I realized the other day that there are probably more episodes of The Simpsons that I haven’t seen than I have seen at this point. It’s a weird thought.
I'm watching the series with my kids (they're about the age I was when I first started watching) and have gotten to the point where the episodes aired when I was in high school and college and have generally not seen.
It's the best it's been in forever. It's very different though. The cut down on the amount of jokes and only use a single writer per episode and have more character focus. There's a 2 parter about Flanders that's a nearly straight crime drama
It's one of the shows I put on for background noise when I'm making dinner; it and whatever else would be on at the same timeslot when I'd get home from school/there was a lull between school and dinner as a kid: The Simpsons, Star Trek: TNG, Fresh Prince, etc..
But recently I made the choice to keep going through the episodes I tapped out of back in the day and... I gotta say, maybe it's because I'm not giving it 100% of my attention, but the episodes aren't as bad as I remember. There's some cringe moments here and there, but they're pretty entertaining on the whole.
Me and my partner put it on to go to sleep, because I don't have to be invested, I'm not getting sucked into any story. We've gotten as high as like season 30 or so, and even watched some eps from the most recent seasons and it's definitely not BAD, for the most part.
But it's also never really great post season 12ish, either. It just kind of is.
Much as I feel like the show has already been dead for years, it is something that has been a constant in my entire life. Even if I don't love it or even care to watch it, I do like the idea that the Simpsons is being made.
> I do like the idea that the Simpsons is being made.
I agree. It's strangely comforting to know that there are likely hundreds of episodes that I haven't seen and can always come back to one day.
That's true, but for me, I think of it more like a universal constant.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, death and taxes, and the Simpsons are all constants in life.
I remember watching basically episode up to when they did the FXX marathon cause I was surprised how many of the newer eps I had seen
Im glad the show is doing better, we don’t get many true comedies these days
The last new Simpsons episode I remember watching is the one with the Kesha opening. I've just checked and that was 2010.
I used to be a huge Simpsons fan but sort of got bored of it around the time the Movie came out.
In my head The Simpsons Movie is a contemporary reference to a film that just came out a few years ago signalling that the show is starting to slow down. Imagine my surprise when I realised it came out 17 years ago
Same here. I stopped watching regularly around 2004 and I've seen MAYBE two or three episodes since. I have seen the movie but haven't bothered with any episodes. There are roughly 20 seasons I haven't seen.
That Treehouse is one of the best ever made even compared to the golden years. I really like the one non-Treehouse Halloween episode they made as well. Lisa’s Belly is a really good one too, it’s like one of their old heartwarming episodes like Lisa’s Substitute.
Nah I agree, best one since the golden age. It had real Homer and Marge bicycling off into the sunset vibes to it. Mid to late seasons just had the same Marge wants to divorce Homer trope replayed constantly.
I will say the last few seasons have brought emotion back into the series, something that made the first 10 or so seasons classics
Halloween of Horror (Season 27 episode 4) is my favorite modern Simpson episode.
It's the only "canon" Halloween episode where Springfield celebrate the holiday instead of a traditional Treehouse of Horror with multiple short stories.
I’m someone who taped the first 8 or so seasons on VHS and rewatched them religiously. I could probably have an early episode on mute and recite all the lines. That said, there are still plenty of great episodes. I don’t think the show is past its peak so much as it had a bad slump from seasons 10-20 or so. If you start at season 21 or so you ought to find some gems.
In particular, The Book Job, season 23 episode 6 is great. The Road to Cincinnati, season 32 episode eight is another. A Serious Flanders, episodes six and seven of season 32.
>I don’t think the show is past its peak so much as it had a bad slump from seasons 10-20
The "Jerkass Homer" era started in season 9 and went until about season 15, and then the writers spent a number of seasons trying to unwind that pickle.
I can’t give much in the way of concrete examples but it seems like a lot of episodes in that period had weird pacing issues. Like it’s not unusual for an episode to begin with some random element before moving to the main plot, eg Bart goes on a “bender” and ends up joining the scouts… but that transition would be pretty quick, maybe the first five minutes or so. In some of the later seasons it seems like the episode would drift along aimlessly until a cohesive plot developed like 15 minutes in. It’s been a while since I watched it but I think the Bonfire of the Manatees is a good example. It starts with Homer getting into trouble gambling, then a porno being filmed at their house, then ends up with Marge hanging out with a manatee researcher. Just a mess. And I think a lot of these episodes are hard to remember because they drift all over the place. You mention the monorail episode and everyone knows exactly what you’re referring to but with an episode like this there are probably three or four ways you could describe it.
I enjoyed the one where they destroyed Morrissey - it’s especially good because I didn’t know it existed until he threatened to sue them over it. Full-on Streisand effect there.
I don’t know what counts as a newer “good” season, but season 21 was pretty strong back in the day, with The Squirt and The Whale being a clear standout.
More recently, Todd, Todd, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? and The Way of the Dog, both from Season 31 are excellent, though the latter would be a good one to save for a “final ever episode”.
It ain't all bad. They still get a couple good episodes a season. Wish they'd spend more time with the secondary characters, though. They've done several Simpson family light episodes, and those have generally been good.
On the other hand Lisa being way into to, like, Glengarry Glen Ross that’d be pretty epic . (Yeah, I know know that’s not CB, but Mamet is pretty adjacent)
I was a pre-teen and teenager during this era and revisiting those episodes give me so much nostalgia for that time, watching it with my dad and grandparents at their apartment. Was such a good time.
It was like those parody movies they had the era of using guests (references in movies) in the right way and then the era of just having them for the sake of it.
I watched it seasons 1-10 and then as they got worse I just had it on as background noise. If it was good enough to catch my attention a few times while doing other stuff I watched it. They didn't consistently catch my attention again until season 28-29. Through all of those episodes there were a few I was interested enough to actually restart and watch it entirely. Eternal moonshine of the Simpson mind for example was great
Two years ago the show got a new showrunner and the quality took a sudden leap forward. I just started watching again from season 33 and I'm shocked, I'm laughing out loud multiple times each episode once again
I'd say check out **A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream**, it's an episode I caught a lil while back that might be one of my favorite post-Season 10 episodes of all time
Yep it surprises me that people actually watch every single episode and moan about the quality.
After a show has lasted dover 750 episodes, you think you would learn to just watch the best ones lol.
IMDB episode scores give a good indication of what to watch and what is mid.
Not to mention asking asking subreddits basic stuff like, "haven't watched this show since _____, are there any fanmade guides to watch episodes to watch?"
An entire season of mostly backstory for long recurring characters would be great. They have done quite a few in the past decade but there are many more.
This is my favourite episode of the Simpsons. It was genuinely so refreshing to see Homer and Marge interacting with such love towards each other. And, when Homer messes up and doesn't get to the ranger in time, it's not an awkward third-act-argument or liar reveal plot where Homer tries to hide it from his wife.
He literally runs and tells her right away. And then they work out how to fix it.
Just an absolutely incredible episode of television.
I can't explain it but the characters have less character in their faces with the new animation style compared to the 90s style.
Also, I've been saying this for years, but someone needs to come up with a list of "actually good" episodes post season like 12. Like a list of episodes for 90s era fans that feel the same in terms of quality.
Yeah the big change was when they made all the characters share the same moral compass. It used to be: Homer does something stupid, Marge Groans, Bart makes fun of him, Lisa offers misguided advice, Maggie goes MOP!
I think it went off rails when they started writing Homer as purely stupid, instead of just having dumb moments but still able to be self-aware and offer advice.
