Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons

James L. Brooks, Sam Simon, and Matt Groening combine to create a series of shorts for "The Tracey Ullman Show" that ultimately propels Fox and its creators into television stardom.

Problems plague the launch of "The Simpsons," causing it to miss its original debut date and throwing the future of the entire series into question.

The Simpsons writers' room is the stuff of TV legend. While the writers toiled away, tensions rose among the three creators, leading to Sam Simon's departure from the series.

Through internal strife and natural disasters, the animators gave "The Simpsons" their signature look, bringing everything the writers could imagine in 2-D to life.

Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein join and work to expand the "Simpsons" world.

With a pioneering spirit and enough merchandise to fill a Kwik-E-Mart, The Simpsons continues to enlarge the hearts and imaginations of generations of fans around the world.