The Simpsons has gotten away with TV’s most cutting humor, skewering topical trends and timeless human nature with gonzo impudence. That’s been its slant ever since creator Matt Groening made the first crude Simpsons shorts for The Tracy Ullman Show. “We attack everything equally,” producer-writer David Mirkin said. “Government is a big idiot. Big business is a big idiot. Any authority figures are big idiots. All religions are made fun of.” And that will again be the show’s game plan when The Simpsons starts its 17th season Sunday on Fox. The Simpsons has maintained high standards of humor, invention and subversiveness. TV’s funniest show also doesn’t need the crutch of most sitcoms: a laugh track. Its creators trust viewers to provide their own. Mirkin said live-action sitcoms also suffer from other network restraints not felt by The Simpsons. They’re test-screened and edited “to get rid of everything that can be offensive,” he said.
SOURCE: Houston Chronicle