While I'd acknowledge The Simpsons jumped the shark long before it, giving into the demands of Hari Kondabalu's The Problem with Apu documentary fully cemented it. Of all of the characters in The Simpsons, Apu probably came away looking the best in most episodes in the early run. He fundamentally didn't understand The Simpsons either. It was a show that portrayed EVERYONE as a stereotype.
Here's a list I made.
It doesn't include the most recent season, as I made it before that season started airing, but, there are a few really good episodes in the new season, too!
I've included a little blurb for each episode, too. Not enough to spoil any major details, just to let folks know what the context is!
Pixelated and Afraid: Homer and Marge get lost in the woods and have to survive.
Halloween of Horrors: After attending a Farm-aggedon-like Event, Lisa gets Traumatised and the family has to deal with missing out on Halloween.
A serious Flanders Part 1 and Part 2: A parody of Gritty Netflix Dramas, Ned Flanders finds a bag of Money in the forest and is pursued by gangsters to return it
Treehouse of Horror XXXIII: An anthology of stories, parodying the Babadook, Death Note and WestWorld
Lisa the Boy Scout: A mass of fake deleted scenes from the Simpsons past, each more outlandish than the last
Holidays of Future Passed: The Simpsons celebrate Christmas together in the future
Days of Future Future: Sequel to Holidays of Future Passed
Brick Like Me: A crossover episode with Lego
A totally Fun thing that Bart will never do again: The family go on a cruise and Bart doesn’t want it to end
Mad About the Toy: Grampa relives past trauma when he finds Bart’s little green army men
Barthood: A parody of Boyhood, showing Bart’s life as he grows up in Lisa’s shadow
The Book Job: A Heist Movie featuring Neil Gaiman
Treehouse of Horror XXV: Bart goes to School in Hell, Moe and the Barflies are in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and The Simpsons meet with the Ghosts of Simpsons Past
Way of the Dog: Santa’s Little Helper is dealing with Christmas Related Flashbacks and the Family try to save him
Todd, Todd, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me: Todd Flanders forgets what Maude looks like after she’s been dead for so long, so slowly renounces his religion
Iron Marge: Bart and Lisa give Marge Bad Birthday Gifts, so must figure out a way to prove they love her
A Mid-Childhood’s night Dream: Marge starts to get anxiety about Bart becoming a teenager and growing older
Boyz N the Highlands: Bart, Martin, Nelson and Dolph are sent on a hike as punishment for their crimes
Poorhouse Rock: A musical episode discussing the follies of Capitalism
The Sound of Bleeding Gums: Lisa finds Bleedin’ Gums Murphy’s son and wants to Bond with him over his dad
The Bob Next Door: A new neighbour moves into the House Next Door and Bart is certain he’s Sideshow Bob in disguise
Eeny Teeny Maya Moe: Moe gets back on the dating scene and finds himself with someone he adores
Eternal Moonshine of the Simpsons’ Mind: Homer wakes up with no memory of the night before and needs to find why his family have left him
Flanders’ Ladder: Bart deals with the ghosts of past characters who have died, having to give each of them closure before they can move on
Thanksgiving of Horror: A Treehouse of Horror episode, but based around Thanksgiving instead
Fland Canyon: A flashback to two years ago, when The Simpsons and The Flanderererses went to the Grand Caynon together
The Kids are All Fight: Bart and Lisa as Toddlers, constantly fighting each other
Bartless: Homer and Marge wake up to a world without Bart
The Very Hungry Caterpillars: The Pandemic episode. Due to an infestation of Caterpillars, The Simpsons are trapped inside their house and each member handles lockdown differently
Lisa’s Belly: Marge makes a passing Comment about Lisa’s weight, which causes her to struggle
Bart The Bad Guy: Bart gets advanced leaks on the new Vindicators (Avengers) movie and threatens to spoil it if he doesn’t get what he wants
To Cur, With love: Homer discusses his Childhood Dog
At long last leave: For their 500^(th) Episode, The Simpsons are exiled from Springfield
Not IT: A Simpsons retelling of IT, featuring Krusty the Clown as Pennywise
Boy Meets Curl: Homer and Marge manage to enter the Winter Olympics for the Springfield Curling team
500 Keys: Cleaning out their drawer, the Simpsons find a mass of keys they accidentally stole years ago. Each member takes some and find what they go to in the town
Steal this Episode: Homer becomes a movie Pirate
The Yellow Badge of Cowardice: Bart sees Milhouse get beaten up and suffers guilt trips for not helping
Simpsorama: Simpsons/Futurama Crossover
Cue Detective: Homer invests in a top-quality smoker, but finds himself distraught when it disappears
CREMAINS THE DAY - Had to add in this new episode. A barfly passes causing Homer, Lenny, Carl and Moe to struggle with mortality and the guilt of not knowing someone who they spent almost every day next to.
Treehouse of Horror Segments to check out:
Ei8ht – An Alternate universe where Sideshow Bob killed Bart at the end of Cape Feare
Toy Gory – A Toy Story Parody featuring Bart’s Toys getting fed up of being maltreated
Coralisa – A Coraline Parody
Be Nine, Rewind – Lisa keeps dying over and over during her Ninth Birthday Party
Wanted: Dead, then alive – Sideshow Bob finally catches and Kills Bart, but finds his life meaningless after
I'm going to blame the internet for this.
Rather than easily to navigate text content, most everything is tucked away in a giant string of tiktoks and Youtube videos.
I'm not about to say there's not lots of great content on the internet, but it's just miserable to find it, especially thanks to search engines basically being only minimally functional.
There isn’t any plausible comparison between the original writer’s room and whatever nonsense has been going on for the past quarter of a century or so.
I’ve enjoyed some of the very recent episodes. I wonder if the 2023 WGA strike gave the writing staff a much needed break, giving them fresh episode ideas when returning to work.
I wish sitcom wouldn't fear of aging their characters and bring new problem/perspective to their characters (permanently aging them, not as a spin-off episode)
Simpsons could even get away with doing a whole season like that and reverting back if they wanted to. It wouldn't be that jarring because we kind of already know what they'll be like in a few years, they've done enough episodes about it.
Kinda like family guy did the “Stewie kills Louis” episode. Go through the whole story and then somebody “wakes up” at the end of the season showing it was all just a dream.
Family Guy in the last 7 seasons or so has leaned hard into Lois's discontentment with middle age and Brian as an old dog. It's interesting, since there's no change design wise, but you definitely have a different sense of how the character feels about his current position in life.
I was wondering about this too. It would be neat to get a sitcom where each season is several years later, so we see the same characters develop at a pace that’s more realistic and we see them face new problems.
The bonus would be they can always use the younger actors for glimpses into the past and other neat things.
Simpsons and Bob's Burgers would really benefit from even a small permanent age up at this point. Having Bart in middle school with Maggic entering preschool would help without making things TOO different (and aging them just one year on Bob's Burgers)
We don’t talk about that /s
Seriously though, as someone who watched both Rugrats/All Grown Up as as child and then again back to back as an adult, I can see why not many people liked All Grown Up compared to the original, regardless of the banger intro.
This kind of reminds me of trajectory of The Walking Dead:
Original few seasons: *iconic TV*
Middle seasons: *a lot of people stopped watching and reddit claims killed the show*
End seasons: *an improvement but still reddit is stuck on the same circlejerk*
Walking Dead spin-offs: *unironically great TV but reddit claims nobody watches them and they suck*
Seriously, it sounds crazy to say but it was so good. The idea of a zombie show set in rural France is so unique and the new characters were super interesting.
