Do the Simpsons writers ever get in trouble for constantly mocking FOX?

[mobo85]

@ftg

There was also a NBC/Frasier reference in the episode with Sideshow Bob’s brother (played by David Hyde Pierce).

I had forgotten about that. Frasier had “title cards” before each scene in the show. The second act opens with a parody title card reading “Frasier is a show on the NBC television network.”

And while we’re commenting on references to other networks, one from Behind the Laughter is one of my favorite types of gags, an irony gag. Apparently, according to Homer’s view of it, the other networks turned the idea for The Simpsons down before Fox picked it up. To represent this, we see a graphic of a road and the logos of ABC, NBC, and…Telemundo.

[Marley23]

@Lord Ashtar

Married…with Children used to make fun of Fox all the time, too.

Self-mockery is a Fox tradition at this point. The X-Files did it occasionally - they did a mock-Cops episode, and Mulder ‘quoted’ When Animals Attack once. And let’s not forget how Family Guy returned to the air:

Peter Griffin: [hanging up the phone] Everybody, I’ve got bad news. We’ve been cancelled.
Lois Griffin: Oh no! Peter, how could they do that?
Peter Griffin: Well, unfortunately, Lois, there’s just no more room on the schedule. We’ve just got to accept the fact that Fox has to make room for terrific shows like Dark Angel, Titus, Undeclared, Action, That 80’s Show, Wonderfalls, Fastlane, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Skin, Girls Club, Cracking Up, The Pitts, Firefly, Get Real, FreakyLinks, Wanda at Large, Costello, The Lone Gunmen, A Minute With Stan Hooper, Normal, Ohio, Pasadena, Harsh Realm, Keen Eddy, The $treet, American Embassy, Cedric The Entertainer, The Tick, Luis, and Greg the Bunny.
Lois Griffin: Is there no hope?
Peter Griffin: Well, I suppose if all those shows go down the tubes, we might have a shot.