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Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation
D'oh-it's "The Simpsons." And here's the book with the behind-the-scenes story of how America's favorite nuclear family first arrived at a TV near you, how the series grew into a worldwide icon, and who brings it to life so brilliantly week after week, year after year. Since first airing in 1987 as a cartoon interlude on the short-lived "Tracey Ullman Show," "The Simpsons" has deliciously skewered the foibles of American life, evolving into a cultural institution that reaches across the generations. As satire, it's sharp and funny. As a pop phenom, it's in a league of its own. And with Planet Simpson , it finally gets the sprawling, multidimensional critical look it so richly deserves. "Smart and funny, Turner writes with fitting enthusiasm for his subject while working in seemly references to cultural theory and TV-insider politics. His book is just the thing for fellow fans, and for anyone interested in how pop phenomena came to be." - Hollywood Reporter This book was not prepared, licensed, approved, or endorsed by any entity involved in creating or producing the television series "The Simpsons."
464 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 2004
42 people are currently reading
616 people want to read
About the author
Chris Turner
10 books37 followersCHRIS TURNER is an award-winning author and one of Canada’s leading writers and speakers on climate change solutions and the global energy transition. His bestsellers The Leap and The Geography of Hope were both National Business Book Award finalists. His feature writing has earned nine National Magazine Awards. He lives in Calgary with his wife, Ashley Bristowe, and their two children.
There is more than one author with this name
There is more than one author with this name
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
December 21, 2012
Nice book. It is a detailed discussion of the history of the The Simpsons:
Why did this pop phenomenon click with the audience? According to Turner it is because "all families are, in one way or another, a mess but we still love our families." This is very true. The dysfunctional family of the Simpsons seems to represent not only the most middle class families in the US but I would say in the whole world. As they say, no one is perfect so I guess we can also say that no family is perfect. We commit mistakes, we learn from it, we move on. Still a family. Still in love with each other.
I have not watched any complete episode of "The Simpsons" but when I was heavily traveling overseas in the early to mid 2000's, I used to see this program in the hotel television. Most Asian countries have very limited English channels especially in Japan, China, Thailand, etc. Well, at least in the hotels where I used to stay. But cartoon TV series is not really my cup of tea. I'd rather watch "Desperate Housewives" or "American Idol" or "Friends" if there was nothing else to see on TV. Yes, I was not a voracious reader then.
Why I am saying this? Well, I picked up this book because I'd like to finally know what the TV series was all about. I am impressed. Producer James L. Brooks and company was able to concoct the perfect TV series that everyone could identify with: Homer, the nuclear engineer father; Marge the mother and according to Turner, the spiritual anchor of the family; Bart, the 10-y/o troublemaker; Lisa, the intelligent daughter who dumps her fiance because he belittles her family (and the quote above actually came from that part of the book); and Maggie the baby who does not speak but sucks and sucks her pacifier.
Now, I am looking for a complete copy of the DVD. I hope I can watch all the seasons during this Christmas season.
Why did this pop phenomenon click with the audience? According to Turner it is because "all families are, in one way or another, a mess but we still love our families." This is very true. The dysfunctional family of the Simpsons seems to represent not only the most middle class families in the US but I would say in the whole world. As they say, no one is perfect so I guess we can also say that no family is perfect. We commit mistakes, we learn from it, we move on. Still a family. Still in love with each other.I have not watched any complete episode of "The Simpsons" but when I was heavily traveling overseas in the early to mid 2000's, I used to see this program in the hotel television. Most Asian countries have very limited English channels especially in Japan, China, Thailand, etc. Well, at least in the hotels where I used to stay. But cartoon TV series is not really my cup of tea. I'd rather watch "Desperate Housewives" or "American Idol" or "Friends" if there was nothing else to see on TV. Yes, I was not a voracious reader then.
Why I am saying this? Well, I picked up this book because I'd like to finally know what the TV series was all about. I am impressed. Producer James L. Brooks and company was able to concoct the perfect TV series that everyone could identify with: Homer, the nuclear engineer father; Marge the mother and according to Turner, the spiritual anchor of the family; Bart, the 10-y/o troublemaker; Lisa, the intelligent daughter who dumps her fiance because he belittles her family (and the quote above actually came from that part of the book); and Maggie the baby who does not speak but sucks and sucks her pacifier.
Now, I am looking for a complete copy of the DVD. I hope I can watch all the seasons during this Christmas season.
September 26, 2007
I've been a devotee of the Simpsons for many years now, and when I saw this book at the library, I checked it out, thinking it would have some interesting tidbits about the show.
