Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Here is a party challenge. Could you watch every episode of The Simpson’s Show in one sitting? Better make some coffee for the event because the FXX Channel will be airing an epic 12-day binge of the show.  If you are one of those who like to buy boxed sets of every episode or season of your favorite show that can cost you anywhere from 50 to 300 bucks depending on what show turns you on. Be cheap and tape the event if your Tivo or cable recorded list can keep that much recorded time.


The Simpsons marathon begins with the series premier and subsequent episodes running through September 1st. On August 29th you can see the Simpson’s Movie. I guess it is a way to let everyone know a new cable channel called FXX. It is new and yet promoting a very old show. The show is approaching its 25th Anniversary in December. How many couples do you know anymore that can approach 25 years together anymore? Yet we all have spent 25 years with this show where no one gets older and they all stay true to their individual personas.

Why do we love the Simpsons? How did they survive ratings and viewing numbers all these years? They aren’t even real. It is a cartoon after all. This channel will be showing all 552 episodes and counting.   It will take 12 continuous days to air the 278 hour marathon through Labor Day. What a way to end a summer. But will I want to screw up a nuclear power plant at the end of watching all this? How dysfunctional will I become after all this wacky influence on my brain? Has anyone done any studies on the effects of too much Simpsons does on your brain? No wonder all our kids are in special education   classes in the past 25 years.  All other disorders have popped up to in the past 25 years   that have to be treated making us all heavily medicated by new prescription drugs. I blame The Simpsons.

The deal, believed to be among the largest in syndication history is great promotion for a place called Simpsons World which is an on-line treasure trove for die -hard fans to find everything Simpsons to launch in early October.  The site which is part of the FX Now app is available to authenticated cable subscribers that will provide access to the entire library of episodes for streaming. If only we had such easy access to most of the books in our public libraries we would be reading more instead of following 25 years of a dysfunctional cartoon family we have grown to love.

There is a related website that also allows viewers to research characters, find and share clips, and scripts and more. Bugs Bunny never had any of this kind of analysis. That rabbit just had to keep running away from the guy with the gun. The app with the episode library initially will be available to 60% of United States cable homes including those who subscribe to AT&T   U-Verse, Cablevision,  Comcast, Charter, Cox and Time Warner and then to all cable providers within a year according to FX’s Chuck Saftler.


The Simpsons is not the only long-running cartoon to get full –library attention. Comedy Central’s South Park cartoon found a home this past July on Hulu where 17 seasons of episodes are available free until September 24th, when it moves to subscription-based Hulu. So go get your   fill of obese Dads, arrogant boys and good over-emotional girls and a wife with a really weird hair style that hasn’t changed for 25 years and counting. Hey that is the Simpson's and not my house. Maybe it is my home too.

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