original_network futurama 
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the ___MASK90___ . The series is a satirical depiction of working - class life epitomized by the Simpson family , which consists of Homer , Marge , Bart , Lisa , and Maggie . The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture , society , television , and the human condition . The ___MASK90___ ( often shortened to / commonly referred to as Fox ) is an American commercial broadcast television network that is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of 21st Century Fox . The network is headquartered at the 20th Century Fox studio lot on Pico Boulevard in the Century City section of Los Angeles , with additional major offices and production facilities at the Fox Television Center in nearby West Los Angeles and the Fox Broadcasting Center in Yorkville , Manhattan , New York . It is the third largest major television network in the world based on total revenues , assets , and international coverage . Matthew Abram " Matt " Groening (; born February 15 , 1954 ) is an American cartoonist , writer , producer , animator , and voice actor . He is the creator of the comic strip " Life in Hell " ( 1977  2012 ) and the television series " The Simpsons " ( 1989  present ) and " Futurama " ( 1999  2003 , 2008  2013 ). " The Simpsons " has gone on to become the longest - running U . S . primetime - television series in ___MASK52___ , as well as the longest - running animated series and sitcom . Futurama is an American animated ___MASK15___ fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the ___MASK90___ . The series follows the adventures of a late - 20th - century New York City pizza delivery boy , Philip J . Fry , who , after being unwittingly cryogenically frozen for one thousand years , finds employment at Planet Express , an interplanetary delivery company in the retro - futuristic 31st century . The series was envisioned by Groening in the mid - 1990s while working on " The Simpsons "; he later brought David X . Cohen aboard to develop storylines and characters to pitch the show to Fox . Futurama '  s fourth season began airing in 2002 and concluded after 18 episodes on August 10 , 2003 . The complete 18 episodes of the season have been released on a box set called Futurama : Volume Four , on DVD and VHS . It was first released in Region 2 on November 24 , 2003 , with releases in other regions following in 2004 . The season was re - released as Futurama : Volume 4 , with entirely different packaging to match the newer season releases on July 17 , 2012 .