Did Season 9 Ruin The Simpsons?

[@billiam]

I’m rewatching the Simpsons right now, and I was just thinking about how seasons 7-8 have a great “late series” feeling to them. Like they escalated to the perfect level of weirdness right before the series went off the air... but then it goes on for another 23 years

[@NICKtendoReviews]

I get what you mean. They gave a spotlight episode to a character whose purpose was to introduce their in-Universe instructional videos, but they never skipped a beat. Like you almost get the feeling that they’re running a bit low on ideas but they hide it somewhat well. Nice seeing you in the comments!

[@alfa01spotivo]

this is exactly how I felt to!

[@tealstorn8921]

Is there not a single person who sees the irony in the pastime of moaning about 'zombie simpsons' being itself a very zombie-like activity?

[@TheoAndrewsTrapped]

@@tealstorn8921 That's not ironic at all because the people criticizing it aren't themselves trying to produce entertainment and equally the reason it's widespread is due to the number of people complaining, not the frequency with which each person complains. Irony would be if another show devoted all its episodes to moaning about 'zombie simpsons'.

[@alfa01spotivo]

season 9 shouldve been the last season

[@geardog24]

The only way to save the Simpsons is to break the status quo and let the characters finally grow and develop. I'm pretty sure no one would freak out if Bart finally turned 11 and advanced to the 5th grade.

[@allendepacheco3419]

In retrospect, aging the Simpsons is a huge missed opportunity. Imagine the kids growing up, going to college, and starting their own families. Everything is happening in real time and the Simpsons are doing what their viewers are doing. It could also open up new stories that you couldn't do with the original simpsons (kids moving away, mid-life crises, retirement), doesn't ruin the timeline, and add multiple arcs. Instead of making a special where we have a glimpse of the future, we are seeing the character actually changing over the years. Instead of a 10-year-old Bart doing the same shenanigans that we saw for that past few decades, there could be a Bart starting his 40s and dealing his own kids. Homer could be the new Abe, Lisa being the Mayor of Springfield, Skinner being the superintendent, Mr. Burns being a ghost, and so much more. Instead, Status Quo is God and only death could make permanent changes.

[@bickle8931]

Allende Pacheco it would have to be done very slowly

[@andm9766]

geardog24 I was just watching the second season episode where Bart needs to study or get held back. It implies it’s near the end of the school year yet nothing. They really put themselves in a hole without aging them at least a few grades over 20 years

[@allendepacheco3419]

@@bickle8931 I don't mind if they age up by one year for every five seasons or even ten seasons considering how many seasons there are. Plus it would keep the show somewhat less sterile than it is now.

[@PancakemonsterFO4]

@@allendepacheco3419 like sure, they throw out "what If" scenarios with the Kids all grown up now and then but it isn't really Canon just like Homers root of Stupidity

[@gargenfluckgosphenspiels4849]

It went downhill when Futurama started and all the good writers went there.

[@channell11]

Futurama at least had the decency to die on its feet rather than live on its knees.

[@Zontar82]

@@channell11 yup, they even said that when they made that horrible crossover between futurama and the simpsons, the tagline on the futurama intro was like "A show out of ideas teams up with a show out of episodes"

[@shawnleeguku]

Worth it

[@shawnleeguku]

@Myles Irwin what

[@user-gk4jp6lt2b]

Futurama - The one show that knows when it should die

[@PerkiReport]

Season 9 is like pizza that's been out for a while. It's still warm enough to be good but just cold enough to make you feel like something is missing.

[@deadaccount1.57]

Warm pizza is disgusting

[@stopbeingignorant]

@@deadaccount1.57 Your taste is disgusting

[@baboon_baboon_baboon]

S9 is really bad. I’m watching it right now after a long time. It’s super unfunny and has meaningless lessons

[@Captain.Mystic]

more like day old french bread

[@princessmarlena1359]

I felt that way about Season 8. Season 9 was the leftover crusts in the box.

[@WickedLiquid]

Seasons 2-8 will always be perfect to me Season 2 has a great dramatic feel that can tug on your heartstrings. I still get teary-eyed when Grampa’s love Bea dies or when Lisa says goodbye to her substitute or when Bart realizes he’s going to fail grade 2 and breaks down and cries. Season 3 is where the comedy starts to strike gold but we still get those wonderful feel-good moments. When Flanders Failed comes to mind as a great ending as well as Lisa’s Pony. Season 4 is hilarious and zany in all the right ways. There’s too many great episodes to name but many agree Last Exit to Springfield is the greatest show in the entire series, and I’m inclined to agree. Marge VS the Monorail is another classic that just feels perfect. I also love Mr. Plow just for the nostalgia alone. Season 5 is clever and extremely funny continuing off of the perfection of season 4. It grows more insight on characters that were at once seen as 2-dimensional such as Apu in Homer and Apu. You’ve also got some sweet classics in here like Marge on the Lam and Homer Goes to College. Season 6 is the pinnacle of The Simpsons, delivering the best of the very best. With the exception of A Star is Burns, it’s hard to find an episode in this season with a negative review. Like I can’t even just pick 1-3 episodes to highlight they’re all pretty much perfect. Season 7 is extremely funny and starts using some unique twists in its story telling such as 22 Short Films About Springfield. You’ve also got some great philosophical moments in Bart Sells His Soul as well as some biting satire on Hollywood in Radioactive Man. Yet you’ve also got the somber dramatic themes and moments that hark back to season 2 like Mother Simpson and Summer of 4 foot 2 Season 8 is zany but it has just the right amount of zaniness before they took it too far in season 9 and beyond. Homer becoming a heavyweight boxer might be a zany premise, but the jokes throughout are still funny and clever. The Twisted World of Marge Simpson might have an abrupt and zany ending, but I laughed my ass off when Whitey Ford is knocked unconscious by pretzels. It also introduces us to some terrific one-off characters like Mr Burns’ son Larry (voice by Rodney Dangerfield), Homer’s suppressed sub-conscious disguised as a talking coyote (voiced by Johnny Cash), and Homer’s boss at Cypress Creek Hank Scorpio (voiced by Albert Brooks).

[@user-ug2oz8fj1q]

🙌🏼🙌🏼 I agree completely. Especially seasons 4-6 which are iconic and untouchable.

[@hardnewstakenharder]

A Star Is Burns is a fantastic episode.

[@AJPiersonToonParadise]

I feel seasons 3-9 are the golden age of the show. Season 9 is the last decent season.

[@TheHellInspector]

Skinner’s “Up yours Children” in Principle and the Pauper is honestly one of my favorite lines

[@brentandrew2419]

I love a lot of the Agnes lines. "But mother! You love silhouette night!" "No I don't! I get a hand cramp from drawing your ugly nose!"

[@jackodriscoll9026]

Yeah that's a classic

[@williamg209two]

yet Principle and the Pauper is one of the worst episodes and spits on simpsons history

[@chernovbrichtofen4767]

Blazing saddles

[@BigDLiquor]

One of my favorite grandpa moments is when he hits on Agnus. "Hey beautiful," she says In Your Dreams... and he goes "We'll see about that!" *passes out* mutters "hey beautiful...."

[@BigJonB36]

Skinner/Tanzarian's problem was that Skinner was probably the most deeply developed non-Simpson character in terms of background (with the possible exception of Apu) so destroying that on a whim was stupid. The episode itself has some of the greatest moments in the series.

[@brentandrew2419]

It would've worked with literally any other character EXCEPT Skinner, because it made no sense with his mother, and made all their previous appearances nonsensical.

[@dannigro8794]

Agreed

[@neutralman9124]

It would be one of the best 20, maybe 10 episodes of The Simpsons if it wasn't for the actual plot.

