Why ‘The Simpsons’ Almost Never Happened

At the time, Groening was planning to present another project for a series of animated short films The Tracey Ullman Showbut concerns about the future of the then-fledgling Fox network prompted him to change course at the last minute.

The decision ultimately led to the creation of a television institution that lasted for decades and generated enormous wealth through syndication, merchandise, theme parks and spin-off projects.

A source familiar with the show’s history told us, “It’s remarkable and a little hilarious to think that one of the biggest entertainment companies in history was built because Matt made a split-second decision. If he had gone to that meeting with his original pitch, television history could have been very different.”

Another industry insider added, “The irony is that concerns about Fox’s survival drove him to create the very property that would go on to become one of the network’s defining successes.”

Speaking about the moment his career changed, Groening explained why he abandoned his original idea.

He said, “I was going to do something else, and right before I met Jim… I thought to myself, ‘You know, this is a Fox network, it’s brand new, it’s probably going to fail. I better come up with something new so that if it doesn’t work out, I have something else to fall back on.'”

When asked whether characters like Homer Simpson or Bart Simpson had already been developed before the meeting, Groening made it clear that this was not the case.

He said, “No, not at all.”

According to Groening, the concept that it would become a global cultural phenomenon was actually invented on the spot, a memory later echoed by Brooks.

The producer said Groening pitched the idea “on the spot,” launching one of the most influential animated series in television history.

Groening also recalled how the format for the original shorts became smaller and smaller as the plans evolved.

He said: “The first thing he said was, ‘You have two minutes per episode.’ And I said, ‘Oh my God, how can you tell a story in two minutes? That’s impossible.’

“And then he called me back and said, ‘I’m sorry, it’s only going to be one minute.’ And then he called me back and said, ‘It’s not one minute, it’s four 15-second clips.’

“So the whole success of the Tracey Ullman show shorts were based on 15-second cartoons.”

The Simpsons debuted as an animated short film on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 before launching as a standalone primetime series in December 1989.

It has since become the longest-running scripted television show in American history and recently celebrated its 800th episode.

Earlier this year, Groening reflected on the longevity of the program.

“You like to think that something will last forever, but in our case it apparently does,” the animator noted. “So it’s really wild. I couldn’t have anticipated this amount of longevity, attention and enthusiasm.”

Today, Groening’s estimated fortune of $600 million is not only fueled by… The Simpsonsbut also through Futurama, Disillusionment, and his early comic strip Life in hellcementing his status as one of the most successful figures in modern animation.