Movies - TV
Why The Simpsons Swapped Their First Episode For A Christmas Special
By MICHAEL BOYLE
The first season of "The Simpsons" was rocky. Fox aired certain episodes out of order, and according to the show's writer and producer Mike Reiss, the pilot was "a total disaster."
In his book, "Springfield Confidential," Reiss said the animation felt wrong as “the Simpson house was bendy, Homer was wiggly, all of Springfield seemed to be made of rubber."
While the animation improved before the pilot's rescheduling, it still didn't prevent it from looking like one of the strangest episodes in the entire series.
They needed something different for the show's new pilot, which aired the week before Christmas in 1989. Although ninth in production order, The Christmas episode became first.
"It was funny, touching, smart, and sweet; none of us saw it coming," Reiss explained. Re-introducing the family on a down-to-earth note was a decision that paid off.
"When the screening ended there was dead silence," Reiss recalled, "Finally, writer Wally Wolodarsky shouted with ironic glee, 'Show it again!'"
The episode got huge ratings and strong positive reviews from critics, a stark contrast from the baffled, outraged reaction the original pilot received from early screenings.