[@darkshines800]

I like to think of it as a 'what if' episode, and quite like it. Personally the end of season 12 is where I draw the line as to watchability, but there's a few eps I'd skip in S11&12

[@channell11]

@@brentandrew2419 And then they had to give up on the Vietnam flashbacks, which were a central part of Skinner's character. Much like Barney with his alcoholism, Lisa with her isolation, and Moe with his crippling depression, being haunted by war was one of the relatable societal issues that the Simpsons shined a light on. By retconning Skinner they not only destroyed 9 years of character development but the opportunity to display a nuanced man.

[@MikkoAPenttila]

Something to think about: if the characters had aged 1 year per season, Bart would now be older than Homer was at the beginning.

[@PatricksCrazyPlace]

When the show started, the only Simpson I was older than was Maggie. Now? I am roughly Homer's age.

[@mikebode7560]

Maybe they should have aged the characters up once every 8-10 years. Or alternately, that "Tales from Springfield" spinoff they were proposing should have outright replaced the show. (They could still have a handful of Simpsons-centric stories per season.) Either would have helped keep the franchise fresh a bit longer.

[@TuraisWorldwide]

TLDR: Characters ages now: Bart: 43, Lisa: 41, Maggie: 34, Homer: 71, Marge: 70 The show premiered on December 17th 1989 Canonically, Bart is 10, Lisa is 8, Maggie is maybe 1 (idk, never specified) So by the end of this year: Bart would be 43, Lisa 41, Maggie 34 Homer and Marge would be around 70-71 Homer and Marge's ages change depending on the episodes - but for arguments sake, let's just say they're both 38 (Marge tells Homer that's his age in one episode and they were in the same college class together - but again, continuity isn't very important in the Simpsons universe, so you can argue for them being younger or older canonically)

[@jonahtv4974]

When homer got “violated” by a panda is when it died for me that has to be the worst moment of the series only coming close is the Simpsons guy but that’s my opinion

[@hoodedman6579]

What about that time that Marge raped him?

[@archvent]

@@hoodedman6579 what episode was that?

[@confaffalator]

@@archvent I'm guessing it was the one where she ended up in the gym on roids after she got robbed.

[@skwisgarskwigelf7191]

That part was hilarious. However after that episode there was a definite decline in quality

[@Zontar82]

that was already downhill. the movie was the final nail in the coffin, with the overused "homer and marge argues and "divorce" played out like every other epsiode. SO much so that at some point, after the movie, i was just like "oh great another new episode., let me guess, marge and homer are threatening about separating each other again right"

[@schwarzerritter5724]

The Simpsons officially died at the exact moment where the opening go changed from Homer running through the garage door to Marge ramming him though it.

[@kappa2275]

i feel like the show died way before that, but yeah that is pretty emblematic of how the show became more mean-spirited

[@abdulwahab3604]

The show died when Phil Hartman passed away 1998 Maude killed off

[@early90smf90]

@@abdulwahab3604 I can confirm this.

[@ldawg7117]

@@abdulwahab3604 the death (murder😡..) of Phil Hartman still upsets / angers me... Also, I think you're right about that..that does seem around the time when it started sucking.. coincidentally or not.

[@rahimallouche7708]

@@abdulwahab3604 i'd say the show went downhill with season 9's the principal and the pauper

[@TheCartoonGamer8000]

Gotta agree with Salty, I feel Julie Kavner, while a great actress, cannot believably do Marge anymore. It’s actually sad hearing Marge talk these days.

[@TheCartoonGamer8000]

Unless you have evidence, I can't say I believe that claim.

[@mackielunkey2205]

“I’m such a noob.” Like that sounds so weird.

[@MattExzy]

@TheVoiceOfTruth Late 30s is old? Sad face.

[@bleepiestofbloops]

@TheVoiceOfTruth I don't know about smoking, but her voice is due to a vocal cord polyp.

[@jongon0848]

Yeah she's sounding more like Marge's Mom more & more & it's just uncomfortable to listen to.

[@kekkek4750]

I think it would have been better if the big twist about Skinner was that he was actually a steamed ham the whole time

[@M0mazosMissy]

Cooked by an aurora borealis

[@tonywilde1709]

Despite the fact he's obviously grilled

[@angryhobo212]

That would have been delightfully devilish

[@l.r9443]

Good lord what is happening in here!?

[@annescholey6546]

Skinerrrrr

[@TheGladInGladiator]

The movie was the last time the Simpsons had any heart (Marge's message to Homer is up there with the most emotional moments from the show). There are episodes that try to be emotional in the recent seasons but they only feel forced. Nothing about this show feels natural anymore because no one has a character anymore. The movie was the last time the Simpsons felt human and should've been where it stopped.

[@optimuq]

What about barthood?

[@BIadelores]

There are a few episodes that feel like they have heart/aren't forced from every season since, but only like once or twice.

[@nicosalsa21]

Seeing parallels to spongebob here

[@nitrosherbert888]

Dude did you see that season 24 episode with the dog Better than do it for her I said it

[@animationnerd2748]

Imagine in a Alternate Universe The Simpsons and Spongebob Squarepants ended with their Movies which came out in 2004 and 2007

[@wyclef_bean]

"homer, bill gates is here" is the funniest shit ever bruh

[@uncledave5690]

Dan Terry even more so then Pickle Rick

[@YAH2121]

The funniest shit I ever seen

[@saskjoe1968]

Gates didn’t get rich by writing a bunch of cheques

[@Ghost0fDeath1]

I mean the joke was very clever

[@cousinted]

Definitely agree with the central thesis of this video: Season 9 was probably the last season of the show where I felt like the good outweighed the bad and was when most of the cracks in the show's quality began to show. The dive in quality between seasons 9 and 10 is astounding.

[@dftmmwgitd]

Yes, I agree, it’s 10. 9 is mostly hit and not miss.

[@whats_holden_up]

I agree with this. Although I think Principal and the Pauper started the decline, I still thought season 9 had solid episodes and it was an alright season. Season 10 however is where the plots got so much dumber and pointless. Season 10 is where I feel the show got bad

[@j04370859]

@@whats_holden_upYeah, honestly, Season 9 gets more flack than it should get, I don't think it's part of the golden era, but I don't lump it in with the other 3 Scully seasons either. In my opinion, it's in the middle of the classic era, call it mid classic era, if that makes sense. I do think it was the last good season, then 10 happened and you can really see the decline there.

[@hgromnsygodhmrsamhsewpdmaghsod]

Poochy is the best character ngl

[@dwaugh2215]

He must’ve known that the simpsons was doomed and left.

[@natedash11]

He sure is one cool dude.

[@TCIR]

Top ten best anime characters 10 Minecraft creeper 9 squidward 8 Stan pines 7 Maud flanders 6 doge 5 Bork doggo 4 Naruto Uzimake 3 Peter griffon 2 Shrek 1 Poochie

[@clickycal]

He circled around to being loved by being so hated.

[@durtvanharlow616]

But he had to go, as his planet needed him

[@DevilFish69]

I cant stand listening to Julie Kavner anymore. She sounds like she is in so much pain when she does Marge's voice.

[@SiriJohnson1]

When I watched season 32, the first thing I thought was: Is marge ok?

[@DreddLypso]

Damn

[@sjang816]

Seriously it's almost like throat cancer god forbid

[@alejandronieto4212]

well, she possibly is not ok. Marge's voice is infamous for how much damage can actually cause to an actor. We have had several people in spain working on that voice, and I think we have had so far 3 at least, and last one also starting to suffer from marge's voice.

