The simpsons worst season and the birth of modern day simpsons. A Simpsons analysis video essay.

[@avsevens]

What season do you think the Simpsons golden era ended?

[@YoungAlex2795]

Started at Season 3, and ended at Season 8. I consider Seasons 3 through 8 of The Simpsons to be the greatest run of television of all time, great video by the way!

[@avsevens]

@@YoungAlex2795 thank you

[@KingYou2002]

@@YoungAlex2795 I somewhat agree, these 7 seasons were perfect in every way. However, I'd throw Seasons 1 and 9 into the golden age too despite having their flaws. Maybe Season 10 on a good day.

[@YoungAlex2795]

​@@KingYou2002Yeah there is a major debate over this topic in the community, I've even seen fans say 3 to 6 were the golden seasons. I have a soft spot for 1 and 9 (I had 2 to 9 as The Golden Age a month or so back), but with 1 it was very much a starting out season whereas 9 set up a few things that led to the shows decline in my eyes. But I respect your opinion, I like some Season 1 episodes, and 'The Joy of Sect' and 'The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson' from Season 9 are two great episodes.

[@khanad3247]

Season 1-9 will always be special

[@joshuamarmara147]

When Phil Hartman passed away, that saw the decline of The Simpsons. His cameo appearances as Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure were nothing short of brilliant.

[@aivokallo77]

Personally, I think The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace is chronolgically last, truly great Simpsons episode. Phil died after the next episode so I cannot help but agree with your pinpoint.

[@c.9900]

Even if it was just "Hey you, get out of my office!" It was brilliant.

[@kenpower2304]

Lionel Hutz is my favorite Simpsons character. Troy McLure is pretty too.

[@mosriteminioncause7741]

and don't forget the voice of Edna Krabappel.....Marcia Wallace. ( Oh and the murder mystery of "Who killed Apu?"....that would be Hank Azaria - murder by means of thought police.)

[@mosriteminioncause7741]

@@kenpower2304 Who can forget Phil - (Troy Mclure in..... Planet of the Apes: The Musical!...His Heston was brilliant..."I Love You Dr. Zaius!!!"🙈🙉🙊

[@VeryStupid4547]

Whenever The Simpsons do finally go off the air, it's not hyperbolic to say that it truly is the end of an era. The show hasn't been good for a significant period of time, but it's golden era is as good as any iconic/legendary sitcom in history: They truly broke the mold.

[@jimbob2427]

Season 33 is good

[@painkillerjones6232]

They, and Married With Children!!!

[@1Imrichard]

@@painkillerjones6232 my high light of working out doors 3 weeks in - 40 was watching smpsons and married

[@Gameboy-Unboxings]

@@jimbob2427 go away.

[@jimbob2427]

@@Gameboy-Unboxings go away

[@anonymoustipster202]

Something no-one seems to bring up is that the show also started relying on shock value and crueller characters.

[@packerhawk24]

@Ramon Mujica South Park too.

[@TheLocalLt]

@@deanjustdean7818 to be fair, it’s impossible to do the stuff you’re saying once a show has been on for a decade+, most shows jump the shark after 3 or 4 seasons, the fact that the Simpsons had 10 good seasons shows how good it is, same with family guy and South Park which each had a decade of quality content as well (Perhaps an animated show can keep storylines fresh longer than a normal show). I disagree with you on “declining standards of middle class living”, middle class living standards were still rising when the Simpsons jumped the shark, plus all that does is serve the absolute worst aspects of what we often see in South Park, which is extremely aggressive social commentary that serves only to divide us. At its best, despite early protestations from conservative causes, the Simpsons toed the line well enough that it quickly became popular amongst Americans of all political views. Family guy did this as well during its golden era, which is why it also drew a wide-scale following, South Park not so much although it was still pretty popular and put out a decade of quality content, however that aspect did limit its universal appeal.

[@aaronwalden6376]

Not to mention repetitive storylines and retcons, INCESSANTLY rewriting used material !!!

