Should I continue watching the Simpsons?

[Cat]

No. You should not. It used to be brilliantly funny and I never missed an episode from when it started on the…Tracy Ullman show. However it jumped the shark many years ago with the episode that featured Mickey Rooney. Henceforth, watching became a sin.

Mickey Rooney? You’re saying that one episode turned the show from “brilliantly funny” into “sinful?”

Every artist (singer, actor, writer, dancer, visual artist, etc.) will have an occasional "clinker. " I don’t recall the Mickey Rooney episode, and it probably was one of the clinkers.

But that doesn’t mean that the artist’s products have become “sinful.”

BTW, I hope you are aware that there is a large camp of people who think just the opposite of your opinion, i.e., the early episodes of the Simpson’s were not nearly as good as the second decade of episodes. (I’m in that camp. I think the early seasons were dumb, and that the characters were anti-heroes who promoted disrespect for the laws of God and man, and I think that the later episodes have become more mainstream and promote family values, heroism, monogamy, and respect for God.)

Everyone’s opinion has merit and deserves respect. I respect that you liked the earlier seasons better than the later seasons, although I question whether it was YOU that changed (matured) and no longer find the show funny or interesting.

But again, just because you personally don’t like a piece of art doesn’t mean that it is “sinful.”

 

[on_the_hill]

Mickey Rooney? You’re saying that one episode turned the show from “brilliantly funny” into “sinful?”

Sorry. I meant that part to be a joke.

But basically, I think the overall quality of the show dropped. Where it had been creative, it seemed to me like the writers started ripping quick, non sequitur one-liners that played up absurdities without development.

 

[Cat]

Sorry. I meant that part to be a joke.

But basically, I think the overall quality of the show dropped. Where it had been creative, it seemed to me like the writers started ripping quick, non sequitur one-liners that played up absurdities without development.

Interesting. My husband and I didn’t like the early seasons. They seemed so pessimistic and random. Now the shows seem to be cohesive and purpose-filled. And very funny.

The Halloween “Treehouse of Terror” episode this year (2013) is an example of a brilliantly-written show. The show started out with a tribute to all kinds of horror writers and events–we spent quite a while stopping and starting the sequence to be able to identify as many of the authors as possible–so wonderful to see some of the more obscure horror writers get some kudos

And then show did a brilliant satire of one of the most famous but unknown movies of the fantastic–Todd Browning’s Freaks. It was…well, I hate to overuse the word, but it truly was brilliant.

Do you think it’s possible that people think the show isn’t funny because they don’t understand shows like the Treehouse of Terror episode? Maybe people don’t know about the movie Freaks, or they don’t recognize any of those authors, so they don’t “get it,” and therefore, the show is lame to them. Is that a possible explanation?

 

[on_the_hill]

Interesting. My husband and I didn’t like the early seasons. They seemed so pessimistic and random. Now the shows seem to be cohesive and purpose-filled. And very funny.

I have to admit I haven’t seen the show in years. Basically, it slipped around the time my daughter was born, and I got distracted from watching.

 

[Orogeny]

And then show did a brilliant satire of one of the most famous but unknown

Hmm. Famous AND unknown? That in itself is brilliant!

Do you think it’s possible that people think the show isn’t funny because they don’t understand shows like the Treehouse of Terror episode? Maybe people don’t know about the movie Freaks, or they don’t recognize any of those authors, so they don’t “get it,” and therefore, the show is lame to them. Is that a possible explanation?

I absolutely do think that people either don’t get it or don’t know how great the writing has been simply because they haven’t watched the show. There are ALWAYS things in the script that one needs to be paying attention to in order to catch and appreciate.

As I have posted before, the Simpsons is the best written television show ever.

Peace

Tim

 

[Cat]

Hmm. Famous AND unknown? That in itself is brilliant!I absolutely do think that people either don’t get it or don’t know how great the writing has been simply because they haven’t watched the show. There are ALWAYS things in the script that one needs to be paying attention to in order to catch and appreciate.

As I have posted before, the Simpsons is the best written television show ever.

Peace

Tim

Freaks was famous in its time (1930s) because it created a sensation (negative) and was banned, and the career of Todd Browning was ended.

It is famous among fans and devotees of the cinema of the fantastic, but generally unknown among those who have no interest in horror or fantasy films.

Nowadays, many people think that “freak shows” are indecent, and don’t realize that less than a century ago, people who had visible disabilities could make a handsome living by putting themselves on display. That’s what the film is about. It’s based on a disturbing short story called “Spurs” by Tod Robbins, and starred some of the most popular “freaks” of that day, including the Hilton sisters (Siamese twins), Bobby Eck (a bandleader who had no legs), and best of all, Harry Earle and his sister, Daisy, who were part of a family of little people who called themselves The Dancing Dolls.

