The Simpsons

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

Is anyone here a hardcore fan of The Simpsons? It's a very good show and I watch it sometimes but I'm not knowledgeable about it and I've seen only a fraction of the episodes.

How has the show changed over the years? I assume that some deterioration must have set in at some point, during such an amazingly long run. If so, when did it begin, and how would you rate the show now?

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

As a few people here know I'm a huge Simpsons fan. The wall to my den is covered in boxed Simpsons toys.

Personally, I think the show is still good (contra many "fans" who claim it sucks now). The biggest difference is that a lot of the humor relies on 20+ years of continuity (i.e., lots of jokes about the habits of Homer and in-jokes).

I do think that the show probably peaked in the season 3-8 range. However, since the show is essentially a satire on modern culture and references pop culture constantly, it can go on indefinitely.

The Simpsons is by far my favorite show (afterward comes Star Trek and other such nerd choices). Since the show is willing to satirize everything and anything including themselves and the people/studio that make them (before South Park and Family Guy, which do the same but way more crudely), it is for me the perfect television show.

[TazzMission Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close TazzMission]

i prefer the first say 10 seasons after that i jumped off.

[Dr. Naysay Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Dr. Naysay]

No need to watch anything after season 11


http://wonderandrisk.com/the-decline...an-right-here/

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

It still makes me laugh. I only watch two TV shows that still air: this and Doctor Who.

Admittedly, this is part of my OCD-type compulsion. As long as they are on the air, I feel compelled to watch anything Simpsons, Star Trek, or Doctor Who. If those shows went off the air, I'd watch no current TV.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

I have the first 14 seasons on dvd. After that I got burned out on the show and stopped watching. I absolutely LOVED the movie. They should have ended with that and not come back for season 20 (I believe that's where it coincided).

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

And those kind of reactions are exactly why I haven't bothered with a Simpsons thread. I swear I get more gruff (and this isn't aimed at anyone in this thread) for still watching the Simpsons than I do for having watched all the Twilight flicks with my mother.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

You watched all the Twilight movies?!?!?!

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

You watched all the Twilight movies?!?!?!

Yep. And frankly, despite their rap among hardcore horror hounds, I've seen worse vampire movies (Blood Angels and Dracula 3000 come to mind) and werewolf movies (1996's Werewolf and Howling VI).

That said, it's humorous to me that many of the plus points (including many the teen girls seemed to latch on to) were done first and better in Anne Rice's books---the existential torment of romantic vampires, the fact that they can only be destroyed by fire and total dismemberment, vampire psychic powers, etc.

[Sylent_Asassin Black Lantern Find all posts View Profile Close Sylent_Asassin]

The Twilight movies aren't as bad as all the crap they receive, well, except for Breaking Dawn:1. That movie was pure garbage, and I'd be upset if I paid to see that in the theater.

As far as the Simpsons, it should have ended a long time ago.

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

I've watched all 409 B&W episodes of Gunsmoke, but I still haven't watched all 226 color episodes because there are some of them I know from online reviews are going to suck.

There were great episodes in every season, but there were some ups and downs. The first six seasons were almost all adaptations of radio episodes. Overall they were excellent, and some were tremendous. The writers began turning out original scripts for one-hour episodes in Season 7, and the show hit its peak then. Producer Norman Macdonnell was fired about a third of the way through Season 10, and the show declined then, although it was still outstanding through Season 14. It dropped off some more in season 15, although some must-see episodes were still being produced all way to the end, Season 20.

[Dr. Naysay Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Dr. Naysay]

It still makes me laugh. I only watch two TV shows that still air: this and Doctor Who.

Admittedly, this is part of my OCD-type compulsion. As long as they are on the air, I feel compelled to watch anything Simpsons, Star Trek, or Doctor Who. If those shows went off the air, I'd watch no current TV.

Man....

You can't admit that you only watch a show to satisfy some weird completest impulse in yourself and then try and mount a serious defence of that show as still having value.

YOU still watch the show because you feel you must. Now what's more likely...

You convinced yourself that the show still has SOME merit in order to convince yourself it's not totally crazy that you still watch it.

OR

Everybody else on the planet with any kind of serious reputation or semblance of good taste is wrong.

[TazzMission Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close TazzMission]

Man....

You can't admit that you only watch a show to satisfy some weird completest impulse in yourself and then try and mount a serious defence of that show as still having value.

YOU still watch the show because you feel you must. Now what's more likely...

You convinced yourself that the show still has SOME merit in order to convince yourself it's not totally crazy that you still watch it.

pretty big talk for a comic reader who does the same thing.

[Mister Ed Horse of a Different Color Find all posts View Profile Close Mister Ed]

Man....

You can't admit that you only watch a show to satisfy some weird completest impulse in yourself and then try and mount a serious defence of that show as still having value.

YOU still watch the show because you feel you must. Now what's more likely...

You convinced yourself that the show still has SOME merit in order to convince yourself it's not totally crazy that you still watch it.

OR

Everybody else on the planet with any kind of serious reputation or semblance of good taste is wrong.

Wait, everybody else on the planet with taste has gone on record that the Simpsons no longer has ANY merit? Not just that is isn't great, but that it is TOTALLY without merit? I don't see Space Cop arguing that the show is brilliant at this point, just that he still enjoys it, and it therefore has SOME redeeming qualities.

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

Wait, everybody else on the planet with taste has gone on record that the Simpsons no longer has ANY merit? Not just that is isn't great, but that it is TOTALLY without merit? I don't see Space Cop arguing that the show is brilliant at this point, just that he still enjoys it, and it therefore has SOME redeeming qualities.

I don't think anyone would watch it if they thought it was no good at all. But I think comic book completists can identify with this.