The Simpsons

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by Amaris, Nov 14, 2009.

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When Did The Simpsons Lose It's Spark/Soul?

  1. Season One

    1.3%
  2. Season Two

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. Season Three

    1.3%
  4. Season Four

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. Season Five

    1.3%
  6. Season Six

    1.3%
  7. Season Seven

    3.9%
  8. Season Eight

    6.5%
  9. Season Nine

    14.3%
  10. Season Ten

    9.1%
  11. Season Eleven

    6.5%
  12. Season Twelve

    5.2%
  13. Season Thirteen

    6.5%
  14. Season Fourteen

    6.5%
  15. Season Fifteen

    2.6%
  16. Season Sixteen

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  17. Season Seventeen

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  18. Season Eighteen

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  19. Season Nineteen

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  20. Season Twenty

    1.3%
  21. Season Twenty-One

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  22. The Simpsons Is Still Good

    32.5%
  1. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2002
    Location:
    United States
    I'm sitting here watching Season Two of The Simpsons, and I'm remembering just how much I love these characters, and how that fondness is pretty much non-existent when I see new episodes on television today.

    So when did it end for you? When did The Simpsons lose that spark? For me, it happened around Season 10. After that, the characters started changing to the point where they were nothing like their former selves. Now, I can watch any episode from Seasons 1 to 10 and thoroughly enjoy them (although my absolute favorite seasons are 2 to 7). I have no interest in purchasing Season 12 (I bought Season 11 because it had a couple of great episodes).

    So vote in the poll and drop your comments here.
    What do you think?

    J.
     
  2. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 1999
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I still enjoy the show today but the golden years ended around Season 8/9/10, who can remember anymore. Also, the first three years or so weren't very funny and the animation was truly terrible.
     
  3. Kegg

    Kegg Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2009
    Location:
    Ireland.
    That's funny. I was channel surfing and was then so delighted to catch an old episode of the Simpsons that I sat down and watched the double bill. Part of me had forgotten how wholly and how completely I had once loved this series - there may not be a single other comedy show ever I've enjoyed as much as the Simpsons in their prime.

    I'd say that things more or less entered a slide around season 10 or so. The show didn't just become bad, it merely slowly rotted into becoming less and less good, an incremental decrease that withered the series year after year. I think I realised the series had passed over the hill when I watched the episode where there was a joke about Dr. Frink and his robo-spider (don't remember the name or any of the other jokes, but it just felt so stale all of a sudden).

    I only have season six on DVD, but I do revisit it occasionally. That for me was the pinnacle of the show.

    Maybe I'll get season seven sometime, because "You Only Move Twice" and Hank Scorpio was some of the funniest stuff the show ever did (and maybe season four, because of, naturlich, "Last Exit to Springfield"). There was one joke in the former episode that for years could send me and other fans into conniptions of laughter just by mentioning it:

    "You ever see a man say goodbye to his shoes?"
    "Yes, once."

    Eh. Doesn't seem so funny anymore, I'm afraid.
     
  4. Caliburn24

    Caliburn24 Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2005
    Location:
    Gig Harbor, Washington
    The Simpsons is still good, but it does lack the heart it used to have. I think that heart was Brad Bird at work, and after he left the show it started to fade away. But I am no expert on the inner-workings of the show, could be wrong.
     
  5. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2001
    Location:
    America, Fuck Yeah!!!
    It was never the same after Phil Hartman died. Seemed like the show lost its soul. :(
     
  6. jkladis

    jkladis Moderator Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2002
    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    When I chat with another fan, or even someone with even more than a passing familiarity, you almost always share and recognize quotes from the 90s. Since then the show remains a fixture, but very little is still memorable for anyone.

    Dental plan!
     
  7. AnyStar

    AnyStar Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2009
    Location:
    Orbiting Planet Plastic
    I still find it hard to believe that its been more than 20 years!!!!

    I think i still love them because its timeless in a way, the animation and the underlying butt of their jokes may change, but in the end its still the same old Bart or Homer, etc.

    and now, just for old times sake DO THE BARTMAN!!!! :guffaw:
     
  8. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2008
    Location:
    Ireland
    After looking at the episode listings on wikipedia I'd say that season 8 was very solid and season 9 is when the rot began to set in. That was the first season where two or three episodes weren't just unfunny, they were anti-funny, trying so hard to be funny that it was actually annoying. I agree with Kegg that is was a very gradual process, so season 9 was still very good overall, and while the number of anti-funny episodes grew each year I'd still say that seasons 10-12 were good. Season 13 seemed to be the point where the good episodes were too average to outweigh the badness of the growing anti-funny episodes, but I still watched it for the occasional magnificent outing. Season 17 was the point where I gave up, it clearly wasn't going to recover and I didn't have the time to spend half an hour a week on a show I was finding more annoying than amusing.
     
  9. Goji

    Goji Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    May 6, 2006
    The show was at its best through the end of the seventh season. The eighth season is also fairly strong, and is the last one I own on DVD. The decline, for me, started in the ninth, and the show now in no way resembles what it used to be, at least not in the ways that matter.
     