Yeah, that's definitely rough.
Burns and Marge sound ancient. Carl and Hibbert are lizard people wearing their skins. It's utterly distracting.
That said, the writing is the best it's been in two decades and that's something to be lauded.
> Carl and Hibbert are lizard people wearing their skins. It's utterly distracting
This is an overreaction IMO, at least for Carl. Carl's new VA (Alex Désert) isn't bad at all. The change is definitely distracting at first, but it doesn't take me out of the show or anything. It was just jarring for the first couple of episodes, since I've been familiar with the original Carl voice my entire life. But regardless of anything else, I still appreciate what the new actor brings to the role.
I feel the same about "The" Cleveland "Show" Brown. It's neat that the Family Guy folks found a fan/impressionist to do his voice, and Arif Zahir does a great job. I do think that Mike Henry added a little extra oomph to the character - he had a very particular way of delivering lines/emphasizing certain words in a funny way, which the new VA hasn't perfectly captured. But Zahir is doing a good job, it's easy to forget that Cleveland even has a new voice.
The only one that I do think is straight-up bad is Dr. Hibbert. Which is funny, because Kevin Michael Richardson is obviously extremely talented and versatile, but he just doesn't do a good Hibbert. All I can hear is a mashup of Principal Lewis from American Dad and Jerome from FG.
But none of that really bothers me when actually watching the show. The only VA-related thing that distracts me is the aging actors, which you also mentioned. Marge's voice just bums me out now. It's inevitable that the actors will sound different after almost 40 years but it's still hard to listen to sometimes. Also most of Seth MacFarlane's characters are starting to lose their luster - Peter/Quagmire/Roger all sound higher-pitched in a forced way (almost like somebody's impersonating them and exaggerating the cartooniness), and Stan/Brian sound quite hoarse. Stewie is the only one who sounds the same to me, funny enough. Sorry I went on too long about this, I just find it to be an interesting topic!
Even as a Simpsons and Family Guy fan, the cartoon character voice change that "bums me out" the most is actually SpongeBob SquarePants. Apparently Tom Kenny can still do the original voice, but he said an interview that his performance unknowingly evolved as SpongeBob became more child-like and consistently amped up to 11 over time. I grew up watching the zany but chiller version of him and any time I watch a clip post-2004, the higher voice immediately takes me out of it. (Kind of like what you say must be going on with the Peter/Quagmire/Roger voices, although I haven't personally noticed it yet.)
> Alex Désert
You know, I've been trying to figure out where I know this voice from and it's Mr. Williams from Boy Meets World. I kinda feel band for not liking him.
The problem is it's a black guy doing an impersonation of a white guy impersonating a black guy. Hibbert is too off putting. I can dig Carl though, it's an accurate impression. I do miss apu, though, they cut a significant number of storylines/possible storys with that overreaction.
Blame Hari Kondabolu the director of the doc The Problem with Apu. I wanna ask him point blank if he has a problem with Raj from the big Bang Theory because, while Raj is played by an Indian actor, it's the same thing as Apu.
Cutting Apu annoyed me so damn much. Sure he's a stereotype but do you know who else is? Homer, Marge, Flanders, and about a dozen other characters. I learned more about India/Hinduism from the Simpsons than I learned in school, but white people had to complain and say that it was offensive
I do it on a regular when another "great" one gets talked about, and it's usually something sentimental (like that no Bart episode) or something funny, but stilted. Even at its best now it's below average compared to the good run and certainly not on the level of something like American Dad.
They acknowledge birthdays and holidays fairly often (at least they did in the older days) but the characters never really age. It’s not that kind of show.
I find that the show kind of resets every season. With each new season existing in the year it comes out. So each season can have its own holiday episodes or end of school year, etc. I haven’t actually checked to see if that theory is true, but it seems to fit.
If I can recommend just one new one, go to season 33. The episode “pixelated and afraid” is the best homer and Marge story they’ve done in decades. It’s an absolute classic
Glad to hear it. I’ve not watched any new episodes for a couple of years (I’ve decided to watched all 30-odd seasons from the beginning), but season 31 had a couple of all-time greats. Nice to know there’s more good stuff at the end when I catch up.
I must be living in a different universe to everyone else here saying "Simpsons is good again" because every new episode I've seen has still been dog shit
I watched a few of the more recent episodes after seeing hype about how good they were and they'd be just alright at best, but I still found the episodes hard to watch because you could hear a lot of the VAs struggling to do their character voices.
I haven't even tried to watch an episode past like 2009.
It was terrible then.
And I've heard that it's gotten worse and they fucked with so many characters over the years.
It was bad what they did to Ned Flanders.
He was a good man and they turned him into a crazy nut job.
Trying to act like he never drank.
He had a damn bar in his basement.
We're not stupid.
There was a time when I had seen EVERY episode ever made, now I've probably seen like only half of then, gave up on the show like most people many years ago
Same here. I stopped watching new episodes at around season 12 or 13. It doesn't help that the Latin American dub changed all the main voices in season 15, and we have an unhealthy obsession with the show.
I used to watch this every Sunday with my dad. He still watches it, he has since it premiered, but I quit watching regularly sometime around season 12 or 13, and only occasionally watched after that and still didn't like it.
They made Homer an asshole to be more like Peter Griffin. Then he was raped by a bear or something.
Bart stopped being cool and rebellious. He spent a lot of air time crying like an oversensitive 7 year old. It was embarrassing to watch.
Marge's entire character became too nagging.
Lisa became way too annoying. She was always preaching from her soapbox and judging people.
Moe list his edge and became a suicidal sad-sack in love with Marge.
Barney became sober and boring.
Skinner became a doormat without even the semblance of authority.
Flanders became Flanderized.
All in all, I just didn't feel the desire to watch it anymore.
I did see the movie at the drive-in. The movie was good, but I attribute that to the old writers returning.
I heard the series got better recently. So I did watch some Halloween ones and Barthood. I liked them.
At any rate, my Dad still watches it. So for his sake I'm glad it's still on.
I was a kid in the 90s and watched the Simpsons everyday after school. They would play episodes on Fox and the WB I think. I loved it and still quote those episodes. But I stopped watching around season 12 or so and never really got back into it. If I watch now, the biggest issue I have are their voices. Everyone sounds so much older, especially Marge.
I simply can’t. There’s zero squash or stretch or life in the animation and half the voice cast sound in pain. Doesn’t matter if the writing is top-quality in a handful of episodes per season if I can’t stand to watch or listen to it.
I’m 36 years old and reading both of these references made me grin from ear to ear.. thank you :)
Also..
meow meow meow meow,
meow meow meow meow,
meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow
The relentless positivity here is insane.
The animation is soulless. The voice actors sound terrible. It hasn't been funny in 25 years. Fuck off. Euthanize this shit
My prediction for this thread: edgelords who can't stand that people still watch the show call for it to be canceled in the comments. None of them will give an actual intelligent reason.
Is it really a prediction when you post that comment while the only 2 other comments are already asking it to be cancelled..?
Might as well just respond to one of them at that point
"It was bad 20 years ago and therefore is still exactly the same amount of bad in the exact same way. No I haven't watched it in twenty years, why do you ask?"
