This coming week's episode has a subplot where Homer gets into a TV show that used to be really popular, inspired by the writer's getting into Lost soon after it finished. So therefore I find myself obliged to watch it.
I saw the thread title and I immediately knew that it was created by Coolsome!
'The Simpsons' at its peek was/is a fantastic show (seasons 1-9). However, the later seasons have really sullied the good will that the show had built up. I believe that the main reasons that the later episodes are such failures are:
* The show used to have real heart. I can't remember who said this but it's so true; "an episode used to end with Marge sat on Homer's lap, as they cycle off into the sunset. Now they end a show with Homer blowing a tranquilizer dart into Marge's neck!"
This is why the show feels more like 'Family Guy'; they've lost the heart and soul. The writers are only interested in making (crappy) jokes now and have all but abandoned the concept of character and emotion.
* The show used to have plots which were grounded in reality. Sure, the stories were exaggerated for comedic effect but at their core we could all relate to them to some extent.
Now the stories have become increasingly outrageous and downright stupid. I know there are apologists who say "well, they ran out of ideas, so cut them some slack" but that's no excuse. If they ran out of ideas then they should have bowed out gracefully.
It's worth noting that it's unlikely that Fox will commission any further episodes of 'The Simpsons'. I only wish that they had made that decision earlier (due to not wanting to run the concept into the ground), as opposed to milking it dry and waiting until viewing figures started to drop sharply.
As for my favourite ever episodes; I'm going to go for 'Behind the Laughter', 'Deep Space Homer', 'The Mysterious Voyage of Homer', '22 Short Films About Springfield' and 'Treehouse of Horror VI' (the segment entitled 'Homer³').
I only wish that they had made that decision earlier (due to not wanting to run the concept into the ground), as opposed to milking it dry and waiting until viewing figures started to drop sharply.
The show used to have real heart. I can't remember who said this but it's so true; "an episode used to end with Marge sat on Homer's lap, as they cycle off into the sunset. Now they end a show with Homer blowing a tranquilizer dart into Marge's neck!"
We should write for the Simpsons and bring back its heart..and make less Lisa-centric/Bart-hating episodes.
We should write for the Simpsons and bring back its heart..and make less Lisa-centric/Bart-hating episodes.
I've always thought that they should have made one final season where each episode concentrated on one of the side characters (e.g. Bumblebee Man, Snake, Cletus etc.). It would be the perfect way to inject some fresh stories into the show, without having to resort to ridiculous plots.
The Simpson family could still feature, cropping up for a cameo in each episode, as they interact with the starring side character; with their combined appearances across the season adding up to one whole B-story for them.
It might not have worked but it would certainly have been a more interesting way for the show to bow out, whilst celebrating the rich world of characters that were created over the shows run.
It worked for that episode 22 short films about Springfield and the spin off showcase. If they made episodes like those but not shorts it would work well.
I still like the show. It's enjoyable, but not necessary viewing material and nowhere near as good as it was all the way at the start.
They got Daniel Radcliffe to say "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!" which must count for something, right?
I really can't choose a favorite episode. My favorite run of episodes is probably Season 8 as a whole, as I can't think of a single negative. And also because of the way Skinner says "N'orleans".
Season 10 was great (i might even say my favourite season) and i think the best episodes of the season is Viva Ned Flanders and Wild Barts Can't be Broken and Marge Simpson in Yellow Screaming Honkers and my favourite episode of the series is Viva Ned Flanders. and all my favourite episodes are the ones i said there now. 22 Short films about Springfield,The Simpsons 138th episode spectacular, Two Bad Neighbors,You Only Move Twice,Mountain of Madness,The Old Man & The Lisa,Das Bus,Realty Bites,King Of The Hill,Who Shot Mr.Burns,Marge On The Lam,Behind The Laughter & Worst Episode Ever!
They got Daniel Radcliffe to say "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!" which must count for something, right?
Guest appearances and 'humour' based on thoughtless references are not the show's saving grace. If anything, given the regularity with which they do it, it's a sign that they need to stop production immediately.
