What modern Simpsons episodes lack

[batson]

Since everyone in the galaxy watches the Simpsons, im sure everyone is aware of how the quality of the show declined about a decade ago. The jokes weren't as clever anymore, the stories weren't as interesting, ect. But after having recently watched some of the classic mid 90's episodes on DVD, i've realized that what the show lacks more than anything else these days is the HEART it once had.

There were so many highly emotional moments in the first 8 seasons or so. Like in the episode where Lisa gets this new substitute teacher who she fall in love with and is then heartbroken when he leaves, or the episode where Bart thinks that Marge doesn't love him anymore after he stole a video game from a store, not to mention the episode that takes place in the future (the far of year of 2010, in fact ) where Lisa is about to get married to a man whom she eventually finds out hates her family and doesn't want her to ever meet them again (yeah, many of the most touching moments centered around Lisa. She's such a sweet little thing, know-it-all Mary Sue or not :3).

Agree?

Edited June 6, 2010 by batson

[Cortez]

No.

Because I'm probably one of the very few people who doesn't think the modern Simpsons suck. There's NO DENYING that the new episodes aren't as good as the classics but they're still fucking good, it's just that with Family Guy being as popular as it is nowadays I think people are too quick to judge newer episodes of the Simpsons and simply decide that they're trying to be Family Guy without realising that the Simpsons ALWAYS had Family Guy's sense of humour, just that the Simpsons got it right.

EDIT: Oh wow, 8 Rep on one post. I LOVE YOU GUYS <3

[Pelly <3's U]

Ya there have been quite a couple gems in the recent season, maybe not of the same kind of the older seasons but give it a break, it's been going on very long. The problem with a lot of newer episodes is that it's hard for them to reach places that they haven't already before, but just because a plot might not be the most original doesn't mean it can't be good. I also don't think there is a lack of heart, I believe season 21 has had quite a few heartwarming episodes (Once Upon a Time in Springfield, The Squirt and the Whale, ect).

Also 2 of what I personally consider to be up there with the best episodes of the series (Future Drama and The Wife Aquatic) are from more recent seasons, and I'm sure I could think of more if I had actually been keeping up with the simpsons but I don't watch TV very much these days. I don't think many people will argue that the Simpsons was better in earlier seasons, but it's not like they've completely thrown in the towel and are just tossing out any old crap..........I'd still say it's a fairly strong show.

Plus The Simpson's Movie was fucking awesome.

[Saint Nathan]

Plus The Simpson's Movie was fucking awesome.

Fuck yes. You want some heartwarming shit that's new? That's what you're looking for.

The Simpsons aren't going downhill really, not like you're thinking, with them just getting bad. It's an old show. And if you haven't noticed, the longest running TV show. Most of them either go from being really bad to really good (family guy started out horribly) and some go from being really good to really bad.

The Simpsons has a large advantage in the fact that it's been going on so long and it's really not decayed much. I mean damn, it's gotten a little stale, but it's still one of the best TV shows ever. I don't know even one episode I have ever seen that hasn't made me either laugh or cry. The humor is still spot on and done very well, and they've been on so long, literally nothing is sacred. Celebrities go onto the show knowing that they will be mocked, and they still do it because goddamnit it's the fucking Simpsons and it's funny.

And then the get paid for looking generally awesome on the fucking Simpsons.

Matt Groening could draw Muhammad, face and all, and Buddha having gay sex with a horse and it would be okay because it's the fucking Simpsons and they could make it funny.

trivia: how many times do i say "the fucking simpsons" hint: you get no hints

[Spanner]

I haven't watched The Simpsons since it went HD. The show is too old and gradually needs to stop in the next few years. I prefer watching South Park, Family Guy, American Dad and The Cleveland Show.

[-Mark-]

I think the newer episodes are less structured and tend to rely more on random, slapstick humour than something that's actually well-developed, contextual and funny. Granted, I've not seen the new episodes for the best part of three years or so, but even then, it wasn't hard to tell that the show was at least in some sort of decline.

Nathan, I'd say the opposite, personally- by the time I lost Sky One, it was very rare that a new episode would make me laugh at all. Or even raise a smile, in most cases. I feel as though the show decayed horribly, although that said there were still a small handful of episodes per season (usually only one or two) that were genuinely good. Shame they can't get those writers to do more episodes.

Also, is it bad of me to say that I didn't laugh once in the whole Simpsons movie? I thought the plot was decent, but as a comedy, just no. Totally, totally unfunny in my opinion. Okay, it got a few forced 'Heh's from me, but nothing more than that.