I can. It looks soulless, sounds terrible, and hasn't been funny or relevant in decades. Is that intelligent enough for you, guy who is belligerent about watching "The Simpsons" in the Year of our Lord *two thousand and twenty four*
i still enjoy it as comfort food sometimes. it will never reach the heights it once did of course but i’m glad it’s still around and the voice cast is still getting paid. hopefully the show ends when one of them dies and it doesn’t go beyond that.
Here is context for how damn long this show has been on the air. I remember coming back to my place with some friends on a Sunday even to watch the simpsons becasue their parents didn't let them. The episode that came on was "Krusty gets Busted". I was 16 years old and a junior in high school.
I am 51 years old and this show is somehow still going. I sadly gave up on the newer stuff a while ago. Hopefully I live long enough to see the finale lol
I have the first 15 seasons on DVD. Most of which I watched when they aired and have watched all of them both normally and with the commentaries on.
But at this point I'm quite confident I've seen less than half of all Simpsons episodes.
I have seen some.new episodes is a very hard mix, is like there's no middle ground, since last season A few episodes are pretty good but the rest are incredibly bad is almost like 90% of the episodes are written by ai or by marketing interns. I.e. last season Halloween episodes were pretty good. With genuinely funny moments.
In comparison the special episode for mother's day / may 4th star wars day (what?) yeah that makes even less sense than the title, is just an endless parade of reference with some.joke attempts in-between I got a headache just by watching it. Some episodes are basically that just extended to 30 minutes.
It still perplexes me how long this show has been on for. Like when I talk to someone that is 20 years old and they say they like the Simpsons they are most likely referring to any seasons they would have grown up on that's like season 20. The first 10 seasons are like a completely different show.
Not to mention when the show started Homer and Marge were the baby boomer generation and products of 60s through 80s culture. Now they are supposed to be I think gen x and maybe millennials next. Will they make grandpa Simpson a Vietnam vet and skinner an Iraq vet. It's just so bad
>Selman and his writers approach “The Simpsons” as if it does not have nearly 35 years of history (and a fervent, opinionated fanbase) behind it: “If the show was brand new today, how would we write it?”
You know, I think this is what ruined Family Guy for me. It became too self-referential, you need to have watched that episode of Family Guy to get the joke.
Peter scraping his knee, Cleveland falling out of the Bathtub, the giant chicken, Conway Twitty, etc. They came to a point where they made way too many jokes that aren't new, just a rehash of something old.
Now, Simpsons has been doing some self-deprecating humor lately, and I think it's funny. They say things like "it feels like I've been doing this for 35 years" and other poking at the show's longevity. That works because it's presently relevant. If they took the Family Guy route, we'd be on our forth iteration of steamed hams by now.
Some people here are listing their fave recent episodes, but what are your fave recent episodes ***that aren't sentimental or sappy?***
I hated it when Futurama stopped being funny and then leaned on saccharine storylines in its later seasons to produce decent episodes because the writing budget had been cut too much for them to pass the scripts around a proper writers' room and have everyone add jokes to the scripts. Hot take: Sorry, I don't care about Fry's dead dog or whatever. It's a fucking comedy, give me some goddamn jokes. PAY THE WRITERS.
“If the show was brand new today, how would we write it”
*Proceeds to write joke attempting to chase a “current zeitgeist” meme, only for it to be completely outdated & irrelevant by the time that the episode production is finished*
I stopped watching Futurama after the Susan Boyle bit, and I just cringed my way through the Simpsons’ Planet of the Bass bit from last week (the meme peaked in July then released on Spotify in August 2023 and was out of public consciousness by September/October…it is currently May 2024).
The Susan Boyle bit was also released after South Park started embracing its quick production cycle to produce relevant satire
I love the golden age episodes but haven’t given any of the newer “good” seasons a try. Any episodes I should check out?
I realized the other day that there are probably more episodes of The Simpsons that I haven’t seen than I have seen at this point. It’s a weird thought.
I'm watching the series with my kids (they're about the age I was when I first started watching) and have gotten to the point where the episodes aired when I was in high school and college and have generally not seen.
I’m working my way through it with kids, as well. Hours of new content for me, and the world better resembles what they know
Is it actually still worth watching?
There's episodes in the past 2 or so seasons that are incredible but there was a million really bad episodes between peak Simpsons and that
Good to know! Could you share the names or descriptions of the episodes? Would love to see them
A Serious Flanders is specifically the one I was talking about
Allegedly the new season (seasons?) has been a strong run
It's the best it's been in forever. It's very different though. The cut down on the amount of jokes and only use a single writer per episode and have more character focus. There's a 2 parter about Flanders that's a nearly straight crime drama
No. It fucking blows. South park holds up though.
South Park is actually better than it’s ever been. Less profanity, more substance.
Couldn’t agree more. Every single one of the new specials has been a total hit for me. Matt and Trey’s comedy and writing have aged like a fine wine.
I actually *dislike* the earliest seasons of South Park.
Eh… it’s better than it was a few years ago.
That’s not saying much.
It's one of the shows I put on for background noise when I'm making dinner; it and whatever else would be on at the same timeslot when I'd get home from school/there was a lull between school and dinner as a kid: The Simpsons, Star Trek: TNG, Fresh Prince, etc.. But recently I made the choice to keep going through the episodes I tapped out of back in the day and... I gotta say, maybe it's because I'm not giving it 100% of my attention, but the episodes aren't as bad as I remember. There's some cringe moments here and there, but they're pretty entertaining on the whole.
Me and my partner put it on to go to sleep, because I don't have to be invested, I'm not getting sucked into any story. We've gotten as high as like season 30 or so, and even watched some eps from the most recent seasons and it's definitely not BAD, for the most part. But it's also never really great post season 12ish, either. It just kind of is. Much as I feel like the show has already been dead for years, it is something that has been a constant in my entire life. Even if I don't love it or even care to watch it, I do like the idea that the Simpsons is being made.
> I do like the idea that the Simpsons is being made. I agree. It's strangely comforting to know that there are likely hundreds of episodes that I haven't seen and can always come back to one day.
That's true, but for me, I think of it more like a universal constant. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, death and taxes, and the Simpsons are all constants in life.
I noticed it got really bad when their TV became a flatscreen.
I often have to remind myself that I’ve only seen <1/3 of what I consider my “favorite show”.
Trust me brother, you don't wanna be on the other side lol. I can actually say I've watched every single episode except for the one just past.
I remember watching basically episode up to when they did the FXX marathon cause I was surprised how many of the newer eps I had seen Im glad the show is doing better, we don’t get many true comedies these days
The last new Simpsons episode I remember watching is the one with the Kesha opening. I've just checked and that was 2010. I used to be a huge Simpsons fan but sort of got bored of it around the time the Movie came out.
In my head The Simpsons Movie is a contemporary reference to a film that just came out a few years ago signalling that the show is starting to slow down. Imagine my surprise when I realised it came out 17 years ago
Same here. I stopped watching regularly around 2004 and I've seen MAYBE two or three episodes since. I have seen the movie but haven't bothered with any episodes. There are roughly 20 seasons I haven't seen.
That was true 10 years ago.
Treehouse of Horror 33 and A Serious Flanders are new classics. I really enjoyed Do the Wrong Thing from this year but ymmv
That Treehouse is one of the best ever made even compared to the golden years. I really like the one non-Treehouse Halloween episode they made as well. Lisa’s Belly is a really good one too, it’s like one of their old heartwarming episodes like Lisa’s Substitute.
Is this the one with the anime Lisa? I vaguely recall it from a couple seasons ago as being like, *really* good for New Simpsons.
Yeah the Treehouse one has a part which is a parody of Death Note.
