected not only America but the whole world.
The Simpson's began as a series of short cartoons on the Tracy Ullman show in the late eighties. In 1989 The Fox Broadcasting Company signed the cartoonist Matt Groening to make 13 half hour episodes. The show quickly became one of the network's highest rated and critically acclaimed programs. Midway through its 15th season The Simpson's remains as popular as ever, increased sales in its DVD collections, more Emmy's added to its already formidable collection and substantial TV ratings suggest that the show is going from strength to strength.
Fox used The Simpson's instant popularity to their advantage, frequently using the show as a lead in to many other programs, especially when the network hoped to hook audiences on new shows, "Say what you will about King of the Hill, Futurama etc. but it would be foolhardy to suggest their success had nothing to do with the Simpson's."(Geoff Nixon, 2004) To look at the Simpson's' specific comic strength is to notice its fast pace, tight scripting, and
American popular culture has a tremendous effect on the everyday people. The fields of television film and pop music are dominated by media representations produced in the USA. The invasion of the American popular culture has been so powerful that many people get most of their information about the world through American films and television shows. "Popular culture enthusiasts are thus absorbed into a situation where American-made popular culture texts inevitably affect their worldviews" (Mikko Vaatainen, 2002), whether they want them or not. The perspectives to real-life phenomena offered by American popular culture products are bound to be one-sided. Yet, they are a central aspect in the forming of people's conceptions concerning the world. The popular television series, The Simpson's' can be seen as an example of an American popular culture that has radically affected not only America but the whole world.
The Simpson's began as a series of short cartoons on the Tracy Ullman show in the late eighties. In 1989 The Fox Broadcasting Company signed the cartoonist Matt Groening to make 13 half hour episodes. The show quickly became one of the network's highest rated and critically acclaimed programs. Midway through its 15th season The Simpson's remains as popular as ever, increased sales in its DVD collections, more Emmy's added to its already formidable collection and substantial TV ratings suggest that the show is going from strength to strength.
Fox used The Simpson's instant popularity to their advantage, frequently using the show as a lead in to many other programs, especially when the network hoped to hook audiences on new shows, "Say what you will about King of the Hill, Futurama etc. but it would be foolhardy to suggest their success had nothing to do with the Simpson's."(Geoff Nixon, 2004) To look at the Simpson's' specific comic strength is to notice its fast pace, tight scripting, and