--- description: The show's writers have long embraced—and sometimes playfully skewered—the most passionate factions of the show’s fan base. title: How The Simpsons Embraced Its Fervent Fan Base image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6bed7eec350c2a7/6998c8999fbc7c668cd9a49a/520252.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Television](/tag/television/) ## Television Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How _The Simpsons_ Embraced—And Passionately Skewered—Its Fervent Fan Base by [Keith Murphy](/author/keith-murphy/) ## Keith Murphy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 24, 2025 5:00 PM CUT  A scene from the Simpsons episode "Super Franchise Me," which aired in 2014. A scene from the Simpsons episode "Super Franchise Me," which aired in 2014.Courtesy of Fox by [Keith Murphy](/author/keith-murphy/) ## Keith Murphy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 24, 2025 5:00 PM CUT If ever there were [an episode thatperfectly encapsulates](https://time.com/5743465/best-simpsons-episodes/ "undefined") the passionate, joyful, absurd, and at times toxic fandom of [_The Simpsons_](https://time.com/4667462/simpsons-predictions-donald-trump-lady-gaga/ "undefined")_,_ it would be Season 8’s “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show.” In the acclaimed 1997 episode, Krusty the Clown threatens to cancel the ridiculously violent _Itchy & Scratchy_ cartoon from his program due to spiraling ratings. Following a farcical kids focus group, cynical executives push the writers to create Poochie, a hat-to-the-back, rapping “dog with attitude” to reenergize the violent and laughably one-sided _Herman and Katnip_ send-up. [Homer](https://time.com/3916114/the-simpsons-homer-marge-split-sitcom/ "undefined") auditions for the voice of the obnoxious canine and lands the gig. But Lisa is skeptical. “Adding a new character is often a desperate attempt to boost low ratings,” she says. On cue, a “hip” new face, cousin Roy, suddenly appears at the dinner table: “Yo, yo! How’s it hanging, everybody?” It remains one of the ultimate meta _Simpsons_ episodes, ending with fans revolting against Poochie, who is unceremoniously killed off of the program. “Poochie is particularly bad because at the time the network wanted us to add a new character,” recalls _Simpsons_ executive producer and writer Al Jean, who has been a part of the series since its 1989 inception. “We’ve added characters before, but I’ve always been resistant to generically planting a character the way a sitcom does. They bring in an actor to play six out of 13 episodes. That’s not _The Simpsons_.” But what began as a sly middle finger to meddling Fox executives ultimately became a full-blown commentary on fan culture. For years there has been chatter from a segment of [hardcore fans](https://time.com/4573080/simpsons-philosophy-university-class/ "undefined") that _The Simpsons_ has lost its mojo, criticism that the show’s writers famously responded to in a classic exchange between Bart and fan-favorite Comic Book Guy (voiced by Hank Azaria). When the sarcastic know-it-all owner of Springfield’s The Android’s Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop levies his sneering disgust at the revamped _Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show_, TV’s most iconic 10-year-old (with all apologies to Eric Cartman) pushes back. “Hey, I know it wasn’t great, but what right do you have to complain?” contends Bart. “As a loyal viewer, I feel they owe me,” responds Comic Book Guy. Bart is taken aback. “What? They’re giving you thousands of hours of entertainment for free. What could they possibly owe you? If anything, you owe them,” he says. Comic Book Guy then delivers this memorable mic drop: “Worst. Episode. Ever.” “That actually came from online,” explains Jean, alluding to a fan who, after watching the 1992 episode “Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie,” posted a succinct three-word “worst episode ever” takedown on alt.tv.simpsons, a throwback online Usernet newsgroup inhabited by dedicated followers. The sardonic Comic Book Guy line would go on to become one of the series’ most ubiquitous catchphrases. “One of the writers, David Cohen, put it in the show,” continues Jean. “It resonated with the people because it comes from the people.” ## In conversation with the fandom  A scene from 2016's 'Treehouse of Horror XXVII' Courtesy of Fox For decades, _Simpsons_ writers have leaned into the show’s hardcore fandom. In the early ’90s prehistoric age before the internet lived up to the promise of a worldwide web, and before the dawn of social media, _Simpsons_ obsessives freeze-framed their VCRs to spot inside jokes in background scenes. Back then, the relationship between diehard viewers and the series’ creatives exuded a seemingly innocent, communal spirit. A 2013 _Slate_ article titled “Best Message Board Ever” documented early _Simpsons_ internet fandom. Like-minded diehards frequented these exclusive spaces, where they could discuss plots and Easter eggs and post lists of their favorite characters and chalkboard and couch gags. Not only did former _Simpsons_ producer Bill Oakley lurk on alt.tv.simpsons, he also posted a July 25, 1993, preview of Season 5, a bold move that in today’s soulless streaming biz would give showrunners night sweats. “The ‘NOT YET WRITTEN’ portion of the post mentioned the working titles of future classics, including ‘Lisa’s Hockey Team,’ ‘Summer Swimming Pool/Rear Window Parody,’ and ‘Bart Gets a Girlfriend,’” wrote _Slate_’s Alan Siegel. The _Simpsons_ team even dropped on-air