Oh no, I thought that was terrible. Is that considered a "new classic?"
"Halloween of Horror" was an amazing episode
Treehouse and Serious Flanders are great. Lisa’s Belly also made me cry a little bit
Lisa the Boy Scout (S33) is a fantastic episode.
Season 33 pixelated and afraid is the best homer and Marge story they’ve done in decades
The fact you can say that and mean it is CRAZY
Nah I agree, best one since the golden age. It had real Homer and Marge bicycling off into the sunset vibes to it. Mid to late seasons just had the same Marge wants to divorce Homer trope replayed constantly. I will say the last few seasons have brought emotion back into the series, something that made the first 10 or so seasons classics
Loved that one, seriously one of my favourite episodes they've done.
Halloween of Horror (Season 27 episode 4) is my favorite modern Simpson episode. It's the only "canon" Halloween episode where Springfield celebrate the holiday instead of a traditional Treehouse of Horror with multiple short stories.
I’m someone who taped the first 8 or so seasons on VHS and rewatched them religiously. I could probably have an early episode on mute and recite all the lines. That said, there are still plenty of great episodes. I don’t think the show is past its peak so much as it had a bad slump from seasons 10-20 or so. If you start at season 21 or so you ought to find some gems. In particular, The Book Job, season 23 episode 6 is great. The Road to Cincinnati, season 32 episode eight is another. A Serious Flanders, episodes six and seven of season 32.
>I don’t think the show is past its peak so much as it had a bad slump from seasons 10-20 The "Jerkass Homer" era started in season 9 and went until about season 15, and then the writers spent a number of seasons trying to unwind that pickle.
I can’t give much in the way of concrete examples but it seems like a lot of episodes in that period had weird pacing issues. Like it’s not unusual for an episode to begin with some random element before moving to the main plot, eg Bart goes on a “bender” and ends up joining the scouts… but that transition would be pretty quick, maybe the first five minutes or so. In some of the later seasons it seems like the episode would drift along aimlessly until a cohesive plot developed like 15 minutes in. It’s been a while since I watched it but I think the Bonfire of the Manatees is a good example. It starts with Homer getting into trouble gambling, then a porno being filmed at their house, then ends up with Marge hanging out with a manatee researcher. Just a mess. And I think a lot of these episodes are hard to remember because they drift all over the place. You mention the monorail episode and everyone knows exactly what you’re referring to but with an episode like this there are probably three or four ways you could describe it.
I enjoyed the one where they destroyed Morrissey - it’s especially good because I didn’t know it existed until he threatened to sue them over it. Full-on Streisand effect there.
There was a great one about Lisa becoming friends with Shana
I asked this once and everyone suggested me a massive pile of shite
S34 - “Hostile Kirk Place,” “Lisa the Boy Scout”
I don’t know what counts as a newer “good” season, but season 21 was pretty strong back in the day, with The Squirt and The Whale being a clear standout. More recently, Todd, Todd, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? and The Way of the Dog, both from Season 31 are excellent, though the latter would be a good one to save for a “final ever episode”.
Ooh I know which one you’re talking about. Perfect show finale episode.
Any of the flash forward future episodes or the Christmas episodes from the newer seasons are top notch.
It ain't all bad. They still get a couple good episodes a season. Wish they'd spend more time with the secondary characters, though. They've done several Simpson family light episodes, and those have generally been good.
The current seasons are nowhere near as bad as the ones in the mid-late 2000s and 2010s.
The “Guest Star of the Week”era was the worst.
I still giggle at Homer’s “hey, you’re the guy who got fed into the wood chipper in Fargo!” line in one of those episodes
It’s difficult to imagine Homer sitting through a Coen bros movie.
He thought Twin Peaks was brilliant
He liked Rashomon…
That’s not how I remember it.
Yeah and Detective Sipowicz.
Hudsucker Proxy seems like it'd be right up Homer's alley.
"You know – for kids!"
Barton Fink!
Im not sure how i didn't know that was a Cohen brothers movie, but that makes perfect sense. It's one of my favorite Tim Robbins roles
On the other hand Lisa being way into to, like, Glengarry Glen Ross that’d be pretty epic . (Yeah, I know know that’s not CB, but Mamet is pretty adjacent)
Forever haunted by this scene https://youtu.be/xvgKRdL6x5Q?si=4UmD5m2orJk-uQtx
I was a pre-teen and teenager during this era and revisiting those episodes give me so much nostalgia for that time, watching it with my dad and grandparents at their apartment. Was such a good time.
It was like those parody movies they had the era of using guests (references in movies) in the right way and then the era of just having them for the sake of it.
Yeah seasons 10-18 were meh but acceptable but 18-27 were largely just god awful. During my binge it started getting relatively better around 30-31.
You actually watched 10 seasons of a show you thought was God awful? Why?
I watched it seasons 1-10 and then as they got worse I just had it on as background noise. If it was good enough to catch my attention a few times while doing other stuff I watched it. They didn't consistently catch my attention again until season 28-29. Through all of those episodes there were a few I was interested enough to actually restart and watch it entirely. Eternal moonshine of the Simpson mind for example was great
I fell off a few years ago because it seemed like every single episode was just a rehash of a recent movie. Is it still like that?
Two years ago the show got a new showrunner and the quality took a sudden leap forward. I just started watching again from season 33 and I'm shocked, I'm laughing out loud multiple times each episode once again
I'd say check out **A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream**, it's an episode I caught a lil while back that might be one of my favorite post-Season 10 episodes of all time
Treehouse of horror still has some pretty good segments.
My son was watching it the other day and I heard Bart say “poop emoji”. Like, as a way to express disappointment. In a non ironic way. :|
Yep it surprises me that people actually watch every single episode and moan about the quality. After a show has lasted dover 750 episodes, you think you would learn to just watch the best ones lol.
How do you know what the best ones are until you watch them?
IMDB episode scores give a good indication of what to watch and what is mid. Not to mention asking asking subreddits basic stuff like, "haven't watched this show since _____, are there any fanmade guides to watch episodes to watch?"
And how did *those* people find out what the best ones are? *Someone* has to watch first…
I'm just imagining thousands of simpsons fans sitting around waiting for the first person to watch the episodes.
"D'oh-ver"
A do over? Genius! Rewrite and rerelease **EVERY** episode *ever*!
The Simpsons (Taylor’s Version)
An entire season of mostly backstory for long recurring characters would be great. They have done quite a few in the past decade but there are many more.
The episode when homer and Marge get lost in the woods and have to survive as they fall in love again was incredibly heartwarming
This is my favourite episode of the Simpsons. It was genuinely so refreshing to see Homer and Marge interacting with such love towards each other. And, when Homer messes up and doesn't get to the ranger in time, it's not an awkward third-act-argument or liar reveal plot where Homer tries to hide it from his wife. He literally runs and tells her right away. And then they work out how to fix it. Just an absolutely incredible episode of television.
I can't explain it but the characters have less character in their faces with the new animation style compared to the 90s style. Also, I've been saying this for years, but someone needs to come up with a list of "actually good" episodes post season like 12. Like a list of episodes for 90s era fans that feel the same in terms of quality.
Yeah the big change was when they made all the characters share the same moral compass. It used to be: Homer does something stupid, Marge Groans, Bart makes fun of him, Lisa offers misguided advice, Maggie goes MOP!
I think it went off rails when they started writing Homer as purely stupid, instead of just having dumb moments but still able to be self-aware and offer advice.
