What a title! “The Episode That Almost Killed The Simpsons” is a bold proclamation, and I plan to back it up! You’re already thinking of a hundred possible episodes that could fit that description. For example, “The Principal and the Pauper” from Season 9 is considered by many to be the start of the long-running sitcom’s gradual decline. That’s the one in which Principal Skinner is revealed to be an imposter. Many of you undoubtedly thought of that as a potential candidate… and you’d be wrong!
Could I possibly be referring to the one with Lady Gaga? Well, it ain’t a classic, but that’s just a mediocre show within an excellent series. No real damage had been done, especially considering that episode aired during Season 23 and we’re on Season 36. Animation insiders speculated that “The Simpsons” would end as early as Season 4, and internet fans have been demanding its cancellation since at least Season 12. Despite the speculation and demand from certain parties, there has been no proof that the series was scheduled for cancellation at any point. And if you think I mean the episode that killed the show’s overall quality, you’re off the mark. It’s no secret that “The Simpsons” isn’t the program it once was, but I think it’s been consistently watchable since its inevitable decline. That decline was from “greatest comedy series ever” to “pretty good sitcom,” so I won’t lament the many changes over the years or complain about one less than stellar episode from recent years. For this, I’m going all the way back to the beginning.
“Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” aired on December 17, 1989, that functioned as both a standalone Christmas special and a pilot. Following the success the characters had in a series of shorts on “The Tracey Ullman Show,” The Simpsons eventually received 13 half-hour episodes on the FOX network. If the episodes were successful, more would be ordered. The Christmas special was a hit, and the series became a pop culture juggernaut. Of course, that means I’m not talking about the first episode. At least not the one we think of as the first episode. “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” aired first and does a tremendous job of setting up the universe/characters in a scene where Marge Simpson writes a Christmas card. It’s almost hard to believe that “…Open Fire” was produced as the 8th episode, but it was. The real pilot was, as Monty Python would say, “something completely different.”
The real pilot was an episode called “Some Enchanted Evening,” and it aired as Season One’s finale. In this initial tale, Marge is depressed because Homer takes her for granted. In an attempt to rectify the situation, Homer takes Marge out for a night of romance. While the adults get mushy, Marge hires a babysitter to watch the kids. Unbeknownst to the Simpsons, the “babysitter” turns out to be a notorious criminal who robs the homes of the folks who hire her. Will the Simpson children outsmart this fiend or the diabolical Babysitter Bandit (voiced by Penny Marshall) ensure this first episode is their last? Well, the answer is fairly obvious, but this “Simpsons” suspense story was a real Season One highlight to me as a kid. I suppose I noticed it was a little offbeat compared to what followed, but I didn’t notice anything too jarring. After all, Season One as a whole is much cruder than the other seasons, and that’s part of its charm. When I first saw “Some Enchanting Evening,” I had no idea how much the staff truly abhorred it.
According to legend, creator Matt Groening and producer James L. Brooks wanted an aesthetically unique show but one in which the characters moved in a realistic manner. Animation director Kent Butterworth and the folks at Klasky-Csupo (the animation house that worked on the first three seasons and later “Rugrats”) wanted a zany, nutty cartoon where nothing was on model and everything looked weird. The animation team in Korea heard from neither party, so they ended up just doing what they wanted. This led to a bugnutty show where every character moved like a rubber alien and consistency was an unknown concept. Now, I think this resulted in a fabulous bit of animation that would’ve put “The Simpsons” on an artistic path similar to “Ren & Stimpy” had it continued that way. Some animation enthusiasts even argue that this style is superior to what we eventually got, but FOX and the producers certainly didn’t agree. According to the audio commentary for the episode, James L. Brooks said, “That was shit.”
“What do you mean it was ‘shit?’,” replied an animator. To that, Brooks said, “A foul substance that causes disease.” And then the room went silent. Breaking the silence, the animator said, “Maybe the script is shit.” Suffice to say, FOX and the producers did not enjoy what they saw. They almost cancelled the entire project before it went to air. According to Matt Groening, there was a version of the show in which a bear rips the head off a Happy Little Eff (the stars of the in-universe cartoon) and drinks its blood. They had to wait a week for the second episode to return to see if the series could even make it to air. Groening couldn’t sleep that entire week.
Fortunately for everyone, the second show (“Bart the Genius” directed by the great David Silverman) was “workable,” and it continued from there. 70% of “Some Enchanted Evening” was reanimated, eventually becoming a fan favorite for the first season. According to Simpsons legend Al Jean, many viewers believed this episode was the best episode of the first season after the season ended. Though it wasn’t exactly what its creators wanted, “Some Enchanted Evening” is a mighty fine show, though it was certainly wise to start with the Christmas episode instead. Had things gone differently, “The Flintstones” might’ve remained the longest running animated sitcom. ¡Ay, caramba!
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