It seems a rarity these days that The Simpsons have a victory in the ratings. If one of the other networks are showing “event television”, we use this as an excuse to explain a lower than average performance. But The Simpsons have overshadowed event television in the past – we just need to cast our minds back 20 years. Indeed, many of you reading this may not have even been born yet, but in a time when The Cosby Show was one of the highest rating shows on television, and The Winter Olympics were, well, the Olympics, a little episode titled ‘Homer At The Bat’ was born.
It was February 20, 1992, in the final months of Season 3 – the show’s 52nd episode, when our favorite family overcame these two powerhouses and reached the turning point of its popularity – the episode which made The Simpsons itself “event television”, skyrocketing Fox to its first ever victory in prime time.
So how did this episode come to be? Deadspin has compiled an excellent article on the making of this episode and the tale of its success. I recommend you take 5 minutes to read it.