10 Ways The Simpsons Changed The World

It was more than just the rounded-out characters and multi-layered humour that interested a wider audience, it was the writers daring to tackle big questions and topics. Spirituality, politics and celebrities were all fair game.

Homer the Heretic dared to feature the first appearance of God in the show after Homer begins to skip the weekly church sermon. Mrs Lisa Goes to Washington has Lisa crushed by witnessing political corruption and choosing to expose it. Bart vs Australia is one of many episodes that is built around busting the chops of the rest of the world.

At the time it felt as though there was no limit to The Simpsons' mockery, and the show regularly angered political groups and the like for daring to take swipes at them. However, the show was never really shy about mocking both sides of the arguments it presented, and most of its jabs came from a good-natured place. The Simpsons' taking a pot-shot was more of a friendly roast than outright spite.

This even extended to the show's audience too, as it poked fun at those who said the series was crude or had begun to grow stale. To this day, this kind of humour has become a bit of a crutch for The Simpsons - painfully biting back at those mocking the shadow of its former self - but it was cutting edge once upon a time.