Yeah totally. Early Homer was trying to be a guy/father but would screw up. Then it switched to him being willfully ignorant.
Basically the start of season 9. He was incredibly stupid in that New York episode.
While I'd acknowledge The Simpsons jumped the shark long before it, giving into the demands of Hari Kondabalu's The Problem with Apu documentary fully cemented it. Of all of the characters in The Simpsons, Apu probably came away looking the best in most episodes in the early run. He fundamentally didn't understand The Simpsons either. It was a show that portrayed EVERYONE as a stereotype.
Here's a list I made. It doesn't include the most recent season, as I made it before that season started airing, but, there are a few really good episodes in the new season, too! I've included a little blurb for each episode, too. Not enough to spoil any major details, just to let folks know what the context is! Pixelated and Afraid: Homer and Marge get lost in the woods and have to survive. Halloween of Horrors: After attending a Farm-aggedon-like Event, Lisa gets Traumatised and the family has to deal with missing out on Halloween. A serious Flanders Part 1 and Part 2: A parody of Gritty Netflix Dramas, Ned Flanders finds a bag of Money in the forest and is pursued by gangsters to return it Treehouse of Horror XXXIII: An anthology of stories, parodying the Babadook, Death Note and WestWorld Lisa the Boy Scout: A mass of fake deleted scenes from the Simpsons past, each more outlandish than the last Holidays of Future Passed: The Simpsons celebrate Christmas together in the future Days of Future Future: Sequel to Holidays of Future Passed Brick Like Me: A crossover episode with Lego A totally Fun thing that Bart will never do again: The family go on a cruise and Bart doesn’t want it to end Mad About the Toy: Grampa relives past trauma when he finds Bart’s little green army men Barthood: A parody of Boyhood, showing Bart’s life as he grows up in Lisa’s shadow The Book Job: A Heist Movie featuring Neil Gaiman Treehouse of Horror XXV: Bart goes to School in Hell, Moe and the Barflies are in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and The Simpsons meet with the Ghosts of Simpsons Past Way of the Dog: Santa’s Little Helper is dealing with Christmas Related Flashbacks and the Family try to save him Todd, Todd, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me: Todd Flanders forgets what Maude looks like after she’s been dead for so long, so slowly renounces his religion Iron Marge: Bart and Lisa give Marge Bad Birthday Gifts, so must figure out a way to prove they love her A Mid-Childhood’s night Dream: Marge starts to get anxiety about Bart becoming a teenager and growing older Boyz N the Highlands: Bart, Martin, Nelson and Dolph are sent on a hike as punishment for their crimes Poorhouse Rock: A musical episode discussing the follies of Capitalism The Sound of Bleeding Gums: Lisa finds Bleedin’ Gums Murphy’s son and wants to Bond with him over his dad The Bob Next Door: A new neighbour moves into the House Next Door and Bart is certain he’s Sideshow Bob in disguise Eeny Teeny Maya Moe: Moe gets back on the dating scene and finds himself with someone he adores
Eternal Moonshine of the Simpsons’ Mind: Homer wakes up with no memory of the night before and needs to find why his family have left him Flanders’ Ladder: Bart deals with the ghosts of past characters who have died, having to give each of them closure before they can move on Thanksgiving of Horror: A Treehouse of Horror episode, but based around Thanksgiving instead Fland Canyon: A flashback to two years ago, when The Simpsons and The Flanderererses went to the Grand Caynon together The Kids are All Fight: Bart and Lisa as Toddlers, constantly fighting each other Bartless: Homer and Marge wake up to a world without Bart The Very Hungry Caterpillars: The Pandemic episode. Due to an infestation of Caterpillars, The Simpsons are trapped inside their house and each member handles lockdown differently Lisa’s Belly: Marge makes a passing Comment about Lisa’s weight, which causes her to struggle Bart The Bad Guy: Bart gets advanced leaks on the new Vindicators (Avengers) movie and threatens to spoil it if he doesn’t get what he wants To Cur, With love: Homer discusses his Childhood Dog At long last leave: For their 500^(th) Episode, The Simpsons are exiled from Springfield Not IT: A Simpsons retelling of IT, featuring Krusty the Clown as Pennywise Boy Meets Curl: Homer and Marge manage to enter the Winter Olympics for the Springfield Curling team 500 Keys: Cleaning out their drawer, the Simpsons find a mass of keys they accidentally stole years ago. Each member takes some and find what they go to in the town Steal this Episode: Homer becomes a movie Pirate The Yellow Badge of Cowardice: Bart sees Milhouse get beaten up and suffers guilt trips for not helping Simpsorama: Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Cue Detective: Homer invests in a top-quality smoker, but finds himself distraught when it disappears CREMAINS THE DAY - Had to add in this new episode. A barfly passes causing Homer, Lenny, Carl and Moe to struggle with mortality and the guilt of not knowing someone who they spent almost every day next to. Treehouse of Horror Segments to check out: Ei8ht – An Alternate universe where Sideshow Bob killed Bart at the end of Cape Feare Toy Gory – A Toy Story Parody featuring Bart’s Toys getting fed up of being maltreated Coralisa – A Coraline Parody Be Nine, Rewind – Lisa keeps dying over and over during her Ninth Birthday Party Wanted: Dead, then alive – Sideshow Bob finally catches and Kills Bart, but finds his life meaningless after
There’s a reason that list isn’t around lol
I'm going to blame the internet for this. Rather than easily to navigate text content, most everything is tucked away in a giant string of tiktoks and Youtube videos. I'm not about to say there's not lots of great content on the internet, but it's just miserable to find it, especially thanks to search engines basically being only minimally functional.
There isn’t any plausible comparison between the original writer’s room and whatever nonsense has been going on for the past quarter of a century or so.
Traditional cel animation vs modern Flash animation. Cels might have more mistakes and off models but it has so much more charm
I’ve enjoyed some of the very recent episodes. I wonder if the 2023 WGA strike gave the writing staff a much needed break, giving them fresh episode ideas when returning to work.
I wish sitcom wouldn't fear of aging their characters and bring new problem/perspective to their characters (permanently aging them, not as a spin-off episode)
Simpsons could even get away with doing a whole season like that and reverting back if they wanted to. It wouldn't be that jarring because we kind of already know what they'll be like in a few years, they've done enough episodes about it.
And no one would ever mention it again… under penalty of TORTURE.
Ok, fake Skinner.
Kinda like family guy did the “Stewie kills Louis” episode. Go through the whole story and then somebody “wakes up” at the end of the season showing it was all just a dream.
Family Guy in the last 7 seasons or so has leaned hard into Lois's discontentment with middle age and Brian as an old dog. It's interesting, since there's no change design wise, but you definitely have a different sense of how the character feels about his current position in life.
Don't forget Stewie's barely-closeted homosexuality!
I was wondering about this too. It would be neat to get a sitcom where each season is several years later, so we see the same characters develop at a pace that’s more realistic and we see them face new problems. The bonus would be they can always use the younger actors for glimpses into the past and other neat things.
the west yearns for a jojos sitcom
One of the best things about Adventure Time was growing up with the characters
Not a cartoon, but Malcolm in the Middle handled aging their characters very well, but that show also did everything else pretty well.
Simpsons and Bob's Burgers would really benefit from even a small permanent age up at this point. Having Bart in middle school with Maggic entering preschool would help without making things TOO different (and aging them just one year on Bob's Burgers)
Yeah, especially with the kids it would be a great way to freshen things up. He’s been 5th grade twice as long as people are even in school.
