Did the simpsons actually get worse after season 10?

cloud493

People always say to me (and movie bob from the escapist did a good video as well) claiming the simpsons didn't actually get worse, peoples perceptions just change. But when you actually watch it, all the classics are before the cut off point of season 10 or 11, whatever! To me there is, a noticable decline in quality in fact, coming up to the current season which is just.... I don't even know what the word is. Thoughts?

Captain Chaos

Yep, big time. The Simpsons jumped the shark around the time or just before the movie released and it never recovered. Seasons 7 and 8 are golden. I used to look forward to Sunday nights for the new episodes in the 90s.

Heroditas

It got worse a long time before Season 10.
I thought it went downhill in 97 or 98. It seemed to become too overly dependent on celebrity appearances around that stage and that turned me right off it.
It became a little bit too PC as well, the perfect example being Barney going dry.

cloud493

Heroditas wrote: »

It got worse a long time before Season 10.
I thought it went downhill in 97 or 98. It seemed to become too overly dependent on celebrity appearances around that stage and that turned me right off it.
It became a little bit too PC as well, the perfect example being Barney going dry.

Thats season 11 so good example.

Heroditas

cloud493 wrote: »

Thats season 11 so good example.

Ah yeah I knew it was after Season 10.
I thought the writers got a bit lazy. Instead of trying to script new original stories, the stories started to mirror current affairs. While that can, at times, be very witty, a lot of it seemed quite forced.

Icaras

There are a few great episodes after 10 but not many. Too many parodies for me too - cant think of one funny one.


Cape fear the gf just reminded me.

LiamKK1982

I can't believe it's still on, now in it's 26th season!!. Die already

cloud493

Icaras wrote: »

There are a few great episodes after 10 but not many. Too many parodies for me too - cant think of one funny one.


Cape fear the gf just reminded me.

Season 5

TimeToShine

Seasons 4-6 are a goldmine and nothing will compare to them. I think it started to decline around Season 9.

Dozen Wicked Words

I still enjoyed it a lot right up to season 15. From then on, I still watch it, with occasional decent episodes, outweighed by crap.

lertsnim

Barneys dry? I really haven't been watching in a long time :eek:

I agree though that after seasons 8 - 9 it went downhill spectacularly. I gave up watching and now only catching the odd repeat on Sky and RTE

phasers

I think the last truly great episode was the behind the laughter special, which was either season 10 or 11. It was fairly patchy during season 10 but still had flashes of greatness. Nowadays half the episodes are about Lisa doing something boring, like getting an ipod or reading a book.

I saw a fairly new episode recently though about a group including Homer, Moe, Selma and principal Skinner getting together to write a tween novel and I actually thought it was really funny. It was a parody of a heist movie. Nowhere near golden age standard but funny.

SureYWouldntYa

Season 8 was perfection. I'd prefer to watch that over and over than any of the Simpsons from the last 10+ years

Too many parodies and guest stars. A friend of mine refuses to watch newer episodes. The storylines are very poor and the "jokes" usually have little to do with either the storyline or the characters. The humour used to come from the characters who actually made sense a long time ago.

cloud493

From the old to the new intro.

Inmyownworld

Flat screen tvs and iPods and mobile phones just don't seem right in it!

MisterAnarchy

Heroditas wrote: »

Ah yeah I knew it was after Season 10.
I thought the writers got a bit lazy.

The writers didnt get lazy they just changed .
Hardly any of the people who wrote the first ten series continued after series 10 as they were offered much more lucrative work elsewhere.

Vinz Mesrine

I'll be honest, I don't even know what time and channel it's on anymore.

I remember watching a double bill at 6 on a Sunday and weekdays at 7 on Sky One. Are those still the times?

DazMarz

Without question, one of the defining television programmes of all time. Nothing quite like it. At its peak in the mid-1990's, The Simpsons commanded a huge viewership in both the United States and around the world. Even today, it still widely recognisable, even if not as heavily watched.

The early seasons, up to and including Season 9, were bordering on genius at times. Season 10 was where the wheels started to come off. After that, it just kept limping on and on... until it had reached 26 bloated seasons. But many of the original fans (such as myself who would sulk for a week if I missed a new episode) have given up in disgust. A long time ago. I cannot remember the last time I watched a newer episode with any degree of seriousness. Wouldn't be bothered.

If you told me the title of an episode from the first 9 seasons, I could probably give you a brief synopsis and a few quotes from it. After that, I'd stare blankly at the mention of a title and not have a clue what it was about. Other than knowing it was crap...

For me, The Simpsons ended over 14 years ago. I have no desire to watch newer episodes. I barely acknowledge their existence.

One of the most horrible things about the whole thing is the transformation of Homer. He went from being a decent, loving man who was a bit slow, to a complete moron with a sadistic streak who inflicted cruelty without a hint of the decency of what went before. He is just not the same character. The Homer of the mid-1990's was one of the best characters ever. Now, nothing more than a used up joke, who's punchline has been heard a few times too many.

It will not end any time soon; as long as it is still a cash-cow for Fox, they will keep prodding the dying cow with a cattle-prod and force it to jump through hoops... until such time when she can jump no more and dies, despite attempts to stop it.

riffmongous

There are still a few funny episodes every now and again, if you judge them at a lower standard to pre-SE10 episodes. The Sundance film festival one being a favourite of mine

shruikan2553

I got bored when it became about which celebrity was the story going to be about this week but it seems to have improved again.

Dozen Wicked Words

riffmongous wrote: »

There are still a few funny episodes every now and again, if you judge them at a lower standard to pre-SE10 episodes. The Sundance film festival one being a favourite of mine

Chalmskinn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_f_H5sbdyM

Witcher

The episode where Lisa creates 'Equalia' with her new friend Juliet and the one where Lady Gaga guest stars typify the current Simpsons generation for me.

Unfunny storylines and an overeliance on guest stars to keep things fresh. I'm not up to speed on the recent episodes really but it seems that everytime I see one there's a guest star..it has just brcome the norm from what I see.

Also, the animation is far too clean cut on the later episodes..lost some of the charm imo.

delbertgrady

DazMarz wrote: »

He went from being a decent, loving man who was a bit slow, to a complete moron with a sadistic steak who inflicted cruelty without a hint of the decency of what went before.

I've not seen it in years. Does Homer threaten people with the steak?

quickbeam

Two words for you: Frank. Grimes.

Another two: Armin. Tamzarian.

'Nuff said.

riffmongous

I think I can sum up most of the complaints so far

With the family in disarray, episodes increasingly resorted to gimmicky premises and nonsensical plots, trendy guest stars were shamelessly trotted out to grab ratings.

DazMarz

delbertgrady wrote: »

I've not seen it in years. Does Homer threaten people with the steak?

Got a good giggle out of that one! Fair play!

Oafley Jones

By the way, for those hankering for the humour that made those early seasons gold, I recommend the Frank Burly detective books by old timey Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder. It's basically Homer the detective and they're great.

Icaras

quickbeam wrote: »

Two words for you: Frank. Grimes.

Another two: Armin. Tamzarian.

'Nuff said.

I like the Frank Grimes episode, its one of my favourites but in typical post season 10 no ideas they invented Frank Grimes' son, to me this is just lazy.

The Armin episode is the exact point where it started to wrong for the Simpsons.

cloud493

Frank Grimes was a great episode

Mr.Nice Guy

It's been beyond redemption for about fifteen years now. The lovable Homer who went to college, drove the monorail, went into space etc. is completely different to the psychopath that you see nowadays.

They are just so bereft of ideas these days that they rely on bizarre alterations to old characters, or turn to guest appearances. I can't believe they are still milking this show after all this time.