However, I never finished the book, as the writing style was boring and ponderous. The author took himself and his subject matter much too seriously. The book was a pathetic attempt to prove how urbane and sophisticated the author thought he was. It was as if he'd swallowed several encyclopedias about popular culture and philosophy, to name a few, and he frequently went off-topic waaaaay out into the tangents of left field.
There were a few interesting points, but they were buried so deep in verbose paragraphs with tortured sentence constructions and awkward neologisms, that I couldn't be bothered to hunt for more interesting parts that might have been there.
Don't bother with this one. It reads as if it were a collaboration between the Comic Book Guy and Sideshow Bob.
September 2, 2008
I love me some Simpsons, but I really didn't like this book. Ostensibly it's about The Simpsons television series and after reading the dust jacket I expected to find stories and anecdotes about the show, its history, its creators, and the like. Kind of like an episode of VH1's "Behind the Music" for the show, except with 40% less drugs. Instead, Planet Simpson turns out to be a platform for the author's politics, with amusing Simpsons quotes thrown in when relevant.
If I had to pick one word to describe this mess, it would be "undisciplined." Turner may start a chapter by sticking with a promising topic (e.g., an analysis of the different kinds of humor employed by the show), but he invariably traipses off into la-la land within a few pages. Why am I holding a book called "Planet Simpson" and reading a 10,000 word treatise on Radiohead, the Bush administration, or the evils of consumerism? What does this have to do with Homer? The writing is so meandering and self-indulgent that it stumbles from topic to topic, stitching them together with the only an occasional Simpsons reference or quote. In fact, the only parts of the book I really enjoyed were the quotes from the show and sometimes we'll go pages without any reference to Our Favorite Family.
Don't get me wrong, some of the ideas Turner puts forth are interesting, if smug and written in a needlessly complex and so-anti-elitist-that-it's-elite manner. But there's only so many times I can tolerate phrases like "cultural zeitgeist" or "sisyphean endeavors" or "postmodern deconstructionalist." I have as big a vocabulary as the next guy and understand all those big words (well, after one or two trips to dictionary.com), but I also recognize when someone is deliberately trying to be pedantic and priggish. Yes, I'm being ironic. How postmodern of me.
I just wanted a book that talked about how once Matt Groening got all drunk and punched Al Jean. Is that so much to ask?
If I had to pick one word to describe this mess, it would be "undisciplined." Turner may start a chapter by sticking with a promising topic (e.g., an analysis of the different kinds of humor employed by the show), but he invariably traipses off into la-la land within a few pages. Why am I holding a book called "Planet Simpson" and reading a 10,000 word treatise on Radiohead, the Bush administration, or the evils of consumerism? What does this have to do with Homer? The writing is so meandering and self-indulgent that it stumbles from topic to topic, stitching them together with the only an occasional Simpsons reference or quote. In fact, the only parts of the book I really enjoyed were the quotes from the show and sometimes we'll go pages without any reference to Our Favorite Family.
Don't get me wrong, some of the ideas Turner puts forth are interesting, if smug and written in a needlessly complex and so-anti-elitist-that-it's-elite manner. But there's only so many times I can tolerate phrases like "cultural zeitgeist" or "sisyphean endeavors" or "postmodern deconstructionalist." I have as big a vocabulary as the next guy and understand all those big words (well, after one or two trips to dictionary.com), but I also recognize when someone is deliberately trying to be pedantic and priggish. Yes, I'm being ironic. How postmodern of me.
I just wanted a book that talked about how once Matt Groening got all drunk and punched Al Jean. Is that so much to ask?
April 26, 2018
Not an in-depth look at the creation of the series, but at the innumerable hidden jokes, cultural references, social commentary, impact upon 90's TV animation... in short, the phenomenon.
It's a delight to read when you're a Simpsons fan, including the character bios puzzled together from details spread across the (then) 20 seasons ...but anno 2010+ , 99% of this is avaliable 99 thousand times on the internet...
It's a delight to read when you're a Simpsons fan, including the character bios puzzled together from details spread across the (then) 20 seasons ...but anno 2010+ , 99% of this is avaliable 99 thousand times on the internet...
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February 11, 2021If you like your beer cold, your TV loud, and your homosexuals flaming, this book may not be for you.
It's not the story of how the Simpsons got - and stayed - on TV. It's not an insidery tell-all. It doesn't teach you how to draw Mr. Burns.
Instead, it's an examination of how the show fits into our broader culture and why it is an important cultural phenomenon. You might not find that sort of thing interesting - and that's okay. But I do, and I thought it was groin-grabbingly great.
It's not the story of how the Simpsons got - and stayed - on TV. It's not an insidery tell-all. It doesn't teach you how to draw Mr. Burns.
