The Simpsons does not aim to be as political as South Park
“I’m not as brave as Matt Stone and Trey Parker, that’s for sure!”
No, The Simpsons do not (or no longer) have the ambition to denounce the excesses of American politics.
While season 38 has just been launched, with an episode in which Homer must accompany a British author of children’s books to Springfield elementary school (voiced by Emma Thompson), showrunner Matt Selman explains why the series does not seek to compete with other animated series like South Park in the field of current affairs.
Selman had previously explained to Entertainment Weekly that “it’s not the mission of The Simpsons to respond to the crisis of the moment” in American politics. A sentence that he wishes to clarify today; always to our colleagues at EW:
“What I should have said the first time is that everyday humor, taken directly from the headlines and the catastrophes of the moment, is rather the playground of series like South Park, which can react very quickly! Our role is rather to be interested in the deeper and recurring themes of the dystopia in which we live…”
However, there is no question of saying that The Simpsons will abandon politics.
Simply, the series prefers to take a step back:
“We don’t avoid political topics, but when you have South Park, which is so brave, so funny and so timely, taking the lead, it allows us to do more with humor and make fun of the way the world has become dumber and probably worse than before…”
Selman accepts and deals with the criticism: “I can stand being called a coward. I’m a coward… I’m not as courageous as Matt and Trey, that’s for sure!”
He compares himself to Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park:
“They are courageous. They are courageous American heroes, and I am a coward. You can quote me!”
A rather… Simpson way of recognizing that the yellow series of Springfield does not intend to change its method to follow American political madness.
