Way back in 1989, The Simpsons debuted with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," but that wasn't the original plan. The Simpsons is truly a one-of-a-kind entry in TV history, a scripted weekly primetime series that's about to enter its 32nd season. No other show even comes close to its longevity at this point, and it's likely none ever will. The Simpsons will just continue to expand its footprint too, as there's yet to be any indication from new owner Disney that the animated institution is planning to end anytime soon.
One reason The Simpsons remains on the air, aside from the fact that the overall franchise is a multimedia cash cow, is the loyalty of its fans. As much as people love to vocally whine and complain online about how much The Simpsons has fallen off since its best days, which is arguably true, the ratings numbers are some of the most consistent in all of TV. Clearly, millions of viewers are planning to keep riding The Simpsons train until the wheels fall off, and with all prior seasons streaming on Disney+, new viewers will continue to catch-up and join the crowd.
It's easy to forget though that it actually took a few seasons for The Simpsons to really hit its stride, and nobody really knew for sure if this adult-oriented cartoon would be a hit. Looking back, the fact that the premiere episode was a Christmas special seems like an odd move, but there's a specific reason producers went that route.
The Simpsons' ORIGINAL First Episode
It turns out The Simpsons originally intended to air the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" as the series premiere, which would've aired on FOX in fall 1989. Written by creator Matt Groening and co-developer Sam Simon, the episode was designed to be an introduction to the characters, their relationships, and how different they would be from the Tracey Ullman Show shorts. Unfortunately, "Some Enchanted Evening," came back from the Korean studio The Simpsons was partially being animated at with a cavalcade of errors, to the point where executive producer James L. Brooks was furious. Thankfully, the next episode produced, "Bart the Genius," came out better.
While "Some Enchanted Evening" had its animation issues fixed, and was also partially rewritten, producers asked FOX to delay The Simpsons' premiere until December, and begin with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," as the subject matter made a December airing essential. A revamped and corrected version of "Some Enchanted Evening" was eventually aired as the season 1 finale, in May 1990. This did lead to a few continuity issues, as episodes that aired after "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," but were made before, don't have Santa's Little Helper in them, and "Some Enchanted Evening" features some early character designs that were changed in episodes produced later.