Season 1

The Simpsons' first season began on 17th December 1989 with the first episode of the series, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," and ended on 13th May 1990 with "Some Enchanted Evening." Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon were the show runners of the season.

The original plan was to begin the season and the series in the Autumn of 1989 with "Some Enchanted Evening." However, the workprint of the episode was of such poor quality that 70% of its animation had to be redone, delaying it for months throughout the season until it ended up being aired as the season finale on 13th May 1990. Subsequent episodes such as "Bart the Genius" had minor problems in production that were easy to fix and were suitable for airing. As "Some Enchanted Evening" was being overhauled, the producers decided to air the Christmas special, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," on 17th December 1989. The timing was very fortunate, as the episode would have had to be aired in the Christmas holidays of 1989 regardless of any other issues.

The season won one Emmy award and had four other nominations. "Life on the Fast Lane" won "Outstanding Animated Program," for which "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was also a nominee. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was nominated for "Outstanding Editing in a Miniseries or Special"; "The Call of the Simpsons" was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special"; and "The Simpsons Theme," composed by Danny Elfman, was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music."

All 13 episodes of Season 1, including extras such as the "Some Enchanted Evening" workprint, were released on DVD on 25th September 2001 in Region 1 and 24th September 2001 in Regions 2 and 4. This is the First of the Complete Seasons of The Simpsons released in boxsets for home media.

DVD Release
Season 1 was released on DVD by 20th Century Fox in Regions 2 and 4 on 24th September 2001, and on 25th September in Region 1. While primarily consisting of the original 13 episodes, the DVD release features bonus material including deleted scenes, Animatics, and commentaries for every episode. The set sold 1.9 million units, becoming the highest-selling television program on DVD -- a record which it held until October 2004 when it was passed by the first season of | Chappelle's Show.