[@theman2k7]

What happened to original marge I haven’t watched simpsons in like 12 years

[@scarffoxandfriends9401]

Lisa the Simpson also contradicts other episodes, unless the simpson gene forces all the Male simpsons get crayons stuck in their brains. It doesn't help that they use it as an excuse to dumb down Bart's character over time. Originally he had an attention disorder, he wasn't actually stupid. Now a days they try to play up how dumb he is, but also try to make him out as a criminal master mind in the background. You have to have some of the highest IQ on the planet to successfully be a criminal mastermind, the two characteristics don't mix well together.

[@daloin87061]

I agree.... Bart was street smart and had a entrepreneur mind state because he thought that the school system made people slaves.

[@ToxiChaos]

Well, he was kinda dumb, there's that episode where he prays for a snow day so he can study for a test, he gets what he wants and studies all night. And yet he still fails which basically destroys Bart so the teacher basically gives him an extra point and he *barely* pases.

[@scarffoxandfriends9401]

@@ToxiChaos I always took the ending that Bart was capable of learning what was in the book, but he has trouble taking tests, which is a real issue for some people. After that he's been shown to have incredible memorization and critical puzzle solving, not to mention being able to learn languages just by listening to be speak it. These are characteristics that they keep with him. He just loses focus whenever he takes a test. >_< I can't believe I'm blanking on the term, but it's a phenomenon that generally occurs when a show airs for a long time, especially if the original writers leave. Basically every season they start exaggerating character traits or limit them to just what people know them for. Dumb characters become dumber, characters start to lose what makes them enduring despite their flaws or they get used for only one type of joke and that's it. Examples of this would be how in early spongebob if Squidward was trying to fool the maim characters it would backfire and he'd get hurt. After the main writers left and the show continued they would increase the frequency in which Squidward gets hurt for no reason at all. It's Squidward get hurt because he always get hurts, they forgot about the whole Bugs Bunny type aspect of the situation. You bring up Bart's teacher. The show has always shown she has a dirty side at night, but they always showed apsects that make it seem like there's a reason for her being a teacher. Such as her feeling bad about bart possible failing the school year. By later episodes do you really think she'd care if Bart failed. Her character was often limited to just the depressed prostitute teacher and that's it.

[@amyschildgamerlive4519]

@@scarffoxandfriends9401 nowadays? Bruh she's dead. There is NO nowadays for her lol

[@Myne1001]

Remember how in the Simpsons' first "look into the future" scene, Bart was a Supreme Court Justice? Then in their first full on future story, he was a demolition worker. After that, he was always an unemployed bum, mooching off of others and constantly failing to succeed in life. Meanwhile Lisa is always depicted as going to top prestigious universities and becoming important roles like the President of the USA.

[@AWSVids]

Season 8 may have been the last solid season, but I still like a lot of season 9 and 10. IMO, season 10 should have been the final season. It’s season 11 that things really started to go downhill. Simpsons thrived on 90s energy and died when it was gone.

[@EndOfSmallSanctuary97]

Yep, The Simpsons was purely a 90s show. Everything about it revolves around 90s culture and style, and it feels weird and out-of-place when it goes beyond that.

[@roberttreacy8271]

I agree. The Simpsons started to run low on steam when it entered the new millennium.

[@ZanzibarBreeze]

Season 1 is amazing. It’s got so much soul. I don’t get why it gets overlooked.

[@deadaccount1.57]

You don't why? Interesting.

[@devinowens2166]

@@deadaccount1.57 yeah it’s not hard to see…the animation is weird(and doesn’t hold up), Characters are sometimes out of character including: Marge Homer and Lisa(of all things)(barts the same) and it’s finale should have mine as well be Krusty gets busted.

[@billymanziel5666]

@@devinowens2166 lol you missed the joke. He was poking fun of the typo.

[@devinowens2166]

@@billymanziel5666 oh

[@devinowens2166]

@@billymanziel5666 but season 1 is still not so great IMP

[@Jeffbuckleygrace]

To young viewers the celebrity cameos aren’t even celebrity cameos and just ‘This guy is here now hahaha’. I’m 14 and have been watching for all my life and can say with certainty that I do not have a single clue who a majority of random guests are.

[@EmperorSigismund]

I watched a lot of Simpsons as a kid when the celebrity cameos were still topical. I'm not American though so it all went over my head anyway.

[@eatatjoes6751]

I recognized people like Tony Hawk and N*Sync and Britney Spears and Leonard Nimoy and some of the others, but when they had really obscure people in its HD years I just tuned them out.

[@ninjawafflezz5356]

Born in 95 and I felt the same about early seasons of simpsons and family guy. Didnt know more than half the people referenced until I was nearly an adult

[@isaac_759]

"homer, bill gates is here"

[@TheSameYellowToy]

That's the problem with topical guest cameos. Someone could be super popular now and then be irrelevant and barely known a few years later. I was born in '96 and have a similar problem with Family Guy. There are so many jokes about 80's pop culture/celebrities that are nearly impossible to get if you weren't alive then or aren't a huge 80's geek.

[@mergieismoronic]

The City Of New York VS Homer Simpson is amazing, and the fact it’s a season 8 holdover shows.

[@TommyDeonauthsArchives]

I should watch that episode...

[@SirKappy]

"Do you have anything to drink?" "I have Mountain Dew and crab juice." "Ew, yuck, ugh! I'll have the crab juice!"

[@toon4thought]

The Principal and the Pauper is also a season 8 holdover. So there's that

[@mergieismoronic]

+Toon4Thought I actually don’t hate Principal and the Pauper, it was an interesting experiment and had some good jokes. The fact they changed Seymour to someone else and then completely ignore and forget it in the same episode was super annoying though

[@homer8029]

i hate that episode

[@cumbrap]

I grew up watching whatever Simpsons episodes I could find on DVD and they all felt the same to me. It wasn't until they switched to HD that I noticed the drop in quality.

[@legendaryhero132]

Huh I guess I wasn't the only one that felt that way as well.

[@flanholiothegreat8323]

To me, I think that the Simpsons noticeably went sour was when Maude died.

[@riotguards]

Watching a few recent episodes it felt as if they were trying to copy the family guy approach of "cut to joke", like one example being that zelma and patty wanted to move in and homes cut away was his eyes shattering and then some guy cleaning it up, its really low effort reaction jokes.

[@TheDragonman104]

@@riotguards When I saw that scene, I was like “Now this has to be funny, how could they possibly make Homer’s facial reaction to that not be funny?”. Then when I saw his pupils shatter and a guy sweeps them, I was like “OH, COME ONE! They couldn’t make Homer’s reactions funny anymore?”.

[@Zontar82]

indeed.also, i appreciated more the amateurish-like quality of early animatiosn than this sqeaky clean hd visuals

[@cubah1]

Principle and the Popper ruined skinner, but even that episode can still make you laugh. “Why is Grandpa here? Because Jasper didn’t want to come alone”.

[@jordanread5829]

As a stand alone episode The Principle and the Popper is a great episode. The problem is that came in season 9, which by that point Skinner was a well established character, having a few spotlight episodes as well. If it was in a treehouse of horror or came in an earlier season where Skinner was still getting fleshed out I feel that it wouldn't have gotten the hate from the fan base. Something like Ned though having a hard to crack but uncontrol able anger is easier to see since there have been some episodes in the past where his buttons are pressed by Homer and we see that anger he has within him. Mainly in Dead Putting Society where his anger towards Homer's taunts makes him sign the bet Homer was pushing. When Ned calms down, he regrets what he has done. Likewise how in Hurricane Neddy he went to the mental hospital after his outburst. His hatred towards his carefree parents and the parenting style they used also helps explain why he acts as a helicopter parent to Rod and Todd.

