Simpsons renewed for another season

[czure32]

Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.

[OilKiller]

Nothing beats the episode when the Simpsons go to New York. To this day I laugh through the whole episode.

[zukes]

I am sure these have been mentioned, I haven't been through the whole thread, but my two favourite's are the crayon in Homer's brain and the Frank Grimes epidisode.

I use lines especially from the crayon episode on at least a weekly basis, my favourites are:

- "Who wants lottery tickets!!" as Homer smashes through the front window, after moe "fixed" him.

- "D-Fence, D-Fence"

- "There's a crayon lodged in brain" while pointing to his chest.

[tete]

I haven't watched too many new episodes of The Simpsons in the past three or four years, but I do enjoy the old ones. One quote that just came to mind was the episode where Bart and Lisa join a hockey team, Lisa is the goalie. She yells out "HACK THE BONE! HACK THE BONE!" - I've been known to yell that out at Flames games on occasion.

I have no clue why I get the giggles over the line in "Who Shot Mr. Burns" when they discover Smithers shot old man Jasper's wooden leg. Smithers apologises and Jasper's confused response is "You shot who in the what-now?" Makes me laugh every time.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I've been waiting all week to chime in on this thread. Count me as someone who thought seasons 12-current are complete crap.

THe worst of the bunch are in the 15-20 range. I have watched some of the more recent episoded and IMO they have funny moments but aren't as sound story and plot wise as the episodes used to be.

I couldn't agree more that the guest spots are usually garbage now and just done for publicity. Also lots of the secondary characters have gone downhill. For example, since when has Moe turned into a raging rapist pervert? It's like some of the characters have turned into bad parodies of themselves.

I'd like to go thru pretty much season by season and show why I think seasons 2-9 are some of the greatest television ever aired. Maybe try and come up with why later episodes failed so horribly because I don't think it is a single thing.

Oh and to anyone badmouthing Al Jean you guys are totally out to lunch. Maybe he's not the greatest show runner but he's been with the Simpsons almost from the beginning. IF you listen to the commentary he's clearly one of the driving forces behind the golden years (season 2-9 or so).

ALso, if I have to hear one more person say Conan leaving made the show crap knows nothing about the Simpsons I may blow my brains out. I believe Conan has only ever been the main writer credited for TWO episodes. Monorail and the one where Homer goes to college. There were probably dozens of writers on the Simpsons for their golden years.

To switch topics a little one of my favorite things about classic Simpsons episodes is how often they satirized, ripped off, gave homage to etc etc classic literary works, music, pop culture events, world historical events, classic films etc.

Nowadays all of their classic characters are pretty much obsolete and replaced with annoying characters. I remember watching dozens of different episodes and not understanding the different things that the writers were satirizing and homaging only to realize years later that it came from classic TV episodes, movies etc. Nowadays all of that is basically gone and dead. THe only things they parody are current events it seems. Most of which are lame because that is what South Park is for.

THis is a much shorter version of an epically long post I had prepared but I lost when I accidentally hit the back button in the wrong tab. It was practically a masters thesis but I'm not rewriting it all. It had a season by season breakdown and why the classic seasons were so good. But now its all lost and I feel like crying. I spent at least an hour working on that post. It was going to be my Mona Lisa.


Oh and the best episode ever is a tie. You Only Move Twice and my first appearance Brother From Another Series.

[ricosuave]

One of my favorite ones was where Sideshow Bob was released from prison to work for his brother building the dam. The whole Frasier tie in was done pretty well.

"Guess who?" (Bart covering Cecil's eyes)

"Maris?"

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

One of my favorite ones was where Sideshow Bob was released from prison to work for his brother building the dam. The whole Frasier tie in was done pretty well.

"Guess who?" (Bart covering Cecil's eyes)

"Maris?"

Bob: You can't do this! I saved the children's lives, I'm a hero!
Cecil: [craftily] Tell them they'll live to regret this.
Bob: You'll live to regret this! [realizing] Oh, thanks a lot, now I
look crazy. [Cecil smiles smugly]

[ricosuave]

^ yes, your user name reminded me of it!

but of course, there are so many great episodes, and wonderful one-liners...

[trackercowe]

I agree with pretty much everything Cecil says, except the part about Al Jean. He was a show runner (along with the more talented Mike Reiss) in seasons 3-4. Then came back in season 12, and has been on until today. Season 12 was the point it got really bad. I can't believe how many unwatchable episodes there were in that period (Tony Hawk episode, Dude Ranch episode, Homer moves in with the gay Guys episode, etc). Season 10 was still watchable, and 11 was forgettable. But, the downfall went full force at around season 12.


I have listened to most of the commentaries btw, and am aware Jean and Groening seemed to have to put the most effort into them. I do however want to jump into the room and kill Yardley Smith whenever I listen to them.

Also Conan is highly overrated. He provided a few good ideas (created Captain Mcallister), but I was never a fan of Homer Goes to College (too jokey).

I am a huge fan, and would like to say I still watch every new episode on Sunday. But with Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, and The Walking Dead it is almost impossible to find the time for it.

I do watch all the repeats I can though.