Edited June 6, 2010 by Mahzes

[Remy]

Meh, I personally thing the whole show nowadays is just awful.

Call me a classic fag nerd douchebag all you like, but I just find the modern show awful. Visually, It's clean cut and sterile, having lost it's charm it had pack in it's high time. In terms of writing, there's not even a comparison. Stuff like Last Exit to Springfield are pure freaking brilliance- every scene is excellent, almost every joke hits the mark. The new Simpsons just feels like some hollow imposter wearing the clothes of the old show.

No.

Because I'm probably one of the very few people who doesn't think the modern Simpsons suck. There's NO DENYING that the new episodes aren't as good as the classics but they're still fucking good, it's just that with Family Guy being as popular as it is nowadays I think people are too quick to judge newer episodes of the Simpsons and simply decide that they're trying to be Family Guy without realising that the Simpsons ALWAYS had Family Guy's sense of humour, just that the Simpsons got it right.

Yeah, and now they're getting it wrong.

They've dumbed it down. It's stupid. It's awful.

It no longer has the pop culture relevency it once had... most of that has gone to South Park, a show which has in contrast, only improved since it's origins. The stale argurement doesn't really fly when South Park is still as relevent as it is, after an almost as long running time.

Family guy just blows ass.

[AdventChild]

I've recently started watching this seasons Simpsons on Hulu.com and they're actually good. Though I thought modern day Simpsons eps weren't all that bad or terrible, but there is good humor to be found in them. Yes, they're not as good as what could be considered the 'Golden Age' from mid 90' to post 00' I think, but the recent eps being flat out terrible is a total overstatement and they're definitely good and not too bad. Though I haven't watched much Simpsons lately due to being on the computer most of the time than TV and I usually watch it with my dad and ever since he has been stationed to Japan (he's in the navy), well you know.

However, I thought FG suffered hard from decay since I feel like the show should be called Seth McFarlane's Propaganda Show because of how he is pushing his beliefs into a lot of episodes. He seems to be going for offensive to be funny, but ends up being only offensive and hardly funny due to crappy writing.

[Cortez]

Family Guy can't even compare to the Simpsons in terms of writing, without the pop culture flashbacks Family Guy is a tragedy.

Just watch the episode 'Brian and Stewie' from series 8 which doesn't have a single flashback, but beware, you'll likely want to suicide afterwards.

[TheGerkuman]

As far as I'm concerned, The Simpsons went from 'Every episode's a gem' to 'Fairly competent normally, with occasional gems and clunkers'. Even today, it's well written, it's just that we compare it with how it used to be and it becomes lacking somewhat. I'm not the sort of person to irrationally hate on Family Guy either though, at least not the episodes before it returned.

[JezMM]

It's clean cut and sterile, having lost it's charm it had pack in it's high time.

Really? I love how nice it looks nowadays. The animation is horrible in the old episodes. The style of the Simpsons has always been very simple and clean, they just didn't have the time or money to make it so back in the day.

Yeah I'm with the "It's not as good, but it isn't bad" crowd. I still love the Simpsons, though I'm a UK non-cable viewer so I'm probably about 10 years behind. We still haven't reached the HD episodes yet.

I think the modern series still has plenty of emotional highs, it's just people handwave them as tacky or trying-too-hard or gimmicky or unnecessary character development, when... that's what every episode has ever been about.

It still has heart, but it's grown-up and knows it can do a good episode without a powerful storyline. And frankly, I think when it does show heart, it makes it all the more special because of it now (such as the episodes involving Homer's Mom).

Edited June 6, 2010 by JezMM

[Gabz Girl]

I haven't seen many of the newer Simpsons episodes, but the movie was brilliant!

Anyway, I don't think the episodes have gotten worst, they're just...not as good as they used to be. But I think this happens with every show. South Park is awesome, still is, but there's something missing. As for my favourite Simpsons episode, that's Lisa the Vegetarian. 83

[batson]

I agree with those that say the movie was without a doubt a step up from the modern tv episodes, both in terms of humor (not that it was hilarious, but decent enough) and story. Marge's taped speach about why she couldn't stay with Homer anymore more or less managed to tug at my heart strings in the way that the older episodes used to be able to do on a regular base.

Oh, and on another positive not regarding modern Simpsons, most Sideshow Bob episodes still manages to be genunely exciting. The latest one, with the Face of parody, was darn cool.

