As someone who has been a fan of the Simpsons since they first appeared as shorts on the Tracey Ullman show (seriously they were the reason I watched her show), I was thrilled to get the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of Stupid TV, Be More Funny, which explores the behind the scene stories of the origin of the Simpsons and those early super influential years. As well as exploring the early days/years of the Simpsons and the massive unexpected societal impact the show had (and continues to have) on the world. It also touches a bit on the start of the Fox Network in general. The book features stories and anecdotes from a number of the early writers/voice actors giving new incite into THE show that ushered in the adult cartoon craze that even now continue to entertain millions every week. This is definitely a book fans of The Simpsons will enjoy. Eric Jason Martin provides the narration and does an excellent job. I’d like to thank Hachette Audio, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review Stupid TV, Be More Funny.

This was a mixed bag: the subtitle is a bit of a misnomer in that the book focuses more on the history of the show than on the show's impact on the culture. That said, it was still fun and funny.



Review copy provided by publisher.

As someone who grew up watching the Simpsons almost every single day, I got very excited when I found this book! It contains a lot of interesting information about the creation of the show and the thought processes behind the early episodes.

Whenever I told people that The Simpsons are one of my favourite shows, they would usually say „Oh but that show is stupid“ and I would always say „It may seem like it but if you actually watch and listen and understand the joke, it is very funny and smart. There are many layers to it.“ That is one of the reasons why I love the show and this book does a good job in showing that there is much more hard work, thought and intent behind the seemingly stupid jokes, which I appreciated a lot.
The author also dives into the cultural influence the earlier episodes of The Simpsons had, especially in television history.

I also appreciated that problematic aspects of the show were brought up, such as the misogyny and lack of diversity behind the scenes in the earlier seasons. However, I feel like certain things were not pointed out enough. For example, the offensive stereotype that the character Apu embodies and the harm this caused were mentioned but the controversial ways the show has dealt with this, for example in season 29, EP 15, where Lisa, out of all the people, was made to say „It’s hard to say. Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?“ (while breaking the fourth wall and looking at a picture of Apu), were left out.
Something else that bothered me was that the creators of the show were praised a lot in this book. My problem with this part was that, while the author did mention important issues such as the lack of diversity and misogyny behind the scenes, I would have wished for it to be made more clearer that these people aren’t faultless and don’t necessary stand behind the stories and jokes they write. What I’m specifically getting at here is the fact that one of the main writers of the shows earlier seasons is a known right-wing supporter, who also supports the right to own guns and is anti-environmentalist. This person was highly praised and celebrated but while other issues were rightfully brought up, this was not mentioned once. Or the sheer irony that this person has written/co-written countless episodes that emphasised the importance of environmentalism and criticised and even made fun of the second amendment and those who follow the gun craze, were not brought up at all.

All in all this was an interesting and entertaining read. I would rate the book itself 3,5⭐️. The audiobook narration was really good and delightful to listen to, which is why my final rating is 3,75⭐️ in total. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audios for giving me access to this books audiobook ARC.

Omg thank you NetGalley for the audio arc of this book. I am a huge Simpsons fan. And I am always looking for books about it. I really enjoyed this backstage look at how the the Simpsons started and how much they love there fans

Interesting account of the early (ie first 8-10) years of The Simpsons. I didn’t realize (or remember) how quickly it caught on as a cultural phenomenon. Our family is now in its third generation of Simpsons-watchers, interesting to see what is still funny and relevant today to a younger audience watching for the first time (and not having to wait a week between episodes). Anyway, this book is definitely for already-fans of the show, full of insider and behind-the-scenes details of what it was like to get the show on the air and keep it going. I particularly liked the story about how the writers refused to add a teenager to the Simpsons’ “cast” and instead added one to the “Itchy and Scratchy” cast (a show within the Krusty 🤡 show within the world of the Simpsons), then rather quickly killed off said Poochie.
Despite the title, this is not a funny book but it does remind me of funny episodes and things that became catchphrases. Again, entertaining if you have some familiarity with the show and/or interest in how Hollywood used to work.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @HachetteAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook #StupidTVBeMoreFunny for review purposes. Publication date: 10 June 2025.

The Simpsons is one of those shows where everyone you know has seen at least one episode. Love it or hate it, it’s inescapable. This book gives you a behind the scenes view of the show- how it began, how it’s made, and why it’s important in television.

I personally loved the Simpsons growing up! The characters are funny and relatable. It’s impossible to pick a favorite character or episode. This book was a great read. Cartoons have just been a part of my life as someone born in the 90s. This book brought you back to beginning of the gamble it was to do an animated sitcom. You’ll hear how some of your favorite episodes were made with backgrounds on the writers and show runners. The book hits the right balance of nostalgia and information. This book is perfect for any Simpsons fan or anyone interested in the history of television.

I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of the audiobook. The narrator did a wonderful job. He was nice to listen to and sounded very personable.