The Tracey Ullman Show is a weekly all-
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
variety showA variety show or variety entertainment is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and comedy skits, and normally introduced by a compère or host. The variety format made its way from Victorian era stage to radio to television...
, hosted by British
comedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain members of an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and onetime
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
singer
Tracey UllmanTracey Ullman is an award-winning British stage and television actor, comedian, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author with American citizenship....
. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the
FOXThe Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...
network's second primetime series (after
Married... with ChildrenMarried... with Children or Married with Children is an American sitcom about a dysfunctional family living in Chicago that lasted 11 seasons. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, debuted on April 5, 1987, and aired its final first-run broadcast on June...
), and ran until May 26, 1990. The show features
sketch comedySketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
along with many
musical numbersA number in music is a self-contained piece that is combined with other such pieces in a performance. In a concert of popular music, for example, the individual songs or pieces performed are often referred to as "numbers." The term is applied also to sections of large vocal works when the...
, featuring choreography by
Paula AbdulPaula Julie Abdul is an American pop singer, record producer, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality....
. It also produced the animated series
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
. This is the first show produced by
Gracie FilmsGracie Films is an American film and television production company, created by James L. Brooks in 1986. The company has produced many award-winning films and television series, including Broadcast News, Jerry Maguire, and most notably The Simpsons...
and also produced by
20th Century Fox TelevisionTwentieth Century Fox Television, Inc. is the television production division of the Fox movie studio, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
.
By the 1980s, acclaimed television producer,
James L. BrooksJames L. Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the CBS...
, (producer of
The Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 to March 19, 1977...
,
TaxiTaxi is an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982, on ABC, and from 1982 to 1983, on NBC. The series, which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series," focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher...
, and
RhodaRhoda is an American television sitcom starring Valerie Harper. It was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and ran for five seasons between 1974-1978. Harper played the lead role of Rhoda Morgenstern, who was the spunky, weight conscious, flamboyantly-fashioned best friend of Mary Richards...
), had left the television industry for the big screen.
The Tracey Ullman Show is a weekly all-
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
variety showA variety show or variety entertainment is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and comedy skits, and normally introduced by a compère or host. The variety format made its way from Victorian era stage to radio to television...
, hosted by British
comedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain members of an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and onetime
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
singer
Tracey UllmanTracey Ullman is an award-winning British stage and television actor, comedian, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author with American citizenship....
. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the
FOXThe Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...
network's second primetime series (after
Married... with ChildrenMarried... with Children or Married with Children is an American sitcom about a dysfunctional family living in Chicago that lasted 11 seasons. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, debuted on April 5, 1987, and aired its final first-run broadcast on June...
), and ran until May 26, 1990. The show features
sketch comedySketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
along with many
musical numbersA number in music is a self-contained piece that is combined with other such pieces in a performance. In a concert of popular music, for example, the individual songs or pieces performed are often referred to as "numbers." The term is applied also to sections of large vocal works when the...
, featuring choreography by
Paula AbdulPaula Julie Abdul is an American pop singer, record producer, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality....
. It also produced the animated series
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
. This is the first show produced by
Gracie FilmsGracie Films is an American film and television production company, created by James L. Brooks in 1986. The company has produced many award-winning films and television series, including Broadcast News, Jerry Maguire, and most notably The Simpsons...
and also produced by
20th Century Fox TelevisionTwentieth Century Fox Television, Inc. is the television production division of the Fox movie studio, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
.
Background
By the 1980s, acclaimed television producer,
James L. BrooksJames L. Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the CBS...
, (producer of
The Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 to March 19, 1977...
,
TaxiTaxi is an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982, on ABC, and from 1982 to 1983, on NBC. The series, which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series," focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher...
, and
RhodaRhoda is an American television sitcom starring Valerie Harper. It was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and ran for five seasons between 1974-1978. Harper played the lead role of Rhoda Morgenstern, who was the spunky, weight conscious, flamboyantly-fashioned best friend of Mary Richards...
), had left the television industry for the big screen. At the time that he won the Oscar for his film,
Terms of EndearmentTerms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry.-Plot:Aurora and Emma Greenway Horton are mother and daughter searching for love. Beginning with Emma's marriage, Aurora reveals how difficult and caring she can be...
, Brooks began receiving videotapes from Ullman's
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
agent, hoping to get his attention. Ullman, who was already famous in her homeland, England, was already landing a variety of television deals and proposals in
AmericaThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but none had panned out. These projects didn't suit Ullman's interests. "[They were] shows with morals, where everyone learns something at the end of the show," related Ullman to a television critic for
TV Guide in 1989, describing the television show ideas that were offered to her. Brooks was so taken by what he saw in Ullman, that he decided to take the young Brit under his wing and return to television. Brooks was determined to develop the right vehicle to showcase Ullman's talents: acting, dancing, and singing.
