SIMPSONS GROW SOFT

Monday March 29, 1999 12:00 AM EST

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"The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening is a little sad that Bart, Homer and the gang don't offend people like they used to. "'The Simpsons' used to be the downfall of Western civilization," says Groening, adding that he loved complaints that the show undermined parental authority. Groening also tells TV Guide that he has a lot of confidence in his new animated series, "Futurama," a science fiction spoof set 1,000 years in the future. He had originally written a part for the late Phil Hartman, who was to have supplied the voice of space commander Zapp Branigan. In the comedian's honor, the unspoken first name of the show's hero, Fry, is Phillip.