| Characters of the show and their link to the real world |
| As the program was originally targeted at a local US audience, the show and its characters have great resemblence to the avergae American suburb and household. There are many towns in the US names 'Springfield', and one of them is merely a few km away from Washington D.C. The peaceful neighbourhood of the Simpsons greatly resembles a classic American town as demonstrated in other shows such as Everybody loves Raymond. Many characters in the show also also resembles some of the common generalisations Americans might be familiar with - corrupt suburban mayors and police chiefs, foreign immigrants operating small grocer stores/petrol stations, primary school teachers facing mid-life crises , and corrupt rich peoples. Each member of the Simpsons Household also resembles characteristics of an average American family - Homer being the overweight American couch-potato but a caring father, Marge being a helpful housewife, Bart and Lisa being the average American kids, one being the misunderstood kid whose only way of expressing himself is through rebellious acts while the other is the talented one in the family. Like most American families, the grandparents are usually kept away as far as possible, as long as possible. |
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