The Simpsons

Small Screen Specials, Series and Direct-To-Video
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Re: The Simpsons

Post by Ben » March 19th, 2018, 8:08 pm

Screw you, Eric. I’m not even involved in this conversation.

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Re: The Simpsons

Post by ShyViolet » April 3rd, 2018, 4:15 am

Very interesting interview with head writer Ian Maxtone-Graham from May 1998 in The Independent. They were right on the cusp of season 10 then, which many (not all) fans feel was the first truly unwatchable one.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ente ... 66720.html

You can already sense the cracks: Maxtone-Graham’s contemptuous attitude towards hard-core fans, his dismissal of the Lisa/Marge episodes as merely the “sweet” ones, and his admittance that a lot of the jokes were heading more and more into an exclusive, insular “guy humor” zone. He also seemed to think that there were never really any women who contributed heavily to the series (I guess female animation directors like Suzie Dieter don’t count, not to mention the then-recently deceased Doris Grau, who died in 1995 and was script supervisor since season one and of course voice of the infamous Luchlady Doris.)

**************************************


This is actually a very thought-provoking essay defending former showrunner Mike Scully (seasons 9-12). Despite his missteps, the show, according to the essay, already had quite a few problems even during the Weinstein-Oakley era, (part of that stemming from the departures of so many seasoned writers) not to mention the fact that the show had already been on so long; this inevitably led to so many plots/situations involving every single main character already having been done.

https://deadhomersociety.com/zombiesimpsons/zs16/



My biggest problem with what I feel was this show’s major dip in quality is not exactly that the plots became “stale”—that’s completely understandable after having been on since 1989—but the cynical mean-spiritedness that really emerged during the early double-digit seasons. There’s all the violence/unpleasantness directed at Homer, (two words: Panda episode), Lisa’s arrogance and elimination of her role as the show’s moral center/voice of reason—(one early example is her obvious condescension towards the residents of Springfield in the “angel” episode,“Lisa the Skeptic”), Marge’s new flakiness, and an overall replacement of an inheritantly good-hearted, wise and endlessly observant work of art to a wit-free “diversion” where jokes revolving around an old man’s kidney disease are apparently considered hilarious. (Homer Simpson in: Kidney Trouble”, season 10).

And of course...every single “Jerkass Homer” episode ever made. (In my opinion the very first one was “Trash of the Titans” in season 9, where Homer sets out to destroy an innocent garbage commissioner’s reputation for no rhyme or reason other than his agreeing to remove piles of trash off Homer’s curb after Marge wrote the commissioner an apology for Homer’s rudeness.)
Last edited by ShyViolet on April 3rd, 2018, 9:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Simpsons

Post by Ben » April 3rd, 2018, 8:48 am

ShyViolet wrote:...but the cynical mean-spiritedness that really emerged during the early double-digit seasons.
AKA the current state of general comedy through the decades. In that respect, the show is a perfect time capsule of what was "funny". :(

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Re: The Simpsons

Post by Randall » April 4th, 2018, 12:48 am

Sounds like I'm good for not having watched the show past Season 8.

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Re: The Simpsons

Post by ShyViolet » April 4th, 2018, 11:31 am

Yeah you definitely didn’t miss anything Rand! The only ep past season 8 that remotely reflected the sweetness/humor/wisdom of the earlier seasons was “Lisa’s Sax” (where we learned why she started playing in the first place plus got a poignant glimpse of Bart’s kindergarten days that spurred on his later “underachiever” status. Not surprisingly this was one of the last Al Jean-Mike Reiss collaborations.).

Yeah I totally agree Ben...I pretty much gave up on (most) TV/film comedy years and years ago...the nastiness/cynicism was just too much for me. (OK with the exception of Family Guy! :oops: I honestly don’t know why I got so hooked on this show in the first place, although I mostly just re-watch seasons three through eight. Yeah there’s a ton of cynicism and the Meg eps almost put me off the show completely, but anything involving Stewie and Brian and I just can’t stop laughing to my great embarrassment lol. Some fave eps: Road to Europe, Road to the North Pole, Road to Germany, and Saving Private Brian. :roll: ).

Oh and all the Star Wars mini-films are just hysterical. (“It’s a Trap” was definitely the weakest entry, but I still love it.)

Luke: Tell them to let us go or you’ll use your magic!
Threepio: Yeah, I’ll get right on that. ‘Kill the blonde one first!’). :lol:
You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!

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Re: The Simpsons

Post by Dacey » April 4th, 2018, 6:37 pm

Somewhat ironically, given that it's often been accused of being a rip-off of The Simps, Family Guy has become the more consistent series. At the very least, it's at least not desperately trying to capture the glory days the way modern Simpsons often does.

At the same time, I'll still attest that Simps maintained things pretty well for around almost 20 years. and still produces at least one or two solid episodes a season. One issue Simps has faced is trying to play "catch-up" in the raunchy department while still trying to maintain it's status as family-friendly, which I think on some level leads to its current inconsistency in terms of quality (to say nothing of the "four act structure" which inexplicably became a part of the series sometime during the last decade).
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."

