The Simpsons: Once Great Bastion of Satire, Now Fallen? or Still Funny?

[HarryLime]

I know that the debate over the quality of The Simpsons is as well covered as a sailor's unit on shore leave in the Golden Triangle, but the question must be posed. Do you still enjoy The Simpsons? Did you ever? And feel free to discuss high points, low points, the whole magilla.

As for me, I've unfortunately stopped watching. The show started slipping around season eight for me, and by season ten or so, it just broke my heart to watch. I'd love to hear that I've been missing out, though, so let's get some defense for the show. My favorite episode was actually extremely early in the run, season two's Simpson and Delilah. Homer regrew his hair, and the episode gave a hilarious look at corporate politics, while displaying a great deal of heart. Fantastic episode, and I still proselytize to all my friends on its behalf.

Will

[livius drusus]

Simpson and Delilah was the first episode I ever saw. I will always cherish it. My favorite, though, will always be the Marge vs. the Monorail. The Homer sings the Flintstones opening, the Burns trial, the town meeting, Lyle Langley's notes, Homer calling the big one bitey, Quimby's gaffes with Leonard Nimoy, Nimoy himself, the final savior donut: it's just perfection.

Now, to cheer you up about the last 5 or so crappy years, I can remember two truly outstanding episodes. One was a parody of Behind the Music (http://www.snpp.com/episodes/BABF19) which was undergarment soilingly funny, and the other was last year's taunting of hysterical patriotism and Fox News (see Bart-Mangled Banner at the bottom of this page (http://www.snpp.com/episodeguide/season15.html)). Best. Fox taunt. Ever.

[HarryLime]

Marge vs. The Monorail is classic. Leonard Nimoy owned that episode from the moment he walked on -

Leonard Nimoy: A solar eclipse: the cosmic ballet goes on.
Man sitting next to Nimoy (uninterested): Anybody want to switch seats?

Krusty: Krusty wants out (opens the monorail car door and jumps, pulled back by Nimoy)
Nimoy: The world needs laughter.

Classic. And I did see the Behind the Laughter one. That really was well done.

Will

[Ex-zombie]

I never enjoyed the Simpsons. But then I just don't find stupid people funny. The Homer character just annoyed me. Annoyance trumped any humor the show had. Of course it could be my age. My oldest daughter is a huge fan.

[livius drusus]

Stupid frequently annoys me (although pathologically unlucky annoys me more), but Homer is just so adorable. Or rather, he was before they made him so stupid he became amoral.

[Ymir's blood]

I never cared for The Simpsons either. Futurama on the otherhand became an addiction when I 'rediscovered' it earlier this year.

[livius drusus]

Jesus. No wonder it was never going to work out with Adam.

[Blake]

Homer is an infinitely malleable creation, so full of negative capability it hurts, an Everyman for the everymen. Not to mention adorable. He is the tragic hero of our time.

The Simpsons do always succeed in recapturing their glory after each time they jump the shark, but always a bit less often. In perspective, I can't believe that we are blessed with so much of them; it's mindboggling and quite cheering too, I think.

[seebs]

Heh. I haven't seen TV in years, so I have no idea.

I do know that the first few seasons are great.

[Corona688]

The Simpsons? Someone shoot that show in the head. Please. The first few seasons were great, but the characters now bear little to no resenblance to what they used to be. They've been so overused there's nothing resembling a character anymore, they're all just walking plot-elements.

[viscousmemories]

I don't have any TV service now and I haven't watched the Simpsons regularly in many years, but at one time I considered it the only thing worthwhile on TV. I don't have any favorite episodes or lines that I can recite, but I have laughed out loud at least once almost every time I've seen the show, and the vast majority of stuff they pass off as comedy on TV rarely makes me crack a smile.

[Adora]

Okay, inbetween my total "WTFness" at the people here who claim not to have TV (weirdos ¬.¬... *reports them to Big Brother*), my brain managed to form a reply...

The Simpsons remains funny for me. I don't watch it as much as I used to, but I do think the new episodes are still as good as the old ones. There is nothing like sitting in a university tutorial and wasting the entire hour quoting Simpsons episodes instead of doing work. It's a bit like Monty Python, but less geeky, because its more mainstream: it's a bonding experience, like mocking Andrew Bolt & Alexander Downer in political science classes. And there's less swear words in it than South Park, so you don't piss people off as much when you do talk about it. But Cartman has a special place in my heart that can never be replaced.

Lisa will never cease to be my favourite gay icon. I always like the episodes about Maggie better than the rest though, usually because the writers are forced to be more creative thanks to her limited capabilities. You can toss Homer into any stupid situation and everything usually turns out funny, but yeah, Maggie is harder.

[livius drusus]

Well, last night was the premiere of Season 17, Treehouse of Horror XV. It thoroughly reeked.

:kickcan:

[beyelzu]

Well, last night was the premiere of Season 17, Treehouse of Horror XV. It thoroughly reeked.

:kickcan:
liv, I know you are pissed but maybe you should give groenig back his testicle.



On the other hand, I watched the simpsons last night as well, and I agree that it was way shittier than the treehouse of horrors that came before it.

[livius drusus]

Well, last night was the premiere of Season 17, Treehouse of Horror XV. It thoroughly reeked.

