Sean O'Hara

Hard to believe, but tonight marks 20 years since The Simpsons premiered.

I remember when it came out, I was in fifth grade and everyone in my class was excited at the prospect of a Christmas special that didn't involve Snoopy or Claymation. Because of the way Fox promoted the show, no one realized this was the first episode of a series instead of a one-off holiday special. On Monday morning, all anyone wanted to talk about is how awesome the show was and wouldn't it be great if it became a regular series.

Looking back, it's hard to believe that the episode was at all controversial. Sure, it wasn't touchy-feely like most of the crap we're subjected to for Christmas, but it didn't desecrate the idea of Christmas like, oh I don't know, certain episodes of Family Guy.

Dan

I remember watching episodes from the first season when it first aired. I was 7 or 8.

Good times.

Bluelitespecial

I would have been eight years old when it came out. I just watched it for the holiday challenge. Yeah nothing too controversial compared to today. It was the idea of a dysfunctional family in a cartoon that was controversial, but then again Married with Children was on the Fox network at the same time.

wildcatlh

Three posts and no "the show has sucked for years" comments? I'm shocked.

Wow, 20 years. Can't believe it. Also, it's a good thing they decided to hold off until the Christmas special, instead of showing "Some Enchanted Evening" (before they fixed it), or otherwise the show probably wouldn't have lasted a season.

clckworang

I remember when it premiered but had no way of watching it. I was probably in 6th grade or so. Anyway, we didn't get Fox where I live until a few years after the network premiered. But I had an uncle in Houston who made it a Christmas tradition for 2 or 3 years to make VHS tapes for all the kids of Simpsons and Married With Children episodes. It was a HUGE deal to get those each Christmas because otherwise there was no way for us to watch these shows. It also made us really cool with our friends.

I want to say I was probably a freshman when the area finally got Fox. It's weird to think about some of those huge early shows on Fox (90210, Melrose Place, Simpsons, Married With Children, etc.) that were having a huge pop cultural impact at that time and we had no way to access it. So much different from today when you can just go stream something or download it.

DRG

We also didn't get Fox here until about 1991 or so. Until then our local ABC affiliate licensed Simpsons, Married with Children, 90210 and a few other programs and would air them on Sunday nights after prime time. I'd say this started about halfway through The Simpsons' first season, so I had already been enticed by the hype and was ridiculously excited to finally see the show.

wishbone

I liked the Simpsons shorts on the Tracey Ullman Show but I managed to miss the very first episode. I watched Bart the Genius at a senior get together at a classmate's house in high school. After that it was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Rypro 525

I remeber prob around 92 or 93, our family went to Hershey Park, and the prize my brother won at a basketball game was a little Maggie doll, we actually didn't know what the simpsons was at that point. I believe around that time as well episodes had started airing in syndication, so thats how i remember starting to watch the show

Dr. Henry Jones, Jr.

When did Homer kill the wife?

Groucho

He killed his first wife at the end of Season One as the voice actress wanted too much money to return.

tonyc3742

I don't recall an episode where Homer killed his wife.
I do remember


I also remember Fox being a timeslot on another network. I didn't really get into the Simpsons till a couple seasons in, but I did watch the bits on Tracey Ullman.

DGibFen

Sheese, twenty years? I was ten when it first aired. I still find it hard to believe that episodes are being produced today.

islandclaws

I was nine, and I remember watching it. Hard to believe how long it's been. I still enjoy watching it more than most shows, fwiw.

Michael T Hudson

Wow I was a sophomore in High School. I had a Bart Simpson key chain for my first car.

Groucho

BigDaddy today:

Deftones

i was 11 when it premiered. i knew nothing about it, but my older half-sister talked about the show from the clips on Tracy Ullman show.

Decker

I was in college at UCSB. Damn, I'm old.

My Other Self

All-time favorite show. Can't believe it was 20 years ago. I was really little but I watched it with my dad.

Red Dog

I was a freshman in college, so I remember the first year of the show quite well since it was one of the most popular shows in the dorms. I think in season 2 it was on Thursday nights at 8, so everyone watched.

zekeburger1979

I was 10 at the time of the first episode, but didn't start watching the show until I got cable in the summer of 1994. Since then, I've seen every episode at least twice thanks to reruns and DVD.

Since the pilot aired at the tail end of 1989, that means when a new episode airs next month, the Simpsons will have aired an episode in 4 different decades!

writer106

I was 4 when that show aired. My older siblings probably watch the original broadcast and probably was with them but I don't remember it. I do remember seeing that episode when I was little bit older.

aktick

I don't really remember the first ep (I was 6), but I do remember the first couple seasons when it (I think?) aired alongside Married With Children on Sunday nights...it was always iffy whether my parents wanted to let me watch them, but they ended up letting me usually. I remember friends who would be jealous that my parents let me watch.

Now of course it's incredibly mild compared to what young kids see.

DaveWadding

I remember having the official VHS copy of the Christmas special, but absolutely not being allowed to watch the show at all (other than said Christmas special). I was 4 when the show premeired...and I definitely don't remember life without it. I have actually started going through and watching all the DVDs with the commentaried on, which I haven't done before. Thanks alot Mom, you turned me into an obsessive Simpsons fan.

Nausicaa

I was only 3 when it aired, but I distinctly remember the episode. Not the live airing, but watching the recorded tape many times as a kid. Some of my earliest memories. Even had a picture book with the same story.

Until now I had no idea it was the first episode of the series though!

Chad

I remember returning from Christmas break in elementary school and how everyone was discussing the show - especially the fascination with Homer saying "Doh! dammit!" after banging his head.

Here's to another 20 years.