Simpsons, worst episode ever!

[Arkady Rossovich]

This show should be cancelled.

 

[ultimatefan]

I gave up on the Simpsons back in 1998 when I entered my freshman year of high school (class of 2002 baby!). It was dead to me by then. It's still dead to me now. I'm starting to think Fox will never cancel it though, that it'll just go on due to lack of aging and difficulties in greenlighting other shows that prove to be good in ratings. They'll probably keep it going even when the voice actors start dying and just replace them with soundalikes.

Like we talked before, the show seemingly went more for zany cartoony humor and cheap jokes in recent years than in its prime, and it doesn´t have as many sophisticated, obscure references as it used to. Plus, the writers increasingly just threw whatever they wanted at Homer, whatever random quirk the writer think is funny, Homer has for a gag, he´s become the predictable unpredictable, you know well anything can come from him, so nothing is surprising. Also the simple fact the show´s been around for so long makes it so it lost the impact of the early seasons and it´s stuck with the same characters with the same typical attitudes and catphrases (Wiggum and Lou show up, you know Wiggum will say or do something no cop should say or do, than Lou will try to correct him, and he´ll shrug Lou´s advice off or rant at him). I have even seen some effort in the more recent seasons to try and recapture some of the spirit of the early show, and they actually still come up with a smart and entertaining story sometimes, but it just will never be the same anymore.

I thought the movie was really funny though, and I credit much of that to the fact it was all written by old time Simpsons writers like Jon Vitti, John Swartzwelder and George Meyers.

 

[StrainedEyes]

I haven't watched a new episode in a long long time, except the 300th? 400th? Whatever milestone was most recent. I thought it wasn't too bad.

I keep trying to remember around what season I stopped watching, but it's impossible, lol. Around season 11 or 12 I think it has to be.

I'm still buying the dvd's though, I'll eventually be able to tell exactly where it was that I lost interest in the show. I think a lot of what got me out of it was just being busy on Sundays. I don't remember it being awful when I stopped.

 

[ultimatefan]

I haven't watched a new episode in a long long time, except the 300th? 400th? Whatever milestone was most recent. I thought it wasn't too bad.

I keep trying to remember around what season I stopped watching, but it's impossible, lol. Around season 11 or 12 I think it has to be.

I'm still buying the dvd's though, I'll eventually be able to tell exactly where it was that I lost interest in the show. I think a lot of what got me out of it was just being busy on Sundays. I don't remember it being awful when I stopped.

The first time I recall thinking "can´t believe The Simpsons sank this low" was the show where Mr Burns forces Homer to humiliate himself for extra cash, which is basically an excuse to put Homer in gross situations. I don´t think it ever became an overall horrible show, but it´s not and can´t be the masterful show it was after so long.

 

[Milu]

I wish they brought back the original writers like they did for the movie.

 

[Mogwai]

i watched, and didn't care for this episode either. that's what happens to characters that don't age though, their timeline has to 'slide.' they should've made homer and marge's history more timeless...but that's hard b/c the simpsons rely on pop culture a lot of the time.

 

[StrainedEyes]

The first time I recall thinking "can´t believe The Simpsons sank this low" was the show where Mr Burns forces Homer to humiliate himself for extra cash, which is basically an excuse to put Homer in gross situations. I don´t think it ever became an overall horrible show, but it´s not and can´t be the masterful show it was after so long.

That ended with Homer in a gorilla suit, right? Any idea what season that was?

 

[ultimatefan]

i watched, and didn't care for this episode either. that's what happens to characters that don't age though, their timeline has to 'slide.' they should've made homer and marge's history more timeless...but that's hard b/c the simpsons rely on pop culture a lot of the time.

Funny you should mention that, Groening said in a DVD commentary he had an original plan that The Simpsons were set in a sort of timeless alternative reality that ´d feel vaguely like the fifties or sixties - think kinda The Incredibles, maybe. In that world, everything´d be fictional, like the president, movie stars, etc. Of course, with that plan, you´d loose all their hilarious pop culture and current events references.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

wow I haven't seen a new episode since The Simpson's randomly started singing the Ghostbusters at the end of one episode.

 

[ultimatefan]

wow I haven't seen a new episode since The Simpson's randomly started singing the Ghostbusters at the end of one episode.

Yeah, that ending was terrible.

 

[Dr. Fate]

Like we talked before, the show seemingly went more for zany cartoony humor and cheap jokes in recent years than in its prime, and it doesn´t have as many sophisticated, obscure references as it used to. Plus, the writers increasingly just threw whatever they wanted at Homer, whatever random quirk the writer think is funny, Homer has for a gag, he´s become the predictable unpredictable, you know well anything can come from him, so nothing is surprising. Also the simple fact the show´s been around for so long makes it so it lost the impact of the early seasons and it´s stuck with the same characters with the same typical attitudes and catphrases (Wiggum and Lou show up, you know Wiggum will say or do something no cop should say or do, than Lou will try to correct him, and he´ll shrug Lou´s advice off or rant at him). I have even seen some effort in the more recent seasons to try and recapture some of the spirit of the early show, and they actually still come up with a smart and entertaining story sometimes, but it just will never be the same anymore.