[@judyhopps9380]

I remember the first episode I didn't laugh at... Krusty becomes a stand up comic, and gets an endorsement deal. Chock full of celebrities. Still to this day, I can look at it as the first episode from S1 to S9 where I felt an odd... haunting feeling... that The Simpsons wasn't as good as it could be. As for Principle.... Armen's frozen peas! Armen's copy of Swank!

[@a-aron4148]

@@judyhopps9380 can I see your copy of swank armen? That episode is funny af and anyone who says otherwise is just bandwagoning

[@redwolfe7049]

The funniest part to me is the end when they tie the real Skinner to the flat bed train and they half ass salute him before the train leaves lol

[@roberttreacy8271]

The Princess and the Pauper is overhated IMO. It’s not the greatest episode, but it gets way more hate than it deserves.

[@TBoneTony]

To me, the Simpsons ended at the end of Season 10. When the 90s ended and one of their voice actors who did many of the smaller side characters was killed. That was when the Simpsons ended for me. I did wait around to eventually see the movie back in 2007 but after that, it was already clear that it was never going to be the Simpsons of the 90s that I once remembered. Feel sorry for those who started watching the show in the early 2000s and never knew how the Simpsons was before that time.

[@baileyboo6404]

Bro they've been showing seasons 2-7 on network tv nonstop everyday for like 20 years.

[@TBoneTony]

@@baileyboo6404 Well I guess I may have been watching a different channel, or maybe I am from a different country than you there Bailey but in my country Australia, channel 7 mate mostly shows the recent seasons.

[@AlryFireBlade]

Dont be sorry. i can enjoy both. And that is so much better. You have only 10 Seasons you can enjoy watching... I have 31!

[@FireRising86]

Phil Hartman was such an amazing addition to the show with his characters. The show was just never the same after losing Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure though I do appreciate them retiring the characters out of respect, as no one could do them like Phil.

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

Season 10 was kind of the last hurrah for the show.

[@battybuddy]

Lisa the simpson was my biggest disappointment: mostly cause of the gender stereotype also ignores Homer's brother, and the episode where Homer gets smart(which I liked better.), but ALSO because it was Lisa not finding a solution to HER OWN problem- she just gives up, but gets a free pass cause girl. Its got great jokes, but I think the solution could have been Lisa finds out that the "Simpsons gene" was psychosomatic- which it ultimately seems to be, and the reason Homer and Bart gave into it was because... they GAVE INTO it. Like Lisa actually does in the ACTUAL episode.

[@NICKtendoReviews]

The episode is set up so that the gene could have easily been something that grandpa made up and told Lisa, so it’s a shame that they didn’t take that route. I even forgot about Herb not being included.

[@battybuddy]

@@NICKtendoReviews Same. I genuinely thought it was something made up by a senile old man. The episode COULD have been good but generally Lisa didn't do ANYTHING to possibly better herself or even look into if ANY of it was true. I think it did the whole family a disservice: Homer and Bart just for being male, ESPECIALLY Bart asking sadly if it means his life is going to be a failure, and shrugging it off in a total tone shift (even though Bart has shown himself to be capable when he actually puts his mind to it, as well as having that "future supreme court justice" thing) Lisa for having so willingly accepted that fate and throwing a pitty party for herself, Marge for being the one who brings in that dumb twist, and Maggie for... Ok, Maggie got off easy. Hell the ending joke where Lisa goes "Woohoo" for solving the puzzle could have STILL been done if she had found out it was fake- and it could have had her appreciate that she was WILLING to put the time in to better herself, whereas if she told Bart that, he just blows her off.

[@martinfawkes595]

Or maybe they could’ve gone meta with it and had Bart give in to the gene because he finds it easier to be an underachieving prankster, which has been hinted at on the show prior and have homer actually believe the gene is real until grandpa admits it’s not. Sure it’s a bit fourth wall-ey for the Simpson’s but it’s still better than what we got.

[@jongon0848]

I prefer the explanation in the Mother Simpson episode where it turns out she's just more like her grandmother. It felt natural & made perfect sense since Lisa & her are both very intelligent, love to play music, and they're both very passionate about standing up for what they believe in.

[@RebelTrooperHoth]

The smart episode came out after lisa the simpson. The retconned it in a few seasons.

[@Shinlexia]

The simpsons is on a huge life support system.... All anyone wants to do.... Is just pull the plug to end its suffering

[@thekaijumaster200x3]

Its not even on life support. Its a rotting corpse.

[@PeterGriffin11]

Fox alone isn't gonna the show end and now that Disney owns it The Simpsons ending is even more less likely to happen.

[@TommyDeonauthsArchives]

But Disney won't let them! There's only one way to end the Simpsons... Kill everyone, who worked on the show...

[@Ihartwalrusguy]

Tommy Deonauth's Archives maybe make a joke about Disney that pisses them off too for to the point of cancellation

[@wiibrockster]

It's like a Lich at this point.

[@dannypalin9583]

I never liked the favouritism towards Lisa as the show progressed. She had some good episodes early on, such as "Lisa's Substitute" but as time went on, she went from a down-to-earth foil to a whiny, selfish know-it-all. The Lisa Ego Trip episodes such as "Lisa's Sax" and "Lisa the Simpson" end more or less the same way: Bart is a failure but Lisa feels better about herself so everyone's happy!

[@Myne1001]

Not to mention she just becomes essentially a nagging soccer mum, telling off everyone because she's smart and morally superior

[@gloryoffandoms4844]

@@Myne1001 I am not a fan of Lisa in the newer episodes. I heard she is a sjw. That's why I prefer Bart and Homer

[@Taijifufu]

I get where you're coming from but the words you used there describe her character throughout the series. I would say that everyone became more of a caricature of themselves. Lisa became whinier and Homer became stupider. Everyone became their own Disco Stu.

[@benjamineckford1718]

Totally agree with this. Absolutely hated the writers’ favouritism towards Lisa, ruined so many episodes and turned me from liking Lisa to despising her

[@RLucas3000]

Lisa the Vegetarian is my favorite episode and arguably the best episode ever. Watch it, so many perfect comedy bits.

[@Gizo02]

I still think that season 9 was excellent, and that season 10 was where the show really declined. Either side of the infamous 'Principal and the Pauper episode (the scene where Homer asks all those questions in the car was brilliant, I thought that 'The City of New York vs. Homer' and 'Lisa's Sax' were excellent. During the show's golden age and even during season 9 I'd argue, it had 'heart', combining funny or even wacky moments with more 'touching' scenes. From season 10, I think the show lost that, and Homer became more of a jerk.

[@coprographia]

Season 8 is the last of the golden age, but you wouldn’t have to hold a gun to my head to keep watching through Season 11. 11 is the last stop, killing Maude Flanders is their jump-the-shark moment.

[@SirAbyss]

It's sad to think that what started out as a genuinely funny and insanely creative series that changed TV animation forever and paved the way for hundreds of terrific cartoons that wouldn't exist without its influence has now become a depressing example of what happens when a network refuses to let a show end gracefully simply because of its iconic status and probably just to see if they can get it to 1000 episodes (which they most likely will). What's even sadder is the fact that the writers refuse to change the status quo in any drastic way, thus leaving these characters in a seemingly permanent and empty state of mere existence. There is no more heart, no more soul, no reason to care anymore. This show is a husk of its former self and it will outlive us all. FOX will never learn.

[@sidnew2739]

It's like "The Rolling Stones" of TV-Shows.

[@neutralman9124]

I would 100% agree with this, and then I watched "Halloween of Horror". It's like an episode from Season 4 with its quality. Truly magnificent episode. Barthood is very good too, but yeah, wow, they sunk this show.