shout- outs to its dedicated hive. In the 2002 episode “The Frying Game,” Homer, after discovering that an old lady has been stabbed to death with a pair of scissors, unleashes a “SNUH cascade.” The inside baseball reference was a wink to fans who turned a Season 2 Marge protest sign gag, “Springfieldians for Nonviolence, Understanding, and Helping” (SNUH), into one of the earliest memes. This is the same fervent group that mourned the 2024 death of background character Larry the Barfly, who for 35 years was a quiet, inebriated regular at Moe’s Tavern. One viewer’s emotional online post summed up the collective gut punch: “Just learned they are killing off Larry on _The Simpsons_ tomorrow. I need a minute.” That same year, fans brought out the pitchforks when there was talk that _The Simpsons_ would end a long-running gag of Homer choking Bart, which was hinted at in the Season 35 episode “McMansion & Wife.” “See, Marge, strangling the boy paid off,” Homer says. “Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore. Times have changed.” Longtime executive producer and series co-creator James L. Brooks dismissed the notion altogether. “Don’t think for a second we’re changing anything,” he told _People_. “Nothing’s getting tamed. Nothing, nothing, nothing…. He’ll continue to be strangled—\[if\] you want to use that awful term for it. He’ll continue to be loved by his father in a specific way.” ## Affectionately lampooning fan culture  The Simpson family Courtesy of Fox Indeed, outside of the Star Wars universe, you would be hard-pressed to find a more impassioned fan base. Jean got his first taste of the _Simpsons_ phenomenon early in the show’s run during a vacation in Orlando, Fla. “I remember I was wearing a _Simpsons_ show jacket at Disney World right after the first episode had aired,” he recalls. “And people were walking up to me and asking, ‘Ah, man. Can I buy that?’ I was like, ‘Whoa!’ That had never happened to me before.” For _Simpsons_ creator [Matt Groening](https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/06/22/life-lessons-from-life-in-hell-and-other-matt-groening-creations/ "undefined"), the initial appeal of the comically dysfunctional yet loving brood was rooted in Generation X fans’ readiness to break from conservative family sitcom orthodoxy. “Traditionally, family entertainment was designed not to offend anybody,” he explained in a 2000 _Newsweek_ interview. “What we tried to do was go for a show jammed with smart jokes and intelligent references, as well as the more obvious sight gags that animation does so well. It turns out that you can actually pull that off. Everybody doesn’t have to get every joke.” To understand the cult of _The Simpsons,_ you have to go back to the rise of geek culture. During the ’70s and ’80s, attending a Star Trek, Doctor Who, or Star Wars convention was looked down upon by the mainstream as kids’ stuff at best, and at worst a haven for nerds and social outcasts. Groening—who grew up collecting _MAD_ magazine and old EC comic books—and the equally geeky _Simpsons_ staff, which over the years has included Jean, Cohen, and Oakley as well as Mimi Pond, John Swartzwelder, Mike Reiss, Jeff Martin, [Conan O’Brien](https://time.com/collections/100-best-podcasts/7303060/conan-obrien-needs-a-friend/ "undefined"), David X. Cohen, Christine Nangle, and current showrunner Matt Selman, are all members of the same geek tribe. Before it was cool, _The Simpsons_ celebrated and affectionately lampooned fan culture—including [Dungeons & Dragons](https://time.com/6267122/dungeons-and-dragons-play-pretend/ "undefined"), sci-fi, and prestige and trash television, as well as film classics, old-school horror flicks, [Harry Potter](https://time.com/7292663/harry-potter-hbo-series-cast-actors-new-announcements-full-list/ "undefined") books, rock-and-roll deities, highbrow literature, anime, and Lego toys. Being a _Simpsons_ fanatic became a badge of honor for the “weird” kids who attended [Comic-Con ](https://time.com/4421447/comic-con-best-moments/ "undefined")years before it exploded into a multimillion-dollar pop culture event in the 2000s. Even Comic Book Guy, once a parody of _The Simpsons_’ most over-the-top haters, has now become a beloved avatar for fanboys and fangirls, so much so that the writers gave him his own poignant origin story. In the critically acclaimed Season 32 episode, “The Dad-Feelings Limited,” we find him contemplating having children with his wife Kumiko (voiced by Jenny Yokobori) and confronting his estranged relationship with emotionally distant father Postage Stamp Fellow (Dan Aykroyd). He sheds tears! It’s a far cry from the laughably disagreeable, one-note Comic Book Guy fans grew up imitating. ## A _Simpsons_ renaissance  The series premiere, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” Courtesy of Fox These days, _Simpsons_ fandom has been obscured in the wake of its louder, cooler, and significantly more profane children on _Family Guy_, _South Park,_ and [_Rick and Morty_](https://time.com/4868184/rick-morty-easter-eggs/ "undefined"). It’s like trying to explain to a loyal apostle of LeBron James what Michael Jordan mania was like. During its early ’90s cultural peak, when 33.