CNN: The ‘Simpsons’ comedy tree
“Its probably not stretching the point to call “The Simpsons” a distillery of all things pop culture. After all, what other show has managed to work in comedic references to Tennessee Williams, Ayn Rand, Alfred Hitchcock, “The Great Escape” and bombastic Broadway musicals, all in one episode (“A Streetcar Named Marge”)?
However, in doing so, “The Simpsons” stands on the comedic shoulders of many that came before — and has influenced countless works that have arrived since. Here are just a few of the roots of the “Simpsons” comedy tree and the branches of those it gave life to. (The following, illustrated by the doughnut at the top of the story, is by no means complete, and each member has its own, sometimes overlapping influences.)
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Source: Is it time for ‘The Simpsons’ to ‘g’oh’?