If someone doesn’t know any of this, then the Simpsons episode was meaningless and probably very weird to them.

I wonder how many other episodes of the Simpsons are “not funny” because people don’t understand what is being dealt with in the plot.

 

[Orogeny]

Freaks was famous in its time (1930s) because it created a sensation (negative) and was banned, and the career of Todd Browning was ended.

Yeah, I’m familiar with the film. It is still funny to read terms “famous” and “unknown” used to describe the same thing.

Peace

Tim

 

[suko]

Well, thanks to this crazy thread, I decided to give a watch to one of the eps over on The Official Simpsons Site ~ the one called Labor Pains (from Season 25); this was the 1st ep I think I’ve seen in many, many years, and I have to say that… I was pretty impressed (it didn’t seem very drama-filled or serious, which is the way I like it, since if I want a drama, I’ll watch an anime, lol!). It was only one ep, though, but I thought they did a good job in that ep of showing just how ridiculously zany Homer can be… especially near the beginning of the ep, where he doesn’t have time to eat or something so he grabs a banana… and then well, I don’t want to spoil what he does with it (for those that haven’t seen it), but I thought that was classic dumb Homer at his best!

 

[Joe_5859]

Well, thanks to this crazy thread, I decided to give a watch to one of the eps over on The Official Simpsons Site ~ the one called Labor Pains (from Season 25); this was the 1st ep I think I’ve seen in many, many years, and I have to say that… I was pretty impressed (it didn’t seem very drama-filled or serious, which is the way I like it!). It was only one ep, though, but I thought they did a good job in that ep of showing just how ridiculously zany Homer can be… especially near the beginning of the ep, where he doesn’t have time to eat or something so he grabs a banana… and then well, I don’t want to spoil what he does with it (for those that haven’t seen it), but I thought that was classic dumb Homer at his best!

That’s the one episode I caught recently, too. I thought it was pretty good.

 

[on_the_hill]

I thought I knew The Simpsons. I watched regularly for years. I discussed it among friends and family. My brother was even more expert than I was.

Then one year he and his wife gave me Simpsons trivia game for Christmas. The questions were so ridiculously hard that we gave up after trying it one time for a few minutes. I think I tossed it.

 

[Mimi20]

A former parish priest was a big fan of them. I remember watching a lot of episodes of the early seasons when I was younger than 10. Make of that what you will.

At times it can be a very “s-m-r-t” comedy.

As a matter of personal preference, I enjoyed the early (1-10) seasons best. The recent seasons can still be well written; I’ll give them that. IMO they seem a bit, as suko said, either overly dramatic or serious. But I chalk that up to the relevancy of current culture, which is part of how the Simpsons are written.

 

[on_the_hill]

At times it can be a very “s-m-r-t” comedy.

My children have seen that clip on youtube, and though they’ve watched it dozens of times, they laugh uproariously at it. I can even randomly sing it and they still laugh.

 

[Joe_5859]

My children have seen that clip on youtube, and though they’ve watched it dozens of times, they laugh uproariously at it. I can even randomly sing it and they still laugh.

One of my favorite episodes. That episode was written by Conan O’Brien, too.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

I recently watched an episode where it was Marge’s 34th birthday. ’

It originally aired back in 1990. I was 21.

Somehow, I caught up and passed Marge in age.

 

[Joe_5859]

I recently watched an episode where it was Marge’s 34th birthday. ’

It originally aired back in 1990. I was 21.

Somehow, I caught up and passed Marge in age.

I know. When the show started, I was two years older than Bart. Now I’m two years younger than Homer (I think – I’ve seen his age reported differently on different occassions).

 

[Orogeny]

I know. When the show started, I was two years older than Bart. Now I’m two years younger than Homer (I think – I’ve seen his age reported differently on different occassions).

D’oh!!!

Peace

Tim

 

[on_the_hill]

Today I told one of the staff that I would present him with the award for "Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence, " if we had such an award. He’ll have to settle for a 2% raise.

 

[Mimi20]

Today I told one of the staff that I would present him with the award for "Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence, " if we had such an award. He’ll have to settle for a 2% raise.

Good for them!
Will the celebration continue with, “The cause… and solution to… all of life’s problems”?
Or frogurt?

 

[Joe_5859]

Today I told one of the staff that I would present him with the award for "Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence, " if we had such an award. He’ll have to settle for a 2% raise.

Good for them!
Will the celebration continue with, “The cause… and solution to… all of life’s problems”?
Or frogurt?

I don’t know whether to be embarassed or proud that I can recall where all those references came from.

 

[Mimi20]

I don’t know whether to be embarassed or proud that I can recall where all those references came from.

If you recall the episodes that’s good!
But if you recall the release days, year, etc. that’s bad.
In the latter case you ought to see Dr. Nick.