From practically the first episode, broadcast in 1989, The Simpsons impacted on planet TV like a giant multi-coloured meteor. With a claim to being the defining pop cultural phenomenon of the 1990s--hip, fast, sharp and primary--there was nothing even in rock & roll to match this. The Simpsons is possibly the greatest sitcom ever made. Although the animation was initially primitive, never before had cartoon characters been so well drawn. There had been loveable middle-aged layabouts on TV before, but Homer Simpson successfully stole their crown and out-slobbed them... all in every department ("The guys at the plant are gonna have a field day with this," he grumbles in "Call of The Simpsons" as he watches scientists on a TV news item who can't decide whether he is incredibly dense or a brilliant beast). However, in this first series he isn't quite yet the bloated man-child he would become in later series; instead he's a growling patriarch with a Walter Matthau-type voice. His sensible half Marge's croak, meanwhile, has yet to settle down, while the vast cast of minor Springfield characters have yet to find their place. Bart, however, was a smash from the start: dumb as Homer but spiky-haired and resourceful, he sets out his manifesto in "Bart the Genius"; while "Moaning Lisa" spotlights his over-achieving sister and is a good early example of the series' clever handling of melancholy bass notes. Throughout its life there's always been confusion as to whether The Simpsons is a show for kids or adults, but with allusions in these first 13 episodes to Kubrick, Diane Arbus, Citizen Kane and (in a very satisfyingly anti-French episode) Manon des Sources, it should already have been clear that this was a programme for all ages and all IQs from 0 to 200. Dysfunctional they may have been, but the Simpsons stuck together, and audiences stuck with them into the 21st century. --David Stubbs On the DVD: The packaging is good but the 13 episodes are spread very thinly here, with just five each on discs one and two . The commentary track is intermittently interesting though a tad repetitive, as creator David Groening is joined by various other members of the team. The third disc has some neat extra stuff, including outtakes, the original Tracey Ullman Show shorts and a five-minute BBC documentary, but is again fairly brief. The menu interfaces are pretty clunky, annoyingly forcing you to watch endless copyright warnings after each episode and with no facility to "play all". The content is wonderful, of course, but three discs looks like overkill. --Mark Walker [show more]
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Box set containing every episode from the first season of the popular animated comedy. In 'Some Enchanted Evening', Homer and Marge unwittingly leave their offspring in the care of the notorious Babysitter Bandit when they go out for an evening of romance. 'Bart the Genius' sees the spiky-haired one placed in a school for geniuses after switching test papers with Martin Prince, while in 'Homer's Odyssey', Homer develops a mania for safety after being fired from the nuclear power plant. 'There's No Disgrace Like Home' sees Homer forced to recognise a harsh home truth: his family is the worst in town! In 'Bart the General', Grampa helps Bart organise the local kids against school bullies, while 'Moaning Lisa' sees a disconsolate Lisa taking refuge in the saxaphonic strains of Bleeding Gums Murphy. In 'The Telltale Head', Bart reveals in flashbacks how he came to desecrate the statue of Springfield's founding father. 'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire' finds the dysfunctional family acquiring a new pet in the form of Santa's Little Helper, and in 'Call of the Simpsons', Homer manages to get himself and Bart stranded in the woods after losing his temper with his new mobile home. 'Homer's Night Out' sees Homer paying the price after showing himself up at a stag party, while in 'Life on the Fast Lane', Marge finds romance with bowling instructor Jacques. 'Krusty Gets Busted' sees Bart's television idol sent down for a crime he did not commit, and in 'The Crepes of Wrath', Bart is sent to France in exchange for a suspiciously curious-minded Albanian student.
Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play All 13 episodes Ratio 1331 Dolby 51 Surround Subtitles Spanish Disc 1 Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire Bart the Genius Homer&39;s Odyssey There&39;s No Disgrace Like Home Bart the General Moaning Lisa Bonus Features Original scripts featuring notes by Matt Groening for "Bart the Genius" "Bart the General" and "Moaning Lisa" All episodes are accompanied by commentary Disc 2 Call of the Simpsons The Telltale Head Life on the Fast Lane Homer&39;s Night Out The Crepes of Wrath Krusty Gets Busted Bonus Features All episodes are accompanied by commentary Disc 3 Some Enchanted Evening Bonus Features Original script notes by Matt Groening Outtakes from un-aired version of an episode Animatic of an episode with commentary by Matt Groening and David Silverman The Making of The Simpsons "America&39;s First Family" Easter Egg ABC News Special on a reported controversy "Tracey Ullman Show" First ever Simpsons to air on Tracey Ullman Show Five Foreign Language Clips Early Sketches Stills Gallery Magazine Covers
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