Why The Simpsons Focuses So Much On Homer

The show is called "The Simpsons" but if there's a member of the family that stands out as the lead, it's patriarch Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta). He even wound up eclipsing his own son Bart (Nancy Cartwright), who was the series' lead during its first seasons. 

"Simpsons" creator Matt Groening and Castellaneta sat down with Entertainment Weekly in 2010 to discuss Homer's character. (15 years later and he's still an American icon.) When asked how Homer became the Simpson, Groening said it's because Homer offers a more versatile range for comedy:

"With Homer, there's just a wider range of jokes you can do. And there are far more drastic consequences to Homer's stupidity. There's only so far you can go with a juvenile delinquent. We wanted Bart to do anything up to the point of him being tried in court as an adult. But Homer is an adult, and his boneheaded-ness is funnier. The things that come out of Homer's mouth and the decisions Dan makes are unbelievable..."

Think about how many "Simpsons" episodes boil down to "Homer gets a new job" (despite his eternal employment security at the nuclear plant). One of the most beloved "Simpsons" episodes ever, season 4's "Last Exit To Springfield," fits in this category when Homer becomes the union president. 

Season 5 is when this trend really kicked off, I'd argue. That season opened with "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," revealing Homer had once been a musical sensation (winning a Grammy and all). Then, later in the season, we got "Deep Space Homer" where he becomes an astronaut. "The Simpsons" is past its golden age, and part of that's because the novelty of Homer in different jobs has worn off.

Homer has a wider range of character dynamics to explore, too. Think about his loathing of Ned Flanders, or Mr. Burns' obliviousness to his existence, or his sweet yet sometimes troubled relationships with Marge and his kids. Bart is more confined to interacting with his immediate family and peers/faculty at Springfield Elementary. You can only do so much with Bart ticking off Principal Skinner again and again. Like Groening said, Homer just offers a better platform to build scene-by-scene jokes and stories upon.

Matt Groening named the Simpsons after his own family; Groening's dad was named Homer, his mom Marge, he had sisters Maggie & Lisa, etc. By extension, Bart is Groening himself, so of course he saw the little troublemaker as the main character.

Look at season 1 of "The Simpsons." "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire" (the first aired episode) and "Some Enchanted Evening" (the intended premiere) are split between father and son pretty evenly. However, five of the season's 13 episodes focus heavily on Bart: "Bart the Genius," "Bart the General," "The Telltale Head," "Crepes of Wrath," and "Krusty Gets Busted." Season 2 premiered with a Bart episode, too: "Bart Gets An F." But by "The Simpsons" season 5, the balance has turned in Homer's favor.

David Mirkin, who became "Simpsons" showrunner for season 5 and so oversaw this shift being cemented, explained why he preferred Homer as the lead in a 2007 New York Post interview. "Bart, to write him accurately as a child, he can only have so much depth at a certain age," he said. "With Homer, we try to explore all levels of adulthood or arrested childhood. There are just more places to go ... [Homer is] our main rock of the whole series."

Now, that's not to say the show started neglecting Bart. He's still one of the title characters, after all. The most beloved "Simpsons" episodes have a healthy mix of Homer episodes and Bart episodes, too. For every "Mr. Plow," there's a "Cape Feare."

"We started writing more Homer stories, I think because we're more like Homer than Bart," said long-lasting "Simpsons" showrunner Al Jean to the New York Post. Groening agrees that Homer speaks to our base selves — as flattering (or not) as that is about us Americans.

"Homer is launching himself headfirst into every single impulsive thought that occurs to him. He is truly American in his love of food and idiotic pop culture. We can all relate to it, we just feel guilt about it. Homer feels guilt, but not until hours later. And only momentarily. Homer really is living in the moment."

But what made the sweet spot of Homer-focused "Simpsons" into the show's "Golden Age" is that underneath all that, Homer really did have a heart of gold. Groening continued:

"He has the Ego too. It's just that he's mostly ruled by Id. But his redemption is his love of Marge and I think equally important, Marge's love of Homer. I think if Marge didn't love Homer, and weren't bizarrely attracted to him, maybe the audience wouldn't be on board so much. But we feel if Marge can forgive Homer, so can we."

Some wonder why Marge stays with Homer when he too often forgets to cherish her. The thing is, Marge sometimes asks herself that too, which is when Homer has to let Ego take over for Id. The show's many and many Homer-centric episodes have seen this play out time and time again.