Did Simpsons make more sense as an 80's/90's era family?

[Mace Dolex]

One thing that bothers me about the seasons from 2000 onward isn't just the worse writing, its that its just WRONG to see them using 2000 era technology and referencing celebrities and pop culture from the 21st century.

I always saw Simpsons as a late 80's or early 90's family at the most. This is why they had that old beat-up 80's TV, they didn't even have a computer in the older seasons, there were no cell phones....Bart seemed to play on what resembled a Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis, etc.

It also makes sense, because Homer and Marge grew up in the 70's and had Bart in the 80's. Since they always reference their 60's and 70's roots, it only fits.

 

[Sawyer]

It should've ended 10 years ago...... so, yeah, I guess you're right.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

yeah, i see the Simpsons as a 90s show as well

the first 7-8 seasons were the best

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Absolutely, every time I see them in with modern tech and pop culture - it just feels wrong.

 

[PyroChamber]

I think it was worse when I saw that Tik Tok opening.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Simpsons went into a decline around when Phil Hartman died. There's still the occasional good episodes, but most from the last decade are terrible. The humor was comparatively subtle in the early-mid 90's, but in recent years they've tried to emulate the quirky humor and situations of more extreme animated sitcoms like South Park and Family Guy and it hasn't worked for them. They've also turned Homer from a relatively dumb, but well-intentioned guy into a dangerous lunatic with a toddler's intellect and the plots are sometimes imitations of plots from past seasons (using the same theme, but merely substituting one character or situation for another).

And I agree with the guy who said Homer and Marge's roots belong in the 60's and 70's. Homer as an early 90's grunge rocker? Yeah, okay. Jeez, someone give this tired show the Ole Yeller (or keeping with the grunge theme Kurt Cobain) treatment already.

 

[dark_b]

because its impossible to have a show at the same level for 12 years. ohhh i forgot 22 years.

this is just crazy. 20 years.

 

[kguillou]

You know the funny thing about the Simpsons is that the show had been on a steady decline throughout the last decade, and just as we all thought the show was done, the Simpsons Movie came and proved that the show could be just as brilliant as it was in the 90's. I was not expecting to like the movie at all and i LOVED it, and so did everybody else apparently. I think the Simpsons could still be great if it really wanted to..it just doesnt want to.

 

[Ghostvirus]

I have always found FOX an interesting network. They either kill a show before it even has a chance. Or they latch onto it & suck every single bit of juice out of it until there is nothing left.

They did it with X-Files, Kind of did it with Married With Children, but then the axed it so they pulled a twofer on that one. Now With the Simpson they are literally just beating what used to be a dead horse. But is now just a lump of flesh that used to be a horse.

 

[Dr. Evil]

because its impossible to have a show at the same level for 12 years. ohhh i forgot 22 years.

this is just crazy. 20 years.

It'll probably last another 20 years. And then get replaced by another Seth McFarlane cartoon.

 

[dark_b]

for the love of god i can not belive that they started season 22. this should be illegal

 

[Drizzle]

They should have ended the show a long time ago and started cranking out movies every couple of years.

 

[kguillou]

I'm curious, is the show even still getting good ratings anymore?

 

[Soapy]

I'm curious, is the show even still getting good ratings anymore?

Heh. I was about to ask that same thing.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

Simpsons went into a decline around when Phil Hartman died. There's still the occasional good episodes, but most from the last decade are terrible. The humor was comparatively subtle in the early-mid 90's, but in recent years they've tried to emulate the quirky humor and situations of more extreme animated sitcoms like South Park and Family Guy and it hasn't worked for them. They've also turned Homer from a relatively dumb, but well-intentioned guy into a dangerous lunatic with a toddler's intellect and the plots are sometimes imitations of plots from past seasons (using the same theme, but merely substituting one character or situation for another).

