American Prestige E229 - How The Simpsons Reshaped American Comedy w/ Alan Siegel
Oct 7, 2025
Alan Siegel, a senior writer at The Ringer and author of *Stupid TV: Be More Funny*, dives deep into the cultural significance of *The Simpsons*. He reveals how Harvard Lampoon alumni created a show that both mocked and was embraced by Fox. Siegel discusses Bart Simpson's rise as a cultural icon and the show's balance of satire and family values, all while highlighting its impact on American comedy and the evolution of character dynamics. The conversation explores how *The Simpsons* transformed animated television and became a shared cultural phenomenon.
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Simpsons As A 1990s Cultural Lens
- The Simpsons' golden era is usefully bounded roughly 1989–1998 to tell a coherent cultural story.
- Alan argues the show and the 1990s shaped each other and provide a tidy narrative for the book.
TV Obsession Shaped The Writers' Eye
- The writers were raised on TV and treated even lowbrow shows as material to dissect and remix.
- That obsessive, televisual literacy produced The Simpsons' postmodern, referential humor.
Fox's Risk Let The Simpsons Exist
- Fox's desperate need for programming gave creative freedom that legacy networks wouldn't grant.
- That deregulated, high-risk environment enabled The Simpsons to exist as it did.
