I’m just curious, with the constant ridiculing of FOX that one sees on the Simpsons if that has ever caused serious problems with the channels executives?
I remember someone telling me that at one time the channel was actually worried about the power that the Simpsons “people” had at the channel and either almost cancelled the show or required there be a spin-off “Flanders” show (don’t remember how that went exactly).
Just curious if people have gotten fired or what not for the mocking…
…Please say the name of your stock to check the price…
Animotion.
…Animotion: Up 1 3/4…
Woohoo!
…Yahoo!: Up 6 1/2…
Huh? What is this crap?
…Fox Broadcasting: Down 10 1/2…
Bart: Can you say “bitch” on television?
Kent Brockman: Yes. On this network, you can.
I’ve never heard. My WAG is that Murdoch is smart enough not too care.
[REPO MAN]
“Fuck you!”
“Whatever - just keep making me money, kid.”
[/REPO MAN]
There was a famous incident a while back where some uptight schmucks at Fox News got pissed off when The Simpsons mocked their news ticker. (“Do Democrats cause cancer? Find out at 11!”)
Rupert told them to STFU & GBTW.
When the Simpsons featured Murdock holding a telethon and getting a large pledge called in, he states “You’ve saved my network.” The camera shows Bart at the other end stating 'It wouldn’t be the first time."
The Simpsons made Fox Network (after the “Big 3” turned them down), and I doubt that Fox would bite the hand that is feeding it, no matter how smelly that hand is.
Did the Big 3 turn them down? The Simpsons started off on another FOX show, The Tracy Ullman Show. Were they shopped to the other networks or developed specifically for FOX?
Shopped to other networks before Fox bought them as “bumpers” for the Ullman Show. No network thought an animated show would succeed. Fox was just starting out and willing to try anything.
The Sopranos was also offered to all the prime time networks and turned down by every one of them before HBO picked it up.
I always heard they were developed for Fox. The best I can offer for a Cite is from the Wikipedia Article:
I remember them on the Tracy Ullman show. They were easily the hi-light of the show. I remember the buzz of hearing that Fox was turning them into their own series. I remember joking with friends: “Does this mean they’ll be able to hire some professional animators?”
Simpsons would have to go a lot further than teasing Fox to get in serious trouble from the Fox executives.
Jim
I read somewhere that the Simpsons is the most profitable show in TV history. A long run, endless syndication, huge product marketing, and very low production costs == profit
They could probably have Bart take a dump on a picture of Rupert Murdoch, and he’d just laugh while counting his money.
My favorite:
Lisa: I didn’t know you knew Luke Perry.
Krusty: Know him? He’s my worthless half-brother.
Lisa: He’s a big TV star!
Krusty: [sneering] Yeah, on Fox.
“Fox turned into a hardcore porn channel so fast I didn’t even notice”
“Here at Fox your half baked ideas are all we’ve got!”
There was that episode where Rupert Murdoch played himself and said the line, “I’m Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire tyrant!”
One of my favorite Simpsons qoutes of all time.
Marge: (To lisa)“I know we’ve told you to stand up for yourself, but you’ve been doing that an awful lot lately”
Bart: “You made us march in that Gay Pride Parade”
*Homer: “Yeah, and we can’t watch FOX, because they own those chemical weapons plants in Syria” *
The Simpsons writers have pretty much diplomatic immunity. They recieve notes from the network, but they can ignore them if they choose to (and usually do). Random example: “Although we realize this is a dream sequence, please do not have Homer holding a sign reading ‘KILL MY BOY.’”
Besides the Fox News incident friedo commented about, there was a problem in the episode where Sideshow Bob plans to deploy a nuclear bomb if all TV stations don’t stop their broadcasting, according to the DVD commentary. Setting up Bob’s vendetta against television, Bob refers to TV as an “omnidirectional sludge pump” and bets that his own appearances “destroyed more young minds than syphillis and pinball combined.” One of the prisoners- Rupert Murdoch- interrupts Bob’s rant: “Now look here, that’s enough- I own 60% of that network.” Obviously, the folks at Fox were nervous about this, and there was some back-and-forth. Finally, they decided to ask Rupert himself, who said he would be pleased to appear as a prisoner on The Simpsons.
I thought it turned into a hardcore porn channel so gradually that no one noticed.
Wait, there’s more than the Simpsons on Fox?
If no one noticed, it doesn’t matter how sudden or gradual it was 
To paraphrase Troy McClure, “The Simpsons” can keep on needling Fox and Rupert Murdoch as long as the show remains profitable. Being able to bite the hand that feeds you is one of the perks you get if your program’s successful.
Okay, I get STFU–but what’s GBTW?