This Live-Action ‘Simpsons’ Intro From 2006 Is Still Better Than the Ones That A.I. Makes

Artificial intelligence enthusiasts keep trying to bring The Simpsons to life through their soullessly generated slop, but their efforts will only ever pale in comparison to how one British TV channel put crooked smiles on so many Simpsons fans’ faces.

The intro to The Simpsons is arguably the most iconic opening sequence in television history. While the signature opener has undergone many changes in the 35 years since the show began — most for the worse — the core montage has generally remained intact and incredible over so many seasons. So, when one Simpsons fan decided to introduce their own twist on the intro sequence with a “live-action,” A.I.-generated video that debuted Adam Sandler playing Homer, the Simpsons purists of the internet objected to the sacrilege in the strongest terms possible.

“The Simpsons by Adam Sandler” went super viral on Simpsons Twitter with 30.5 million views, but it also inspired backlash among many A.I.-averse fans, one of whom pointed out that, when it comes to live-action Simpsons, Sky One did it first.

The British television station Sky One, which was the home of The Simpsons throughout the 1990s and early 2000s as it aired daily episodes of America's greatest comedic cultural export, actually made two different live-action intros to promote its syndication deal with 20th Century Fox. The first live-action Simpsons intro, which Sky One debuted in 2000, celebrated the show’s 10th anniversary. But because it was such a huge hit the first time around, Sky One decided to do an encore performance in 2006, thus giving the world two of the most loving live-action tributes to The Simpsons that only humans could create.

While the uncanny and near-but-certainly-not-lifelike appearance of “The Simpsons by Adam Sandler” will inevitably impress some fans on a technical level, there’s an unmistakable difference in quality between the A.I. version and the real thing, lovingly and painstakingly planned and executed by living, breathing, die-hard Simpsons fans. 

Of course, the original poster of ”The Simpsons by Adam Sandler" didn’t have to spend the likely tens of thousands of pounds that Sky One used to create such masterpieces. Sadly, real-life creatives like the ones who made these intros may still have to compete with A.I. “artists” who exert as much effort into completing their inferior projects as Homer's drinking bird.