:kickcan:
liv, I know you are pissed but maybe you should give groenig back his testicle.

Not until he makes up for night's episode.

On the other hand, I watched the simpsons last night as well, and I agree that it was way shittier than the treehouse of horrors that came before it.

And after waiting until November for the season premiere, too. I call it cruel and unusual fan punishment.

[Scotty]

I just realized that the episode last night was missing blood (except directly on a knife). People died but there was no blood gushing, which in the previous Treehouse of Horrors was all over the place. Odd, it seemed like they backed off on the ridiculousness of it all.

Too bad, those were usually my favorites episodes (and I wish they would pull the crayon out of Homer's brain, he has been too stupid for me, although he has gone back and forth in levels of stupidity over the years, I like him better when he isn't as stupid).

What I did notice was that in many many episodes I liked the opening sequence, but when the story would switch to whatever they were really going to deal with, it went downhill to me (I can't give examples, sorry, just my perception).

Instead of coming up with something orginal in this episode, they just tacked on the old episodes (I liked the toaster that sent Homer back in time) and didn't have a direction for the humor. It really does seem like they are out of ideas for the characters. I mean, how often can you have one of the characters be the villian that you might not expect to be the villian? I was looking forward to a good joke with Flanders and the take on The Dead Zone, but nothing happened. Nothing happened.

-Scott

[livius drusus]

I was looking forward to a good joke with Flanders and the take on The Dead Zone, but nothing happened. Nothing happened.

That's so true. When I saw "The Ned Zone" I got all excited (I really like "The Dead Zone") only to stare blankly at a pointless 10 minute sketch. There was blood when he shot Homer, though.

[HarryLime]

After this thread, I also gave it a shot, and found it pretty awful as well. I thought the first sketch with Ned was a tiny cut above the other two, but still not enough to redeem the show. Groening is probably spending those enormous sacks of cash on hookers and blow, trying to numb himself to the fact that he's degenerated into a hack.

Will

[livius drusus]

Groening is probably spending those enormous sacks of cash on hookers and blow, trying to numb himself to the fact that he's degenerated into a hack.

Yes, the Simpsons have come a long way since an old drunk made humans out of his rabbit characters to pay off his gambling debts. Who knows what adventures they'll have between now and the time the show becomes unprofitable?

-- Troy McClure, whom you might remember from such clip shows as The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular (http://www.snpp.com/episodes/3F31.html).

[HarryLime]

The Simpsons are going to Kuala Lumpur!

Will

[Cool Hand]

Groening is probably spending those enormous sacks of cash on hookers and blow, trying to numb himself to the fact that he's degenerated into a hack.

Yes, the Simpsons have come a long way since an old drunk made humans out of his rabbit characters to pay off his gambling debts. Who knows what adventures they'll have between now and the time the show becomes unprofitable?

-- Troy McClure, whom you might remember from such clip shows as The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular (http://www.snpp.com/episodes/3F31.html).

That's hilarious, Liv. I remember that.

Actually, I still enjoy the show very much and still get a giddy kick out of it, just like I did when I first saw the predecessor short versions of it on the Tracey Ullman show in 1988. Yep, I'm that old.

It shouldn't be surprising that the show is uneven from one season to another, or even from one episode to the next. After all, the show is 15 years old and has seen many a turnover in its fine stable of writers (often, or even predominantly, veterans of the Harvard Lampoon), and also in its directors and producers. It's no wonder that the 14th season is different in tone and character from the 4th.

That said, I have to say I think the show's creative heyday was probably in the 3rd through 5th or 6th seasons. I don't mind so much that the show might be uneven now. I suspect I'll watch it as long as it's on television. I'm just too attached to it.

Cool Hand

[livius drusus]

I suspect I'll watch it as long as it's on television. I'm just too attached to it.

Me too, but it's breaking my heart at this point. The past 5 years haven't just been uneven for me, but quite literally have provided no more than 5 total episodes that made me laugh out loud like those in earlier seasons. Most of the time I watch with wide-eyed horror as the repetiveness, randomness and chaos descend like a London fog over the characters I so dearly love.

:deepsigh:

[wei yau]

I'll agree with liv, as I think the last time I watched an episode was about five years ago.

I think I can even pinpoint which episode killed it for me...the one where Homer gets raped by a panda.

[pescifish]

The only time I liked The Simpsons was in its original form: during breaks between skits on the Tracey Ullman Show. As a full length cartoon I could never stomach the cliche of "smart women placating the egos of dumbass do-life-the-easiest-way-possible men" that seems so prevalent in sitcom families. Also, there was something I liked better about the less developed artwork of the shorter vignettes.

[Corona688]

I just had a realization. I don't exactly dislike the simpsons. I'm just bone-tired of it.

If I'd never seen the simpsons before, the newer episodes might seem funny, but now? Herregud, 17 seasons is a long time to go with no changes in basic theme, plot, characters, and setting. I just don't care. I'll leave it for a yet younger generation to discover.

[Scotty]

What I found myself doing a lot of times, was turning on the Simpson's and then turning it off because I thought I had seen it before, but later realized it was a new show.

I think the last show needed more zombies, yeah, that would have fixed it up.

"Homer, you just shot the zomby Ned!"
"He was a zomby?"

-Scott