Instead, it's an examination of how the show fits into our broader culture and why it is an important cultural phenomenon. You might not find that sort of thing interesting - and that's okay. But I do, and I thought it was groin-grabbingly great.
August 13, 2016
I'm marking this as done, but I'll be honest: I hardly got past page 50 of this 400-and-something long tome. This was just boring and painful.
Chalk me up as a huge Simpsons fan - I rewatch episodes constantly and love the deep layers and textures the cartoon series has built over time. So I really thought a book geeking over The Simpsons would sit well with me.
It doesn't. Planet Simpson is an overlong essay on someone's opinions about the show. Chris Turner references plenty of valid examples, but so much of what he sets out to establish is completely subjective. I'm not saying he's wrong, I just never felt that what he offers is little more than an opinion. A lot of it feels thinly researched. For example, pointing to Lenny Bruce as the father of riffing is hardly a revelation. His references of the cartoons that came before and after The Simpsons are pretty pedestrian and never give the impression that he gave them much thought beyond writing down their names. At one point Turner spends nearly a page on King of the Hill, Mike Judge's brilliant poker-faced answer to The Simpsons. Despite so many words, he reveals nothing a single episode sitting with that show couldn't. In fact, he says about as much as Wikipedia's first paragraph on the show.
(I'm not suggesting Turner used Wikiepdia, as the book predates the site. But he takes a page to do what Wikipedia accomplishes in two sentences).
Fine, I can work around opinion for the love of a few facts. These Turner mainly harvests from researching interviews with people who have worked on the show, as well as a couple of other sources. But they are scant, so the joy of enriching your Simpsons trivia quickly fades.
This book is poorly structured, laid out in several massive chapters that in turn jump topics so much you tend to forget how you got there. It's a rambling mess. Broad, sweeping chapters are possible - Bill Bryson does it often (and brilliantly). But Planet Simpson tries to stuff so much into its first major chapter that there is no real thread connecting them - other than the show.
This is a result of not deciding who the audience is: the newcomer or the die-hard fan? Simpsons-related material is delved into with quite some detail: Turner details some episodes enough to sometimes take up whole pages, all toward then explaining whatever point he wants to latch on. This gets tiresome if you are already a big Simpsons supporter. But at the same time he never delves deeply enough into anything to give a newcomer real context. It's as if he assumes the reader has a fairly good understanding about comedy, television, sitcoms and cartoons, yet only heard of The Simpsons in passing. That is just absurd.
Planet Simpson is tedious, shallow, rambling and a real chore. I'm sad, since I love the show and wanted something that would enrich my knowledge and experience. Instead I got a rambling fan thesis. Not recommended (unless you want a nice collection of Simpsons research references).
Chalk me up as a huge Simpsons fan - I rewatch episodes constantly and love the deep layers and textures the cartoon series has built over time. So I really thought a book geeking over The Simpsons would sit well with me.
It doesn't. Planet Simpson is an overlong essay on someone's opinions about the show. Chris Turner references plenty of valid examples, but so much of what he sets out to establish is completely subjective. I'm not saying he's wrong, I just never felt that what he offers is little more than an opinion. A lot of it feels thinly researched. For example, pointing to Lenny Bruce as the father of riffing is hardly a revelation. His references of the cartoons that came before and after The Simpsons are pretty pedestrian and never give the impression that he gave them much thought beyond writing down their names. At one point Turner spends nearly a page on King of the Hill, Mike Judge's brilliant poker-faced answer to The Simpsons. Despite so many words, he reveals nothing a single episode sitting with that show couldn't. In fact, he says about as much as Wikipedia's first paragraph on the show.
(I'm not suggesting Turner used Wikiepdia, as the book predates the site. But he takes a page to do what Wikipedia accomplishes in two sentences).
Fine, I can work around opinion for the love of a few facts. These Turner mainly harvests from researching interviews with people who have worked on the show, as well as a couple of other sources. But they are scant, so the joy of enriching your Simpsons trivia quickly fades.
This book is poorly structured, laid out in several massive chapters that in turn jump topics so much you tend to forget how you got there. It's a rambling mess. Broad, sweeping chapters are possible - Bill Bryson does it often (and brilliantly). But Planet Simpson tries to stuff so much into its first major chapter that there is no real thread connecting them - other than the show.
This is a result of not deciding who the audience is: the newcomer or the die-hard fan? Simpsons-related material is delved into with quite some detail: Turner details some episodes enough to sometimes take up whole pages, all toward then explaining whatever point he wants to latch on. This gets tiresome if you are already a big Simpsons supporter. But at the same time he never delves deeply enough into anything to give a newcomer real context. It's as if he assumes the reader has a fairly good understanding about comedy, television, sitcoms and cartoons, yet only heard of The Simpsons in passing. That is just absurd.
