The Simpsons opening sequence enter this cartoon universe of "The Simpsons". Finally, after a couple of decades, they've gotten closer to what I had in my mind. Not perfect, but better." The two original variations were further expanded to these variations: The billboard gag is a running visual joke added to the opening sequence with the updated 2009 high-definition opening. In the gag, a billboard is seen on the roof of the building across the street from the elementary school as the camera pans through the town. The billboard changes every episode. The first episode with a billboard gag was "Take My Life, Please"
The Jerry Springer Show and other tabloid talk programs from being shown on television during daytime hours on school holidays in response to numerous parental complaints and concerns about children's potential exposure to the salacious content (there was a short-running British version of the show made for ITV called "The Springer Show" that was lighter and more tongue-in-cheek). The show also topped "TV Guide" magazine's 2002 list of "The Worst TV Shows Ever"; for a time, the show itself would even frequently boast about this ranking in its opening credits as a form of self-deprecation. The phrase "Jerry Springer Nation" began to be used