[@channell11]

Someone noted that the problem for the Simpsons was that it started out as a counterculture show, routinely mocking and satirizing popular culture. Then it just became a show that mirrored pop culture and shamelessly pandered to it. It's hard to be edgy and revolutionary when you're going along with the flow.

[@Zontar82]

They started as a funny satire on stereotypes, and now they are not even allowed to have apu because sjw...

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

They did the same thing to Family Guy

[@КГБКолДжорджКостанца]

At least this wasn't sponsored by Raid: Shadow Legends

[@captaincool6268]

Don´t call them , they are watching !!

[@kaylemathewcomendador6964]

Don’t just mention them like that. They’ll come!

[@bonesmcjones8454]

Wait Raid Shadow legends? The free game on apple and android. With millions of 5 start reviews!

[@kchopgamer3894]

ITS TOO LATE

[@adrianreut1342]

I would choose Dungeon Siege 2 instead. @#$& that @#$&.

[@mechajay3358]

Honestly the The Simpsons decline in quality came with all the OG writers left. Since then it's been hit and miss with each season. With the current one having a lot of misses.

[@bw-leftturnracing7779]

Just like every other show that goes on for more than 6 seasons

[@Clay3613]

Season 13-14.

[@awormnamedscoobis3419]

Left Turn Productions [LTP] besides spongebob. Spongebob bounced back.

[@royjonzejr]

This is only partially true. A lot of the OG writers were still there when the rot began to set in around season 9 and even when the show was totally done in season 11. John Swartzwelder for example is an OG writer yet wrote some truly awful episodes during seasons 10-11. I think they just ran out of ideas (then they got replaced by complete hacks).

[@phillip_reynolds]

Great video. I think Season 9 was when the series started to dip in quality a little. Seasons 9 and 10 are still worth watching. 11 on? Ehh...

[@ernestopoisota9918]

im 18 so im fairly young compared to the simpsons and when i heard about the principal and the pauper, i didnt think it was a big deal because ive seen the simpsons do crazier and weirder stuff that but when i finally saw the essence of the first seasons i finally understood why the hate against the episode, i like the episode but i can see more clearly why it got so much hate

[@Cool-o1555]

Yeah , the first time I saw the simpsons I saw some of the later seasons (20-25) and I thought that was how the simpsons was and i didn’t know it changed so much. When I watched the earlier seasons I can see why most fans dislike the newer seasons. It’s still funny but it’s not as funny as it used to be.

[@stargazer162]

I thought it was a pretty funny episode with plenty of memorable jokes, and as a kid I never thought anything about it, but I never watched The Simpsons in any specific order, I just watched whatever they were airing on TV, so I never got to experience all that character development through 8 seasons that got trashed in one episode. With that extra context, I can see why the most hardcore fans hate it so much, they destroyed Skinner's character people had come to love just for a throwaway plot that never got referenced again.

[@gustavefrankfurter6462]

For me, the funniest moment was when Homer skateboarded over the ravine and then kept hitting everything on the way down. Then, he rolls out of the ambulance and falls again!

[@ZanzibarBreeze]

100%.

[@torgan]

The simps that ruined the seasonsons

[@bw-leftturnracing7779]

I hate this but also love this

[@WeegeeSlayer123]

Simps ruin everything

[@aaroncross6874]

I just hate it in general.

[@jacktheflash8478]

What is this thread

[@cyclebs]

Breh what the heck is seasonsons

[@jimgisriel]

I actually view season 9 as the point where the kids who grew up with it stopped watching on a regular basis. As a kid who was in the 1st grade when season 1 came out. I was hearing less simpsons references on Monday morning by season 9. Some kids did keep watching but it was notably not as great but also less of my peers were into it. So it's like a jumping off the ship point I know well. Resubscribed again because of this video.

[@NICKtendoReviews]

I hear this a lot, that a decade into the run all of the show’s original child audience were in their late teens/adults so that’s why this is cited as the dropping off point. Nice to hear your perspective. Glad to have you back.

[@EmperorSigismund]

That's exaclty it. After looking back at the Simpsons I realised that I had seen every episode between seasons 2-8 as reruns as a kid. After season 9 I realised I didn't see or remember much at all, just the occasional tv ad that reminded that the show was at all how I remebered it and I was no longer the target audience. Getting broadband also didn't help with tv viewship much.

[@Pencilman246]

This is a really good point. Personally, I think it stays good until the mid-teens and even has some occasional great episodes still. But I also grew up in the 2000s and seasons 12-17, along with classic reruns, were my Simpsons. I do think a lot of critics of everything last season 9 forget their perspective changes as they grow up. Objectively yeah the show wasn’t as great, but even in the classic seasons, there are plenty of episodes that are just okay.

[@bobmclennan1727]

You hit on a good point when discussing how the show circa seasons 7-8 was treated as if things were winding down, so why not go nuts with ambitious storylines. Just as important, I think, is that shortly afterward, the creative team seemed to catch onto the idea that the show wasn't going anywhere, so they became less discerning with which jokes were worth putting into scripts. When you're aware that you're going to have to fill some 40+ hours of time over the next five years, lame gags (like what fills most of Simpson Tide) and repeated jokes ("call backs" if you're being really, really generous) are no longer rejected.

[@gymguy25]

As a Simpsons fan from the beginning, the episode I remember first thinking “man, they’re running out of ideas” was the one where Homer sells grease.

[@stagnantlasagna]

As a Simpsons fan since I was born ('93) I have to disagree. Lard of the Dance is brilliant

[@kooarchived]

When the show transferred to digital ink and paint, I've started to get bored of the series.

[@compositefrog1811]

I like the old animation style

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

@@compositefrog1811 me too. That doesnt just go for the simpsons, j didnt mind digital at first but now everytbing just feels uber clean sterile and vapid. When i watch old anination it *feels* like a whole other world was there, it felt significant.

[@SeasideDetective2]

My favorite seasons were Seasons 3 through 9, with Season 8 being particularly good. Season 10 is when things started to go downhill really fast. My least favorite episode from that season is "When You Dish Upon a Star," which took the gimmick of celebrities appearing as themselves (which had been kept under control up to that point) and ran it into the ground so that Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, and Ron Howard pretty much took over the show for that week. Mel Gibson followed not long afterward, and 'N Sync a couple of years after that. I watched THE SIMPSONS to get away from reality, not to have it constantly shoved in my face. I preferred the earlier seasons, when there was more of a world-building, "alternate universe" atmosphere.

[@prbsnoop1974]

But that episode changed the way I say "Chewy" forever

[@LaikaLycanthrope]

The darned thing is, there are adults with school age kids now, who do not remember a time when the Simpsons was NOT on the television.

[@TheBlackLantern34]

There are adults with adult children now who dont remember a time when the Simpsons wasnt on TV.

[@jasonmetcalfe4695]

I was about 7 at the time the simpsons started airing in new zealand and it's been on continual rerun loops ever since The one time it was off air was in 2012 when the tv network who aired all the fox produced shows tried to renegotiate a new deal to only obtain certain ones rather than everything fox had, they failed so we had no simpsons or anything fox made for a solid 18 months... It was odd

[@uwuster]

I'm 23 years old and I'm in that kids shoes.

[@ninjaskeleton6140]

I love every season up to and including season 10. It rapidly becomes unwatchable after that. They should have ended the Pricipal and Pauper episode with the classic trope of “it was all just a dream” with one of the protagonists awaking from a dream at the end of the episode, cancelling all the events of the episode and restoring the status quo.

[@nousukas]

Would be a lot better, even if I don't mind the ending now. I count it as non canon. Would have been better, if it was Skinner waking up and then saying the'll now see a new Semour Skinner, only to his mom to say "No we won't".

