Meet a very familar family...

They’re an animated yellow-skinned, four-fingered family, with dopey overweight father, and a mother who wears a blue dress and pearls.

This is not the Simpsons, but The Samsonadzes – a new Georgian series that has been accused of ripping off Homer and co.

Even the title sequence features a camera zooming down through through the clouds into a brightly coloured town, like the Fox equivalent, and a remarkably similar theme tune.

But the makers of the new show, which launched on Imedi TV six weeks ago, insist it’s not a rip-off of the hugely successful global franchise.

Chief animator Irina Kharabashvili has admitted ‘It looks like [The Simpsons] and it is close because the idea is about family. But it is nothing closer.’

Creator Shalva Ramishvili admitted he was a fan of the Simpsons, but told Eurasianet he did not seek permission because he was simply making a family comedy, which could not be copyrighted.

He added: ‘If we were making The Simpsons, with the same personalities, that would be different.’

But some viewers have been irritated at what they consider a attempt to duplicate their favourite characters on the cheap.

Fox have yet to comment or take any action against the Samsonadze.

Here is the first episode:

Published: 18 Dec 2009