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Screenwriter Who Penned the First Episode of ‘The Simpsons’ Was Never Invited Back — and Explains Why

Aug 15, 2017  •  Post A Comment

The screenwriter who got the ball rolling on what became one of the longest-running shows in the history of television was never invited back into the writers’ room. Mimi Pond, who penned the premiere episode of “The Simpsons” way back in the 1980s, offered an explanation during an interview with Jezebel.

According to Pond, she was shut out because she’s a woman — although it took her a while to figure it out.

“I was never invited to be on staff, and I never knew why for the longest time,” she told the publication, adding: “No one ever called me or explained to me or apologized or anything.”

She said she eventually put the pieces together.

“It wasn’t until years later that I found out that Sam Simon, who was the showrunner, didn’t want any women around because he was going through a divorce,” she said. “It had remained a boys’ club for a good long time.”

Pond also said: “I always wind up being the turd in the punchbowl because the show is so beloved and everything, and I’m sorry to burst bubbles but [laughs]. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for me.”

We encourage readers to click on the link above to Jezebel to read the full interview.

3 Comments

  1. The first episode of the “Simpsons” series in December, 1989, was NOT the actual first episode for “The Simpsons”.

    Prior to the “Simpsons” 1989 premiere, there are many “forgotten Simpsons segments”, that are not included in the syndication episodes, and have not been released on DVD yet. The first “Simpsons” episode actually appeared in 1987, as a segments on “The Tracy Ullman Show”—which has never been released on DVD. Those Simpsons segments aired from 1987-89, prior to the “Simpsons” premiere. There also hasn’t been a Simpsons DVD release, of those early Tracy Ullamn sketches either.

  2. The origination on Tracy Ullman’s show is true, but that doesn’t excuse the boys club that was the early years of the Simpsons.

  3. The SIMPSONS segments on TRACI ULLMAN’s show don’t count as actual SIMPSONS episodes. Pond wrote the first “real” episode of THE SIMPSONS as a standalone series, which is possibly one of the most underappreciated writing jobs of all time. If she failed to deliver, the series may not have continued beyond a short mid-season replacement run. As it is, Pond wrote a great alt-Christmas story that brought a lot of bits & supporting characters introduced on Ullman’s show and added the first LEGO blocks to what we now know as the SIMPSONS Extended Universe. I hope she’s now getting some of the recognition she deserves for that work. I mean, it only helped launch one of the most successful TV series in history. Forget the token exhibit at the Smithsonian when it finally ends first-run production; SIMPSONS will deserve (and probably get) its own dedicated museum.

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