Kathrine Frich
Father Evgeny’s praise of an American cultural icon is nothing short of shocking.
Father Evgeny’s praise of an American cultural icon is nothing short of shocking.
The Simpsons Praised by Russian Orthodox Priest
Father Evgeny, head of the Russian Orthodox diocese in Yekaterinburg, is singing the praises of The Simpsons.
He says the show has done what Russian TV hasn’t: shown a loving, intact, traditional family.
In his words, “For 40 years, 36 seasons and 790 episodes, the sitcom has portrayed a strong family with three children.”
Russia’s Own Cartoons?
According to the priest, Russian animations like Smeshariki and Masha and the Bear might be cute, but they fail to present real family life.
“They are single and happy, but that’s not how things work in life,” he said, criticizing the lack of multi-person family structures in domestic children’s programming.
A Rare Praise of American Pop Culture
In a nation that routinely slams Western media as immoral and corrupting, Father Evgeny’s praise of an American cultural icon is nothing short of shocking.
Russia has grown increasingly isolationist and anti-Western, yet here’s a priest giving a cartoon from Fox TV his blessing.
Satire Meets Suburbia
Created in 1989 by Matt Groening, The Simpsons is the longest-running primetime scripted show in U.S. history.
Its dysfunctional-yet-loving characters, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, have become global symbols of middle-class family life, all wrapped in sharp satire and slapstick humor.
When The Simpsons Mocked Russia
Ironically, the show the priest now praises has repeatedly poked fun at Russia.
In one famous episode, the Soviet Union is revealed to have never truly dissolved, with tanks rolling through Red Square and Lenin rising from his tomb yelling “Must… crush… capitalism!”
“Russia Is Dying Out”
The priest tied his praise of The Simpsons to a deeper concern: Russia’s declining birth rate and demographic crisis.
By failing to present family life in an appealing way, he argues, Russian media contributes to a culture where starting a family isn’t celebrated or normalized.
Should Russia Learn from Springfield?
Father Evgeny’s message is clear: media matters.
He believes Russia’s TV creators should learn from The Simpsons, despite its irreverence, because it still manages to reinforce the value of sticking together as a family.