The documentary additionally interviews Ken Estin, one of many government producers on “The Tracey Ullman Present,” who remembers the inception of “The Simpsons” a little bit otherwise. “The Tracey Ullman Present” was the place “The Simpsons” had began their life, showing as an amusing animated break in between the present’s live-action sketches.
Estin had employed Groening to make a 60-second “Life in Hell” brief as an interstitial on the present, and was despatched off to jot down one (1) joke. Groening by no means turned within the joke. It wasn’t till Estin known as an middleman that he realized Groening’s mindset. Whereas Groening would retain inventive management of “Life in Hell,” he must share merchandising rights, which was how he was making the majority of his revenue on the time. “He is maintaining it to himself and he isn’t going to share it with anyone,” Estin mentioned. When he did not flip in something, Groening was fired.
Future “Simpsons” honchos James L. Brooks and Richard Sakai, nonetheless, ultimately chimed in, saying that they’d take something Groening put out. It did not must be “Life in Hell.” Estin says that it was then, after he had already identified he acquired to maintain “Life in Hell,” that Groening lastly pitched “The Simpsons.” Whether or not or not he got here up with the characters on the spot can stay hypothesis. A couple of days later, the primary rudimentary scripts had been written.
Groening himself, in the meantime, has by no means come clear on the matter.
