What happened to Simpsons?

CyberGhost

I watched a recent episode and it's just so lifeless and bland.

I can't quite put my finger on it, what has changed? did the voice actors change? it's just not funny anymore.

Homer now sounds sad and desperate.

Simpsons are horrible.

jerrehpips

im with you on that one, i cant point out whats changed.

they changed the intro too, its all weird

little bro reckons the whole lot was HD made too, whatever that means

jor el

It started to turn non-funny about eight or maybe nine years ago. The only new thing I saw in the last 5 years, was the film and the Irish episode. The film was OK, but nothing special. The Irish episode was about as much as I expected. Had it's moments, but it's just tired now, and you get the feeling that it's all been done before, which it probably has.

BlitzKrieg

i just watched this weeks episode with the series of short stories about great women.


Oh gods it was woeful

EDIT: I dont know why but family guy seems to have decided to do the exact same crap this week aswell.

Schism

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

I dont know why but family guy seems to have decided to do the exact same crap this week aswell.

Have you noticed that Family Guy, even in earlier episodes, seemed to get a nice chunk of it's ideas from The Simpsons?

I can't bring an example to mind right now but I do remember thinking to myself more than once while watching FG that it's been done before.

Sea Devils

Two things really

The characters are very much shadows of themselves and serve as punclines to their own jokes. For example Homer was a terrible father but was a genuinely good guy. Now it just seems like the writers have made him more arrogant ruining everyone's life he touches due to his own stupidity and carelessness. There's nothing profound left to reinforce the screwball humour; it's all one big joke. The faact that they have tried to make a follow up to brilliant old episodes such as Homer's mom returning and leaving a protracted message in the newspaper rather then just leaving it at the emotional ending of Homer sitting on his car looking at the stars was ridiculous.

I also think they seem to have included more episodes around current trends rather then focusing on the storylines for which they are well known for. When Marge goes on the wifeswap and ends up with Ricky Gervais is an unfortunate example. This episode won't be funny in 20 years. However episodes like the City of New York V Homer Simpson still hold brilliantly humour wise today

Crow71

The simpsons writers need to get back to basics. They seriously need to sit down and spend a day watching all the old episodes when it was a proper show and then get it back to the old way

overexcitedaj

Conan O Brien Left

Benny_Cake

Yeah,the Simpsons died for me sometime around the millennium.Seemed like the show got a lot of new writers who didn't get what made the show so great.The characters became profoundly unsympathetic and unlikeable,particularly Homer,who changed from well-meaning boob into a real asshole.The fact that they allowed every celebrity to hop on the bandwagon didn't help.I'll never forget that Mel Gibson episode....horrible.

That said,I'll still watch the old episodes,some of the best TV ever made.

Podman

yes, the older ones are way better.

I find Futurama very funny, maybe that's where the talent went?

xanthor

The show got stale. They started taking ideas from different shows and then mashing them together into 'new' ones. However, they attempted to offset it by taking the odd dig at Fox for not letting the show die off.

Now however, most decent script ideas will be cherry picked for future movies.

chompy wrote: »

I find Futurama very funny, maybe that's where the talent went?

David Cohen did anyway. Others can't remember.

deanodrummer

It's kinda hard to explain but I actually think all the characters are like bad actors now. Just watch a new episode and you'll see it's like their lines are forced and they're waiting to say them. Very strange. Since Conan left it's gone severley downhill, and that's pretty sad beacuse imho it's the funniest show ever made.

It's pathcetic watching a new episode then they showclassics like the Clown College one, or the Boxing One, or nearly any of season 6 and literally every couple of seconds was a joke.

TheWealth

Damn straight overexcitedaj...Conan O'Brien left...then when Futurarma started, what was left of the writers from the Simpsons went there.

Riddle101

TheWealth wrote: »

Damn straight overexcitedaj...Conan O'Brien left...then when Futurarma started, what was left of the writers from the Simpsons went there.

Yeah I was thinking something like that happened. I always thought that Simpsons got worse after Futurama came along. Funny enough the same has happened to Family Guy with that new show American Dad, although I find American dad to be more repeitive then actually good, but I still think it's weird.

Anyway I agree with the OP, i haven't enjoyed a Simpsons episode in years. I think what killed the Simpsons other then the writers is the fact that Simpsons is now watered down. I remember how the Simpsons used to be out there, copying Movies and just being so evil, but then South Park came and turned the evilness up a notch.

Anyway things i noticed that have changed
(1)Every new episode seems to go against and old ones. In a new episode Bart said he was allergic to shrimp, but in an old he said he loved shrimp. Also in a recent one aparently Homer and Marge didn't have Bart until later in their life instead of having him during their school years. Although I can understand why, it made no sense that Bart is 10 years old and Homer is nearly 38, if Homer and Marge had Bart after school then they'd be younger.

(2)The characters are shells of themselves. Abe Simpson was supposed to be a War hero in WW2 and in recent episodes he's portrayed as being cowardly, apparently he has done things to get out of the War including dressing up like a woman. Also Homer is no longer what he used to be. The old Homer was an alcoholic, bad parent, cared for no one and did what he did no matter what. Now he's a changed man

Gauge

Riddle101 wrote: »

Also Homer is no longer what he used to be. The old Homer was an alcoholic, bad parent, cared for no one and did what he did no matter what. Now he's a changed man

Actually I'd say the old Homer was a decent, fairly loving if slightly incompetent father (the 'DO IT FOR HER' moment springs to mind)... now he's just Captain Whacky

LimeFruitGum

Exactly - they can't be bothered staying consistent to characters' backstories or older episodes anymore. Grrrr!!! The scripts are shallow, stagnant and forgettable (unless it was really crap). Let's face it, when was the last time you heard a really good quotable line from the Simpsons?
And don't get me started on the episode where Marge gets boob implants - WTF???! Completely out of character.

I hate how Homer has gotten more stupid and boneheaded, like he is trying to out-dumb Peeeedah Griffin.

BaileysComet

I actually think it's starting to pick up. I enjoyed Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D'oh! and Coming to Homerica.

If I were to compare them to "classic" Simpsons episodes then they would come off very badly but compared to some of the recent shyte (Apocolypse Cow, Husbands And Knives) I feel it's a step in the right direction.

phasers

Phil Hartman died.