Before Evergreen Terrace and the Kwik-E-Mart can be sketched, a team of writers must gather on couches, share snacks and make small talk – not unlike the setting Wednesday night at the Communications Residential College where Jonathan Collier, former supervising producer for “The Simpsons,” discussed what goes into creating Springfield.
“It’s a fairly rigorous job,” Collier told about 50 students in an informal question-and-answer session. “There is a ton of work that goes into each individual show. Deciding where to go to lunch takes a long time.”
Collier wrote and produced “The Simpsons” for almost five seasons from 1993 to 1997 before serving as the co-executive producer on “King of the Hill” for the next four years. He then founded and is currently the managing director of “Icebox,” an online animated comedy series. He is also developing a show for Fox with a former writing partner from “The Simpsons.”
“A lot of real life goes into the show,” Collier said. “That’s what you have to go on. You see a horrible kid at the mall one day and he becomes part of the show.”
He said the show’s success over the past decade and its large and active fan base is an appreciated reward for the show’s writers.
“I’m really glad that it’s a part of the national consciousness and people care about it because we poured our lives into it,” Collier said.
He wrote six episodes, including Bart’s affair with the Rev. Lovejoy’s daughter, Marge’s stint as a police officer and Lisa’s investigation into the secret history of Jebediah Springfield.
Moe the bartender was Collier’s favorite character to write because he is “one of the most hateful characters on TV if you add up all the things he’s ever done.”
Homer Simpson, by contrast, is one of the best characters ever to appear on television, Collier said.
“You gotta love Homer,” he said. “He’s a great character because you can make him do anything.
“The fun of writing is to undermine the characters,” Collier said. “You want all of a sudden that Marge could become a lesbian.”
Those who claim that the show is over the hill do not recognize the effort that goes into each episode, Collier said.
“Anyone who knocks ‘The Simpsons’ doesn’t understand how hard it is to do,” he said. “It’s so much more work than your average Hollywood comedy. I wish people would just appreciate that they’re getting a free half-hour of comedy.”
Speech junior Josh Elder said the opportunity to interact with Collier enhanced that appreciation.
“I want to be a TV writer myself, so it was really great to speak to one and see how that works,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for that show and what goes into it.”
Dave Weigel, Medill freshman and CRC’s academic chairman, helped organize and publicize the event. He said he enjoyed Collier’s behind-the-scenes perspective.
“I know that everyone expected a lot,” Weigel said. “They expected him to have Homer’s phone number or something. I just hope everyone was entertained.”
As for the future of “The Simpsons,” Collier said he could not estimate when the show would go the way of Maude Flanders. A full-length movie after the show’s end remains a possibility, however.
“It’s kind of like Rasputin – it’s always going to be around,” Collier said. “There are at least two more years, and for all I know, 10.”