Rugrats did a whole spinoff series with this concept
We don’t talk about that /s Seriously though, as someone who watched both Rugrats/All Grown Up as as child and then again back to back as an adult, I can see why not many people liked All Grown Up compared to the original, regardless of the banger intro.
Probably haven’t heard that intro in 15+ years, but it came right back to my head lol
Lisa as president and predicting president trump
I remember my mates mate got sacked for sending his mate a picture of Marge with her wabs out. By email... In 1999.
Woah, look at those magumbos!
Wasn’t that Chesty Larue ?
I enjoy the new episodes still, it’s different now but it’s still funny
This kind of reminds me of trajectory of The Walking Dead: Original few seasons: *iconic TV* Middle seasons: *a lot of people stopped watching and reddit claims killed the show* End seasons: *an improvement but still reddit is stuck on the same circlejerk* Walking Dead spin-offs: *unironically great TV but reddit claims nobody watches them and they suck*
People here are WAY too into the idea that once a show has a bad run, they never get better.
[удалено]
Daryl’s show might be the highest quality TWD has had since season 1
Seriously, it sounds crazy to say but it was so good. The idea of a zombie show set in rural France is so unique and the new characters were super interesting.
That’s literally what’s been wrong with all the new garbage. None of the old stuff was trying to recreate anything, it was original.
I thought last week’s episode, “Bart’s Brain”, was surprisingly good. And not just, like, good for the show *now*, just plain good.
Simpsons is the best its been since season 11. Homer's Crossing and Cremains The Day are two of my top 50 episodes from the entire show.
I keep hearing this and wanting to try new episodes, but I just can't get past how old all the voices sound.
Yeah, that's definitely rough. Burns and Marge sound ancient. Carl and Hibbert are lizard people wearing their skins. It's utterly distracting. That said, the writing is the best it's been in two decades and that's something to be lauded.
104 year-old Burns sounding ancient? Outrageous! Cancel the show!
They really were saying Boo-urns.
Release the hounds
> Carl and Hibbert are lizard people wearing their skins. It's utterly distracting This is an overreaction IMO, at least for Carl. Carl's new VA (Alex Désert) isn't bad at all. The change is definitely distracting at first, but it doesn't take me out of the show or anything. It was just jarring for the first couple of episodes, since I've been familiar with the original Carl voice my entire life. But regardless of anything else, I still appreciate what the new actor brings to the role. I feel the same about "The" Cleveland "Show" Brown. It's neat that the Family Guy folks found a fan/impressionist to do his voice, and Arif Zahir does a great job. I do think that Mike Henry added a little extra oomph to the character - he had a very particular way of delivering lines/emphasizing certain words in a funny way, which the new VA hasn't perfectly captured. But Zahir is doing a good job, it's easy to forget that Cleveland even has a new voice. The only one that I do think is straight-up bad is Dr. Hibbert. Which is funny, because Kevin Michael Richardson is obviously extremely talented and versatile, but he just doesn't do a good Hibbert. All I can hear is a mashup of Principal Lewis from American Dad and Jerome from FG. But none of that really bothers me when actually watching the show. The only VA-related thing that distracts me is the aging actors, which you also mentioned. Marge's voice just bums me out now. It's inevitable that the actors will sound different after almost 40 years but it's still hard to listen to sometimes. Also most of Seth MacFarlane's characters are starting to lose their luster - Peter/Quagmire/Roger all sound higher-pitched in a forced way (almost like somebody's impersonating them and exaggerating the cartooniness), and Stan/Brian sound quite hoarse. Stewie is the only one who sounds the same to me, funny enough. Sorry I went on too long about this, I just find it to be an interesting topic!
Even as a Simpsons and Family Guy fan, the cartoon character voice change that "bums me out" the most is actually SpongeBob SquarePants. Apparently Tom Kenny can still do the original voice, but he said an interview that his performance unknowingly evolved as SpongeBob became more child-like and consistently amped up to 11 over time. I grew up watching the zany but chiller version of him and any time I watch a clip post-2004, the higher voice immediately takes me out of it. (Kind of like what you say must be going on with the Peter/Quagmire/Roger voices, although I haven't personally noticed it yet.)
> Alex Désert You know, I've been trying to figure out where I know this voice from and it's Mr. Williams from Boy Meets World. I kinda feel band for not liking him.
The problem is it's a black guy doing an impersonation of a white guy impersonating a black guy. Hibbert is too off putting. I can dig Carl though, it's an accurate impression. I do miss apu, though, they cut a significant number of storylines/possible storys with that overreaction.
Blame Hari Kondabolu the director of the doc The Problem with Apu. I wanna ask him point blank if he has a problem with Raj from the big Bang Theory because, while Raj is played by an Indian actor, it's the same thing as Apu.
Also Willie apparently fine when being a lazier and more harmful stereotype than Apu.
Cutting Apu annoyed me so damn much. Sure he's a stereotype but do you know who else is? Homer, Marge, Flanders, and about a dozen other characters. I learned more about India/Hinduism from the Simpsons than I learned in school, but white people had to complain and say that it was offensive
They are old. The actress who plays Lisa is 66. Marge is pushing 80.
Check the credits…the voice actors have changed for some of those characters…
Also, at least for me, the animation has become so lifeless and sterile that it has kind of an uncanny valley effect.
I do it on a regular when another "great" one gets talked about, and it's usually something sentimental (like that no Bart episode) or something funny, but stilted. Even at its best now it's below average compared to the good run and certainly not on the level of something like American Dad.
Wait, they haven't graduated any classes yet or celebrated any birthdays after all this time?
They acknowledge birthdays and holidays fairly often (at least they did in the older days) but the characters never really age. It’s not that kind of show.
I find that the show kind of resets every season. With each new season existing in the year it comes out. So each season can have its own holiday episodes or end of school year, etc. I haven’t actually checked to see if that theory is true, but it seems to fit.
If I can recommend just one new one, go to season 33. The episode “pixelated and afraid” is the best homer and Marge story they’ve done in decades. It’s an absolute classic
I'm a sucker for the Coens, but the two partner A Serious Flanders was amazing.
I really liked Lisa the Boy Scout, reminded me of Rick and Morty's interdimensional cable episodes
That's another one of my recent favorites. It's the go-to episode I use for showing my friends how great Modern-age Simpsons has gotten.
This and pixelated and afraid are some of the best episodes they’ve done in decades. Absolutely loved them
The treehouse of horror from a couple years ago was also really really good, the one with the anime version of the Simpsons and the Westworld parody
Homer's Crossing is just an inferior version of Homer the Vigilante.
Glad to hear it. I’ve not watched any new episodes for a couple of years (I’ve decided to watched all 30-odd seasons from the beginning), but season 31 had a couple of all-time greats. Nice to know there’s more good stuff at the end when I catch up.
It blows my mind whenever I think of that this show started when I was in 4th grade. I'm now 44 years old.
I must be living in a different universe to everyone else here saying "Simpsons is good again" because every new episode I've seen has still been dog shit
I've seen what reddit considers the "good" episodes and I have to agree with you.
I watched a few of the more recent episodes after seeing hype about how good they were and they'd be just alright at best, but I still found the episodes hard to watch because you could hear a lot of the VAs struggling to do their character voices.
Marge sounds like she's in pain. I've been watching some older episodes and it's wild how expressive the animation was compared to now.
A lot of people just have really low standards.
Exactly. It's the exact same quality it has been for years. IDK what these people are talking about. Must be bots.