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the episode “Bart Gets an F,” _The Simpsons_ grossed billions in merchandise. And the appeal was transcendent. A 1990 Washington _Post_ article reported on the explosion of bootleg Black Bart Simpson T-shirts: “Young Black folks across the country have adopted the wisecracking lad from _The Simpsons_—that wildly popular cartoon satire of white middle-class family life—as one of their own….” Simpsons fans snatched up everything: dolls, action figures, board games, music, even rolling paper. The album _The Simpsons Sing the Blues_ sold more than 2 million copies in the United States alone, spawning the radio hit “Do the Bartman.” But there has been some criticism for the record-breaking, long-running show that has seen its ratings decline like all other broadcast television shows in the age of streaming. Let’s start with one of the lazier critiques. Purists claim _The Simpsons_ haven’t had a good run since its 1996–97 season! And some have taken the claim to extremes: Mike Scully received disturbing death threats from unhinged fanatics on a fan site over his tenure as showrunner from 1997 to 2001\. Jean was told to “die in a car crash.” A cursory search online will pull up think pieces, online fan posts, and YouTube videos from the last decade announcing the show’s demise, with headlines including “_The Simpsons_ Is 20 Years Past Its Creative High Point,” “Who or What Ruined _The Simpsons_?,” “_The Simpsons_ Is Begging to End,” and “How the Internet Killed _The Simpsons_.” The _Simpsons_ crew has had mixed reactions to some of the fan angst. A diplomatic Groening responded in a 2018 _USA Today_ interview. “I give a piece of advice to people who grew up with _The Simpsons_ and maybe think it’s not for them anymore,” he said. “Check it out again: The satire and the quality of animation are fantastic.” He added, “I’m really proud of the group’s efforts.” But in a _Hollywood Reporter_ oral history celebrating the 25th anniversary of “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show” in 2022, Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson, did not hold her tongue. “My feeling today is most people say, ‘The show hasn’t been good since Season 10.’ And it’s like, f--k you,” she bristled. “The piece that goes along with a comment like that is, ‘I can’t believe they don’t try anymore.’ That is so offensive to me. You’ll never meet more hardworking writers, animators, and actors than at _The_ _Simpsons_.” Jean has a philosophical take on some of the “_Simpsons_ is not as good as it used to be” talk among the diehards. “I’ve experienced it from the outside as a Star Wars fan, and as a Marvel fan, too,” he says. “You love something, and then you find you are protective of it. You start going, ‘No, they shouldn’t do that with that character…it should be this way.’ Every fan of every big genre, that’s what they are like.” The sobering truth is that _The Simpsons_ is in uncharted territory. Recently, the show has been enjoying a resurgence. Noted Jesse David Fox in a glowing 2023 Vulture piece, “the former members of the No Homers Club fan community, infamous for complaining about the decline of the show, agree that _The Simpsons_, in 2023, is undergoing a renaissance.” The most recent “Treehouse of Horror” episode, featuring a knockout parody of the Edgar Allan Poe story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” would make the most cantankerous _Simpsons_ fan’s heart grow three sizes. And after more than three decades, Jean still gets excited when he talks about future episodes. “I wrote one coming up on Bart’s first prank, about the origins of his misbehavior,” he says in the voice of 12-year-old kid geeking out over his newest manga. “So yeah, we are always looking for new ways to explore these characters that people love so much.” _This story is excerpted from the new special edition,_ [Time: The Simpsons](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1547868376/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?crid=2LMK37N3CP60A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.eV7iKlK2S1O%5FV1%5FHLR93fg.rpQaJvfCFhfBSDb8T2GNAgUT-sM11oniNyUhTHEWGHI&dib%5Ftag=se&keywords=9781547868377&qid=1752502867&sprefi "undefined")_, which is available at retail and_ [_online_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1547868376/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?crid=2LMK37N3CP60A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.eV7iKlK2S1O%5FV1%5FHLR93fg.rpQaJvfCFhfBSDb8T2GNAgUT-sM11oniNyUhTHEWGHI&dib%5Ftag=se&keywords=9781547868377&qid=1752502867&sprefi "undefined") _._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7305104/simpsons-fan-culture/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7305104/simpsons-fan-culture/"},"headline":"How The Simpsons Embraced—And Passionately Skewered—Its Fervent Fan Base","datePublished":"2025-07-24T17:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:50:54.226Z","description":"The show's writers have long embraced—and sometimes playfully skewered—the most passionate factions of the show’s fan base.","url":"https://time.com/7305104/simpsons-fan-culture/","keywords":["Television","Excerpt","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6bed7eec350c2a7/6998c8999fbc7c668cd9a49a/520252.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Keith Murphy","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/keith-murphy/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6bed7eec350c2a7/6998c8999fbc7c668cd9a49a/520252.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"F:PHOTOMediaFactory ActionsRequests DropBox42336#foxsimp_Super_Franchise_Me_SABF19_c3_hires2.jpg","caption":"F:PHOTOMediaFactory ActionsRequests DropBox42336#foxsimp_Super_Franchise_Me_SABF19_c3_hires2.jpg","creditText":"Courtesy of Fox","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7305104/simpsons-fan-culture/","name":"How The Simpsons Embraced—And Passionately Skewered—Its Fervent Fan Base"}}]}] ```