And I agree with the guy who said Homer and Marge's roots belong in the 60's and 70's. Homer as an early 90's grunge rocker? Yeah, okay. Jeez, someone give this tired show the Ole Yeller (or keeping with the grunge theme Kurt Cobain) treatment already.

yeah, that episode made me cringe

it's always been established that Homer and Marge teen years were in the late 70s

that's a thing i hate about the show is how they are always going backwards and changing things

in another 10 years there will be another flashback episode of how Homer and Marge met, and one of them will probably be an "emo vampire wannabe outcast" and the other an "indie rock hipster"

They should have ended the show a long time ago and started cranking out movies every couple of years.

agree

and give the films a sort of 90s vibe

 

[Shifty]

The decline has occurred because the current showrunner Al Jean does not work the long hours like other comedies. He's been showrunner since 2001 with season 13. In The Simpsons Uncensored Unauthorized History it is said that Al used to be a writer on the show were you would work to 2 in the morning. Simpsons writers now work to 8pm so Jean and writers can be with their family.

And then you have the other current top comedies where the writers are working until 4am.

 

[Mace Dolex]

They should have ended the show a long time ago and started cranking out movies every couple of years.

All the funny bits were in the trailer that the movie itself wasn't all that great IMO it just seemed like an extended episode.

A Simpsons movie has to be special for the writers to get away with a lot more to warrant a theatrical film

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

The Simpsons obviously isn't as good as it used to be, but I don't think it's horrible at all. I can still find some enjoyment out of it.

 

[Golgo-13]

They did it with X-Files, Kind of did it with Married With Children, but then the axed it so they pulled a twofer on that one. Now With the Simpson they are literally just beating what used to be a dead horse. But is now just a lump of flesh that used to be a horse.

Nice analogy, lol!

 

[kguillou]

All the funny bits were in the trailer that the movie itself wasn't all that great IMO it just seemed like an extended episode.

A Simpsons movie has to be special for the writers to get away with a lot more to warrant a theatrical film

Actually i felt like it was the opposite. When i watched the trailers and the promos, the movie did NOT look funny to me at all. I thought it was gonna be crap, (i dont care what anyone says, "Spider-pig" was plain stupid). One day i decided to watch the movie and ended up loving it, i would argue that the best parts of the movie aren't in the trailer.

 

[SuperFerret]

I still prefer the Simpsons to South Park, Family Guy and the rest (the exception is Futurama, which has always been high quality). Mostly because even despite the slight decline in humor, the characters still make me care about them, and that's important. As for the era of the family, it's a minor concern.

 

[Hound55]

Agreed...

A big part of the Simpsons appeal is the social commentary... times change.

I'm perfectly fine with an elastic reality in the show in terms of timelines... personally, I think it's necessary.

 

[Artistsean]

I don't like how Homer and Marge's past has been altered to fit with the times, changing the time and all that. I liked how it was.
But I love the Simpsons, and care about the characters.and most of the time the bad shows are still at least entertaining enough.
Its comforting to be able to turn them on still.

(although, does it seem like they are getting crasser to anyone? Like maybe they are trying to compete with Family Guy and Southpark and are getting a little too raunchy or something? It just doesn't seem to fit at times. But I can usually ignore those things.)

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

I still prefer the Simpsons to South Park, Family Guy and the rest (the exception is Futurama, which has always been high quality). Mostly because even despite the slight decline in humor, the characters still make me care about them, and that's important. As for the era of the family, it's a minor concern.

me too

don't get me wrong, i love Family Guy, South Park, Futurama, Beavis and Butthead, etc.; but there's something about the Simpsons that win me over more so than the others

could be the nostalgia, certain characters, or the fact that possibly the first 5-6 seasons of the Simpsons beats out anything that those other adult-cartoon shows can throw out on their best day

 

[Artistsean]

Could be that those seasons that they were at their best made us really care for them enough that we can forgive the bad episodes or over look them hoping for better later on.
Plus they have been on so long there is a history between them and their fans (fans know a lot about their history too).
Plus despite everything, you can tell Homer loves Marge, Marge loves Homer, and they all love each other. Even Bart loves Lisa, and Homer loves Grandpa.