A few fine words from the creator himself:
“The most obsessive, nerd fans of this show are me and my writing staff,” he says. “I can stump anybody on any episode. I’ve said this before, but it is how I feel and I know no other way to say it exactly: I would rather have 100 people who need to see this show than 1,000 people who like to see this show.”
The man knows my needs. Sigh.