RIDING HIGH WITH `THE SIMPSONS' : WHY TV'S TOP DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY THRIVES.

Byline: Keith Marder Daily News Television Writer

What do you get when you take a dopey dad, a dutiful mother, add a brat, a toddler and a pointy-haired intellectual?

Well, as of 8 p.m. Sunday, you get the dysfunctional nuclear family with more prime-time network episodes than any other cartoon.

Thirty-one years ago, the final, 166th episode of ``The Flintstones'' aired on ABC. The longevity award will move from Bedrock to Springfield when the 167th half-hour of ``The Simpsons'' airs tonight.

To steal a line from the Fox publicity department, ``Yabba Dabba D'oh.''

``It's a little weird. Fred Flintstone is such a cult institution,'' said Bill Oakley, ``Simpsons'' executive producer. ``Everyone knows who Fred Flintstone is. Now there are generations of kids more familiar with Homer Simpson than Fred Flintstone.''

It makes us think of the episode back in 1994 when, in recognition of the 100th ``Simpsons'' show, Bart filled a school blackboard with the sentence ``I will not celebrate meaningless milestones.''

``The significance of `The Simpsons' is not the milestone episode in and of itself; it's the impact that this little yellow family has had on the American and international audience,'' said Fox entertainment president Peter Roth.

Through the years, ``The Simpsons,'' one of the highest-rated shows on Fox, has been particularly popular with the network's core audience of young adults. This year ``The Simpsons'' is the No. 1-rated show in its time period among viewers 18 to 34 years old, is Fox's highest-rated comedy, and has an audience that has grown 6 percent over last year among viewers 18 to 49 years old.

Others have tried to cash in on cartoon popularity, leaving us with some hideous prime-time animation including ``Fish Police,'' ``Family Dog'' and ``Capitol Critters.'' ``The Critic,'' which had some of the same lineage (James L. Brooks, a ``Simpson'' creator and executive producer, and ``Simpsons'' veterans Al Jean and Mike Reiss, failed on two networks and lives in reruns on Comedy Central. ``Pinky & the Brain,'' another of the better Simpson-influenced shows, aired during prime time on the WB, but it is now in the network's children's block.

``I have a friend who says that animation only works in prime time in a family setting,'' said Greg Daniels, one of the creators of Fox's ``King of the Hill.'' ``Our show was developed for Fox because they needed a companion for `The Simpsons.' It all stems from `The Simpsons.' ''

Fox, then, has become somewhat the cartoon network. Besides ``King of the Hill,'' which it picked up for all of next season after only its second episode, it has a stop-action animation (Claymation a la ``Davey and Goliath'') series in development and a live-action series based on the comic strip ``Dilbert.''

Besides the full-season order for next year, Fox has shown a tremendous amount of promotional support, including millions in ads during the Super Bowl, for ``King of the Hill,'' which has held the audience over from ``The Simpsons'' in each of its three Sunday night airings.

Oakley partly attributes the Simpsons' success to the original deal that specified that Fox would have no creative involvement in the show.

``It allows us to be more on the cutting edge,'' Oakley said. ``It allows us to take more chances.''

Also, many would argue that ``The Simpsons'' is possibly the most consistently funny program in prime time.

``To me, it's the best show ever on TV,'' said Tom Snyder, not the talk-show host, but the co-creator of ``Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist,'' an animated series on Comedy Central. ``It's the most consistently brilliant writing I've ever seen. It's the only show we watch as a family with my daughter, who's 8, and my son, who's 12.

``One of the things that is so interesting about Homer is that because the character is so likable, he's allowed to be incredibly inconsistent. He's allowed to get away with being quite sweet and caring to one of the most selfish characters on television, and we all still like him. That could be probably because he's a cartoon.''

The characters are well-defined, from lovable, loutish Homer to thumb-sucking, crawling Maggie to the fawning, servile and gay Waylon Smithers, assistant to nuclear power plant owner Montgomery Burns, to Apu Nahasapeemapetilan, owner of the Kwik-E-Mart. Everyone in this politically correct situation gets the same satirical treatment.

``The Simpsons'' transcends any age-based demographic. Because it's animated, kids gravitate toward it. And because the humor is sophisticated and saturated with pop culture references, it grabs adults as well.

An average sitcom has about 50 pages with two jokes per page. ``The Simpsons'' has about four times as many. And, there are even more jokes in the background.

``We go to a lot of trouble for the people who freeze frame the show,'' Oakley said. During an episode predicting the end of the world, the local news anchor ran a list, which was only viewable if a tape was paused. It said the following people were all gay, followed by a list that, with a trained eye, you could read the names of the show's cast and crew.

Without animation, ``The Simpsons'' couldn't get away with most of what it does.

``We have no budgets for sets, no budget for actors,'' Oakley said. ``If this was a live-action show, it would cost over $50 million a week. Every episode can have 100 sets and 100 actors. It costs no more for them to go to Australia than to sit at home.''

The Springfield where the series is set is next to a desert, an ocean and mountains.

``Drawing one thing is not much different from drawing another,'' said Phil Hartman, a frequent guest voice. ``If you need a monorail to go around Springfield, you draw one. You can't do that convincingly on `Laverne & Shirley.' ''

It's easier to get big-name talent to come in and do episodes. Some of the names who have lent voices to characters in Springfield are Hartman, who often plays B-movie star Troy McClure and attorney Lionel Hutz, Moses and a cable guy; Danny DeVito, who played Homer's brother, Herb Powell; James Woods (himself); and Winona Ryder (Allison, Lisa's mental match).

``It's just a dream for an actor,'' Hartman said. ``It scarcely gets easier than walking in the room and reading lines, which is the process of voice-over animation. They really take extra care with `The Simpsons.' They do takes over and over and over again to make sure they get it right. In my opinion, I think it's the funniest show on television.''

Nothing to this quiz,

right? D'oh

So you think you know a lot about ``The Simpsons''? Here's your chance to prove it:

1. Who says, ``D'oh!''?

2. What cartoon prompts Marge to start a crusade against violence on television?

3. From what country does Groudskeeper Willie come?

4. What school do Lisa and Bart attend?

5. What color is the family couch?

6. What is the name of Bart's teacher?

7. What breed of dog is Santa's Little Helper?

8. In Bart's class, what is the bully's name?

9. What vegetable makes up the pattern in the Simpsons' kitchen curtains?

10. What picture hangs behind the couch in the Simpsons' TV room?

11. What is Krusty the Clown's religion?

12. What is the name of Lisa's teacher?

13. What brand beer does Homer drink?

14. How much does Homer weigh?

15. What is the name of Apu's cousin?

16. What is the name of Patty and Selma's pet iguana?

17. What is the Simpsons' address?

18. In what line of work is Homer's half brother?

19. What is the name of the amusement park owned by the local beer company?

20. What rock band serenaded Mr. Burns with its version of ``Happy Birthday''?

Please see answers to quiz on page 6.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: Tonight's ``Simpsons'' episode, with Bart, left, Homer, Lisa, Marge and Maggie in mock garb, marks the series' 167th, surpassing a 31-year longevity record held by the original modern stone-age family.

Box: Nothing to this quiz, right? D'oh! (See Text)