[@docblade3270]

Homer became one, he is so self centered and do so terrible thing that bare stupidity can't explain, is like HE KNOWS he is a fictional character and his REALLY EVIL actions will have no consequences!

[@Ometecuhtli]

@@docblade3270 I think you're describing "Homer's enemy". I didn't particularly like that episode but have nothing against people loving it, but my fear proved true, that from then on he _knew_ he was a cartoon character and do whatever he liked.

[@theunwelcome]

interesting, I never thought about it, but they went from "having episodes with the occasional guest star" to "having guest stars with episodes"

[@Attmay]

A two-line cameo usually for promotional purposes does not a guest “star“ make any more than three prawns constitute a galaxy of prawns.

[@SeasideDetective2]

I always thought the strongest of those episodes were the ones in which the celebrity guest appeared as a fictional character, rather than a yellow-skinned version of their real-life self. One aspect of "The Simpsons" I have always admired but that rarely seems to get mentioned is its surreal world-building. Springfield is LIKE America, but it is not America, or any other country on earth. Or at least, that's the way it's supposed to be. But the show's writers have vacillated between the narrative of Springfield as a parallel-universe fantasy and that of Springfield as our own world but zanier. And the celebrity voiceovers tend to drive this point home. "The Simpsons" started an unfortunate trend on television - later followed by "South Park" and "Family Guy" - of not only dropping pop-culture references by the truckload but having celebrities appear as themselves for no reason other than its own sake. This causes Springfield to lose a lot of its unique charm, and become just another part of the world we know. I like it when guest stars are actually integrated into the setting and plot, contributing to the world-building, rather than inexplicably showing up just so the characters can say, "Hey, look who it is!"

[@jerichomarsh3681]

1 - 2 stone age 3-8 golden age 9-11 silver age 12-13 bronze age 13+ dark age

[@Rashy225]

Season 10-13 are way worse than season 14-17.

[@hashvendetta7226]

Season 2 is phenomenal

[@PeterParker-ff7ub]

1 to 10 are excellent.

[@ItsHailee7]

In my opinion, you could break up the 13+ further as not everything was in the dark age. There was a renaissance between seasons 20-22 as well as a smaller one between seasons 14-16. I hear people say that season 33 entered a new renaissance which may be true but not as significant as the seasons I mentioned above.

[@javi__...]

I enjoy plenty of episodes from season 13+ it's still funny and entertaining.

[@CorazonMexica]

To me the show became officially garbage when they killed Maude Flanders for the wrong reasons: it was done just because they had a problem with her voice actress, not because they wanted to make the show more interesting or funnier. The comedic potential of the Flanders family died with her. Business became more important than artistic integrity.

[@Attmay]

That could have been avoided by giving her a cost of living increase.

[@zmbdog]

Well, at least something disrupted the status quo for once. Without the real life turmoil their resolution to a "Maude dies" plot would've been to introduce her twin sister who later marries Ned and starts going by "Maude" because...idk, she always liked that name better or some crap. And all in a single episode!

[@CorazonMexica]

@@zmbdog I would have prefered that instead of the trash we got years later.

[@PixelSubstream]

I find it really hard to believe there wasn't a capable recording studio anywhere closer to her place of living. But I guess VAs recording remotely wasn't really a thing yet those days

[@astrobullivant5908]

The episode where Maude died was the first bad episode of the series in my opinion.

[@JOBdOut]

The Simpsons fell apart from season 11 onward for a simple reason. The new writers coming in and joining the team watched the Simpsons when they were younger - which means they didn't grasp the construct of the episodes and only remember the wackiness (just as a kid will remember recess hijinks over lessons from class) - the original creators didn't keep the new writers in check so those new writers eventually BECAME the actual writing team.. to which the young people who watched THOSE seasons joined in season 20 and onward without a grasp of the construct of the earlier episodes - and were unable to be trained as their trainers didnt know either.

