Season 1 Original Run December 17, 1989 – May 13, 1990 No. of episodes 13 Previous season Ullman shorts Next season 2 DVD boxset The Complete First Season

The first season is the start of The Simpsons universe. It began on December 17, 1989 with the series premiere, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” and ended on May 13, 1990 with “Some Enchanted Evening”. Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon were the show runners of the season.

The original plan was to begin the season and the series in the Autumn of 1989 with "Some Enchanted Evening". However, the work print of the episode was of poor quality and was declined to be used. Seventy percent of its animation had to be redone, delaying it for months throughout the season until it finally being aired as the season finale on May 13, 1990. Subsequent episodes such as "Bart the Genius" had minor problems in production that were easy to fix and were suitable for airing. As "Some Enchanted Evening" was being overhauled, the producers decided to air the Christmas special, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", on December 17, 1989. The timing was very fortunate, as the episode would have had to be aired in the Christmas holidays of 1989 regardless of any other issues.

The season won one Emmy award and had four other nominations. "Life on the Fast Lane" won "Outstanding Animated Program", for which "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was also a nominee. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was also nominated for "Outstanding Editing in a Miniseries or Special"; "The Call of the Simpsons" was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special"; and "The Simpsons Theme," composed by Danny Elfman, was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music".

All 13 episodes of Season 1, including extras such as the "Some Enchanted Evening" work print/early prototype, were released on DVD on September 25, 2001 in Region 1 (USA and Canada) and on September 24, 2001 in Regions 2 (Europe, Japan, etc) and 4 (Latin America, Australia, etc). This is the first of the complete seasons of The Simpsons released in box sets for home media. After receiving many praises, Matt Groening decided to launch more seasons.

This is the only season to not have a Treehouse of Horror, possibly due to none of the episodes airing in October. This is also the only season to have 13 episodes, as the other seasons have at least 21.

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Awards

The season won one Emmy award and had four other nominations. "Life on the Fast Lane" won "Outstanding Animated Program," for which "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was also a nominee. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was nominated for "Outstanding Editing in a Miniseries or Special"; "The Call of the Simpsons" was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special"; and "The Simpsons Theme," composed by Danny Elfman, was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music".

Writers

Guest Voices

Introduced features

Characters Introduced

Introduced locations

Episodes

DVD Release

Season 1 was released on DVD by 20th Century Fox on September 25th, 2001 in Region 1, and on September 24th, 2001 in Regions 2 and 4. While primarily consisting of the original 13 episodes, the DVD release features bonus material including deleted scenes, animatics, and commentaries for every episode. The set sold 1.9 million units, becoming the highest-selling television program on DVD, a record which it held until October 2004 when it was passed by the first season of Chappelle's Show.