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Re: The Simpsons

Post by Dacey » April 18th, 2018, 7:15 pm

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."

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Re: The Simpsons

Post by ShyViolet » April 24th, 2018, 1:20 pm

Also there was that comment HW Bush made later on during a speech about American values: that families should all be: “more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons!” I very much doubt he’d ever seen an episode, although Weinstein and Oakley said on the season 7 commentary for “Two Bad neighbors” that he’d watched that particular episode twice and thought that it “seemed like it was directed by Oliver Stone.” :P.


“No, the man and his boy. You know, the -- the boy is named Bart. I don't know the name of the man. Bar! What's the name of the man!”
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Re: The Simpsons

Post by ShyViolet » June 13th, 2018, 4:34 am

VERY cool short making-of documentary from 1992. (Beginning of Season 4, which many fans consider to be the best. I know I do! Lol.) :)



https://youtu.be/6stjHLHjdf8

It’s also really interesting to once again see, after all these years, the wonderful emotional core that got us to love these characters in the first place. Which of course highlights how far down the series has plunged.


As good as The Simpsons Movie was (at least in my opinion) even bringing back the amazing original script writers/show runners like Schwartzwelder, Mirkin and even James L. Brooks wasn’t really enough to truly evoke those early golden years. (As sweet as that ending with Marge and Homer kissing on the motorcycle was, when broken down the movie really isn’t much more than a (very entertaining) overlong Jerka** Homer episode.)
You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!

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Re: The Simpsons

Post by ShyViolet » August 5th, 2018, 2:40 am

Weird thinking of The Simpsons as possibly Disney characters. :shock: I mean Spider-Man or Luke Skywalker is one thing, but...

(Guess Bob Iger/Disney execs never saw that Itchy and Scratchy Land episode from season 6. Lol.)

Homer: But Marge, I was a political prisoner!
Marge: How were you a political prisoner?
Homer: I kicked a giant mouse in the butt. Do I have to draw ya a diagram?
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Re: The Simpsons

Post by Dacey » August 5th, 2018, 12:37 pm

I'm pretty sure Disney has seen the episodes where The Simps has made fun of them. ;) (Heck, they even tried to sue Family Guy for less, and they own that now too!)

They're also almost certainly going to make a joke about it.
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Re: The Simpsons

Post by ShyViolet » August 6th, 2018, 9:59 pm

Still can’t believe they actually got away with this, for so many reasons...(Just FYI not trying to start a debate about Walt Disney being this or that...just thought it was a funny clip. :) )


https://youtu.be/rrbiIGXT5Hw
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Re: The Simpsons

Post by Ben » August 7th, 2018, 5:53 am

The trouble with figures like Walt Disney is that, once the same old stuff has been done and done and done again, they make for fairly obvious, and therefore easy, targets.

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Re: The Simpsons

Post by Dacey » August 10th, 2018, 4:53 pm

Can the Family Guy and Simpsons films survive the Disney Fox buyout?

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/9 ... evelopment
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Re: The Simpsons

Post by ShyViolet » June 12th, 2019, 1:35 am

Came across this story:


https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live- ... 19-1210024

Have mixed feelings. I haven’t watched the show in AGES (haven’t enjoyed anything new from them since The Movie in 2007) but the fact that their ratings are lower than they’ve EVER been kind of hits me hard. :(. This show was a part of my life for so long. Even after I “abandoned” it, it was sort of a weird comfort to know that it was still on. (I know, that makes no sense lol.) Just the thought of the Simpsons actually being over seems...wrong. Almost like we’re living in some bizarro universe lol. :roll:

The fact that there’s a definite downturn in ratings now—the worst ever, in fact—is depressing. It should not have been this way, especially since the show itself was such a monumental achievement. It needs to finally end...BUT WITH DIGNITY. :|
(Kirk and Luanne's turn at Pictionary)
Kirk: Ah, come on Luanne, you know what this is.
Luanne: Kirk, I don't know what it is.
Kirk: [sighs] It could not be more simple, Luanne. You want me to show this to the cat, and have the cat tell you what it is? 'Cause the cat's going to get it.
Luanne: I'm sorry, I'm not as smart as you, Kirk. We didn't all go to Gudger College.
[the timer dings]
Kirk: It's dignity! Gah! Don't you even know dignity when you see it?
Luanne: Kirk, you're spitting.
Kirk: Okay, genius, why don't you draw dignity. [Luanne does so; everyone gasps in recognition, but viewers can't see it]
Dr. Hibbert: Worthy of Webster's.

:wink:


******************************************

Oh, this isn’t really THAT important, but I recently learned that the only really great episode from season 9 (IMHO), “Lisa’s Sax”, was actually a holdover from season 7.)
You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!

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