Audiobook11 hours
The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History
Written by John Ortved
Narrated by John Allen Nelson and Justine Eyre
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
The Simpsons is one of the most successful shows to ever run on television. From its first moment on air, the series's rich characters, subversive themes, and layered humor resounded deeply with audiences both young and old who wanted more from their entertainment than what was being meted out at the time by the likes of Full House, Growing Pains, and Family Matters. Spawned as an animated short on The Tracy Ullman Show-mere filler on the way to commercial breaks-the series grew from a controversial cult favorite to a mainstream powerhouse, and after nineteen years the residents of Springfield no longer simply hold up a mirror to our way of life: they have ingrained themselves into it.
John Ortved's oral history is the first-ever look behind the scenes at the creation and day-to-day running of The Simpsons, as told by many of the people who make it, including writers, animators, producers, and network executives. It's an intriguing yet hilarious tale, full of betrayal, ambition, and love. Like the family it depicts, the show's creative forces have been riven by dysfunction from the get-go-outsize egos clashing with studio executives and one another over credit for and control of a pop-culture institution. Contrary to popular belief, The Simpsons did not spring out of one man's brain, fully formed, like a hilarious Athena. Its inception was a process, with many parents, and this book tells the story.
John Ortved's oral history is the first-ever look behind the scenes at the creation and day-to-day running of The Simpsons, as told by many of the people who make it, including writers, animators, producers, and network executives. It's an intriguing yet hilarious tale, full of betrayal, ambition, and love. Like the family it depicts, the show's creative forces have been riven by dysfunction from the get-go-outsize egos clashing with studio executives and one another over credit for and control of a pop-culture institution. Contrary to popular belief, The Simpsons did not spring out of one man's brain, fully formed, like a hilarious Athena. Its inception was a process, with many parents, and this book tells the story.
Author
John Ortved
John Ortved's writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Interview, The New York Observer, and Vice. He is the author of The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History. He lives in New York City.
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Reviews for The Simpsons
Rating: 3.857142857142857 out of 5 stars
4/5
7 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An interesting look at the origins and development of The Simpsons. When the author sticks to the oral history, it is informative and often fascinating. When he editorializes, it is less so, particularly as he takes potshots at some of the big names involved in the show who were unwilling to participate in his interviews.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Want to know which real-life kissup exec Smithers is based on? How about Conan-in-the-writer's-room anecdotes? All of the behind-the-scenes intrigue, as well as some tedium, is here.An interesting oral history of the show and what goes into 20+ years of making a hit television series, The Simpsons offers an insiders look that aspiring comedy writers and Simpsons fans alike will enjoy. A casual Simpsons fan, I had no idea how limited Matt Groening's role in the series was/is. The true genius behind the show finally gets credit here. It seems that some combination that Sam Simon and the writer's room were the real force behind the show's hilarious and insightful first 4-10 seasons (depending on who you talk to.) A warning: The really casual Simpsons fan probably won't find all the detail interesting.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History read like a transcript to episode of E! TV's True Hollywood Story. John Ortved supplied much of the introductory story and background of the birth of The Simpsons, but as he delved into the first ten seasons and the trials and tribulations of writing a hit show with the caliber of humor as The Simpsons delivered week-after-week, the narrative of the book was mostly filled with either answers from interviews with the author, or citations and quotes from various other sources. At times the book was disjointed in the fact that so many excerpts and interview answers altered the tempo of verbiage; and in fact, several of the quotes were repeated during the concluding chapter. As well, it would not be a complete book on culture - especially about liberal Hollywood - without the obligatory slam on Rush Limbaugh. John Ortved writes a stereotypical characterization of the radio raconteur and in the next two pages, writers discuss how characters like Apu and Chief Wiggum are simply social archetypes of immigrant convenience store proprietors and police officers, respectively.I did appreciate the thoughtful criticism of The Simpsons and animated television Mr Ortved posits, his critiques are worthy of any pop culture or newsprint publication. It is very clear, as he laments the show lost its appeal around 2000 or by season ten. I likely learned more about the television writing process than I did about the show. There was no real new information about the halcyon epoch (season 2-10), but Ortved reveled in detailing behind-the-scene skirmishes. There were a few mini-biographies of some of the more prominent writers/showrunners; it also wouldn't be an 'unauthorized' history without some frank answers from those who sat in the room during 15-hour marathon rewriting sessions or a smattering of accusations or confirmations of dirt from anonymous sources.