Synopsis: The longest-running primetime animated series in history, and now the longest-running sitcom currently on primetime, THE SIMPSONS has changed the medium forever.

THE SIMPSONS has been honored with a Peabody Award, 12 Emmy Awards, 15 Annie Awards, three Genesis Awards, seven International Monitor Awards and four Environmental Media Awards, among numerous other nods.

On January 14, 2000, the series' tenth anniversary, THE SIMPSONS received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Certainly a colorful family, the Simpsons reside in the town of Springfield. Homer works at the local nuclear power plant; Marge takes pride in her family and her hair; 10-year-old Bart has the refined skills of a mischievious underachiever; Lisa, the intelligent member of the family, is a jazz saxophone playing eight-year-old vegetarian; and baby Maggie conveys a wide range of emotions via pacifier sucks.

Giving voice to the family are Dan Castellaneta as Homer, Julie Kavner as Marge, Nancy Cartwright as Bart and Yeardley Smith as Lisa. Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer also provide the voices of a myriad of characters.

THE SIMPSONS, created by cartoonist Matt Groening, first appeared in 1987 as a series of 30-second shorts produced by Groening for the FOX series "The Tracey Ullman Show."

Response to the spots was so positive that THE SIMPSONS became a show of its own, premiering on FOX as a half-hour Christmas special on Dec. 17, 1989, and then as a regular series on Jan. 14, 1990.

The show has transformed the way the television industry and audiences perceive animation and comedy series in general. Evidenced by the proliferation and success of new animated series which appeal to adults, THE SIMPSONS has become the standard against which all others are measured. One aspect of its appeal may be that the show's producers and writers, socially savvy, well-educated and irreverent, work throughout the year to fill each episode with erudite references and sight gags. For enthusiasts, VCRs are a must. As Groening has often said, "You get rewarded for paying attention."

Each episode takes six to eight months to produce, so changes are frequently made to keep references topical.