Sam Simon: 1955-2015

Great- another death in the Geek-o-sphere.

Sam Simon, one of the three creators of The Simpsons, went to the great beyond today. He had been battling cancer for about two years, and beat his doctor's predictions by... about 18 months. All while donating much of his fortune to charity. THAT, my friends, is impressive.

Honestly... it's hard to imagine what American TV would be like without the work of Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Mr Simon. What that trio did with the creation of The Simpsons is nothing short of groundbreaking. Simon helped create a show that might have been one of the smartest on TV. That show not only helped create a media empire (for good or for bad), but tapped into the attitudes of a generation unimpressed with a relatively milquetoast slate of American sitcoms.

Without Sam, who knows if The Simpsons would've succeeded? Who knows if we'd have shows like Futurama, Gravity Falls, etc?

So, what to do now? I guess a Sam Simon marathon is in order. For your Sam Simon viewing pleasure, please watch these episodes.

• Season 1
• "The Telltale Head"
• "The Crepes of Wrath"
• "Some Enchanted Evening"
• Season 2
• "Treehouse of Horror" ("The Raven")
• "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"
• "The Way We Was" (Try not to choke up at the ending of this.)
• Season 3
• "Treehouse of Horror II"
• "Black Widower"
• Season 4
• "Treehouse of Horror III" ("Dial Z For Zombies")

Godspeed, Mr. Simon.