'The Simpsons' debuted on FOX on December 17, 1989, two years after the family began to be featured during short sketches on the “Tracy Ullman Show.”
The critically-acclaimed and at times controversial show has become the longest-running sitcom of all-time in the U.S. and has garnered several honors, including 34 Primetime Emmys.
The Simpsons kept us laughing with its constant GenX references to video games, fast food mascots, horror movies, popular TV shows and our favorite entertainers.
How many cartoons do you know that have Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg, Michelle Pfieffer, Danny DeVito, 50 Cent, RZA, Empire’s Taraji P. Henson the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Michael Jackson as special guests?
The Simpsons even managed to get important political figures, on the show.
But what made the Simpsons episodes so entertaining and especially the '90s-era' wasn't just the pop culture references. The characters' personalities were easy to identify and individual episode plots were well-structured.
The jokes were more than just punchlines. The gags could be dark, poignant and multilayered.