I thought the movie was really funny though, and I credit much of that to the fact it was all written by old time Simpsons writers like Jon Vitti, John Swartzwelder and George Meyers.

You articulate it better than I do.

 

[A.J.Rimmer(BSC)]

I stopped watching after the god awful N*Sync episode. Christ that was bad.

 

[ultimatefan]

That ended with Homer in a gorilla suit, right? Any idea what season that was?

The lowest point is Homer in a panda suit being "raped" by a male panda. I don´t quite remember which season it was.

 

[The Joker]

The Simpsons has jumped the shark so many times. The show became tired, stale, and painfully unfunny years ago. Stuff like:

- Principal Skinner is actually Armin Tamzarian
- Homer and Bart are dumb because of the Simpson gene
- Homer is then dumb because he had a crayon in his brain
- Lisa discovers bullies beat up geeks because of nerds secreting some pheremone
- The constant stupid, over the top vacations the family always has, like in China or Africa. Whatever happened to the good old fashioned comedy vacations like when they went to Flanders' beach house?
- Patty turning lesbian. Hello? She dated and actually loved Skinner.
- Ned Flanders is only nice because he was spanked for 8 months by some doctor as a kid

There's lots more stupidity this show has done, but these ones always stick out in my mind as sheer dumbness.

 

[Dr. Fate]

The Simpsons has jumped the shark so many times. The show became tired, stale, and painfully unfunny years ago. Stuff like:

- Principal Skinner is actually Armin Tamzarian
- Homer and Bart are dumb because of the Simpson gene
- Homer is then dumb because he had a crayon in his brain
- Lisa discovers bullies beat up geeks because of nerds secreting some pheremone
- The constant stupid, over the top vacations the family always has, like in China or Africa. Whatever happened to the good old fashioned comedy vacations like when they went to Flanders' beach house?
- Patty turning lesbian. Hello? She dated and actually loved Skinner.
- Ned Flanders is only nice because he was spanked for 8 months by some doctor as a kid

There's lots more stupidity this show has done, but these ones always stick out in my mind as sheer dumbness.

I agree.

 

[The_Vision]

Am i the only one who still likes it

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

The older episodes have heart, the newer ones tend to suck up to celebrity guest stars or just feel hollow, the one with N sync is pretty horrible.

 

[A.J.Rimmer(BSC)]

The older episodes have heart, the newer ones tend to suck up to celebrity guest stars or just feel hollow, the one with N sync is pretty horrible.

Seems to work for Family Guy?

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Ya, family guy rubbish too.
King of the hill is under appreciated, it like what the Simpson's was and should still be but still has it's own identity.

 

[The Question]

The Simpsons has jumped the shark so many times. The show became tired, stale, and painfully unfunny years ago. Stuff like:

- Principal Skinner is actually Armin Tamzarian
- Homer and Bart are dumb because of the Simpson gene
- Homer is then dumb because he had a crayon in his brain
- Lisa discovers bullies beat up geeks because of nerds secreting some pheremone
- The constant stupid, over the top vacations the family always has, like in China or Africa. Whatever happened to the good old fashioned comedy vacations like when they went to Flanders' beach house?
- Patty turning lesbian. Hello? She dated and actually loved Skinner.
- Ned Flanders is only nice because he was spanked for 8 months by some doctor as a kid

There's lots more stupidity this show has done, but these ones always stick out in my mind as sheer dumbness.

I thought those were pretty good episodes.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

For me, the show went to **** about...5-6 years ago (i.e. when Al Jean became the solo showrunner). As far as I'm concerned, get him off.the. show!

I agree with the above poster who commented on the show now relying on "zany cartoony humor" which...is what made The Simpsons so great in it's glory years because it went for everything but that.

Flat-out can't sit through new episodes anymore. I just watch the DVDs.

 

[Hurm...]

Simpsons went OMD on us!

 

[sithgoblin]

The pinnicle of the Simpsons was Who Shot Mr Burns. That was such an event. That should have been the movie.

The Simpsons had such an influence on my up bringing. Even though most of my friends have stopped watching the show, Simpsons quotes find their way into just about every conversation. Because in their prime, they HAD a suitable quote for any situation. But they did it all years ago. It makes me sad it's still on, when it was such a great series.

 

[sithgoblin]

The Simpsons has jumped the shark so many times. The show became tired, stale, and painfully unfunny years ago. Stuff like:

- Principal Skinner is actually Armin Tamzarian
- Homer and Bart are dumb because of the Simpson gene
- Homer is then dumb because he had a crayon in his brain
- Lisa discovers bullies beat up geeks because of nerds secreting some pheremone
- The constant stupid, over the top vacations the family always has, like in China or Africa. Whatever happened to the good old fashioned comedy vacations like when they went to Flanders' beach house?
- Patty turning lesbian. Hello? She dated and actually loved Skinner.
- Ned Flanders is only nice because he was spanked for 8 months by some doctor as a kid

There's lots more stupidity this show has done, but these ones always stick out in my mind as sheer dumbness.

I didn't mind the Ned Flanders spanked one, but the others... I agree. The Armin Tamzarian one was just wtf.

 

[Gamma Ray]

The episode where Ned loses it is funny. Slap treatment is hilarious. But the others I agree with.