The Simpsons production history
The series has gone through numerous executive
producers, also known as show runners, throughout its run. The show runner is in
charge of every aspect of the show for the season's) he is currently serving as.
- Season 1–2: Matt Groening, James L.
Brooks, and Sam Simon
- Season 3–4: Al Jean and Mike Reiss
- Season 5–6: David Mirkin
- Season 7–8: Bill Oakley and Josh
Weinstein
- Season 9–12: Mike Scully
- Season 13–present: Al Jean
Writing
John Swartzwelder is the most famous of the
writers on the Simpsons' staff. He has written the most episodes and many of
them were the early classics. According to the DVD commentaries, he used to
write episodes while sitting at a booth in his favourite restaurant. When the
restaurant closed down, he bought the booth and had it installed in his house.
Current late-night talk show host Conan
O'Brien was a writer during the fourth and fifth season. He wrote "New Kid on
the Block" (9F06), "Marge vs. the Monorail" (9F10), "Homer Goes to College"
(1F02) and "Treehouse of Horror IV" (1F04).
Ian Maxtone-Graham has been a prominent writer
for The Simpsons since the eighth season.
The character Professor John Frink was named
for writer/producer John Frink.
Animation
The Simpsons has been animated by many
different studios over the past 18 years, both domestic and overseas. Throughout
the run of the animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, the animation
was solely produced domestically at Klasky Csupo. Klasky Csupo was also the
animation studio during the first three seasons of the half-hour length series,
however, due to the increased workload, production was now being subcontracted
to overseas studios, usually in Korea, where labor is cheaper. While character
and background layout is done by the domestic studio, inbetweening, colouring
and filming is done by the overseas studios. Throughout the years, different
overseas studios have animated different episodes, even episodes within the same
season.
The overseas animation studios are:
AKOM - 189 episodes
- Exclusively produced the first two seasons of
the series.
- Produced various episodes throughout the run
of the series.
Anivision - 55 episodes
- Produced animation for episodes from seasons
3-10.
Rough Draft Studios - 110 episodes
- Produced animation for episodes from season
four onwards.
U.S. Animation, Inc. - 2 episodes
- Jointly produced "Radioactive Man" with
Anivision.
- Produced "The Simpsons 138th Episode
Spectacular"
Toonzone Entertainment - 2 episodes
- Produced "The Fat and the Furriest" and "She
Used to Be My Girl".
During season four, Gracie Films made a
decision to switch domestic production to DPS Film Roman, which continues to
animate the show to this day. The last episode to be animated by Klasky Csupo
was "A Streetcar Named Marge".
After season 13, production was switched from
traditional cel animation to digital ink and paint. Originally, the switch was
intended to happen during season 12 with the episode "Tennis the Menace", but
after seeing the results, Gracie Films decided to hold off for two more seasons.
Tennis the Menace, however, being already completed, was broadcast this way. |