[@insaneapples1559]

Basically, after the 90's in went downhill. That's all one needs to say.

[@deadaccount1.57]

This is the most "Worthless 19 year old redditor in his mother's basement" thing I've ever heard

[@Jerooen]

SALTY HOW DARE YOU. YOU DISSAPEAR FOR MONTHHS THEN SHOW UP IN SOME OTHER CHANNELS VIDEO!? WE NEED YOU BACK

[@idonthaveanose]

I agree this season marked a big turning point for the show, but I still consider it part of their 'Golden Age'. The first truly BAD season in my opinion was season 11. They completely altered the tone of the show and there were very few redeeming episodes. That, and they made some major changes, the biggest being Maude's death, which probably wouldn't have been so awful if it had been conveyed in a more tasteful and less mean-spirited way. Anyway, good video. 🙂 I agreed with pretty much everything.

[@brentandrew2419]

If the show had ended with 11 I'd have been fine with it and enjoyed watching it again. But only because Behind the Laughter would've been a fine ending. Instead it went on for thirty more years.

[@GeoffBosco]

"Who knows what crazy adventures they'll get into before the show ceases to be profitable."

[@deadaccount1.57]

You're not as smart as you think.

[@GeoffBosco]

@@deadaccount1.57 Said the mind reader.

[@scaparapadoobedoooo3170]

Homer's Enemy is actually my favourite episode...

[@fusetunes]

mine too. that one alone is peak television honestly

[@channell11]

Statistically it's the most popular Simpsons ever. It has both the classic humor but also a very relatable story that resonates with a lot of people.

[@adamgriffith-smith9106]

@@channell11 weird how people say it has “classic humour” when it was literally the birth of jerkass homer

[@hannahcarolan2521]

@@adamgriffith-smith9106 as an audience member we can empathise with Frank’s frustration that he has worked so hard in life to have so little yet Homer seems to get all these great things without working hard at all and just kind of lazing around. But to me this episode doesn’t indicate jerk ass Homer at all? If anything he’s perfectly pleasant to Frank, goes out of his way to get Frank to like him and Homer’s naivety during the project contest is really endearing to me.

[@adamgriffith-smith9106]

@@hannahcarolan2521 Homer’s stupidity in the episode is more representative of the jerkass homer era than classic simpsons

[@qualityghost]

Finally somebody points out how Marge's voice becomes more and more strained in the modern episodes, I never saw anybody else talk about it so I thought it was just me

[@supermariofan39]

You know what’s sad? Here in Sweden, seasons 1-8 barely airs on TV anymore since last year and now they’re only airing 9-current season. Even though season 9 isn’t the best and marks the beginning of the end of the series we all knew and loved, it at least had a few episodes that were entertaining.

[@adampkalb]

@Tom Ffrench They can air any season of The Simpsons that they like! They do not have to do whatever is the most popular. Maybe there is something about the old seasons that is too old for them to air, I don't know, but if you two have anything of entertainment value in the 9-current season, do not take that for granted just because it is not the more popular seasons. April 25, 2020, 1:59am

[@wingedmirage4226]

Huh. A lot of what I saw as a kid was apparently from season 9... The Lord of the Flies parody was my favorite episode, maybe because seeing kids surviving on an island on their own without adults was cool to kid me.

[@NICKtendoReviews]

That’s what I love about classic Simpsons, this era included. It had a lot of stories that kids and adults could put themselves into. It catered to everyone, now it’s seen as strictly something for adults.

[@seraphrog8986]

@@NICKtendoReviews das bus is one of my favorite episodes. i mean, i don't like the subplot, but it has a lot of good funny jokes

[@Wepospalient]

Been binge watching a lot of simpsons lately, and I noticed that just in general, around season 9 and 10 is when I started to laugh a lot less often. There were still good gags here and there but a lot of it was just the copy and paste "Homer is dumb and a jerk" stuff.

[@channell11]

@Genevieve Giles I think you're on the money. There are still some highly watchable episodes beyond Season 10, but quality is much more hit or miss.

[@adamgriffith-smith9106]

@Genevieve Giles why skip seasons 1 and 2? They’re still good as well, season 2 definitely started to set up that charm that the next few seasons would have

[@marinfrombratia]

@Genevieve Giles although season 1 was not yet prime simpsons, so you are right... season 2 is more or less as good as season 3, so I really don't see a reason to mention season 3 and not season 2.

[@manuellagos659]

@Genevieve Giles I can understand not liking season 1. But season 2 is one of the best seasons of the show ever, on par with any other season that followed, the narrative that it isn't so good is ridiculous and it has been pushed lately by people who I'm sure haven't even watched it.

[@mgg8605-]

First, season 1 was a great season. “Some Exchanged Evening, The Crepes Of Wrath, & The Telltale Head” were classic episodes. Finally, The Simpson’s went down hill when Joel H. Cohen & Marc Wilmore joined the writting staff. Most of their episodes are terrible. Yes, Marc is gone, but still.

[@shaggydog8129]

You are discounting so many good episodes post season 9, I would say once the show went HD it truly went to “Zombie Simpsons”.

[@Saintnick90]

Honestly, even the worst Season 9 episodes have some pretty classic moments. I'd say "Monty Can't Buy Me Love" from Season 10 was the first episode that really felt like the show it would later become with all the elements there: thinly veiled (and lame) caricatures, nonsensical plot turns, Burns acting out of character. All that's missing is HD.

[@UltraPaperGamer]

I share the same opinion that Salty, I think I watch every episode before they went to HD, and the Quality drops REALLY HARD, each season before each HD, dip a bit each time, But when it came to HD something was Lost and now it was also visually represented with the intro and the couch gags.

[@heeeyyy2947]

I'm on a big series rewatch and just got to Season 9 -- it's weird how the decline just sorta sneaks up on you

[@sylentknight]

Season 9 was the last great season IMO. Season 1 and 2 get overlooked but they were solid, just getting off the ground, feeling characters out, i.e. Smithers was black at one point. Season 3 was the beginning of greatness that lasted for me until season 10, still watchable for the most part but you can tell something was brewing with the writing. I think I've only seen 3 or 4 episodes after season 10 but to the Simpsons' credit I don't think their run between season 3-9 will ever be matched in animation.

[@manfredflyingcircus1232]

Simpsons Tide episode had some of the best lines. Homer: "Is the Poop deck really what I think it is?"

[@jimreuss]

I'm a man of few words. Any questions?

[@UtsukushiSekai]

The episode with the Kesha song intro was literally the last episode I kept up with weekly. Pretty much just watch the new Treehouse of Horror eps.

[@Myne1001]

Oh god thanks for reminding me of that. God it was horrible. Perfect example of the Simpsons locking on to something that is trendy at the time.

[@gloryoffandoms4844]

I like watching the old seasons and treehouse pf horror

[@olympe1996]

damn I used to like it as a kid nowadays, ugh...

[@Buttington_Headerson]

Yeah I tried watching a new tree house episode and it was fucking dog shit

[@patricklauer4452]

@@Buttington_Headerson no it wasn’t

[@Akrenix]

I'm binging Classic Simpsons and I love it so much. I'm currently on season 7.

[@Akrenix]

I got to "The Principal and The Pauper" and I didn't stop until after "Lisa the Simpson". Classic Simpsons is really good

[@alfa01spotivo]

@@Akrenix finish season 9 then stop

[@unclefriends4683]

I feel like seasons 2-9 is golden Simpsons. 10-13 are the last watchable seasons for me. 14-(current year) is complete Zombie Simpsons.

[@jorgizoran4340]

Where's season 1?

