It's something nearly all the animated shows on FOX's "Animation Domination" night have done - taking shots at their own network. Family Guy certainly went at it after being cancelled by the network, cheekily listing all the shows Fox cancelled between off'ing the series and resurrecting it in their return episode, "North by North Quahog." We're still shocked Greg the Bunny didn't pan out. Shocked we say! The Simpsons, however, was at the forefront of taking potshots at the network it aired on, and for good reason. Part of the show's contract prevents the network from interfering with the show. That means no little "notes" from the network president. No "change this, it didn't test well with target audiences" garbage. In short, The Simpsons creative team are free to poke fun at who and what they want. Because of this, while other shows occasionally tease the network, The Simpsons does it at will - and frequently. Remember Rupert Murdoch trying to sign his name? Or Fox News threatening to sue the producers of The Simpsons for having a parody of the Fox News "News Ticker" that asked "Do Democrats Cause Cancer?" All that was ten years ago or more, and the show hasn't backed down since (Married with Children actually took an early shot at the network as well with their "assume FOX viewing positions" quip about how hard it was to pick up the broadcast network in the early days, but we'll give this one to the Simpsons for really popularizing it).
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
