Parallel to its mainstream success as a prime-time television show, The Simpsons has always enjoyed cult status—not just as a cult show but also as a cult franchise. If this seems incongruent, it is because the attribute “cult” in relation to media objects is typically associated with subcultural appeal, and thus with a rather small circle of viewers or devotees (cf. Gwenllian- Jones and Pearson 2004). As touched upon in the previous chapters, The Simpsons—along with other media fare from the 1990s—has substantially contributed to redefinitions of this traditional understanding of “cult.”

Reflecting on the condition of convergence culture, Matt Hills observes how television entertainment featuring “cult” characteristics—which used to derive from a program's niche appreciation—has increasingly been drawing larger, even mainstream audiences. The Simpsons might be considered an early instance of the array of 1990s shows suggested by Hills in this context—Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek, Lost, The XFiles— which were “designed to reach a wide range of audiences and intended to be read fannishly as well as less closely [by general viewers]” (Hills 2010, p.73). Furthermore, Hills emphasizes the spread of digital culture and new media, which fueled the dissemination of media fandom and diffused the cult experience related to a certain television program.

Indeed, it seems unsatisfying to narrow down The Simpsons’ cult status to a particular group of hardcore fans. The “cult” around the show reached the mainstream quickly after the series debut, when the cartoon family made it onto the covers of Mother Jones, Newsweek, Time magazine, and TV Guide, and Simpsons merchandising became a staple in shops across America and beyond.