The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History

Last updated
The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History
The Simpsons Uncensored, Unauthorized History.jpg
American cover art
AuthorJohn Ortved
Cover artistCharlotte Strick
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject The Simpsons
Genre Non-fiction
Publisher Faber and Faber
Publication date
October 2009 [1]
Media typeHard cover
Pages352
ISBN 0-86547-988-7

The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History is a non-fiction book about the American animated television series The Simpsons . It was written by John Ortved, and first published in October 2009 by Faber and Faber. In the United Kingdom, the book is called Simpsons Confidential: The uncensored, totally unauthorised history of the world's greatest TV show by the people that made it. [2] The book is an oral history of the show, and concentrates particularly on the writers and producers of the show. The book includes entire chapters devoted to key figures such as creator Matt Groening and James L. Brooks and Sam Simon, who helped develop the series. According to National Public Radio reviewer Linda Holmes, "Ortved's thesis, essentially, is that lots of people are responsible for the success of The Simpsons, and their creator, Matt Groening, has too often been viewed as the sole source to the detriment of others who also deserve to be praised." [3]

Contents

In 2007, John Ortved wrote an article for Vanity Fair titled "Simpson Family Values". Producers of the show, including Groening, Brooks and Simon, chose not to cooperate in the project. Ortved believes that the reason was because "were upset [that] the myth of The Simpsons would be challenged." [4] Shortly after the article was published, an agent suggested that Ortved write a full book. The producers again decided not to participate, and, according to Ortved, Brooks asked current and former Simpsons employees not to talk to Ortved. However, the book does include portions of interviews that several figures did with other sources. Ortved did interview a number of sources for the book, including Hank Azaria, a cast member of the show since the second season, Fox Broadcasting Company owner Rupert Murdoch and former writer Conan O'Brien.

Reviews of the book were mostly positive, with most reviewers commenting that the book was well researched and provided a solid history of the show. A few critics felt that the final chapters, in which Ortved gives his opinion of the current state of the show, were out of place and did not fit in with the rest of the book.

Background

In 2007, John Ortved wrote an article for Vanity Fair titled "Simpson Family Values". It was an oral history of The Simpsons, featuring interviews with several of the crew and cast members. [5] According to Ortved, the producers of The Simpsons decided not to cooperate and be interviewed for the project because they had heard that he was asking questions about Sam Simon. Simon, one of the first executive producers of the show, had left after the fourth season after clashing with creator Matt Groening and executive producer James L. Brooks. [4] Ortved believes that the producers "were upset [that] the myth of The Simpsons would be challenged." [4] He still wrote the story, without the approval of the Simpsons producers. [6]

Shortly after the article was published, an agent suggested that Ortved write a full book. [7] They put together a proposal and shopped it to several publishers, before being signed by Faber and Faber. [7] According to Ortved, "When word of this got out, Brooks sent a letter to every current Simpsons employee, and all the former ones he thought mattered, asking them not to speak to me. The writers’ agents sent denial after denial for interview requests and eventually stopped responding altogether." [6] He added, "There was one 'D'oh!' in James L. Brooks and the Gracie Films master plan: Many people don’t like James L. Brooks. [...] The book I ended up writing quotes more than 75 sources—some of them Simpsons staffers, former and current, who opened up because they considered his and Matt Groening’s attempt to stomp on my project very 'un-Simpsons.'" [6]

Ortved decided to write the book as an oral history because he found that every person interviewed had a different perspective on the events. His decision was "reinforced" when he found out that the producers of the show would not cooperate. [7]

Content

The Simpsons did not spring out of one man's brain, fully formed, like a hilarious Athena. Its inception was a process, and it has more than one parent (as well as stepparents, grandparents, creepy uncles, and ungrateful children).

—John Ortved [8]

According to National Public Radio reviewer Linda Holmes, "Ortved's thesis, essentially, is that lots of people are responsible for the success of The Simpsons, and their creator, Matt Groening, has too often been viewed as the sole source to the detriment of others who also deserve to be praised." [3] The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History is an oral history of the show, examining its beginnings, rise to success, impact on pop culture, as well as the people behind the show, including the animators, writers and producers. The content consists mostly of quotations from various figures, which are tied together by comments from Ortved. The book includes entire chapters devoted to key figures such as Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Sam Simon and Conan O'Brien. [9] The book's foreword was written by Canadian author Douglas Coupland. [10] The final chapters of the book consist mostly of commentary from Ortved, in which he states that he believes that quality of the show has declined since its early years. [11]

