Elements of Comedy in The Simpsons The television show "The Simpsons" is considered by many to be one of the greatest animated shows ever made. Incredibly popular with people of all ages, creator Matt Groening has combined numerous elements of humor to produce a truly original program. His goal is to never repeat the same joke twice. The year 2000 will mark the show's 10th anniversary (which adds many original jokes) and will highlight its success as TV's currently longest-running primetime series. Additionally, “The Simpsons” was selected to be the featured feature film at the sixth annual U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado. There, cast members will perform a previous episode in front of a live audience. "The Simpsons" is watched specifically for its humor. Never before has a TV show combined so many elements of humor and still contained enough original ideas to last 10 seasons. Even if some people don't care for the humor of The Simpsons, the show still has a significant following. One of the reasons "The Simpsons" is so popular is that the show addresses a wide variety of stereotypes through its characters. People can identify with stereotypes. Many of the characters are recognizable by name from week to week, and those who aren't take the form of a stereotypical profession or John Q's typical audience. The result is quite entertaining as everyone from the nerdy scientist to the lawyer chasing ambulances. Another reason "The Simpsons" has lasted so long is that much of its comedy comes from scenes and parodies of other shows or movies. Most viewers are familiar with a considerable number of old shows or movies, s... half of paper... jokes that would otherwise never have existed: exchanges between characters, commentary on society, and various events in the show. take an ironic-humorous turn. This type of humor is a defining characteristic of the show. Combined with the other aspects, "The Simpsons" will truly become an all-time classic series. Works CitedCarlisle, Henry C., ed. American satire in prose and verse. New York: Random House, 1962. Feinburg, Leonard. Introduction to satire. Ames, Iowa: The Iowa State University Press, 1967. Groening, Matt. The Simpsons A complete guide to our favorite family. Ed. Ray Richmond. New York: HarperPerrenial, 1997. Kim, James, and Cade Whitbourn. The Simpsons. "Matt Groening." 1998. School of Media and Communication. 23 November 2002. http://mdcm.artsunsw.edu.au/Students98/WhitbournC/innovate1/creator.html