Ullman had already had a successful music career in the early 1980s, in the UK, and had a top 10 hit on the American charts. She got her first taste of America and American audiences doing a press tour for the her hit single, "
They Don't Know"They Don't Know" is a song written by Kirsty MacColl. MacColl recorded it in 1979. It became popular on radio in the United Kingdom reaching #2 on the Airplay chart; however, complications involving a strike at her distributors prevented the single from being shipped and promoted properly,...
". Brooks decided on a variety show format, something that hadn't been seen on American television since
The Carol Burnett ShowThe Carol Burnett Show is a sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner...
. Little did Ullman know that upon moving to Los Angeles in 1985, she'd soon star in a hit television series that would kick start a small unknown television network, and spin-off one of the longest running television series in American television history, all while catapulting her to stardom on both sides of the
AtlanticThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
.
Format
A typical episode would begin with Ullman giving a brief introduction, ostensibly from her dressing room, leading into the opening titles (the show's theme, "You're Thinking Right", was written by
George ClintonGeorge Clinton is an American singer, songwriter and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and began his work as a solo artist in 1981. He has been called one of the most prominent...
). Then two or three comedy sketches would be presented, most designed to showcase Ullman's ability to skillfully mimic various accents. One popular recurring character was timid, slow-talking Kay ("Iiit's... Kaaaaaaaayyy...")
Typically, the final sketch of the night would include a musical and/or dance number featuring Ullman solo or other members of the cast. The final segment saw Ullman, clad in a robe, deliver a closing monologue to the studio audience before ending the show with her catchphrase "Go Home! Go Home!" and dancing as the credits rolled. Ullman often talked about her husband, Allan McKeown, and her daughter, Mabel. Ullman chose the phrase, "Go home," during show's pilot episode because she couldn't think of anything clever to end with. "Oh, you got sore bums... go home!"
The show won three
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
s: for
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program in 1989 and 1990, for
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 1990. Also in 1989, choreographer
Paula AbdulPaula Julie Abdul is an American pop singer, record producer, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality....
won the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding ChoreographyThis is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.-Award winners:1950s* 1955 June Taylor – The Jackie Gleason Show* 1956 Tony Charmoli – Your Hit Parade* 1959 Hermes Pan – An Evening with Fred Astaire1970s...
for her work Abdul was noted for putting Tracey through strenuous choreographed routines. Ullman had been a trained dancer.
Cast
- Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American film, theatre and television actor, comedian, voice artist and television writer...
- Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner is an American film and television actress, comedienne and voice artist. Noted for her role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, she also voices other characters for the show, including Patty and Selma Bouvier.Born in Los Angeles, Kavner grew up in...
(seasons 1–3)
- Anna Levine
Anna Kluger Levine is an American actress. She has also been credited as Anna Levine Thompson and Anna Thomson.-Filmography:* Desperately Seeking Susan as Crystal* Murphy's Romance as Wanda...
(season 3)
- Joseph Malone
The actor, Joseph Malone, was a cast member of The Tracey Ullman Show, he played himself and other various characters....
- Sam McMurray
Sam McMurray is an American television, film and voice actor. He was a featured player on The Tracey Ullman Show and had minor roles in the films Raising Arizona, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, LA Story, The Wizard, and C.H.U.D....
- Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman is an award-winning British stage and television actor, comedian, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author with American citizenship....
Guest stars
- Judith Barsi
Judith Eva Barsi was an American actress. She was small in stature and often played characters younger than her actual age.On July 25, 1988, at the age of 10, she was murdered by her father.-Life and career:...
Karen (2 episodes, 1987-1988)
- Mel Brooks
Melvin "Mel" Kaminsky , better known by his stage name Mel Brooks, is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer, best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. Brooks is a member of the short list of entertainers with the distinction...
a movie director (one episode, 1990)
- Clarence Clemons
Clarence Clemons , affectionately known as The Big Man, is an American musician and actor. Since 1972 he has been a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the saxophone. He has also released several solo albums and in 1985 had a hit single with "You're a Friend of Mine", a...
member of Shopaholics Anonymous (one episode, 1989)
- Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as deranged stalker Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction...
Virginia Winslow (one episode, 1990)
- Robert Costanzo
Robert Costanzo is an American actor. He has an acting career spanning over thirty years and is often found playing surly New York types such as crooks or low level workers and mixes both drama and comedy roles....
