The death of the Simpsons?

[Guest nl5xsk1]

So a bad episode is equivalent to the downfall of a TV series?

- Robert Deniro makes a bad movie, thus proving he's over-the-hill as an actor and should just stick with commercials.

- Tiger Woods shoots a bad round, thus proving that he's not as great of a golfer anymore and should retire.

- Heidi Klum sometimes looks less that stunning, thus isn't attractive and should stop having her picture taken.

 

I know a lot of people will say "there's so many bad episodes now" or "the episodes are bad more often than good" ... hey, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. My opinion: I still laugh out loud while watching, and enjoy most of the episodes. To me, Homer is the funniest character on the show; his episodes tend to amuse me more than the Marge, Bart, or (shudders) Lisa episodes.

[Guest IDrinkRatsMilk]

You're right about Homer's episodes being the best. Marge has never carried a good episode with the exception of when she became a cop. I always thought Bart was better as a supporting character. Sure, Homer's not what he used to be, but he's not as pathetic as some would make him out to be. Lisa's episodes really aren't that funny... I don't know though, I love Lisa, like, in a romantic way. But not in a sexual way. I don't know if that makes me perverted, or a nerd, or just weird, but yeah.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

*3* bad episodes which started something that hasn't stopped since.

 

Frank Grimes - Homer is Evil

John Waters - Bart is Gay

Hullapalooza - Simpsons are Modern

 

Before the 'Homer-centric' eps. of 97-on, Homer was consistently the best character on the show having the best episodes devoted to him. Homer goes to College is one of - if not the - best episodes in its history. But that's when Bart was there to keep homer from going too far. Bart used to play tricks on Homer, now Homer plays tricks on Bart - and to me - it just doesn't work. It's a totally different show.

 

And why are they 'white'? I thought they were 'yellow'.

[Guest Mad Dog]

The other problem with it being based on Homer now is that he's just over the top. Before he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer but he tried his hardest to keep the family happy. From time to time he would even show a good amount of wisdom. He also provided for some of the most touching moments in the series. The episode where Maggie is born and it ends with him arranging the pictures to say Do It For Her or A Street Car Named Marge where he realizes how much of an ass he's been.

 

But the current Homer doesn't seem capable of that. He's just stupid for the sake of it. Most episodes revolve around Homer just being an idiot and the other characters jsut forgiving him in the end. He's just a one dimensial character.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

He's just stupid for the sake of it.

 

BINGO!

 

Before he was lovably dumb - now he is just downright stupid with little rhyme or reason or method to his actions/madness.

[Guest Army Eye]

Hullapalooza is when the simpsons went modern. Before, their pop culture references were retro, rather than current. By having the Smashing Pumpkins and Cyprus Hill on the show they became Y2K compatible (for lack of a better term). Bart and Lisa were now all of a sudden 'hip' and 'with it' and Homer was now trying to be cool and get acceptance and popularity from everyone. This gets reflected into a dozen shows afterwards (300th game, anyone?) - It really marked a transition in the shows outlook on the life of springfield. Now there is the internet and shit like that - the nuclear family has become digital and I can't stand it.

All great points, RRR. With the Hullapalooza episode, when I saw it in its first run, it just didn't feel right at all, but I didn't really know why. You summed it up quite well.

 

It doesn't surprise me much (in the article on the OP) that some writer was quoted as having hardly watched The Simpsons before. That' exactly the impression I got with the newer episodes, like some new writers took over that had only a vague idea of what the Simpsons characters were all about.

[Guest EdwardKnoxII]

He's just stupid for the sake of it.

 

BINGO!

 

Before he was lovably dumb - now he is just downright stupid with little rhyme or reason or method to his actions/madness

 

Hell that's the way it is in alot of shows. The bigger a show gets or the longer it's on the dumber a character gets.

 

For example, Eric, the older brother in Boy Meets World, was an average teenager that would do dumb stuff for a girl he like but, did have some common sense. But, as the show went on he got dumber and dumber to the point were it was a shock that he could tie his shoes by himself. But, I will admit he did give us some of the funniest scenes.

 

Other examples are Vinton from Mama's Family, Screech from Saved By The Bell and Kelly from Married With Children.

[Guest El Satanico]

Wait...what? Vinton wasn't always a class three moron? Well I'm shocked.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Or Carlton on Fresh Prince... Or the whole cast of seinfeld...

 

Dear GOD you just blew my mind.

[Guest EdwardKnoxII]

Or Carlton on Fresh Prince...

 

You know it's been awhile since I've seen it but, I don't think Carlton got dumber but, he got more geekier, nerdier. In other words he was very smart, I mean he DID go to Princeton after all, but, when he would try to act so hip and cool, mack to a girl, the dumber he looked to people if that makes any sense.

[Guest The Metal Maniac]

I think the current Simpsons episodes try to much to be like Family Guy with all the out-of-nowhere bizarre gags.

 

This is EXACTLY my opinion on the show now. It's like the writer's saw Family Guy using bizarre, out of nowhere gags (Gimme back my sock, ya goat bastard!) and decided to use it on the Simpsons. But it doesn't work like that. It'd be like Vince saying tommorrow that the WWF is now under Code of Honor rules. What works well in one spot, doesn't always work well in others.

 

So what you end up with is people watching to see The Simpsons, and instead, getting a half-assed Family Guy that pretends it's the Simpsons. It's fucking annoying.

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

I'd just like to point out for the record that any show that goes on for a long time eventually gets old and tired, or the people who watched from the beginning suddenly don't like it.

 

For instance:

The last 2 years of X Files were horrible compared to the first 7 (the downfall starting with the movie of course).

 

The problem with the current Simpsons product is 3 fold:

 

Simpsons Reruns air 2+ times a day. These are the episodes that most people remember and like, and it really doesn't matter how many times you've seen an episode. Not to mention the DVD releases..

 

The people who started watching when The Simpsons started are 14 years older. Obviously peoples taste's and opinions on things will change over the course of such a long period of time. I think the Simpsons have done a good job of trying to elvolve with that, but at the same time I do think that they have changed the style a lot from what everyone liked and remembers so well.

 

The show is currently at the point where it would be hard to start watching the show without having seen any previous episodes (don't know how you could have not seen any episodes by now except for kids). There are a ton of gags that are referencing the shows past which probably zoom over the head of people who didn't see that particular episode (and yes, this rewards fan loyalty but it also makes it hard to get new fans)

 

Now, as far as Im concerned, the Simpsons is still one of the better shows on Television. Its still funny (not as funny as it used to be but it is still funnier than 9/10s of the supposed "Comedy series" on television). Im sorry, but I don't find the "comedy" shows on tv funny anymore. I still look forward to the new episodes, even though I probably do enjoy the reruns more.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Marvin, you make it sound like it's the viewers fault for the simpsons being bad.

 

Carlton SO got dumber.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Carlton got dumber? You're forgetting about Hilarry she got dumber by the season.

 

I agree with most points here although I consider Frank Grime's one of the Simpson's best episodes. I liked for once to have a darker show in which we're supposed to cheer Homer but he is just an asshole and, by modern standards, a villain.

 

Lately you just get the feeling taht they're just putting out shows out of necessity and just to put something out. And about Homer being dumber:

 

case in point. he didn't Lisa's spellympics for a sandwhich. And does he later realise his mistake and pick Lisa over the sandwhich? No only after there no sandwhiches left does he go.

 

Little things like that annoy me.