Interviews

Ortved interviewed a number of sources for the book, including main cast member Hank Azaria, [12] former director Brad Bird, [9] former supervising director Gábor Csupó [7] and former writer O'Brien. [13] Groening, Brooks and Simon refused to participate in the book, or be interviewed by Ortved. [13] However, the book does include portions of interviews that they did with other sources. [7] According to Ortved, most of the participants "had stories to tell, or axes to grind," or are "too successful to care." [9] Research and interviews for both the book and Vanity Fair article were conducted between January 2007 and May 2008. [7] Ortved commented that the person he most would have liked to interview was Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson. [14] Rupert Murdoch, the owner of the Fox Broadcasting Company, agreed to be interviewed, and reportedly told Ortved "Those creative types, they're always looking to pick a fight." [15] He also interviewed figures such as Fox CEO Barry Diller [12] and guest stars Ricky Gervais, [15] Art Spiegelman [16] and Tom Wolfe. [9]

Reception

Reviews of the book were mostly positive. Linda Holmes of National Public Radio felt that "most of Ortved's work provides a solid basic history." [3] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave the book a "B+", writing, "you have to admire all the work that went into this unauthorized history." He noted that he "felt a little bad afterward for the central players who got sucker punched. [...] The subsequent testimony about the empire Groening created is contentious and mesmerizing. It's also conflicting and compromised, since some of the biggest fishies of all did not talk to Ortved. [...] The reader should be wary when sources assert that Groening is little more than an affable frontman for the show or that Brooks sometimes wielded his power imperiously: The guys aren't there to defend themselves. In most cases, though, Ortved amasses quotes from many sources to establish such points, so the negative stuff doesn't seem gratuitous." [16] Michael C. Lorah of Newsarama described the book as a "very effective, very worthwhile read" but felt that Ortved's "editorializing" was "probably the most distracting element of the book." [17] Michael Hingston of See Magazine called the book "a well-told patchwork that shines formidable light on the show" and gave it three and a half stars. However, he felt the book was released prematurely and should have been published after the end of the show, also criticizing Ortved's narration and the lack of quotes from Matt Groening or James L. Brooks. [18] Kyle Ryan of The A.V. Club pointed out that the book has "numerous factual errors" that "may only trip the alarms of hardcore fans, but even casual readers may be put off by the book's redundancy." He concluded that despite flaws, the "insight into its routines and eccentric personalities can't help but fascinate." [19]

Ryan Bigge of The Toronto Star felt that Ortved's "diligence and research is faultless, and [he] has worked hard to avoid writing another insider-y true-fans-only look at the show. Still, certain chunks of the book are unlikely to appeal to casual Simpsons viewers. [..] By mixing journalism about yellow people with a bit of yellow journalism, Ortved provides a tough, necessary look at Homer Simpson's odyssey that would make Kent Brockman proud." [20]

Bryan Appleyard of The Sunday Times criticized the format of the book, writing that it was "alternately engrossing and infuriating book [...] It is infuriating because of a fatal structural decision taken by the author and/or his publisher to include long quotations from interviewees as breaks in the text. This destroys narrative coherence and, for much of the time, makes reading a chore." Appleyard concluded that it is "an important and controversial contribution to the ever-expanding scope of Simpsons studies." [21]

Several critics felt that the final chapters, in which Ortved gives his opinion of the current state of the show, were out of place when compared with the rest of the book. [3] Ken Tucker felt Ortved's "complaints aren't original or illuminating." [16] Linda Holmes wrote that "After spending most of the book using actual reporting to flesh out the facts, Ortved largely turns the floor over to himself for the part of the book in which he describes the creative decline of the show and tries to figure out whose fault it is by not infrequently simply declaring, among other things, which episodes are good and which are bad, sometimes without explaining himself at all." [3] Michael C. Lorah felt that Ortved's criticism of the later seasons was "disconcerting", noting that "It's not that he's wrong, but it seems unnecessary and at times even petty when cast against his own fawning over the undeniably massive influence of the show on current pop culture and comedy." [17]

Other editions

NationTitlePublisherFirst publishedPagesISBNRef.
CanadaThe Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized HistoryGreystone BooksOctober 2009332978-1-55365-503-9 [10]
United KingdomSimpsons Confidential Ebury Press October 15, 20093200091927293 [2]