Big Tony Manetti (2 episodes, 1989-1990)
- Tim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is an English actor, singer, composer and voice artist, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
rock star (one episode, 1989)
- Anne De Salvo Psychiatric Patient / ... (2 episodes, 1989)
- Fran Drescher
Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher is an Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-nominated American film and television actress, comedian, screenwriter, tv director, producer, author, activist and political lobbyist best known for playing Fran Fine on the television series The Nanny.-Early life:Drescher was born...
sales clerk (one episode, 1990)
- Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer , best known as Kelsey Grammer, is an American actor best known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane in the NBC sitcoms Cheers and Frasier , and providing the voice of Sideshow Bob on the Fox animated series The Simpsons...
(one episode, 1990)
- Doris Grau
Doris Grau was an American actress, script supervisor and voice artist, perhaps most famous for her work in later life on The Simpsons, where she provided the voice for Lunchlady Doris and other characters....
Carla, Office Worker / ... (3 episodes, 1988-1989)
- Marilu Henner
Marilu Lucy Henner is an American actress, producer and author.-Early life:Born "Mary Lucy Denise Henner" in Chicago, Illinois to a Greek mother and Polish father. Marilu's father and brother changed the family name from "Pudlowski" to "Henner" for business purposes. Henner was raised on the...
one of three expectant mothers (one episode, 1989)
- Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. While she has been a successful songwriter for decades, her singing career and fame peaked during the first half of the 1970s....
member of Shopaholics Anonymous (one episode, 1989)
- Cheech Marin
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian and actor who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's quick-and-scheme partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
a convenience store owner (one episode, 1987)
- Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American actress and comedienne.-Life and career:Martin, the oldest of three children, was born in Portland, Maine, of Armenian heritage, in 1947. Her father owned Martins, a grocery store. Her early success was found in Canada...
a psychiatrist (one episode, 1989)
- Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician, and composer. He was raised in Southern California in a Baptist family, where his early influences were working at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm and working magic and comedy acts at these and...
choreographer who has developed some ridiculous moves (one episode, 1987)
- Maureen McGovern
Maureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well-known for her premier rendition of the song, "We May Never Love Like This Again" for the movie The Towering Inferno .-Early life:...
a woman who can only sing in the car (one episode, 1987)
- Harvey Miller
Harvey Miller may be:* Harvey R. Miller, a New York lawyer* Keith Harvey Miller, a former governor of Alaska* SS Harvey C. Miller, a Liberty ship, see List of Liberty ships: G-Je...
Fuzzy Bear / ... (2 episodes, 1987-1988)
- Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry is Canadian-American television and film actor.Matthew Perry or Matt Perry may also refer to:*Matthew C. Perry , American naval officer, led the effort to open Japan to trade with the West...
(one episode, 1987)
- Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was an American soul musician from Houston, Texas, raised mostly in Los Angeles, California...
member of Shopaholics Anonymous (one episode, 1989)
- Bill Pullman
William James "Bill" Pullman is an American film, television, and stage actor.-Early life:Pullman was born in Hornell, New York, the son of Johanna , a nurse, and James Pullman, a physician. His father's family descends from England and his maternal grandparents were immigrants from Holland...
a magazine writer (one episode, 1990)
- Cesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. was a Cuban American film and television actor, best known for his portrayal of The Joker in the 1960s television series Batman...
Roland Diego (one episode, 1988)
- Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background:Rossellini is the daughter of Swedish...
Mae / ... (3 episodes, 1989-1990)
- Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, writer, singer and producer. He is best known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
Doc the Elvis Presley freak / ... (2 episodes, 1989-1990)
- Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. In a career of over four decades, Spielberg's films have touched on many themes and genres. Spielberg's early sci-fi and adventure films, sometimes centering on children, were seen as an archetype of modern...
Himself (one episode, 1989)
- Harold Sylvester
Harold Sylvester is an American film and television actor.Sylvester was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. A graduate of New Orleans' St. Augustine High School and Tulane University, Sylvester is best known for his role on the TV series Married... with Children as Griff, the co-worker and friend of...
David Black / ... (2 episodes, 1988-1989)
- Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Biography:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
gym teacher (one episode, 1989)
- Michael Tucker
Michael Tucker may refer to:*Michael Tucker , *Michael Tucker , Major League Baseball outfielder*Michael Tucker , film director*Michael S. Tucker, American Army general*Mick Tucker of Sweet...
a Baltimore resident (one episode, 1989)
- Smith Wordes Dancer (9 episodes, 1990)
- John William Young Jonathan / ... (5 episodes, 1987-1989)
Series directors
- Ted Bessell (unknown episodes)
- Paul Flaherty (one episode, 1987)
- Art Wolff (unknown episodes)
Series writers
- Jeff Baron
Jeff Baron is an award-winning playwright from New York. He grew up in New Jersey and currently lives in Manhattan. He has a degree in film production from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.- Visiting Mr. Green :...