Planet Simpson is tedious, shallow, rambling and a real chore. I'm sad, since I love the show and wanted something that would enrich my knowledge and experience. Instead I got a rambling fan thesis. Not recommended (unless you want a nice collection of Simpsons research references).
April 3, 2007
Absolutely vital. Not only is it the best book ever written about The Simpsons, it's not even all that much about The Simpsons. A great analysis of the 90s, the generation of The Simpsons, and why satire was the perfect form of art to comment and relate to us then and now. The book has its flaws, but they are easily overlooked as the sum total of the book is nothing short of a perfectly casual interplay of television, mass culture, and modern history. Stop reading this, and start reading it.
July 22, 2009
I could say that this book reminds me of a young Rory Calhoun, but then that would lead me to wonder why Rory wasn't summarily executed for the good of humankind. To steal a line from a (Season 8 episode) "Hurricane Neddy" cameo...
Jay Sherman: It stinks! It stinks! It stinks!
Yes, this is a first, folks, the is THE FIRST book I have EVER given up on. This book would be better served by having the title changed to "My Rantings and Ravings That Have Only a Small Relation to the Simpsons In Any Form Whatsoever." Had it been called that, I would have given the book 3 stars...but to call it a book about how the Simpsons defines the Western culture is a farce worthy of Mel Brooks.
This book is filled with 300 pages worth of useless adjectives. Honestly, it reminds me of a really, really, really long and boring essay written by a college freshman.
It's all black and white. There is precious little analysis here, it's mainly opinionated bullshit. The author gives very little in the way of reasons and rational and blindly makes outrageous statements. Given the ridiculous opinions that are presented as fact, SOME authentication would have been nice. Sadly, things are presented in a "this the way it is because I said so," sort of way.
The references to Simpsons characters are more or less spot on, but since the author seems to hold these characterizations as an absolute reflection of Western society as a whole, people tend to be pigeon-holed. If this author is any indication, I suppose that I could (based on his rhetoric) judge the entire nation of Canada and it's people by watching "Dudley Do-right."
This book drags worse than a Roseanne national anthem. It should not have been written, it should NOT be read and the worse "lie" of all is in the title.
SCREW FLANDERS SCREW FLANDERS SCREW FLANDERS
Jay Sherman: It stinks! It stinks! It stinks!
Yes, this is a first, folks, the is THE FIRST book I have EVER given up on. This book would be better served by having the title changed to "My Rantings and Ravings That Have Only a Small Relation to the Simpsons In Any Form Whatsoever." Had it been called that, I would have given the book 3 stars...but to call it a book about how the Simpsons defines the Western culture is a farce worthy of Mel Brooks.
This book is filled with 300 pages worth of useless adjectives. Honestly, it reminds me of a really, really, really long and boring essay written by a college freshman.
It's all black and white. There is precious little analysis here, it's mainly opinionated bullshit. The author gives very little in the way of reasons and rational and blindly makes outrageous statements. Given the ridiculous opinions that are presented as fact, SOME authentication would have been nice. Sadly, things are presented in a "this the way it is because I said so," sort of way.
The references to Simpsons characters are more or less spot on, but since the author seems to hold these characterizations as an absolute reflection of Western society as a whole, people tend to be pigeon-holed. If this author is any indication, I suppose that I could (based on his rhetoric) judge the entire nation of Canada and it's people by watching "Dudley Do-right."
This book drags worse than a Roseanne national anthem. It should not have been written, it should NOT be read and the worse "lie" of all is in the title.
SCREW FLANDERS SCREW FLANDERS SCREW FLANDERS
July 16, 2009
The thing about me is that I love The Simpsons. I'm not one of those people who refer to episodes by their alpha-numerical title or could identify the essentially reclusive writers in a line up or anything, but I know more than the average person and my adoration for this show is incredibly pure and forgiving.
This book sites one of my personal favorite episodes (4F23, "The Principal and the Pauper") and the point at which the show declined from its "Golden Age" to its "Long Plateau". It is an episode that I refer to, at the chagrin of my husband, pretty often. Sometimes I will just shout, "OK, ARMIN TAMZARIAN" if someone is impersonating someone or if I just feel like it, I guess. It's such an absurd episode and so self-referential and like a hilarious in-joke to me (the premise is that perennial mama's boy and middle school principal Seymour Skinner is actually NOT who he says he is, but rather was a no-good rebel named Armin Tamzarian who assumed the identity of one Seymour Skinner when he was thought to be killed in Vietnam). That is how unflinching my love for the show is.