[@vocalist92]

10-13 are what I call Silver age episodes. Comedy is well done but character moments and stories are severely downgraded

[@vryyyx]

Vocalist92 Yeah, but they are definitely still watchable and can be enjoyed if you enjoyed the previous seasons. But past that it’s just bad.

[@olympe1996]

unpopular opinion season 1 was the best of all

[@channell11]

@@jorgizoran4340 I think Season 1 was them getting their feet wet and figuring out what they wanted to do. The animation is pretty poor, as is the voicework. But it started the foundation. Season 2 is impressive, and I think Season 3 is when they hit their stride.

[@deadsirius3531]

"Simpson Tide" contains one of my all-time favorite jokes from the show Sub Captain, delivering his speech to motivate the crew before embarking: "I am a man of few words. … … Any questions?"

[@SaxcatGamingCorner]

I always feel like Behind the Laughter is a great jumping off point. It is a good ending to the series.

[@goldenboyproductions2740]

I don't think it matters if the characters aged or not as the show went on. True, it would open up new storylines and possibilities, but they would still have the massive problem of the show no longer being funny.

[@shadowleon659]

The Simpsons is now a zombie that's just begging to be put out of its misery. Its just overstayed its welcome.

[@wiibrockster]

It's basically begging to die now

[@OMGSEASALT]

FYI Phil Hartman would of kept doing his characters but his wife murdered him.

[@connorweir1993]

Correction, his crack addicted wife

[@JAM92]

I don't blame him, I don't think I'd be able to continue if that happened to me.

[@bcranford714]

That’s when the show died

[@OMGSEASALT]

@@JAM92 Yeah it's a real drag when it happens

[@cognozzle]

would have*

[@-hayday-7350]

I’m watching the Simpson’s and I got to season 20 (and I just started 3 weeks ago) and I must say, I laughed sooo much more in the older episodes then the newer ones

[@-hayday-7350]

It went downhill in season 10

[@phuctifyno1]

I loyally watched The Simpsons throughout the entire 90’s. After the episode where they had Kid Rick on, I stopped.

[@matane2465]

Classic Simpsons died with Phil Hartman.

[@daloin87061]

I believe so

[@damondodson9414]

It also died when they removed apu and when they became more ugh woke just like family guy

[@bertmustin]

Just a tragic coincidence the show started to go downhill right when Phil Hartman was murdered.

[@damondodson9414]

@@bertmustin oh oof

[@tanzinitetheterrible4910]

Poochy was one Outrageous dude.

[@Myne1001]

Don't you think words like "outrageous" are just buzzwords dumb people come up with to sound important?

[@gan0nz0ra]

Tanzinite The Terrible He's totally in my face!

[@dundervevo6842]

*didn't leave a link to "where i come to cry"* *Unsubs*

[@lowlanlad]

For me the last great episode was lard of the dance season 10. Episodes after that looked different and didn't have the same feel. I always wondered why that episode was different to the rest of season 10 then I found out they always used to animate the first episode of the next season while creating the current season.

[@thecursedcombine3951]

2:15 I feel like 500 people are going to make among us jokes just of that clip.

[@PatoGuzmanAd]

Great video dude! for me it's season 9 when the Simpsons went from a "perfect" to a "good" show, then in season 12 went to "decent" and after the Lady Gaga episode stopped watching. You should make a video about seasons 7 and 8, it's a miracle how they could extend the perfect run of seasons 2 - 6 with those, and even though the episodes are excellent, if you analize their stories and components you can see some "we are starting to running out of ideas that don't involve nonsense" moments. I would love an analysis about those seasons because there are a lot of videos about the downfall but not about upkeep tries :)

[@parodysam]

You can’t compare it to gravity falls, that show had a planned arc from the start.

[@TheRealJims]

I really like the points made about the reliance on irony and sarcasm in the joke writing. I've heard that the writers practically killed themselves in Seasons 7 and 8 with late nights trying to keep the standards high. And it isn't really sustainable from a creative labor perspective. Scully took more of a laid back sarcastic attitude where, if something doesn't make sense, we shouldn't worry so darn much and make a joke about it. You get very arch, meta ending jokes like Das Bus, like you mentioned in the video. I like some of the free spirit attitude that it brought, to maybe not be as anal as Comic Book Guy. But at some point you gotta start actually writing coherent plots with payoffs. I think modern TV got better at balancing being meta and sarcastic and nonsensical, but still constructing a satisfying narrative. The Scully episodes often didn't feel like they had a purpose or knew where they were going Anyway, great video. That's cool that you cited the Principal and the Pauper commentary, one of my faves. It's such a fascinating listen.

[@NICKtendoReviews]

Thank you for your response! I can’t get enough of your videos, cause there isn’t enough analytical Simpsons content out there that doesn’t look at the series from an entirely broad perspective. I know the writing got more laid back, like I’ve heard the Al Jean is where it became a 9-5 job instead of something the staff killed themselves over. Writing this video made me want to go back to the rest of the Scully era, and I feel similarly about whatever you tackle. I’m glad you enjoyed this.

[@adampkalb]

@@NICKtendoReviews Would you like to tell us about your 10 most favorite modern The Simpsons episodes? P.S. You can not answer with "there are none." If there are any episodes after Season 9 which you still enjoy seeing (with the exclusion of Barthood and Holidays of Future Passed in episodes when the characters are older, or Brick Like Me and Woo-Hoo Dunnit in episodes where The Simpsons acts like a different show), you might want to show people that The Simpsons is not entirely worthless after its prime. After all...Aqua Teen Hunger Force taught me that some people like to watch a show about no particular thing with average and coherent plots that are just characters making stuff happen. April 25, 2020, 1:52am

[@adampkalb]

@@NICKtendoReviews I think it is good that Al Jean allowed them to not work overnight, but answer me this, NICKtendo: In the prime seasons of The Simpsons, did you want the writers of The Simpsons to suffer overnight for all of us to have the best entertainment that you could? Because even in a 9-5 job, I can not imagine that it would be too much to ask to just proofread what they have to make sure that the story and the characters are believable. It is easier to make sure that you have no plot holes than making sure each of their jokes work. They can tell a fine story without having any jokes at all! If they need to. April 25, 2020, 2:35am

[@NICKtendoReviews]

Well there’s half my list for you.

[@DementedDuskull]

7:16 You were right, since no ad played when you said that

[@KoboldGamer]

As someone who grew up starting with season 2 in 1990-91, and watching tons of re-runs, I can tell you that even around about 2000 I noticed that there was a lot of celebrity cameos that honestly I didn't care about. Now, cameos had been a thing since the earliest seasons, but it was starting to get really hammy and just silly with the cameos. A classic episode where the cameo works brilliantly is Marge VS the Monorail, starring Leonard Nimoy as himself. Even though he's Nimoy is only part of the 3rd act, he really helps kick off some of the jokes. Another in that same vein is Barry White in the Whacking Day episode. I think it's really when they started to use cameo's of people that were simply hip and trendy of the time, that's when things went downhill. The Tony Hawk episode, lady gaga, etc. I stopped watching around season 11 or 12, or at least went to off and on, then after the movie hit, I stopped watching completely. I saw the season 20 opener and that was is. Seasons 2-10 is where the magic is, though obviously in the middle there is where the best stuff is, Last Exit to Springfield of season 4 being my favorite episode of the series.

[@CagedRyno]

Rewatching The Simpsons and I’m currently half way through season 10. The show still seems to be going strong. They have a few dark humor episodes but they also have a lot wholesome humor episodes. I will say the episode “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson” from season 9 has been my favorite episode so far and has some of the best Homer moments in the series.

