The Simpsons, South Park, & Batman TAS Article

Introduction​

This article focuses on the history and trivia about three selected animated television series: The Simpsons, South Park, and Batman: The Animated Series.

The Simpsons​

Episode Count​

• Season 1 (1989-1990): 20 episodes
• Season 2 (1990-1991): 26 episodes (46)
• Season 3 (1991-1992): 26 episodes (72)
• Season 4 (1992-1993): 26 episodes (98)
• Season 5 (1993-1994): 26 episodes (124)
• Season 6 (1994-1995): 26 episodes (150)
• Season 7 (1995-1996): 26 episodes (176)
• Season 8 (1996-1997): 26 episodes (202)
• Season 9 (1997-1998): 26 episodes (228)
• Season 10 (1998-1999): 26 episodes (254)
• Season 11 (1999-2000): 26 episodes (280)
• Season 12 (2000-2001): 26 episodes (306)
• Season 13 (2001-2002): 26 episodes (332)
• Season 14 (2002-2003): 26 episodes (358)
• Season 15 (2003-2004): 26 episodes (384)
• Season 16 (2004-2005): 26 episodes (410)
• Season 17 (2005-2006): 26 episodes (436)
• Season 18 (2006-2007): 26 episodes (462)
• Season 19 (2007-2008): 26 episodes (488)
• Season 20 (2008-2009): 26 episodes (514)
• Season 21 (2009-2010): 26 episodes (540)
• Season 22 (2010-2011): 26 episodes (566)
• Season 23 (2011-2012): 26 episodes (592)
• Season 24 (2012-2013): 26 episodes (618)
• Season 25 (2013-2014): 26 episodes (644)
• Season 26 (2014-2015): 26 episodes (670)
• Season 27 (2015-2016): 26 episodes (696)
• Season 28 (2016-2017): 26 episodes (722)
• Season 29 (2017-2018): 26 episodes (748)
• Season 30 (2018-2019): 26 episodes (774)
• Season 31 (2019-2020): 26 episodes (800)
• Season 32 (2020-2021): 26 episodes (826)
• Season 33 (2021-2022): 26 episodes (852)
• Season 34 (2022-2023): 26 episodes (878)
• Season 35 (2023-2024): 26 episodes (904)

Subtotal: 904 episodes

Hollywood Walk of Fame Note​

• The Simpsons received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.

Theatrical Film​

The Simpsons Movie (2007)​

• Release Date: July 2007
• Gross (USA): over $733,000,000 (by November 2007)
• Gross (World): over $1.69 billion

South Park​

Episode Count​

• Season 1 (1997-1998): 20 episodes
• Season 2 (1998-1999): 26 episodes (46)
• Season 3 (1999-2000): 26 episodes (72)
• Season 4 (2000-2001): 26 episodes (98)
• Season 5 (2001-2002): 26 episodes (124)
• Season 6 (2002-2003): 26 episodes (150)
• Season 7 (2003-2004): 26 episodes (176)
• Season 8 (2004-2005): 26 episodes (202)
• Season 9 (2005-2006): 26 episodes (228)
• Season 10 (2006-2007): 26 episodes (254)
• Season 11 (2007-2008): 26 episodes (280)
• Season 12 (2008-2009): 26 episodes (306)
• Season 13 (2009-2010): 26 episodes (332)
• Season 14 (2010-2011): 26 episodes (358)
• Season 15 (2011-2012): 26 episodes (384)
• Season 16 (2012-2013): 26 episodes (410)
• Season 17 (2013-2014): 26 episodes (436)
• Season 18 (2014-2015): 26 episodes (462)
• Season 19 (2015-2016): 26 episodes (488)
• Season 20 (2016-2017): 26 episodes (514)
• Season 21 (2017-2018): 26 episodes (540)
• Season 22 (2018-2019): 26 episodes (566)
• Season 23 (2019-2020): 26 episodes (592)
• Season 24 (2020-2021): 26 episodes (618)
• Season 25 (2021-2022): 26 episodes (644)
• Season 26 (2022-2023): 26 episodes (670)
• Season 27 (2023-2024): 26 episodes (696)

Subtotal: 696 episodes

Hollywood Walk of Fame Note​

• South Park received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.

Theatrical Film​

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)​

• Release Date: June 1999
• Gross (USA): over $215,000,000 (by October 1999)
• Gross (World): over $498,000,000

Batman: The Animated Series​

Notes​

• Major villains such as the Riddler and Mr. Freeze are to be used quite frequently in the series.
  • The Riddler is to be used about as frequently as any other major Batman villain, especially Poison Ivy, Two-Face, the Joker, and the Penguin.
  • Despite the fact that the Riddler might be used as part of a bizarre set of plots in Batman TAS, that's a chance that the writers of the show will have to take due to facing fierce competition with all of the first three Nicktoons (Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show; all of these Nicktoons debuted in 1991, the year before the premiere of Batman TAS).
• The release of the theatrical film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is to be delayed by about a year, for a premiere in the fall of 1994.
  • This 1994 release is meant to make the film a box office success, instead of being released late in 1993 on such short notice, and to avoid overwhelming competition with the first Ren & Stimpy movie, which is released to theaters in November 1993. Warning: The notes below this one are not particularly related to Batman TAS and serve as a background for further reading.
    • As inferred earlier, the first three Nickelodeon animated series - Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show - are all instant, massive hits in my revised history.
      • Although in the current version of history, Doug and Rugrats only become big hits a few years after premiering on Nickelodeon in 1991, Rugrats on Nick, and Doug in the form of a newer Disney series. Thus, Doug and Rugrats do not get their first theatrical films until the late '90s.
      • Ren & Stimpy, on the other hand, does not get an all-new theatrical animated film at all due to the staff at Nickelodeon deciding to play it safe. Although Ren & Stimpy does become the subject of a theatrical documentary that doesn't make its first appearance until a matter of decades after The Ren & Stimpy Show premieres!
    • Back to revised history. All of the first three Nicktoons instantly becoming massive hits are largely due to the tireless, shrewd marketing efforts instigated by Tony Marini. Marini is an invention of mine who one might recall from here is married to Patty Massi Marini, daughter of Nick Massi of the rock band the Four Seasons. Tony Marini originally has a career working with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS); this lasts from 1970 to 1981, when he resigns from his position at PBS and switches to Nickelodeon. Between the years 1981 and 1991, Marini helps transform Nick from a fledgling cable network to one of the leading cable networks with massive hits such as You Can't Do That On Television and Double Dare.
      • Fast-forward to 1991, the first three Nicktoons premiere on TV, all of them becoming massive hits as well. A few months afterwards, Tony Marini proceeds to capitalize on the Nicktoons' success by helping to pitch three animated feature films, one for each Nicktoon. They are as follows: the first Rugrats movie, released in July 1993; the first Ren & Stimpy movie, previously mentioned and released in November 1993; and the first Doug movie, released in July 1994.
      • Tony Marini will be covered further in a future TTI alternate history article, one dedicated to Nickelodeon.