The Simpsons movie

The Simpsons first appeared in animated form as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, with the first short, "Good Night," airing on April 19, 1987. Matt Groening admits the reason that they were so crudely drawn in the beginning was because he could not draw well and the animators traced over his drawings. The shorts were aired by the BBC in the U.K. the first time the shows were broadcast, but not subsequently; though some of them, including "Good Night," were included in a Simpsons anniversary episode.

In 1989, The Simpsons was adapted into a half-hour series for the Fox Network.