My sister and I can quote, at length, bits and riffs from the show that normal people probably do not even recall. We identify episodes not by their nerd-title or actual title or even by what happened in them but instead by our favorite lines. So episode 3F09 is not referred to as such (its production code) or "Two Bad Neighbors" (its actual title) or "the one where George Bush moves in next door and he & Homer don't like each other" but instead by us screaming the lyrics to the song Homer composed at the neighborhood rummage sale: "Hey big spender/Dig this blender/rainbow suspenders ... Now, let's give it up for Table Five!" etc etc.
THE POINT IS: I am pretty biased. Reading 400+ pages about why This Thing That I Love is so awesome is pretty much my (and everyone else's, I would think) favorite thing. Even though I don't agree with every point the author makes (just most of them) I just loved this book.
This book sites one of my personal favorite episodes (4F23, "The Principal and the Pauper") and the point at which the show declined from its "Golden Age" to its "Long Plateau". It is an episode that I refer to, at the chagrin of my husband, pretty often. Sometimes I will just shout, "OK, ARMIN TAMZARIAN" if someone is impersonating someone or if I just feel like it, I guess. It's such an absurd episode and so self-referential and like a hilarious in-joke to me (the premise is that perennial mama's boy and middle school principal Seymour Skinner is actually NOT who he says he is, but rather was a no-good rebel named Armin Tamzarian who assumed the identity of one Seymour Skinner when he was thought to be killed in Vietnam). That is how unflinching my love for the show is.
My sister and I can quote, at length, bits and riffs from the show that normal people probably do not even recall. We identify episodes not by their nerd-title or actual title or even by what happened in them but instead by our favorite lines. So episode 3F09 is not referred to as such (its production code) or "Two Bad Neighbors" (its actual title) or "the one where George Bush moves in next door and he & Homer don't like each other" but instead by us screaming the lyrics to the song Homer composed at the neighborhood rummage sale: "Hey big spender/Dig this blender/rainbow suspenders ... Now, let's give it up for Table Five!" etc etc.
THE POINT IS: I am pretty biased. Reading 400+ pages about why This Thing That I Love is so awesome is pretty much my (and everyone else's, I would think) favorite thing. Even though I don't agree with every point the author makes (just most of them) I just loved this book.
May 29, 2014
I found this book on the shelf at a Barnes and Noble one day and read the first chapter on the spot. It seemed to be a pretty contemporary and smart look at one of the greatest TV shows of all time and being the huge Simpsons geek that I am, I bought it right there and then. Well, that turned out to be a mistake because I realized that it was less a book about the Simpsons than a long-winded diatribe by the author on what he thought was wrong with the world mentioning the Simpsons every once in awhile maybe because his editor reminded him. It's not that I disagree with his opinions so much, but the fact he used the Simpsons very tangentially to espouse his own personal opinions made me feel like I had been swindled. Instead of actually talking about the show's impact on society, the author proselytizes on America's sociological problems such as bad multinational corporations (sure), Americans' arrogance and inability to listen to anybody else in the world (broad stereotype not necessarily true), and how Radiohead and Wilco are awesome (OK true but irrelevant to the Simpsons). I think the Simpsons influence on my generation is there as the show's sense of skeptical irreverence definitely rubbed off on me and I'm sure many other fans and I think there is a good book to be written about that. But this book isn't it.
December 4, 2017
I have to say, after a long time looking forward to reading this book, I never bothered to finish it. I got maybe 3/4 of the way through by the time I decided it just wasn't holding me. The only parts I really enjoyed were the Simpsons quotes, and the actual history of the show itself. He made some interesting points on some of the characters, but nothing so deep or startling to really hold my interest.
I have a feeling that the author wasn't quite sure what sort of book he was writing. The book *seems* to be an academic examination of the show, and its impact on pop culture, but it's far too casual and personal in too many places, and his theories are never actually backed up by any hard data but more by his personal perceptions. Anyone can say that the phenomenon they're standing in the middle of is the biggest ever, because from where they're standing, it probably looks that way. But if you're going to claim that the online community of Simpsons fans is the biggest/most influential online community, I'm afraid I'll want to see some numbers on that.
The author probably would have been better off keeping the book as a personal reminiscence of his own relationship with the show, because that's the topic that kept recurring anyway.
I have a feeling that the author wasn't quite sure what sort of book he was writing. The book *seems* to be an academic examination of the show, and its impact on pop culture, but it's far too casual and personal in too many places, and his theories are never actually backed up by any hard data but more by his personal perceptions. Anyone can say that the phenomenon they're standing in the middle of is the biggest ever, because from where they're standing, it probably looks that way. But if you're going to claim that the online community of Simpsons fans is the biggest/most influential online community, I'm afraid I'll want to see some numbers on that.