[@leob4403]

Not entirely true, there were some writers still from earlier seasons way past season 10

[@leob4403]

@@deanjustdean7818 Alanis Morissette, Offspring, Sheryl Crow, Jamiroquai, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, Chemical Brothers, Ice Cube, Fatboy Slim, Red Hot Chili Peppers etc etc, these were sellouts and tryhards?? Are you high?

[@skippylizardfernando8290]

This is the first time I have watched a video about the Simpsons that doesn't blame season 9

[@randomguyontheinternet7940]

The showrunner for Seasons 9-12 went real easy on the cast and didn't have the same dedication or understanding of the show is why it really declined. I'd say this with a combination of how ambitious Season 8 was, you can't really top that without jumping the shark 23 times a year.

[@simeonteitelbaum3673]

Season 9 is largely quite good. Its the Principal and The Pauper which people refer to, which was a crossing of the rubicon from which the series never survived

[@dundee6402]

@@randomguyontheinternet7940 In fact, some people argue that season 8 is the one to blame for killing the show because it was so experimental and ambitious that it basically destroyed the series' foundation at its core. I tend to disagree with that theory. Because I think season 9 still did its best to balance plot, humor and drama in a way quite reminiscent of season 4, so it's still a very enjoyable season.

[@Attmay]

@@simeonteitelbaum3673 and that’s mainly because of the ending. If they had stuck with the character change and worked it into subsequent episodes, we would be telling a different story and maybe the relationship between him and Mrs. Krabappel would’ve played out differently. That was one of the biggest disappointments of post-classic Simpsons: how the courtship of Seymour and Edna played out so unsatisfactorily from a comedic and dramatic standpoint.

[@ludd4411]

@@Attmay Matt gronieng (cant spell his last name) considers Principal and the Pauper non-canon.

[@royjonzejr]

What puzzles me about the seasons 10-12 decline is, when examining the credits, there wasn't a huge change in the writers. The legendary John Swartzwelder of the Simpsons golden age, for example, wrote one of the worst episodes of all time (Kill the Alligator and Run in season 11). Although it's worth considering that in addition to the main writer for an episode, there are other writers who assist with jokes. So maybe Swartzwelder had weaker support staff than before. Or maybe Swartzwelder simply ran out of ideas. It's a mystery. We need a writer room tell-all.

[@j04370859]

Yeah, there was a big decline, with Swartzwelder, he also wrote "Homer's Kidney", that episode was terrible.

[@pronkb000]

I believe one major change was Mike Scully becoming showrunner in Season 9. The golden era of Simpsons was marked by LONG, marathon, all-day writing sessions where writers would pick at, and pick at, and refine, and refine jokes and scenes and lines until they could be as perfect as possible. But Scully had a wife and a young child at home and didn't want to spend all of his waking hours in a studio office, so the writing process took on more of a 9-to-5, "it's good enough" routine. Not that I can fault a guy for putting his family first and I've definitely consciously held my own career back by not wanting to work 60-to-80 hour weeks, but it absolutely made a difference in show quality.

[@j04370859]

@@pronkb000 Yeah, that's what a lot have said for years, Mike Scully changed the show forever, It started to decline and change a bit, around Season 9, but it still had some of that old Simpsons flavour in it. Season 10, in my opinion, was the true turning point for the show, then it was officially dead by Season 11.

[@Ometecuhtli]

Maybe start with less stupid ideas so you don't have such a long way to make a good episode, just a suggestion.

[@Shorty_Lickens]

A big part of it was the producers wanting to move in a new direction. And I have no doubt the Fox execs were pushing too hard to appeal to a wider audience with simpler stories.

[@terhiheino3593]

Season 11 is bad - but next to a HD era it is fucking masterpiece.

[@keithwellerlounge74]

Yeh several great episodes in season 11. By season 13 there’s about 2, and in season 14 there aren’t any. So yeh, the decline started several seasons earlier, but the show was still worth watching in season 14. By the time it got to season 17 and Sideshow Bob in Italy, it was a pisstake.

