The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Since its debut on December 17, 1989, 790 episodes of the show have been broadcast. The Simpsons received widespread acclaim throughout its early seasons in the 1990s, which are generally considered its "golden age"
The main characters are the Simpson family, who live in the fictional "Middle America" town of Springfield. Although the family is dysfunctional, many episodes examine their relationships and bonds with each other. The show uses a floating timeline in which episodes generally take place in the year the episode is produced. The family also owns a greyhound, Santa's Little Helper, and a cat, Snowball II.