I can watch the show and see these outrageous episodes where these middle class people, like myself, get into situations where I can relate to on a certain level, and sometimes while I am watching this show I feel myself being comforted by their crazy antics. Basically, I watch the show and feel like all the mistakes I have made, my money problems, and family problems are "normal", when most of the time I feel like they are embarrassing, and find myself ashamed of them. This television shows highlights the lives of middle class families, where in other shows they hardly ever do. I think that for a lot of people this show is all about humor, and most importantly comfort. .
The Simpsons are the brainchild of Matt Groening. Matt started out drawing cartoons for a set of regional newspapers, called "Life in Hell." These cartoons featured a rabbit, and illustrated the darker side of life. Then one day, Matt got a call from James L. Brooks (now co-producer of The Simpsons. James had seen his comic strip and wanted Matt to do some animation for the Tracey Ullman Show-minute long "buffer" cartoons, showing before and after commercials (Simpsons).
Matt originally planned to use his Life In Hell characters, however, at the last moment, he realized that doing this would ruin the characters, so he made up some more characters on the spot: The Simpsons. As he was not feeling particularly creative that day, he named them after his only father: Matt's father is called Homer, and his mother is called Margaret (he thought Marge was a funnier name). He also has two sisters called Lisa and Maggie. He called the main character Bart, because it is an anagram of 'brat'. The shorts were a big hit, and in 1989 Fox commissioned a whole series: 13 full-length episodes. The animation was still a little crude, but the show was a huge hit nonetheless (Simpsons).
I really think that Matt Groening has done an amazing job thinking these characters out, and finding the perfect way to portray these individuals personalities".