Notes

  1. ↑ Criger, Erin (2009-11-13). "Toronto Writer Takes On The Simpsons In New Book". Citytv. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  2. 1 2 "Simpsons Confidential: The uncensored, totally unauthorised history of the world's greatest TV show by the people that made it". Ebury Press. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Holmes, Linda (2009-10-19). "A New Oral History Of 'The Simpsons' Offers Plenty Of Facts And A Little Complaining". NPR . Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  4. 1 2 3 "Inside The Simpsons, 20 years on". CBC. 2009-11-04. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
  5. ↑ Ortved, John (October 2007). "Simpson Family Values". Vanity Fair . Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  6. 1 2 3 Ortved, John (2009-10-13). "Secrets of The Simpsons". The Daily Beast . Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lorah, Michael (2009-10-27). "The Uncensored History of The Simpsons". Newsarama. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  8. ↑ Ortved 2009, p. 11
  9. 1 2 3 4 Weinman, Jaime (2009-10-29). "A dissident view of life on the show". Maclean's . Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  10. 1 2 "The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History". Greystone Books. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  11. ↑ Ortved 2009 , p. 261
  12. 1 2 Deggens, Eric (2009-10-18). "An insider's look at The Simpsons". St. Petersburg Times . Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  13. 1 2 Tozzi, Liza (2009-10-20). "Yellow Journalism: Q. and A. With the Unauthorized Historian of 'The Simpsons'". The New York Times . Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  14. ↑ Mudhar, Raju (2009-11-08). "Measuring the impact of The Simpsons". Toronto Star . Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  15. 1 2 Patch, Nick (2009-11-11). "D'Oh! Toronto author runs afoul of "The Simpsons" creators Groening, Brooks". Waterloo Region Record . The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  16. 1 2 3 Tucker, Ken (2009-10-13). "The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History (2009)". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  17. 1 2 Lorah, Michael C. (2009-11-04). "Review: The Simpsons: The Uncensored, Unauthorized History". Newsarama. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
  18. ↑ Hingston, Michael (2009-11-12). "Mmmmm... Unauthorized!". See Magazine . Archived from the original on November 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  19. ↑ Ryan, Kyle (2009-11-12). "The Simpson". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  20. ↑ Bigge, Ryan (2010-01-17). "Review: The Simpsons by John Ortved". Toronto Star . Retrieved 2010-01-18.
  21. ↑ Appleyard, Bryan (2009-10-11). "Simpsons Confidential: The Uncensored, Totally Unauthorised History of the World's Greatest TV Show by the People That Made It by John Ortved". The Sunday Times . Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2009-10-29.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Groening</span> American cartoonist (born 1954)

Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell (1977–2012) and the television series The Simpsons (1989–present), Futurama, and Disenchantment (2018–present). The Simpsons is the longest-running U.S. primetime-television series in history and the longest-running U.S. animated series and sitcom.

<i>The Simpsons</i> American animated sitcom

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture and society, television, and the human condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barney Gumble</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Barnard Arnold "Barney" Gumble is a recurring character in the American animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Mirkin</span> American film and television writer, director and producer

David Mirkin is an American feature film and television director, writer and producer. Mirkin grew up in Philadelphia and intended to become an electrical engineer, but abandoned this career path in favor of studying film at Loyola Marymount University. After graduating, he became a stand-up comedian, and then moved into television writing. He wrote for the sitcoms Three's Company, It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show and served as showrunner on the series Newhart. After an unsuccessful attempt to remake the British series The Young Ones, Mirkin created Get a Life in 1990. The series starred comedian Chris Elliott and ran for two seasons, despite a lack of support from many Fox network executives, who disliked the show's dark and surreal humor. He moved on to create the sketch show The Edge starring his then-partner, actress Julie Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James L. Brooks</span> American filmmaker (born 1940)

James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, The Simpsons, Broadcast News, As Good as It Gets, and Terms of Endearment.

<i>Life in Hell</i> Comic strip

Life in Hell is a comic strip by Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, Futurama, and Disenchantment, which was published weekly from 1977 to 2012. The strip features anthropomorphic rabbits and a gay couple. The comic covers a wide range of subjects, such as love, sex, work, and death, and explores themes of angst, social alienation, self-loathing, and fear of inevitable doom.