...except for the fact it's right by both oceans when it needs to be, it's a short car ride to both mexico and canada, there are mountains, fields, valleys, both tropical and coniferous forests... :P It's a town where they need it to be that particular week.
Simpsons 5-10 were probably the best years, although the early seasons are the ones I directly grew up with and have seen a million times so they hold a special place in my heart. As for South Park, for myself, I have found that show to always be touch and go. There would be a hilarious show now and then, a few horrible ones, and ones where they just tried to be offensive...which Family Guy has now shown the world, does NOT make it funny. I generally don't care for South Park, but the odd really funny episode keeps me from putting down to the Family Guy level of hate.
Well, I read on the link that Matt Groening reveals that
the real location of Springfield is in Oregon
. No surprise there.
Ugh, everyone's claiming that now. Did no one actually read the interview? He decided to call it Springfield because of a connection to Springfield, Oregon, but also because there are so many Springfields out there that it works.
IMO, the show started getting really repetitive. The freshest The Simpsons has been was the movie. I haven't seen much of The Simpsons lately, but if it is turning into Family Guy, that's honestly not too terrible as long as they don't imitate the newer seasons where it seems that McFarlane is just trying to get cancelled again.
As for favourite episodes: hm...
off the top of my head;
Hurricane Neddy
Homer's Enemy
Marge VS The Monorail
The Cartridge Family
King Size Homer
Homer The Smithers... etc
I still like the show but I don't watch it as often nor does it make me laugh as much as I used to. And these days there are a lot of references that just go over my head as I'm not that up on current pop culture.
As for picking a favourite episode (or episodes), it's so hard to say for certain though one immediately springs to mind and that is Mr. Plow.
I'm always surprised that people can remember the names of the episodes, or which season they were in. Mind you, the issue for me is probably fragmented viewing. The simpsons airs on both Sky 1 and Channel 4 (and at one time BBC2), all airing different episodes, so I have no idea which season is which.
That is true. To be honest, it was the commentaries that got me hooked. So entertaining. They've become more bland since season 10 as most of the great personalities left around that point.
Lisa Simpson - Because like me, she is a vegetarian. I also like her because she's often the only voice of reason in an insane town. Her incredibly strong ethics are admirable.
Marge Simpson - Because she reminds me of my own Mum and she's such a caring character, who's full of compassion and is a devoted to her family. Squeaky-Voiced Teen - Because he consistently makes me laugh!
A regular? I'd probably say Smithers or Flanders. Writing a character that only says jokes isn't as funny to me as the characters which are played off of extremely well. Smithers and Flanders are excellent examples. They rarely ever hold down a show, yet if they're around, there's a joke coming in some form.
of all time? Hank Fuckin' Scorpio
I don't know if he ever came back, but that was such a great character.
I don't know if he ever came back, but that was such a great character.
He kind of came back as the vice President in the movie. It was originally going to be Scorpio but the writers were concerned some viewers wouldn't remember him (yeah, like we'd forget a classic character like that) so they changed his name and appearance. The voice is still Scorpio's though.
He kind of came back as the vice President in the movie. It was originally going to be Scorpio but the writers were concerned some viewers wouldn't remember him (yeah, like we'd forget a classic character like that) so they changed his name and appearance. The voice is still Scorpio's though.
Yeah Albert Brooks. He's done a few voices on the show too.
According to IMDB...
"500 Keys (15 May 2011) - Hank Scorpio (voice) (as A. Brooks)"
I, now, HAVE to see that episode.
Yeah Albert Brooks. He's done a few voices on the show too.
According to IMDB...
"500 Keys (15 May 2011) - Hank Scorpio (voice) (as A. Brooks)"
I, now, HAVE to see that episode.
Favourite episode would be either Fear of Flying, Rosebud or Kamp Krusty.
I'd agree with JedExodus Mr Burns is my favourite character any episode that focuses on him is usually a favourite for me second would probably be Hans Moleman.
'The Simpsons was one of the greatest animated shows on TV. 'South Park' is one of the greatest animated shows on TV.