The author probably would have been better off keeping the book as a personal reminiscence of his own relationship with the show, because that's the topic that kept recurring anyway.
May 6, 2020
Generally interested and moderate fan. This book had peaks and valleys for me. I could have done without the author’s sliding of his autobiographical nuances as a ‘fuck the system’ young adult (so cool bro) WHO WENT TO QUEENS. I liked some of the social deconstruction of the characters but when they were talking about workers how. Could. You. Miss. Gil?! Unless I tuned out that part when I zoned in and out of this audiobook. Overall the deconstruction was meh and I’ve read ‘deeper’ meanings in other books etc. The conclusion was weird and went on a random tangent again about this dudes youth seeing a rock band that no one had really heard of. So that was disappointing and disjointed with the overall...purpose of the book being about The Simpsons? I dunno. Would not recommend this book to any of my hardcore friend fans but like maybe to my uncle or dad who like to read things about stuff.
December 21, 2015
Impossibly high-brow analysis of THE cultural touchstone of the 90s. Although it initially presents itself as a 500 page pop-culture-PhD it nevertheless perfectly captures the humour and spirit of the show, and dives deep into the meaning and cross-cultural impact of what The Simpsons meant and how it reflected on society at the time.
Compulsory reading for any pop culture maven or genuine Simpsons afficionado.
Compulsory reading for any pop culture maven or genuine Simpsons afficionado.
September 6, 2018
Many parts I liked, but a bit too long.
September 17, 2018
I'm a super Simpsons nerd and even I couldn't quite finish it
April 22, 2020
This book was not what I was expecting. It was really tedious and did not connect much with the subject matter.
October 30, 2017
Long and meandering, not only does the author discuss The Simpsons, but uses the show as a jumping off point to talk about satire, ironic culture, corporate and authoritarian ineptitude, moral crusades of the 90s, consumerism, the rise of the internet, Radiohead, Nirvana, the DIY aesthetic...I mean, what's not to love?
He makes a convincing argument for Bart as a punk icon and Homer as the pure expression of the id, Lisa as the voice of progressivism, Marge as the defender of family values, Kent Brockman indicative of the real world glibness of news, Troy McClure of the emptiness of celebrity. Really there's no argument to be made, since all of this is fairly obvious to longtime fans of the show, but it was just such a fun read, even when you ended up reading about road rage instead of just The Simpsons.
I grew up on this show-- we're the same age, and my family didn't sit and eat at the dinner table and talk about our day. We watched The Simpsons, new episodes on Sundays and the episodes running in syndication during the week. So, this book pretty much had me at the subtitle, since The Simpsons is my all-time favorite show and I do indeed think it is a masterpiece. Yes, I do regularly quote The Simpsons (as does my family, and I feel instant kinship with anyone who will recognize my Simpsons quotes and throw one right back). I'm frequently reminded of the show's plots in real life. I don't, however, refer to the production codes of episodes (which was kinda frustrating), since I'm not exactly Comic Book Guy.
I do like how this was published in 2004, because I've always been a hardcore seasons 1-9 fan, with 10 starting to come apart, and 11 and 12 the absolute last seasons that have SOME good parts in SOME episodes (as opposed to 1-9 where everything is amazing). I don't need to read anything about the seasons after that, and this book luckily doesn't go too far into the darkness that is season 13 and beyond. Side note: I stopped watching the show around season 13. Since I watched the show about a dozen times a week in syndication, it was obvious even to pre-teen me that the episodes airing in 2000/2001 were just NOT the same caliber as all the previous seasons.
Tl;dr - The Simpsons plus long winded cultural commentary on the 90s made for a really fun read.
He makes a convincing argument for Bart as a punk icon and Homer as the pure expression of the id, Lisa as the voice of progressivism, Marge as the defender of family values, Kent Brockman indicative of the real world glibness of news, Troy McClure of the emptiness of celebrity. Really there's no argument to be made, since all of this is fairly obvious to longtime fans of the show, but it was just such a fun read, even when you ended up reading about road rage instead of just The Simpsons.
I grew up on this show-- we're the same age, and my family didn't sit and eat at the dinner table and talk about our day. We watched The Simpsons, new episodes on Sundays and the episodes running in syndication during the week. So, this book pretty much had me at the subtitle, since The Simpsons is my all-time favorite show and I do indeed think it is a masterpiece. Yes, I do regularly quote The Simpsons (as does my family, and I feel instant kinship with anyone who will recognize my Simpsons quotes and throw one right back). I'm frequently reminded of the show's plots in real life. I don't, however, refer to the production codes of episodes (which was kinda frustrating), since I'm not exactly Comic Book Guy.