<i>The Simpsons Sing the Blues</i> 1990 album by The Simpsons

The Simpsons Sing the Blues is the first album released as an offshoot of The Simpsons. The album contains originally recorded music not featured in the series save for the first verse of the track "Moaning Lisa Blues" which was first featured in the episode "Moaning Lisa", which aired in the United States on February 11, 1990. The album was released on December 4, 1990, and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

<i>The Tracey Ullman Show</i> Television program

The Tracey Ullman Show is an American television variety show starring Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Fox on April 5, 1987, the network's second original primetime series to air following Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show was produced by Gracie Films. The show blended sketch comedy with musical numbers and dance routines, choreographed by Paula Abdul, along with animated shorts. The format was conceived by creator and executive producer James L. Brooks, who was looking to showcase the show's multitalented star. Brooks likened the show to producing three pilots a week. Ullman was the first British woman to be offered her own television sketch show in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Jean</span> American television writer and producer (born 1961)

Alfred Ernest Jean III is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on The Simpsons. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss. Together, they worked as writers and producers on television shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, ALF and It's Garry Shandling's Show.

<i>The Yellow Album</i> 1998 studio album by The Simpsons

The Yellow Album is The Simpsons' second album of originally recorded songs, released as a follow-up to the 1990 album The Simpsons Sing the Blues. Though it was released in 1998, it had been recorded years earlier, after the success of the first album. The title is a play on the name of the Beatles' self-titled 1968 album, commonly known as "The White Album", with the skin color of the characters of The Simpsons. In addition, the cover is a parody of the Beatles' 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

"Simpson and Delilah" is the second episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 18, 1990. In the episode, Homer uses the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's medical insurance plan to buy Dimoxinil, a miracle hair growth formula. When Homer's bald head sprouts a full mane of hair, he is promoted at work and hires a secretary named Karl. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Rich Moore, and guest starred Harvey Fierstein as Karl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Simon</span> American director, producer, writer, boxing manager and philanthropist (1955–2015)

Samuel Michael Simon was an American director, producer, writer, animal rights activist and philanthropist, who co-developed the television series The Simpsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Scully</span> American writer and producer (born 1956)

Michael C. Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school and dropped out of college, going on to work in a series of jobs. Eventually, in 1986, he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a stand-up comic and wrote for Yakov Smirnoff.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between December 17, 1989, and May 13, 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." The executive producers for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 13) Season of television series

The thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between November 6, 2001, and May 22, 2002 and consists of 22 episodes. The showrunner for the thirteenth production season was Al Jean, who executive-produced 17 episodes. Mike Scully executive-produced the remaining five, which were all hold-overs that were produced for the previous season. The Simpsons is an animated series about an American family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, television and many aspects of the human condition. This is also the last season to use cel animation.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (season 10) Season of television series

The tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between August 23, 1998, and May 16, 1999. It contains twenty-three episodes, starting with "Lard of the Dance". The Simpsons is a satire of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Set in the fictional city of Springfield, the show lampoons American culture, society, television, and many aspects of the human condition.

History of <i>The Simpsons</i> Aspect of history surrounding The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom starring the animated Simpson family, which was created by Matt Groening. He conceived of the characters in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office and named them after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show called The Simpsons, which debuted on December 17, 1989. The show was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the top 30 ratings in a season (1990).

Mary Marr "Polly" Platt was an American film producer, production designer and screenwriter. She was the first female art director accepted into Hollywood's Art Director's Guild. In addition to her credited work, she was known as mentor as well as an uncredited collaborator and networker. In the case of the latter, she is credited with contributing to the success of ex-husband and director Peter Bogdanovich's early films; mentoring then, first-time director and writer Cameron Crowe, and discovering actors including Cybill Shepherd, Tatum O'Neal, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson and director Wes Anderson. Platt also suggested that director James L. Brooks meet artist and illustrator Matt Groening. Their subsequent meeting eventually resulted in the satiric animated television series The Simpsons.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (franchise) American animated comedy franchise

The Simpsons is an American animated comedy franchise whose eponymous family consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The Simpsons were created by cartoonist Matt Groening for a series of animated shorts that debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into The Simpsons, a half-hour prime time show that was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990). The popularity of The Simpsons has made it a billion-dollar merchandising and media franchise. Alongside the television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, including books, comic books, a magazine, musical releases and video games.

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom which premiered on Fox on December 17, 1989. Having finished its 33rd season in 2022, critical commentary on the show has changed significantly over its run. The Simpsons' golden era is widely considered to be among the most influential media ever produced. Discussion of the show following the supposed "end of the golden era" has been related to the decline in quality, the causes of that change, and possible solutions.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.