The story of TV’s longest-running sitcom and the characters who created it, marking twenty years on the airThe Simpsons will celebrate its twentieth anniversary this fall. No other TV show has had the enduring popularity or cultural influence that The Simpsons has. When it premiered in 1989, the enthusiastic reaction to its subversive humor was instantaneous. It is one of the most astounding successes in TV history. John Ortved’s unauthorized history—the first ever to look behind the scenes of this pop culture phenomenon—tells how the series grew from a controversial cult favourite to a mainstream powerhouse thanks to a group of intense, thoughtful, and creative people who came together to make something unique in the history of American culture. The writers, animators, producers, and network executives—as much a dysfunctional but loving family as the show’s stars themselves—are all here. It’s an intriguing yet hilarious tale full of betrayal, ambition, and love. More than an amusing narrative of the making of The Simpsons, this is an intimate look at the characters behind this cultural juggernaut—their creativity, intelligence, hubris, ego, and passion. The result is a book that is as amusing, dramatic, and compelling as the show itself. John Ortved is a 28-year-old writer and former editorial associate at Vanity Fair who lives between New York and Toronto, where he was born and raised. Growing up, he was no good at hockey, and was forced to find other ways to impress girls, like writing, working out, and smoking weed – none of which worked. At McGill University, where he earned his BA in English Literature (with a little economics), he wrote a weekly column, The Art Dummy, for The McGill Daily, which 6 out of 10 students considered “pretty awesome.”
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