I do like how this was published in 2004, because I've always been a hardcore seasons 1-9 fan, with 10 starting to come apart, and 11 and 12 the absolute last seasons that have SOME good parts in SOME episodes (as opposed to 1-9 where everything is amazing). I don't need to read anything about the seasons after that, and this book luckily doesn't go too far into the darkness that is season 13 and beyond. Side note: I stopped watching the show around season 13. Since I watched the show about a dozen times a week in syndication, it was obvious even to pre-teen me that the episodes airing in 2000/2001 were just NOT the same caliber as all the previous seasons.
Tl;dr - The Simpsons plus long winded cultural commentary on the 90s made for a really fun read.
January 18, 2021
After my last audiobook(Our Time Is Now by Stacey Abrams) I was looking for a less serious audiobook to cheer me up because (as we have all seen) the world is bleak to say the least. This however didn't provide yet I still loved every second. I didn't take The Simpsons seriously but Chris Turner does&now so do I. I think I might be falling in love with this show!😱*Gasp* Everyone I know has an opinion on tv&how seriously we should take it. The Simpsons's writers obviously have opinion on the world&how seriously they should take everything going on at every moment. While this book was written in 2004 ; I see it holding up as a break down of this show that's thankfully still churning out great episodes. People still Simpsonify themselves&we can see memes with characters such as Lisa on a daily basis. This book breaks down episodes that talk about religion&consumerism&political leaders as well as so much more then says how those churches and presidents reacted. I enjoyed those sections the most. Can a tv show turn into a cult following? I believe it can. I have often cleared everything off of my schedule to watch a show and quoted it or referenced it. If you know me you know my obsession with Pretty Little Liars(read all the books,listen to a podcast about it&rewatched it with MANY people ; I've seen it 10 times even though I hate many things about it)&the Of Love shows. I completely get how obsessive media can become but The Simpsons never seemed obsessive to me at all until now ; probably because of it being a cartoon&there's a lot of talk about how the cartoons can hide from adults because we're used to them being for kids. I really enjoyed that section&how The Simpsons made way for shows like South Park(I enjoy South Park's episode about the mormon church but I haven't watched too many other South Park episodes). I recommend this book to everyone who has ever loved or hated a show. The narrator(Oliver Wyman)uses the character's voices throughout the 12 hours helping you picture the characters saying the qoutes.
April 4, 2025
Planet Simpson: How a cartoon masterpiece documented an era and defined a generation by Chris Turner is a fun exploration of the development and make-up of the Simpson world. I am probably one of the few people who have never watched a Simpsons episode not having seen anything appealing in it when it was released. This book has given me some understanding of how it came about and some insight into the humour and skill involved. It was interesting to read about the different characters and their quirks and idiosyncrasies. I enjoyed many of the episodes that were described and it was fascinating how much was incorporated into the cartoon. They seemed to virtually touch on such a wide variety of topics. I loved hearing about the various cameo appearances made by celebrities and famous people. I can understand how it developed such a large following. Reading this book has given me a tremendous overview of the show and while it hasn't pushed me into watching the cartoon, I feel very caught up with it. I think people that have enjoyed the cartoon would like reliving some of the episodes through this book, while other non-viewers like me will come to understand it's influences and humour more.
February 14, 2021
A good dissection of the show and the bloated neoliberal landscape of late twentieth century America which was essential to its creation. It has the benefit of being written in a time before The Simpsons truly entered the steep decline which cruelly continues today, however being now 16 years old, the comments about Dubya and the Internet seem naive with regards to Trump and the ubiquity of smart technology. The author clearly knows his 90s culture and its difficult to find fault with his critical analysis of the dull, bland state of US pop culture at the tail end of the 80s.
470 pages is a struggle even for big fans of the show. Episode narratives are written out in a lot of detail, and personal anecdotes about other pop culture phenomena are expounded upon to the detriment of the books focus. However, it is a well researched study by a good writer who clearly has a passion for the series. The first half of the book, in which the chapters are organised around the nuclear characters, are by far the strongest, but towards the book's end the line of argument becomes stretched and a little fanboy-esque.
470 pages is a struggle even for big fans of the show. Episode narratives are written out in a lot of detail, and personal anecdotes about other pop culture phenomena are expounded upon to the detriment of the books focus. However, it is a well researched study by a good writer who clearly has a passion for the series. The first half of the book, in which the chapters are organised around the nuclear characters, are by far the strongest, but towards the book's end the line of argument becomes stretched and a little fanboy-esque.
