Editing Matt Groening (section)

====Half-hour====
Although ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' was not a big hit,{{sfnp|Ortved|2007 |p=72}} the popularity of the shorts led to a half-hour spin-off in 1989. A team of production companies adapted ''The Simpsons'' into a half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The team included what is now the [[Klasky Csupo]] animation house. James L. Brooks negotiated a provision in the contract with the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with the show's content.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?id=568&IssueNum=32 |title=3rd Degree: Harry Shearer |access-date=September 1, 2006 |author=Kuipers, Dean |date=April 15, 2004 |publisher=Los Angeles: City Beat |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308105912/http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?id=568&IssueNum=32 |archive-date=March 8, 2008 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Groening said his goal in creating the show was to offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash" that they were watching.<ref name="toonterrific">{{cite magazine |first=Ken |last=Tucker |title=Toon Terrific |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=March 12, 1993 |page=48(3)}}</ref> The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989, with "[[Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire]]", a [[Christmas special]].<ref name=officialsite2>[http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/0101.htm "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730163543/http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/0101.htm |date=July 30, 2008 }} ''The Simpsons.com''. Retrieved on February 5, 2007</ref> "[[Some Enchanted Evening (The Simpsons)|Some Enchanted Evening]]" was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not broadcast until May 1990, as the last episode of the first season, because of animation problems.<ref>{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt |date=2001 |title=The Simpsons season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

The series quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, to the surprise of many. Groening said: "Nobody thought ''The Simpsons'' was going to be a big hit. It sneaked up on everybody."{{sfnp|Lloyd|1999}} ''The Simpsons'' was co-developed by Groening, Brooks, and [[Sam Simon]], a writer-producer with whom Brooks had worked on previous projects. Groening and Simon, however, did not get along{{sfnp|Ortved|2007 |p=72}} and were often in conflict over the show;{{sfnp|Morgenstern|1990}} Groening once described their relationship as "very contentious."{{sfnp|Scott|2001}} Simon eventually left the show in 1993 over creative differences.<ref name="ew">{{cite magazine |title=Conan on being left out of "Simpsons Movie" |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20035285_20035331_20046980,00.html |last=Snierson |first=Dan |date=July 18, 2007 |access-date=September 4, 2007 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020044407/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C20046980%2C00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Like the main family members, several characters from the show have names that were inspired by people, locations or films. The name "Wiggum" for police chief [[Chief Wiggum]] is Groening's mother's maiden name.{{sfnp|Groening|2001b |pp=90–91}} The names of [[List of characters from The Simpsons|a few other characters]] were taken from street names in Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon, including [[Ned Flanders|Flanders]], [[Reverend Lovejoy|Lovejoy]], [[Herb Powell|Powell]], [[Mayor Quimby|Quimby]] and [[List of Springfield Elementary School students#Kearney Zzyzwicz|Kearney]].<ref name="vancouversun">{{cite web|title=Painting the town in Portland |date=January 6, 2007 |last=Blake |first=Joseph |work=The Vancouver Sun |url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/travel/story.html?id=f90268d8-6a5b-438d-9509-f03ecff27cc1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214080316/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/travel/story.html?id=f90268d8-6a5b-438d-9509-f03ecff27cc1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 14, 2007 |access-date=January 13, 2007 }}</ref> Despite common fan belief that [[Sideshow Bob|Sideshow Bob Terwilliger]] was named after SW Terwilliger Boulevard in Portland, he was actually named after the character Dr. Terwilliker from the film ''[[The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T]]''.<ref name="mtv">{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1565538/20070725/story.jhtml |title='Simpsons' Trivia, From Swearing Lisa To 'Burns-Sexual' Smithers |access-date=August 17, 2007 |date=July 26, 2007 |author=Larry Carroll |publisher=MTV |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220140402/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1565538/20070725/story.jhtml |archive-date=December 20, 2007}}</ref>

Although Groening has pitched a number of spin-offs from ''The Simpsons'', those attempts have been unsuccessful. In 1994, Groening and other ''Simpsons'' producers pitched a live-action spin-off about [[Krusty the Clown]] (with [[Dan Castellaneta]] playing the lead role), but were unsuccessful in getting it off the ground.<ref name=avclub/><ref name="npr">From a radio interview with Groening that aired on the [https://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=22-Apr-98 April 22, 1998 edition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025093431/http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=22-Apr-98 |date=October 25, 2013 }} of ''[[Fresh Air]]'' on [[National Public Radio|NPR]]. [https://www.npr.org/ramfiles/fa/19980422.fa.ram Link to stream] (''13 minutes, 21 seconds in'')</ref> Groening has also pitched "Young Homer" and a spin-off about the non-Simpsons citizens of [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]].<ref name=shortfilms>{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt; Oakley, Bill;, Weinstein, Josh; Appel, Richard; Cohen, David; Pulido, Rachel; Smith, Yeardley; Reardon, Jim; Silverman, David |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "22 Short Films About Springfield" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

In 1995, Groening got into a major disagreement with Brooks and other ''Simpsons'' producers over "[[A Star Is Burns]]", a [[fictional crossover|crossover]] episode with ''[[The Critic]]'', an animated show also produced by Brooks and staffed with many former ''Simpsons'' crew members. Groening claimed that he feared viewers would "see it as nothing but a pathetic attempt to advertise ''The Critic'' at the expense of ''The Simpsons''," and was concerned about the possible implication that he had created or produced ''The Critic''.{{sfnp|Paul|1995}} He requested his name be taken off the episode.<ref name="latimes">{{cite web|title=Matt Groening's Reaction to The Critic's First Appearance on The Simpsons |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://www.critic.nohomers.net/Special_Extras_Matt_Groening_Reaction.html |last=Brennan |first=Judy |date=March 3, 1995 |access-date=September 4, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070831075427/http://critic.nohomers.net/Special_Extras_Matt_Groening_Reaction.html |archive-date=August 31, 2007}}</ref>

Groening is credited with writing or co-writing the episodes "Some Enchanted Evening", "[[The Telltale Head]]", "[[Colonel Homer]]" and "[[22 Short Films About Springfield]]". He also co-wrote and produced ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'', released in 2007.<ref name="variety">{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2006/film/features/homer-going-to-bat-in-07-1117940840/ |title=Homer going to bat in '07 |access-date=July 3, 2006 |author=Fleming, Michael |date=April 2, 2006 |magazine=Variety |archive-date=October 29, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061029045609/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117940840.html?categoryid=14&cs=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> He has had several [[cameo appearance]]s in the show, with a speaking role in the episode "[[My Big Fat Geek Wedding]]". He currently serves at ''The Simpsons'' as an executive producer and [[creative consultant]].