[@Voltaic_Fire]

Yep, you nailed it precisely. Homer went from endearing but dim-witted to outright callous and a man with two brain cells fighting for third place.

[@thermslusitania1151]

At least he's better than Peter Griffin I mean if you compare him and Peter Griffin

[@84bucco]

The term is Jerk Ass Homer I believe

[@Melissa0774]

The episode that did it for me was the one where they killed off Maude. They made Homer a psychopath.

[@Melissa0774]

@@Beefjerkyturkey-vf1jd That one I just couldn't take seriously at all.

[@eatatjoes6751]

I for one think it died after the movie. Once you have a movie, that should be the bow-out point. It is over.

[@aruce9]

If you watch the first 10 seasons and then the movie the movie works as a thematic conclusion to those seasons

[@jksvana]

The movie sucked. They waited too long to make that.

[@bewd4310]

@@jksvana thank you! I disliked it intensely!

[@ketaminepoptarts]

yeah like how spongebob was supposed to end after the movie, but is still being kept on the air to make nickelodeon money

[@Attmay]

@@ketaminepoptarts that was inevitable once it outlived its creator.

[@chesneyhawkesinofficial3742]

Marge vs. Monorail is a perfect example of how the golden era episodes worked

[@314rft]

It also depicted Homer as a dimwitted yet genuinely lovable father, who not only did no harm to anyone, but ended up saving the day even if it required help. Not only that, but it has plenty of Homer and Bart bonding moments as well, something that seems to never happen nowadays.

[@chesneyhawkesinofficial3742]

@@314rft Well said. I think before the era of Jerk-Ass Homer, the character relationships had a bigger meaning

[@beauwalker9820]

It also handled it's guest stars better. Where it actually wasn't afraid to poke fun at Nemoy, and even have him poke fun at himself. ("Anyone want to Switch seats?") While stuff like "Lisa goes Ga-Ga" just revolve around the celebrity, and just mindlessly praise, and promote them. I also miss the "guest star" characters like all the ones Phil Hartman and John Lovitz voiced. They voiced so many characters, they were almost Simpsons regulars too in the old days.

[@chesneyhawkesinofficial3742]

@@beauwalker9820 Lisa goes Gaga is superficial beyond comprehension. Worst episode ever (read in Jeff Albertsons voice).

[@Ometecuhtli]

Homer goes to the university is also and oft-cited prime example, the truth is _virtually_ every episode would've worked as an example, that's why it was the golden era!

[@JSRMedia]

Season 1-10 are what I stick to aswell. 9 felt chaotic to me and 10 felt bland to me, but they still felt like a part of the series even if they werren't the golden age, like season 1. Season 11 is so chaotic, violent and nothing makes sense, like season 9 on steroids. They lost the heart for sure. Perhaps 1-10 is classic, and 2 or 3-8 is golden?

[@ItsHailee7]

I actually find season 10 more chaotic than 9.

[@Cruor34]

@@ItsHailee7 I dont like season 1 much at all and I think 2 is "ok" 3-8 is the best and 9-11 have some good episodes. It takes a while for a show to find its stride, then they have thier best stuff, then it goes to hell as they run out of ideas and the best writers move on. Every show seems to follow that same bell curve. Also IMO art work does matter and season 1 is just bleh.

[@ItsHailee7]

@@Cruor34 I agree with season 1 being so bland. Only "Life On The Fast Lane" is an absolute classic to me. The bell curve illustration is perfect for the Simpsons. Well, for the first 10 seasons with season 7 being the show at its peak in my opinion. However, I don't think it just went completely downhill from season 8. There were some improvements during seasons 14-15, 18 and 20-22 but other than those seasons, yes a downward trend.

[@mazda9624]

I tried binging the entire show on Disney+ a few years ago, and I could easily tell that quality of the episodes began to decline in season 9 (1997). The show became borderline unwatchable by season 15 (2003) and I just stopped watching around that time because it became too painful to see the show I loved so dearly become so mediocre.