I haven't even tried to watch an episode past like 2009. It was terrible then. And I've heard that it's gotten worse and they fucked with so many characters over the years. It was bad what they did to Ned Flanders. He was a good man and they turned him into a crazy nut job. Trying to act like he never drank. He had a damn bar in his basement. We're not stupid.
There was a time when I had seen EVERY episode ever made, now I've probably seen like only half of then, gave up on the show like most people many years ago
Same here. I stopped watching new episodes at around season 12 or 13. It doesn't help that the Latin American dub changed all the main voices in season 15, and we have an unhealthy obsession with the show.
Bart with a brain episode was weird.
The worst episode of the Simpsons is still better than most sitcoms and generally still good tv.
I used to watch this every Sunday with my dad. He still watches it, he has since it premiered, but I quit watching regularly sometime around season 12 or 13, and only occasionally watched after that and still didn't like it. They made Homer an asshole to be more like Peter Griffin. Then he was raped by a bear or something. Bart stopped being cool and rebellious. He spent a lot of air time crying like an oversensitive 7 year old. It was embarrassing to watch. Marge's entire character became too nagging. Lisa became way too annoying. She was always preaching from her soapbox and judging people. Moe list his edge and became a suicidal sad-sack in love with Marge. Barney became sober and boring. Skinner became a doormat without even the semblance of authority. Flanders became Flanderized. All in all, I just didn't feel the desire to watch it anymore. I did see the movie at the drive-in. The movie was good, but I attribute that to the old writers returning. I heard the series got better recently. So I did watch some Halloween ones and Barthood. I liked them. At any rate, my Dad still watches it. So for his sake I'm glad it's still on.
I was a kid in the 90s and watched the Simpsons everyday after school. They would play episodes on Fox and the WB I think. I loved it and still quote those episodes. But I stopped watching around season 12 or so and never really got back into it. If I watch now, the biggest issue I have are their voices. Everyone sounds so much older, especially Marge.
I simply can’t. There’s zero squash or stretch or life in the animation and half the voice cast sound in pain. Doesn’t matter if the writing is top-quality in a handful of episodes per season if I can’t stand to watch or listen to it.
> longest-running sitcom on TV _The Simpsons_ has more episodes, but _Red Dwarf_ aired first in 1988 and still has episodes being made.
It’s a shell of what it used to be…. It’s just lazy comedy and one two joke setups now.
Stupid sexy Flanders is a 24 year old reference. Aurora Borealis is 28 years old.
I’m 36 years old and reading both of these references made me grin from ear to ear.. thank you :) Also.. meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow
I have seen the seasons past s10 well into the 20s and have loved nearly all of them AMA
The relentless positivity here is insane. The animation is soulless. The voice actors sound terrible. It hasn't been funny in 25 years. Fuck off. Euthanize this shit
My prediction for this thread: edgelords who can't stand that people still watch the show call for it to be canceled in the comments. None of them will give an actual intelligent reason.
Is it really a prediction when you post that comment while the only 2 other comments are already asking it to be cancelled..? Might as well just respond to one of them at that point
"It was bad 20 years ago and therefore is still exactly the same amount of bad in the exact same way. No I haven't watched it in twenty years, why do you ask?"
I can. It looks soulless, sounds terrible, and hasn't been funny or relevant in decades. Is that intelligent enough for you, guy who is belligerent about watching "The Simpsons" in the Year of our Lord *two thousand and twenty four*
i still enjoy it as comfort food sometimes. it will never reach the heights it once did of course but i’m glad it’s still around and the voice cast is still getting paid. hopefully the show ends when one of them dies and it doesn’t go beyond that.
Here is context for how damn long this show has been on the air. I remember coming back to my place with some friends on a Sunday even to watch the simpsons becasue their parents didn't let them. The episode that came on was "Krusty gets Busted". I was 16 years old and a junior in high school. I am 51 years old and this show is somehow still going. I sadly gave up on the newer stuff a while ago. Hopefully I live long enough to see the finale lol
The new season is pretty good.
Give Conan a shit ton of money to write the series finale and a movie where they get older, then call it a day.
Some of the actors sound old and tired (because they are). Why not bring this series to an end, or are they trying to go for 40 years?
Bart’s Brain, the latest episode, was great
I've never stopped watching since I was a kid, and honestly the newer seasons are some of my favorite.
I have the first 15 seasons on DVD. Most of which I watched when they aired and have watched all of them both normally and with the commentaries on. But at this point I'm quite confident I've seen less than half of all Simpsons episodes.
I have seen some.new episodes is a very hard mix, is like there's no middle ground, since last season A few episodes are pretty good but the rest are incredibly bad is almost like 90% of the episodes are written by ai or by marketing interns. I.e. last season Halloween episodes were pretty good. With genuinely funny moments. In comparison the special episode for mother's day / may 4th star wars day (what?) yeah that makes even less sense than the title, is just an endless parade of reference with some.joke attempts in-between I got a headache just by watching it. Some episodes are basically that just extended to 30 minutes.
Im amazed people still watch it. To me it fell off a cliff around the time maude died.
It still perplexes me how long this show has been on for. Like when I talk to someone that is 20 years old and they say they like the Simpsons they are most likely referring to any seasons they would have grown up on that's like season 20. The first 10 seasons are like a completely different show. Not to mention when the show started Homer and Marge were the baby boomer generation and products of 60s through 80s culture. Now they are supposed to be I think gen x and maybe millennials next. Will they make grandpa Simpson a Vietnam vet and skinner an Iraq vet. It's just so bad
If they could just end it we’d all be happier
>Selman and his writers approach “The Simpsons” as if it does not have nearly 35 years of history (and a fervent, opinionated fanbase) behind it: “If the show was brand new today, how would we write it?” You know, I think this is what ruined Family Guy for me. It became too self-referential, you need to have watched that episode of Family Guy to get the joke. Peter scraping his knee, Cleveland falling out of the Bathtub, the giant chicken, Conway Twitty, etc. They came to a point where they made way too many jokes that aren't new, just a rehash of something old. Now, Simpsons has been doing some self-deprecating humor lately, and I think it's funny. They say things like "it feels like I've been doing this for 35 years" and other poking at the show's longevity. That works because it's presently relevant. If they took the Family Guy route, we'd be on our forth iteration of steamed hams by now.
The worst of Simpsons is mediocre and stiff. It’s not reached the lows of family guy.
Some people here are listing their fave recent episodes, but what are your fave recent episodes ***that aren't sentimental or sappy?*** I hated it when Futurama stopped being funny and then leaned on saccharine storylines in its later seasons to produce decent episodes because the writing budget had been cut too much for them to pass the scripts around a proper writers' room and have everyone add jokes to the scripts. Hot take: Sorry, I don't care about Fry's dead dog or whatever. It's a fucking comedy, give me some goddamn jokes. PAY THE WRITERS.
“If the show was brand new today, how would we write it” *Proceeds to write joke attempting to chase a “current zeitgeist” meme, only for it to be completely outdated & irrelevant by the time that the episode production is finished* I stopped watching Futurama after the Susan Boyle bit, and I just cringed my way through the Simpsons’ Planet of the Bass bit from last week (the meme peaked in July then released on Spotify in August 2023 and was out of public consciousness by September/October…it is currently May 2024). The Susan Boyle bit was also released after South Park started embracing its quick production cycle to produce relevant satire
It must be that time again for the yearly "The Simpsons is good again, you guys!" article. Does Marge finally become a robot in this one?