The Simpsons premieres tonight on Fox, still going strong more than two decades after its 1989 inception.
In the intervening 23 years, there has been a vast number of Simpsons references in pop culture, and the show is rooted in popular culture for its influence on modern, adult-centric animated fare. (In fact, it spawned the now-common cliche “ Simpsons did it” referring to the fact that most night-time animation has, at times, leaned heavily on the sitcom for inspiration or direct lifting.)
Although it has come under criticism many, many times for declining quality or outright creative death, the show continues to draw steady ratings and a rabid fanbase. So it’s probably not too surprising that Fox is rumored to be considering a 24-hour Simpsons channel, dedicated to Simpsons and only Simpsons fare. If it sounds a bit same-y, perhaps it is, but News Corp CEO Chase Carey indicates that the possibility is strong we’ll see some profit-wringing from the franchise:
“The point I was making, which I will reemphasize, is that this is a unique franchise…and it provides us a unique opportunity to do some interesting things with it. The Simpsons has been on the air for 23 seasons, yielding a library of programming few series could ever amass.”
The all-day, every-day Simpsons channel is certainly a possibility, but it’s not one in the very imminent future of the show. Per distribution agreements, any such arrangement would be at least a year out, if not more. Would you tune in to a 24-hour Simpsons channel, or do you think you’d tire of it relatively quickly?