'The Simpsons' will always deserve respect for its earlier seasons but 'South Park' continues to be genius (for the most part).
... Just my opinion of course.
No disagreements here. Before the simpsons the best animated comedy was the flinstones (which at the time was the closest thing for an adult oriented cartoon). I'd say it had a good 10 seasons or so before it went downhill. but south park celarly went to the next level. Any rational comparison other than longetivity (which south park has a disadvantage due to being started later) favours south park; south park is practically done on the fly (they react to real events quickly), the south park movie dominated the simpsons movie, south parks seasons 10-15 were far better than those of the simpsons.
South Park has a few episodes that are the best of all other South Park episodes but it doesn't have any episodes that I would say were in my best episodes out of any animated TV or even in all of TV, The Simpsons does. And I can't think of a South Park quote that I use in everyday conversation.
Futurama is much better than either South Park or the Simpsons in my opinion. But I do enjoy all three.
I'd have to say my favorite Simpsons episode is King of the Hill. It's the only one that I remember the entire plotline and jokes vividly. With all of my other favorite episodes, it's either one or the other.
The shameless apperance of Jay Sherman in 'The Simpsons' (in order to promote 'The Critic') is certainly not Matt Groening's favourite character. In fact, he's disowned that episode. Seriously.
Personally, I like 'The Critic' and Jay's appearance in 'The Simpsons'.
The shameless apperance of Jay Sherman in 'The Simpsons' (in order to promote 'The Critic') is certainly not Matt Groening's favourite character. In fact, he's disowned that episode. Seriously.
Personally, I like 'The Critic' and Jay's appearance in 'The Simpsons'.
The whole brouhaha over the whole thing was silly in my opinion. A Star is Burns was a great episode.
Comments
I haven't watched the newer episodes much I've gotten a few laughs out of them but I much prefer the older episodes.
'The Simpsons' at its peek was/is a fantastic show (seasons 1-9). However, the later seasons have really sullied the good will that the show had built up. I believe that the main reasons that the later episodes are such failures are:
* The show used to have real heart. I can't remember who said this but it's so true; "an episode used to end with Marge sat on Homer's lap, as they cycle off into the sunset. Now they end a show with Homer blowing a tranquilizer dart into Marge's neck!"
This is why the show feels more like 'Family Guy'; they've lost the heart and soul. The writers are only interested in making (crappy) jokes now and have all but abandoned the concept of character and emotion.
* The show used to have plots which were grounded in reality. Sure, the stories were exaggerated for comedic effect but at their core we could all relate to them to some extent.
Now the stories have become increasingly outrageous and downright stupid. I know there are apologists who say "well, they ran out of ideas, so cut them some slack" but that's no excuse. If they ran out of ideas then they should have bowed out gracefully.
It's worth noting that it's unlikely that Fox will commission any further episodes of 'The Simpsons'. I only wish that they had made that decision earlier (due to not wanting to run the concept into the ground), as opposed to milking it dry and waiting until viewing figures started to drop sharply.
As for my favourite ever episodes; I'm going to go for 'Behind the Laughter', 'Deep Space Homer', 'The Mysterious Voyage of Homer', '22 Short Films About Springfield' and 'Treehouse of Horror VI' (the segment entitled 'Homer³').
Not everyone agrees.
We should write for the Simpsons and bring back its heart..and make less Lisa-centric/Bart-hating episodes.
I've always thought that they should have made one final season where each episode concentrated on one of the side characters (e.g. Bumblebee Man, Snake, Cletus etc.). It would be the perfect way to inject some fresh stories into the show, without having to resort to ridiculous plots.
The Simpson family could still feature, cropping up for a cameo in each episode, as they interact with the starring side character; with their combined appearances across the season adding up to one whole B-story for them.
It might not have worked but it would certainly have been a more interesting way for the show to bow out, whilst celebrating the rich world of characters that were created over the shows run.
They got Daniel Radcliffe to say "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!" which must count for something, right?
I really can't choose a favorite episode. My favorite run of episodes is probably Season 8 as a whole, as I can't think of a single negative. And also because of the way Skinner says "N'orleans".