Oh, and "I tackled a loafer at work today"

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

I agree with pretty much everything Cecil says, except the part about Al Jean. He was a show runner (along with the more talented Mike Reiss) in seasons 3-4. Then came back in season 12, and has been on until today. Season 12 was the point it got really bad. I can't believe how many unwatchable episodes there were in that period (Tony Hawk episode, Dude Ranch episode, Homer moves in with the gay Guys episode, etc). Season 10 was still watchable, and 11 was forgettable. But, the downfall went full force at around season 12.


I have listened to most of the commentaries btw, and am aware Jean and Groening seemed to have to put the most effort into it.

Also Conan is highly overrated. He provided a few good ideas (created Captain Mcallister, but I was never a fan of Homer Goes to College (too jokey).

I am a huge fan, and would like to say I still watch every new episode on Sunday. But with Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, and The Walking Dead it is almost impossible to find the time for it.

I do watch all the repeats I can though.

Oh, and "I tackled a loafer at work today"

My opinion on Al Jean only extends so far as to refute that he's the reason the show sucks now as I believe 2 different people suggested.

He hardly ruined the Simpsons himself. I'm not in the television industry and certainly know nothing about exactly how the Simpsons started sucking from an internal perspective.

But to suggest, from our vantage point that anyone in particular was at fault is crazy.

[chris_yk]

"Son, when you compete in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose, it's how drunk you get."

[trackercowe]

He's not the only reason. But he was the only showrunner from seasons 12-21. Kind of just adding 2 and 2 together, but Jean is one of the reasons for the downfall (Mike Scully was pretty bad too).

http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_show_runners

Oh, and Bart's Comet is a wicked episode too. In fact every Homer centric episode, and 80% of Bart centric episodes are usually top notch. Marge may be at about 50%, with Lisa bringing up the rear at 25%. Which makes the newer seasons a huge problem with the focus seemingly on those two.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

[Marge hears Bart and Lisa fighting upstairs]
Marge Simpson: Oh, I'd better go check on them. Now, Homer, don't you eat this pie.
Homer: All right, Marge.
[Marge exits]
Homer: All right, pie. I'm going to start doing this...
[makes chomping motion]
Homer: -and if you get eaten, it's your own fault.
[He shuts his eyes, and moves toward the pie, making chomping motions, but hits his head on the stove hood]
Homer: OW! AH! Oh, my... oh, to hell with it.
[eats pie]

[theonlywhiteout]

Just saw a classic episode, where Marge and Ruth Powers do a thelma and louise. The episode was setup by a hillarious PBS telethon which lead to marge getting ballet tickets. the ballet was in the school gym and of course low rent (the end of the ballet marked by the scoreboard horn lol).

one thing that I seem to notice a lot is older episodes have been clipped a lot for syndication. I love it when I get to see old simpsons stuff that gets time edited .. its almost like seeing brand new (old) simpsons material.

[MaDMaN_26]

I don't think I ever laughed as hard @ the Simpson's as I did in season 2 when Bart was being a stuntman and homer talks him out of jumping the canyon, only to step on his skateboard and accidentally try it himself... homer falling down that cliff bashing his head 50 or so times... getting airlifted out bashing his skull all the way up to then have the ambulance crash into a tree 5 feet away from the edge and he rolls out the back doors and back down the cliff... Christ that made me laugh.... I cried.

[CaptainCrunch]

I think it was pretty hilarious that the Simpson's knew that their well was running dry in the "Behind the Laughter Episode" where at the end of the episode, they show Homer watching a preview for next year and he exclaims "Oh yeah, we're canceled"

But they pointed to the problem with the Simpson around the over bloated character list thats expanded like the black plague.

And when that happens they get sloppy with characters. I agree with Moe, he went from a pathetic lonely sympathetic character, to being equivalent to Herbert in the Family Guy. They show way to much of that Cleatus character who has rarely been funny, but we now rarely see Comic Book Guy who was brilliant.

Even the main characters have changed, and the only one thats improved for the better is really Bart. Lisa has become an annoying windbag, Marge is really just set filler and a nag foil for Homer, and they at some point decided to make Homer a complete moron who really doesn't win at life, whereas before he always found a way in the end to be a good dad, or win occassionally at life. I go back to the episode where he returns to work and plasters up the pictures of Maggie over the Plagueas a real touching moment in the series.

I've tried to watch it over the last couple of years, and its gone from a show with some pretty decent social commentary that had quick laughs mixed with slow build up reward laughs. Now it just seems to go for the quick laughs and there's nothing really clever and no real build up.

I had high hopes for the Simpsons because I really loved the movie and I thought it would springboard the series back to being funny. But they just keep making really flat episodes.

[Regulator75]

I tried watching the latest episode on Sunday, needless to say I had to stop halfway through. Not funny at all.

[Icon]

On occasion I still make the effort to try to like the Simpsons again... but end up sitting through a maybe 1-laugh half hour of TV. I think they need to hire some young blood writers in... getting tired of the same jokes.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

One of my favorite ones was where Sideshow Bob was released from prison to work for his brother building the dam. The whole Frasier tie in was done pretty well.

"Guess who?" (Bart covering Cecil's eyes)

"Maris?"

Another funny part of that episode is at the end where they're doing that slap fight for the top bunk in their jail cell. I get a good chuckle everytime I see that part.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

The Christmas special had about 20s of redeeming television.

And that was right at the end when Katty Perry was looking all fine and Moe kissed her stomach and she said something to the effect of "that's not my stomach" and then followed it up with "but I didn't say stop".

That was classic. More like 10s though.