[GameFarnsworth940]

Family Guy can't even compare to the Simpsons in terms of writing, without the pop culture flashbacks Family Guy is a tragedy.

Just watch the episode 'Brian and Stewie' from series 8 which doesn't have a single flashback, but beware, you'll likely want to suicide afterwards.

Exactly. That show relies on cut-away gags, and that episode was all of the proof needed. Not evem Cleveland has as many of those, but it's still good. Why, probably better writers, people who watch FG have been spoiled, idk.

Anyways, I'll say this, Simpsons may not be as good as when it was in it's prime, but it's still good stuff. I enjoyed a few episodes recently, I'm not gonna hide it, but I honestly don't think we will have anything as high caliber as Season 6. Great one to check out, people.

[Glenn]

The Simpsons has evolved as a show, and relies on an audience knowing the characters for the better gags. That said, these are characters that have been part of popular culture for so long, known by so many people the world over... and yes, there's the odd "weaker" episode, but everybody knows Homer will be Homer, Bart will be Bart, etc. etc. and so there's more of a comfort-zone-reliance more than anything. And hey, it works, as I still watch and enjoy the show every week on Sky1 HD along with everybody else!

[Kevin]

I agree with Pelly that there are still some very good episodes in the more recent ones, some of them even being heartwarming. Granted, it's not as good as the older episodes, but it hasn't been terrible either. I also agree with Jez that the animation looks really nice nowadays compared to how it used to be.

I still watch the new episodes every week, and once in a while. one of them turns out to be pretty good. The movie was fantastic though, and I honest would love to see how they would try to top it if another one was ever made in the near future.

[Vic Boss]

Season 19 (I think) had one I really totally loved. Homer thought Marge was having an affair with Duffman and he had to relive the same day over and over (I think he temporarily lost his memory during the events). During the episode, bits and pieces of the memory came back to him but in a bad light and eventually he wanted to die (I think). Then at the very end all the memories come back to him and he realises that Marge was actually planning a huge surprise for him.

Hey it's been a while since I watched it so I might be off on a lot of that, but I loved that episode. It had heart, and since we love heart so much that episode had an abundance of it. Reminded me of the old seasons <3.

[Jay H]

I won't deny that newer seasons of The Simpsons aren't as good as the older seasons, but I still enjoy watching the series. The newer seasons aren't as antic or crazy, they more or less focus on realistic situations (for the most part), such as the personal aspects of their family life. It's also because they've been on for 20 years, need to give a little slack there. XD The Simpsons Movie was hilarious, though, I was very pleased with it. I do have to point out that since the series went HD during season 20, the episodes have actually gotten a lot better. It's the first time in a long time that I laughed out loud at jokes from the show. So while overall it's not as good as before, it's still the entertainment work horse it's always been.

Going off on a tangent, if there's any show that's declined recently, it's Family Guy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching it and The Cleveland Show; but Family Guy has just gotten extremely lazy. A lot of the characters (Peter and Quagmire come to mind) have just become extremely unlikable. A lot of the jokes fall flat on their face; and while offensive was funny then, they are so offensive it's just more mean-spirited. I think Seth MacFarlane has become extremely arrogant as well, I think especially with his shows taking up 3 of the 4 time slots on FOX's Animation Domination Sunday block (The Simpsons being the only non-MacFarlane show). This is where the two differ greatly. The Simpsons at least still produces stories that feel more natural and have more heart, while Family Guy has more so become lazy and mean-spirited.

Edited June 6, 2010 by Spyne

[Teoleulbogo]

It's obvious that The Simpsons has declined in quality, but thats simply because it's old. REALLY OLD. It's about 3 Decades old or so, and as such was created for a different audience. This generation of viewers is much slower and much more interested in vulgar jokes, so obviously the writers had to conform the show a bit, or else they would have lost their viewers to Family Guy. At least, it's not something so overfilled with toilet humor and stupid jokes the only people who would enjoy it would be 5th graders (and the current Nickelodeon audience). It just toned down more of the smarter jokes and left out a few heart-warming bits. It's hasn't really become a bad show, just a show that you don't have to be intelligent to get.

[Cortez]

The South Park Family Guy episode pretty much sums up how I feel about Family Guy, I've seen every episode of it as far BBC 3 has shown (upto and including Season 8) and I do find it enjoyable but so many jokes make me either cringe or want to punch Seth MacFarlene out of how vicious they are, especially when they flat out tell celebrities to 'stop'.