You got me out of bed to say "no". That's exactly the reason it stinks this weather.
Special guests LMFAO next week.
Guest appearances and 'humour' based on thoughtless references are not the show's saving grace. If anything, given the regularity with which they do it, it's a sign that they need to stop production immediately.
You're making yourself too obvious. Effective trolling requires an element of subtlety. Keep at it, though; you'll get there one day.
'The Simpsons was one of the greatest animated shows on TV. 'South Park' is one of the greatest animated shows on TV.
'The Simpsons' will always deserve respect for its earlier seasons but 'South Park' continues to be genius (for the most part).
... Just my opinion of course.
Simpsons 5-10 were probably the best years, although the early seasons are the ones I directly grew up with and have seen a million times so they hold a special place in my heart. As for South Park, for myself, I have found that show to always be touch and go. There would be a hilarious show now and then, a few horrible ones, and ones where they just tried to be offensive...which Family Guy has now shown the world, does NOT make it funny. I generally don't care for South Park, but the odd really funny episode keeps me from putting down to the Family Guy level of hate.
Ugh, everyone's claiming that now. Did no one actually read the interview? He decided to call it Springfield because of a connection to Springfield, Oregon, but also because there are so many Springfields out there that it works.
IMO, the show started getting really repetitive. The freshest The Simpsons has been was the movie. I haven't seen much of The Simpsons lately, but if it is turning into Family Guy, that's honestly not too terrible as long as they don't imitate the newer seasons where it seems that McFarlane is just trying to get cancelled again.
off the top of my head;
Hurricane Neddy
Homer's Enemy
Marge VS The Monorail
The Cartridge Family
King Size Homer
Homer The Smithers... etc
Ooohh, I forgot about that one. Classic!
As for picking a favourite episode (or episodes), it's so hard to say for certain though one immediately springs to mind and that is Mr. Plow.
Lisa Simpson - Because like me, she is a vegetarian. I also like her because she's often the only voice of reason in an insane town. Her incredibly strong ethics are admirable.
Marge Simpson - Because she reminds me of my own Mum and she's such a caring character, who's full of compassion and is a devoted to her family.
Squeaky-Voiced Teen - Because he consistently makes me laugh!
of all time?
Hank Fuckin' Scorpio
I don't know if he ever came back, but that was such a great character.
3) Moe Szyslak
2) Dr Nick Riviera
1) Professor John Frink
He kind of came back as the vice President in the movie. It was originally going to be Scorpio but the writers were concerned some viewers wouldn't remember him (yeah, like we'd forget a classic character like that) so they changed his name and appearance. The voice is still Scorpio's though.
Yeah Albert Brooks. He's done a few voices on the show too.
According to IMDB...
"500 Keys (15 May 2011) - Hank Scorpio (voice) (as A. Brooks)"
I, now, HAVE to see that episode.
Don't. You'll be dissapointed.
I'd agree with JedExodus Mr Burns is my favourite character any episode that focuses on him is usually a favourite for me second would probably be Hans Moleman.
No disagreements here. Before the simpsons the best animated comedy was the flinstones (which at the time was the closest thing for an adult oriented cartoon). I'd say it had a good 10 seasons or so before it went downhill. but south park celarly went to the next level. Any rational comparison other than longetivity (which south park has a disadvantage due to being started later) favours south park; south park is practically done on the fly (they react to real events quickly), the south park movie dominated the simpsons movie, south parks seasons 10-15 were far better than those of the simpsons.
I'd have to say my favorite Simpsons episode is King of the Hill. It's the only one that I remember the entire plotline and jokes vividly. With all of my other favorite episodes, it's either one or the other.
My favorite Simpsons character is:
The shameless apperance of Jay Sherman in 'The Simpsons' (in order to promote 'The Critic') is certainly not Matt Groening's favourite character. In fact, he's disowned that episode. Seriously.
Personally, I like 'The Critic' and Jay's appearance in 'The Simpsons'.
Also, Barney's short film in that episode is superb.