  10. AnyStar

    AnyStar Captain Captain

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    Sep 28, 2009
    Location:
    Orbiting Planet Plastic
    it HAS actually been about 3 or 4 years since i've pro-actively gotten myself to the tv on a sunday night just to watch a new episode.

    on the flip side of that though, th 6pm daily rerun IS the point at which i usually turn on the tv for my habitual daily zombie-time routine... lol
     
  11. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2002
    Location:
    United States
    I found that Season 2's animation wasn't bad. I think we're just used to the spit and polish it has today. King of the Hill had the same problems at first.

    Oh man, Season 7 is one of my favorite seasons. I just finished watching Season 5's "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" and it's so much fun, I just have a blast with that one.

    I agree. I think the heart of the show is missing. There were Simpsons episodes that would literally bring me to tears, they were so touching and you could really feel the emotion that was put into it. I haven't felt that way with a "new" episode in a long, long time.

    Phil Hartman was the greatest. So many characters, so much fun. You miss Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz, and all the other great voices he did. What a terrible loss.

    I love it because you're right. You say "Dental plan!" and Lenny's voice pops up right away, with Marge's "Lisa needs braces!" "Dental plan!" "Lisa needs braces!" "Dental plan!". :lol:

    Everybody if you can, do the Bartman! :D

    There was a general decline. I personally feel like Season 10 is where it's the most notable. I wasn't going to buy Season 11 at all, but my completism won out. I have restrained myself from buying 12, because I'm going to wait until more seasons come out and buy them used and very cheap. I doubt if I'll watch them very much, though.

    Oh, definitely. Season 8 had "In Marge We Trust" with Homer and the Mr. Sparkle ad. I love that episode. Bart's "Yep, there's your answer, fishbulb." :lol:

    I don't even really pay attention anymore. I watched the Halloween Special, Treehouse of Horror XX, but it was only mildly amusing at best. I can go back and watch Treehouse of Horror V and giggle myself into fits.

    J.
     
  12. TGTheodore

    TGTheodore Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2003
    Location:
    TGTheodore
    When a show lasts as long as The Simpsons, it's quite possible that a viewer's tastes change and they no longer relate to it as much anymore. It doesn't mean the show itself has "lost its way" or gotten significantly worse, but just that the viewer has moved on and just isn't interested anymore.

    What's funny and hip to a viewer at 13, isn't always the same at 34.

    Or else the show actually could just become stale. :)

    --Ted
     
  13. Phillip Culley

    Phillip Culley Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2003
    Location:
    Kitchener ON
    You Only Move Twice was Season Eight :)

    Although there would be nothing wrong with getting Season Seven as well...
     
  14. cultcross

    cultcross Postponed for the snooker Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 27, 2001
    Location:
    UK
    Round about Season 12 was the last hurrah for me - it wasn't as good as it used to be even then (the true golden age for me was about seasons 5 through 10), but I still enjoyed it and about a third of the season is good old genius. After that, it became under 1 in 5 and by season 15, a gem was a rare thing among the duds.
     
  15. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2002
    Location:
    United States
    Well, the reason I think the show has become stale (at least for me) is because I can go back to Seasons 1 through 11 and enjoy them, particularly my favorite seasons 2 to 7. They never get tired or dull. The more recent Simpsons episodes just don't hold my attention, have no "soul" or "spark", they have no "heart" to me.

    I picked up Season 8 on Amazon.com for $5.88 "Like New" about a year ago. The deals are out there.

    True. It's easy for me to rattle off great episodes from Seasons 2 through 10. After that it gets much more difficult. Once you hit Seasons 15 or 16, I can't name one, because I can't remember the names, that's how much I care.

    J.
     
  16. Holdfast

    Holdfast Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2000
    Location:
    17 Cherry Tree Lane
    The Simpsons is one of those shows that is rerun so heavily and randomly that I have no idea what episode is from what season, so I can't really answer the question. I mean, sure, I can tell roughly, based on the animation, but otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue as to the episode name or the season.

    All I can say is that, like, say, Friends, TNG and a few other shows, The Simpsons is great "wallpaper"/"comfort" TV for me. I can watch almost any episode and feel at least vaguely familiar with the story and can find something that makes me enjoy it at least a little bit.
     
  17. CommanderRaytas

    CommanderRaytas DISCO QUEEEEEEN Rear Admiral

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    Same here.
     
  18. CaptainCanada

    CaptainCanada Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Location:
    Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
    Season One was them getting their feet steady. I think that Seasons Two through Thirteen were consistently very strong (Thirteen ended on one of my favourites, Poppa's Got A Brand New Badge). After that, it started to decline, and I stopped watching it regularly (but then, I slowly started falling off TV altogether then).

    I occasionally tune in, and they can still produce some really fun stuff, but it's not must-see anymore. But whatever, still the greatest show in TV history.
     
  19. Geckothan

    Geckothan Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Mar 7, 2009
    Location:
    People's Republic of Britainistan
    Up until season 10, it was pure gold, but there were enough decent episodes in seasons 11-13 for it to be watchable. Anything beyond that is unwatchable for me.
     
  20. Arrqh

    Arrqh Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2004
    I'm not sure the season numbers exactly (and I'm too lazy to look :p) but generally I consider anything from the year 2000 onward to not really be worth paying much attention to.

    Some of the recent episodes that I've sporadically watched I'd classify as "not bad"... not even close to the near perfection of the show at its peak, but still enjoyable enough to not immediately change the channel.