Alt.tv.simpsons

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alt.tv.simpsons (called "a.t.s." by regular readers) is a usenet newsgroup dedicated to discussing the American television program, The Simpsons. It was created by Gary D. Duzan during the third week of March 1990, four months after the first airing of a regular episode of the program, which was the Christmas special that aired on December 17, 1989.

The newsgroup achieved notoriety when its existence was alluded to on the program itself. Simpsons character the Comic Book Guy is often used to represent a stereotypical inhabitant of a.t.s. Shortly after some readers began declaring certain new Simpsons shows to be the "worst episode ever," the Comic Book Guy began using that as his catchphrase, with variations incorporated to keep things fresh.

The comments of a.t.s. have been extensively quoted or cited in the writings of mass media commentators. This has led to times where relations between writers and viewers have become strained. In one infamous case, writer Ian Maxtone-Graham made notorious comments about the fans on the internet, calling them "beetle-browed" and saying that he had barely seen the show before he was hired to write for it, in an interview with The Independent. Simpsons voice cast members Harry Shearer and Yeardley Smith have posted to a.t.s, and in one of his Life in Hell cartoons Matt Groening implied that he read the newsgroup. Also former executive producer Mike Scully posted on the newsgroup in 1998 anonymously, using the now defunct e-mail address hugh2020@aol.com.

On the DVD commentaries to the Simpsons, the directors and writers also mention the effect that the newsgroup had on them. This made a.t.s. one of the first newsgroups to ever give rise to communication between a television program's fanbase and its producers.

[edit] Episode Capsules

The newsgroup grew rapidly, serving readers who missed new episodes or who live overseas with 'episode capsules.' A labour of love for a large group of volunteers, the capsules including episode transcripts, as well as observations, reviews, and other comments. Episode capsules include explanation of culture-specific jokes for the benefit of viewers outside of North America. Lists of references to previous episodes and other elements of popular culture are also common.

The capsules are stored and maintained on the newsgroup's website, The Simpsons Archive, the most comprehensive archive of Simpsons information on the Internet. The meaning of The Simpsons Archive domain name's acronym is "Springfield Nuclear Power Plant." (SNPP)