10 Ways The Simpsons Changed The World

Hollywood, being the film and TV capital of the West, is responsible for a pretty hefty output of entertainment.

American-exports like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Friends absolutely gave international fans a view into life in America, but no show better expressed a wider view of American culture like The Simpsons. Instead of just telling self-contained stories that just so happened to be set in Los Angeles or New York, The Simpsons was often responding to or critiquing American life.

Not just guest stars but celebrity parodies rolling in, from political figures to characters from other TV shows; the show constantly gave international viewers the tiniest insight into things they might know nothing about. After all, not all of Europe would have known what SNL was and having Conan O'Brien star as himself meant very little to those who couldn't see Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

And while these sound like criticisms that these jokes might not land, it made The Simpsons an interesting window into the general feeling across the pond. Jokes at the expense of Mnt Dew, American political parties and the Fox Network strangely created an understanding for a culture that many international fans hadn't experienced. After all, meatloaf was never a common meal in the UK, but we knew about it because of The Simpsons.