Buzz
If you grew up after 1989, you likely know The Simpsons as a Sunday night fixture on Fox. However, before they became the stars of their own sitcom, the Simpsons family was just one of many recurring skits on The Tracey Ullman Show, a variety program where the host, Tracey Ullman, played multiple roles. (The Simpsons made their debut on April 19, 1987, marking its 30th anniversary.)
Ullman’s show, co-created by James L. Brooks, ran for four seasons, with the last episode airing on May 26, 1990. But, just six months earlier, The Simpsons had already made the leap. After three seasons of being part of Ullman’s ensemble, Brooks expanded the short clips into a half-hour animated series that ultimately became Fox's first breakout success. Today, The Simpsons holds several Guinness World Records, including the longest-running sitcom. But since the show began as part of her program, did Ullman receive any profits from its success?
The simple answer is: No.
Express Newspapers/Getty Images
In 1991, Ullman took legal action against 20th Century Fox, claiming four counts of contract violation. According to the Los Angeles Times, her 14-page complaint argued that her agreement with Gracie Films (James L. Brooks’s production company) entitled her to 'five to 10 percent of the net receipts from merchandising and other earnings from products or programs based on spin-off characters, including animated ones, even if those characters were created by someone else.' Since The Simpsons had originated on The Tracey Ullman Show, Ullman contended she was entitled to a share of those profits.
Merchandising played a major role in The Simpsons’s financial triumph. The trade publication Licensing Letter estimated that in 1990, the franchise generated approximately $750 million in merchandise sales, making the Simpson family the third most popular characters that year, following the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and New Kids on the Block. It was reported that Ullman didn’t name Gracie Films in her lawsuit, likely to avoid straining her relationship with Brooks.
Over a year later, on October 22, 1992, a jury in Superior Court ruled in favor of Fox and dismissed Ullman’s lawsuit, which had the potential to earn her around $2.25 million at the time. During the trial, Brooks testified that The Simpsons was created by Matt Groening, and that Ullman had no involvement in its creative development.
Although Ullman was reportedly out of the country during the trial, her lawyer, Michael Bergman, told Variety that he was 'very disappointed. I think the jury did their best, but it was a very complex case... and the issues just got lost somewhere along the line.'