(unknown episodes)
- Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American film, theatre and television actor, comedian, voice artist and television writer...
(unknown episodes)
- Paul Flaherty (13 episodes, 1987)
- Marc Flanagan (unknown episodes)
- Susan Gauthier (unknown episodes)
- Paul Haggis
Paul Edward Haggis is a Canadian-American screenwriter, producer and film director who spent his early career producing and directing various American and Canadian television network series.-Personal life:...
(unknown episodes)
- Sue Herring (unknown episodes)
- Holly Holmberg Brooks (unknown episodes)
- David Isaacs
David Isaacs is an American television writer. He has written episodes of M*A*S*H, Cheers, its spin-off Frasier, and The Simpsons with Ken Levine....
(unknown episodes)
- Ken Levine
Ken Levine is a writer, director and producer in the television and film industry. Levine has worked on a number of television shows, including M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier, The Simpsons, Wings, Everybody Loves Raymond, Becker, and Dharma and Greg...
(unknown episodes)
- Heide Perlman (unknown episodes)
- Michael Sardo (2 episodes, 1989)
- Guy Shulman (unknown episodes)
- Sam Simon
Sam Simon is an American television producer and writer, most notable as one of the original developers of The Simpsons, along with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks...
(unknown episodes)
Characters
Tracey performed an array of characters. Most only appeared once, as the sketches concentrated on plot, with characters created to best tell that particular storyline. A handful of characters did however return for subsequent sketches. These include:
Ginny Tillman
, the ex-wife of a Beverly Hills proctologist; Francesca McDowell
, a 14-year-old girl being raised by her father Dave (portrayed by Castellaneta) and his partner William (McMurray); Tina
, a postal employee who is best friends with her co-worker Meg (Kavner); Sarah Downey
, quintessential yuppie married to attorney Greg (Castellaneta); Kay Clark
, office worker and caregiver to her sick mother (Kay also appeared frequently in Tracey Takes On); Sandra Decker
, aged movie actress; Kiki Howard-Smith
, professional golfer; Summer Storm
, disc jockey; and Angel Tish
, a singer who appeared with her husband Marty (Castellaneta).
Among the recurring characters portrayed by other cast members, besides those previously mentioned, were Gulliver Dark
(McMurray), singer and rival to Marty Tish, and Dr. Alexander Gibson (Castellaneta), psychiatrist.
In the course of its four season run, Ullman performed a total of 108 characters.
The Simpsons vignettes
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
family debuted in short
animated cartoonAn animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
s on
The Tracey Ullman Show before being spun off into their own half-hour series. These shorts, also called "
bumpersIn broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper or break bumper is a brief announcement, usually two to 15 seconds, placed between a pause in the program and its commercial break, and vice versa...
", aired before and after commercial breaks during the first three seasons of the show.
All of them were written by
Matt GroeningMatthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell and the television series The Simpsons and Futurama....
and animated at
Klasky-CsupoKlasky Csupo, Inc. is a multimedia entertainment production company located in Los Angeles, California, founded by artist/producer, Arlene Klasky and animator, Gábor Csupó.- History :...
by a team of animators consisting of
David SilvermanDavid Silverman is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, as well as The Simpsons Movie...
, Wes Archer, and
Bill KoppBill Kopp is an American animator and voice actor who animated the Whammy on the 1980s game show Press Your Luck, and voiced the title character on Nelvana's Eek! The Cat and Kutter in The Terrible Thunderlizards, which he created with Savage Steve Holland...
. In the beginning, the drawings appeared very crude because the animators were more or less just tracing over Groening's storyboards, but as the series developed, so did the designs and layouts of the characters and the "Simpsons drawing style" was ultimately conceived. This style evolved even more throughout the first few seasons of
The Simpsons and was used more than a decade later on
FuturamaFuturama is an animated American sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, another animated series created by Matt Groening.
Dr. N!Godatu
Dr. N!GodatuM. K. Brown is a cartoonist and painter whose work has appeared in many publications, including National Lampoon , Mother Jones, Wimmen's Comix, The New Yorker, Playboy and more. She has written several books, created animations for The Tracey Ullman Show, and was a contributing artist in Voyager's...
was another series of animated shorts created by M.K. Brown (and animated by the same Klasky-Csupo team). It originally alternated every other week with the
Simpsons shorts, but was dropped after the first season of the show. By this point, Groening's shorts had gained much more popularity and the producers saw no reason to continue Brown's shorts.
External links