April 23, 2021
As a diehard Simpsons fan, I had been waiting for the right moment to give this a go after having it on my shelf for so long, but unfortunately it wasn’t anything special. The book is more of a general reflection on pop culture and satire in the 90s rather than specifically about The Simpsons, which isn’t a bad thing, but does lose focus in many places. It can get exhausting to read when you find pages of detail about completely disparate topics, or relatively uninteresting anecdotes from the author, when you’re just wanting to hear more detail on The Simpsons. There are glimmers of interesting reflection, particularly the chapters on Bart and Lisa, but as other reviewers on here have stated most of the work has been done to death on the internet since this books publication (which is ironic as there is a dedicated chapter to the Internet and its impact). I wouldn’t really recommend this to anyone - big Simpsons fans may not find enough to it or may have already read similar topics before, and casual fans will just find a surface level cultural study sprinkled with lots of in-jokes you most likely won’t fully appreciate.
February 20, 2025
Despite the authors many, many, MANY tangents that don’t have anything to do with The Simpsons, I still find this book (for the most part) enjoyable. It gives a lot of great insight to the history and impact of the Simpsons itself, but I really lose interest when the author talks about his personal life or world events that don’t tie back into the show in any context.
Frankly, he wrote a book about The Simpsons + his relationship to the show + general world events in the 90s and early 2000s - which is fine but that’s not really the way the book presents itself. I’m also personally not happy with the audiobook since it cuts out the last 4 chapters and skips to the ending (I know it’s abridged but that’s crazy), but that’s just a user error problem.
If you’re a Simpsons fan like I am, you’ll definitely get something out of this book, but be prepared for extremely dense chapters that feel like they don’t go anywhere and random tangents - however there are great details when he’s talking about the actual show and characters.
Frankly, he wrote a book about The Simpsons + his relationship to the show + general world events in the 90s and early 2000s - which is fine but that’s not really the way the book presents itself. I’m also personally not happy with the audiobook since it cuts out the last 4 chapters and skips to the ending (I know it’s abridged but that’s crazy), but that’s just a user error problem.
If you’re a Simpsons fan like I am, you’ll definitely get something out of this book, but be prepared for extremely dense chapters that feel like they don’t go anywhere and random tangents - however there are great details when he’s talking about the actual show and characters.
June 16, 2024
As much as I love The Simpsons, this book was a bit of a slog to get through. There are certainly wonderful memories and anecdotes. Many of my favorite moments from the show are recalled, and I found myself reading them in the exact voices and tonality of how they appeared in each episode. There is a permanent place in my brain for these quotes and soundbites. But I feel that this author certainly goes too far and/or on too many tangents. (For example, in the chapter on Lisa Simpson there is a three page rant about Radiohead albums that didn’t seem relevant at all.) Note that I started it in 2018…and didn’t finish it till 2024. I took a multi-year break before I picked it back up again. However, I’m glad I finally finished it. And it truly does have some wonderful insights throughout, even if like Homer I would find myself growing impatient at times, “Where’s my burrito? Where’s my burrito?”
April 11, 2021
"Planet Simpson" is, by and large, and excellent summary of how the Fox megahit "The Simpsons" relates to society in general. Chapters dedicated to the show's major characters go into not just the characters themselves, but trends, primarily American but not necessarily, in the 1990's/early 2000's.
The book could work as a historical view of this period, at least from a calm liberal's point of view. I only wish the author didn't find it necessary to explain things, but that's a minor qualm from this reviewer's point of view. I do like how the author shows that the show stems from the writer's general frustrations of the American lifestyle, both from entitlement and exceptionalism acts.
The book could work as a historical view of this period, at least from a calm liberal's point of view. I only wish the author didn't find it necessary to explain things, but that's a minor qualm from this reviewer's point of view. I do like how the author shows that the show stems from the writer's general frustrations of the American lifestyle, both from entitlement and exceptionalism acts.
February 6, 2020
As a fan of the Simpson I really enjoyed the read. Not only did I find myself agreeing with much of the analysis Chris Turner offered, but I also chuckled all the way through as he recounts various scenes from the show to illustrates his varied points. If you're a fan give a go and see the world as it is and not as it should be.
September 2, 2024
3 stars rounded up from 2.5. I enjoyed the book, but I didn't think you could make a book about The Simpsons so dense. If 10-15 pages were trimmed from each chapter, it'd be a must read for Simpsons fans. As is, I'd only recommend it for die hards.
On the plus side, I did create a new list of episodes I can use in class.
On the plus side, I did create a new list of episodes I can use in class.
June 29, 2022
Very academic - it reminded me of university and writing my dissertation. And whilst it's clearly showing its age (it's last update was in the late 2000s), it's still a fascinating exploration of The Simpsons as a cultural behemoth.
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May 1, 2020Anderes Cover
April 23, 2023
Any Simpsons fan - and really, that's all of us - will love this book
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