[@FrothingFanboy]

Perhaps season 9 had the earliest signs of a decline, but it's still firmly a classic season. It's harder to make that claim for seasons 10 and 11, but there's still a lot of memorable moments in them. Season 12, on the other hand, is the first season that feels like modern-day Simpsons. Finally, season 15 is the first season that I don't feel any pull to watch again. For me, the last legitimately memorable episode is season 14's "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can".

[@supersoulty]

I think the other problem people have with TP&TP was that other changes to the status quo felt like organic developments for characters, while the Skinner "revelation" felt character destroying, if you didn't just forget about it. True, Simpsons is not big on continuity, but a show that has almost no plot arcs relies heavily on the attachment to the characters, and a lot of the character stuff was thrown overboard. Also, the humor became less character driven and more gag driven.

[@orbusg8451]

I own seasons 1-8 on dvd. That's enough for me, I have not a single lingering interest to own anything past that.

[@deadaccount1.57]

But apparently you do have enough interest to share that.

[@Qwent-23]

I have season 9 only because of season holdovers. Used to have 10, 11, and 12...

[@ArnoldTohtFan]

1993 to 2001 were my favourite years for the show. It probably contributed more to pop culture in those 8 years than any other animated series.

[@andrewoliver1330]

Season 2 - 8~10ish for me Depends on my mood when asked I tend to cherry pick from 8-10

[@misterzygarde6431]

Homer we’re in Kingdom Hearts. Also how Skinner react to the Steamed Hams meme? The fact that the Simpsons got nominated for a Kids Choice Awards. I would still be surprised if the Simpsons were getting reruns on Disney XD or Disney Channel at night.

[@gracekim1998]

MisterZygarde64 wait WHAT?!

[@ronstoppable5659]

@MisterZygarde64 I’m not saying that The Simpson’s is a Kids Show But it’s definitely one of the more kid friendly of the adult cartoons, especially compared to Family Guy and South Park

[@AwkCrafty]

Season 1 is important.

[@deadaccount1.57]

No it's not imao

[@andregarza5224]

I think season 1 is underrated, it’s not the best but it’s a pretty chill season. Bart the General, There’s no disgrace like home, and Moaning Lisa are some of my favorite Simpsons Episodes

[@dynostretch9215]

For me it was the season 10 episode "Lisa Gets An A". I was already getting burned out early on in season 10, but then I saw that intro of Homer using a free sample toothpick to eat things off of store shelves and thought "This isn't funny" and changed the channel.

[@waeon]

I feel like season 9 is too overhated, if you skip the second episode (principal and the pauper) bc a lot of people seem to have mixed feelings about that episode, you are left with a very solid season with plenty of amazing episodes like the New York episode, when homer gets a gun, Marge as a real state agent, the leader cult one, Moe's car insurance fraud, the trillion dollar one and when Homer climbs the mountain and trains with Rainier Wolfcastle

[@KingYou2002]

While I don't think this season is hated like crazy. I find it frustrating to see people saying Season 10 is better than 9. All I'm led to believe at that point is they have bad taste. Especially if it's just a few bad episodes out of fucking 25. It's annoying

[@Pac_2o12]

Season 10 is the nail in the coffin

[@dakotahmays1437]

Jack True. I believe that Season 9 was the beginning of the decline, but I still enjoy most of the episodes

[@martinfawkes595]

Been binging the series on Disney + lately and while the cracks started to show in seasons 9-10, I'd say the point where it jumped the shark was the jockey elves episode in season 11. After that was when I noticed the episodes generally became less funny and there were alot more weird plot twists and the plots became kind of all over the place. Honestly Behind The Laughter should've been the last episode. It really felt like a great celebration of the series success while addressing some of its bigger problems in later years. It would've been an excellent way to bow out if only Fox would've allowed it.

[@Shadar22]

"Duncanville so we should be in great hands" wat

[@MrMasterKaio]

I feel like the changes in the animation from the classic mostly hand-drawn, to the computerized super-clean version, killed off a vital part of the Simpsons' charm, humor and overall feeling. And it's not just because it looks different, but because the process of creating the show became different, too. At least that's my suspicion. It's like when an old 80s band drops a new album in 2021 and it's totally overproduced. Lacking rawness, small imperfections, the things that helped make their music special. You're essentially sterilizing art, leaving only an empty husk which mimics the original creative vision but is dead inside. Obviously the Simpsons have many qualities, but for me personally I think the modernized visuals play a huge part in it's "demise".

[@jacksonjacob7791]

Computer generated is awful. They only use it nowadays because its cheaper. In the majority of cases I don't even think CGI looks better.

[@MrJonnyharry]

The ending of the “lord of the flies” episode is a spot on take down of the original book, which has a very sudden and unsatisfactory deus ex machina ending. The story just ends on the final page with a random boat just turning up to collect the kids.

[@outlawscar3328]

I wouldn't call the ending of Lord of the Flies a deus ex machina. The rescue comes abruptly because it happens precisely too late for the souls of the boys to be saved. That's crucial to the whole innocence lost theme and the permanence of war. Their rescue isn't unmotivated either as it's the great bonfire the savage boys start that finally signals a rescue. It's ironic because it's only when the central goal of rescue held by Ralph and Piggy is completely lost is when it comes to fruition.

[@JohnnyBoy7267]

Season 3 - 8 is all The Simpsons you will ever need. Perfect.

[@nocaptainmatt3771]

Just like spongebob, season 1-3 is all you need and maybe 4

[@awormnamedscoobis3419]

Matthew Lopez Well,the new spongebob episodes are great too. Visit them if you want something different enough,but similar enough to be good.

[@adamgriffith-smith9106]

@Alberto 2: Electric Bugaloo I watched one of the new episodes from season 12 and I cringed the whole way through. I don’t understand why everyone feels spongebob has gotten good again, it’s still just as bad if not worse.

[@robertsimon2885]

JohnnyBoy7267 What about 1 and 2?

[@JohnnyBoy7267]

@@robertsimon2885 The animation isn't that great and the character voices aren't fully developed into voices we know from season 4 and onwards so i was never been able to get into the first two seasons.

[@cafeterialoca]

I disagree and think that Homer Joins the Navy is one of the funniest episodes.

[@NewPaulActs17]

starbucks anyone?

[@queencancerous5332]

“Nuclear, it’s pronounced nuclear”

[@DonutMaster56]

My Homer is not a communist

[@aristotleasparaguspodcast1129]

Season 9 is part of the golden age in my opinion. The Principal and the Pauper was an absolutely hilarious episode and didn't end the golden age. If any episode ended the golden age it was When You Dish Upon a Star

[@1247Bro]

Yeah, like season 9-13 weren't really bad, it just wasn't like the original simpsons. I really like seasons 9-13. I think it really went downhill in the mid 2000s.

[@hoodedman6579]

The Principal and the Pauper had a fucking stupid story, but it was still a funny episode; seeing it first as a kid probably helped in that opinion. Watching it later made it seem much worse, but only in terms of the story itself, the comedy is still great. Looking at an episode list, I think my definition for the golden age goes several seasons farther than most people's, I quite like most episodes through the first 12 or even 13 seasons.

[@ryancarson6962]

Sam Belcher No it wasn’t, The Principal and the Pauper retconned EVERYTHING people knew about a character we’ve known for years all for a stupid and out of nowhere plot twist that shows how little respect they have for both the audiences intelligence and the integrity of their characters.

[@bathroomshy]

@@ryancarson6962 still funny if you think of it as non canon

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

“UP YOURS, CHILDREN!”

[@B1998-u6i]

I thought the same thing about celebrity cameos in simpsons as Salty, thanks for backing me up, Daniel

[@kenm2709]

nah it was season 10, I remember very vividly for the first time not being able to finish an episode.