South Park only got better but then that show parodies upto date events, with South Park episodes taking just three days for the animators to create (the Obama episode only took one) the show is able to portray upto date events before they become old news, something that the Simpsons isn't able to do (and has never tried to do anyway).

I haven't seen any episode since the show went HD though (the new opening still makes me cry, I wish they hadn't changed anything about the original besides character models and replacing one shot characters like Bleeding Gums Murphy when remaking it) but I have never laughed so hard at an episode of the Simpsons like I have at the newer episode where Bart and Lisa build a giant box fort and a dragon comes from out of nowhere to destroy it. Comedy gold.

[Tornado]

I have seen some recent ones post-HD, but something about the new aesthetic just turns me off of it. Of the three I've seen since then, two of them were pretty good and the third just fell flat, but that has been my rough experience with the show since 2003, so I won't say it is particularly better or worse than it has been recently.

[Saint Nathan]

Yeah, the new HD opening is weird. It's overly complex. Though it does do it's purpose and how how much the show has grown, and they still have the couch gags so hey I'm happy.

But yeah, it's an old show. It's trying to appeal to a new generation that quite frankly is not impressed with good writing and more adult humor, instead preferring the most childish stupid humor. So they have to conform to that, without making the Simpsons into a stupid show and leaving behind their older fans. I grew up with the Simpsons, it kinda sucks to see them have to stoop to levels near Farlainian stupidity sometimes, but it's still a good show, and it's still worth watching and loving.

[Pelly <3's U]

I haven't seen any episode since the show went HD though (the new opening still makes me cry, I wish they hadn't changed anything about the original besides character models and replacing one shot characters like Bleeding Gums Murphy when remaking it) but I have never laughed so hard at an episode of the Simpsons like I have at the newer episode where Bart and Lisa build a giant box fort and a dragon comes from out of nowhere to destroy it. Comedy gold.

Oh man some gag in one of the season 21 episodes had me on the floor laughing, for like 5 minutes. I honestly can't remember what though (damn my horrid memory). It's stuff like that that lets me think the series is far from dead.

[Viku]

I'm kidna on the side of the ones saying that the show has started to feel bad. Before everyone flame me, I will say there ARE some gems in the newest episodes, but I literally lost all hope with one single episode. yes, ONE episode that was So bad to me from the recent seasons that make me dislike everythign new from the simpsons that came out after....

"Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes"

Ugh, just thinking about that episode makes me feel bad. The jokes were boring, the situations were boring, everything was boring. The episode alone made me feel like the show really died. I think the biggest problem is that the writers (or at least the ones that are now) seem to think everything can work with just "Let's put on a situation and let it roll from there". Sure, it also worked like that before, but it seemed that you could see the effort made in each joke.

Right now, it seems the humor has indeed been toned down. Sure, I don't want a simpsons show which tries to be like Family Guy and South Park (something most of people are trying to archieve this days), but still that ever since the simpsons went worldwide, the humor has slowly reduced it greantness.

I'm also NOT in th Family Guy/American Dad side eather. Yes the shows are still funny, but it slowly started to "loose their minds", throwing away every bit of morality they had (which for starters, was very little). And yes, I do believe Seth mcfarland is shoving down his believes WAY TOO MUCH. Luckly, all the morality Family guy and American dad threw away went into the Cleaveland Show, which sadly is the MAIN REASON why people seems to hate it for (in my opinions, is a nice change of pace from family guy).

If there's a Fox show that I truly believe to be "above all this" is one: Futurama

There hasn't been an episode of futurama that have made me feel bad (in the "it sucks so bad" sense). The jokes were funny, the characters incredibly developed (unlike the previous stated shows where it seems they loose their character developments at the drop of a hat) and it was pefectly able to mix morale and emotions beyond comedy WITHOUT leaving the comedy behind...

Now all I whish is that Futurama dosen't get dumbed down to simpsons or family guylevel (which by the looks of the movies, there's the possibility it may happen)....

Edited June 7, 2010 by Viku

[Cortez]

All Futurama upto and including Bender's Big Score is the best thing ever, the last three movies were just 'ok' though. But then can you blame them? Having to make four movies at once is a mammoth task and it was inevitable that they wouldn't have enough material. I hotly anticipate the new series though, despite having no means to watch it ;_;

I also hate how Sky 1 holds the rights to the newer episodes of the Simpsons in the UK, I adore the classic episodes but dammit Channel 4 I want to see an episode I haven't already seen as a child and then 500 million times as an adult.