[@Attmay]

I threw in the towel after the Halloween episode of 2005. I got tired of the constant slams at Family Guy while they were constantly trying to copy their style and tone.

[@elperrodelautumo7511]

I stopped after the simpsons movie.

[@Vivi_9]

@@Attmay is that the one with all the Homer clones and one of them is Peter? I thought that was hilarious and a bit more subtle than Family Guy having Quagmire assault Marge

[@cruncmcfuncle564]

@@Attmay in 2005 Family Guy was arguably quite funny. Not quite the level of seasons 1-3 but still.

[@masterxak]

I think I quit watching at the Lady Gaga episode. I think I lasted more than most.

[@nOT_sURE08]

My wife always hated The Simpsons until this year, when she was in the room while I was watching Golden Era Simpsons. This went on for a few days and, eventually, she began to request that we watch The Simpsons. The Golden Era had inevitably won her over. I stopped around season nine, of course. Unfortunately, she's now watching on her own. She puts it on for background noise but it's garbage era Simpsons. I keep telling her she's doing herself a disservice by not starting from season 2 but she just keeps going forward instead. It's frustrating.

[@kjjh4449]

So glad you highlighted James Woods. Has always been my favourite celebrity guest. Barry White would be up there too.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Classic Simpsons: Good written stories, lots of great gags, things made sense, lots of heart. Modern Simpsons: Things just happen, incoherent stories, physically exhausting to watch.

[@ZilogBob]

Bland computer animation...

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@ZilogBob Yeah they look worse than Flash cartoons... You can tell how much they try to cut costs on animations today and it shows... It looks absolutely terrible and there's barely and fluid motions in the animations. Even South Park looks better animated in comparison...

[@randomdude8877]

The worst part about it that in my countries television we dont get to see the old seasons anymore. They just repeat the modern era of simpsons over and over again, and to think that a new generation of kids/teens is growing up with the modern era of the simpsons is really really unfortunate and sad. Because love, kindness, and overall witty jokes are no where to be found in the modern era.

[@coopdawg7203]

Seasons 9 through 20 are amazing compared to the newer ones

[@houseofmatrix6174]

I agreee after season 20

[@OpEditorial]

It could be argued that the cracks started showing during the Halloween specials, but because they were always written as "non canon" self contained stories that gave the creators free range to do more outlandish stuff to the characters without directly affecting flexible reality of the cartoon ecosystem of Springfield... then the shoddy writing and devil may care attitude began to bleed into the main story.

[@Shorty_Lickens]

Thats not a bad theory. Many people have analyzed everything that went wrong starting in late season 8. I like this guy, he did a lot of research before making his vid. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaKpf5V5mN55oc0 Its a really good explanation.

[@Johnlindsey289]

As far as I’m concerned this show ended with Behind The Laughter as that’s where it should had ended on a beautiful note then After that starting with Seasons 12 to now is a crappy imitation that bares little resemblance to a show called the Simpsons known as zombie Simpsons. Having this show still on the air is like having a beloved childhood teen hood friend on life support for a very long time until you realize he’s gone and waiting for some to pull the plug and end his misery

[@simeonteitelbaum3673]

Its depressingly on the money that Behind the Laughter was how to end the series. If that had happened we wouldn't look back with anything but fondness on the series I think. Sure season 11 would still be a bit of a mess but maybe it could read like an extended promor for Behind the Laughter, a meta joke about how the fame (and drugs) got to Homer's head and made him crazy

[@johnthefreeguy]

It's like a lot of people are unable to let go

[@zmbdog]

I hated Behind the Laughter. It really embodies the annoying, smarmy "ain't we clever" meta humor the show wallowed in after the golden age.

[@nousukas]

@@zmbdog It's the other half of it. It was funny when they then made fun of the show itself. Now we know there's all these "The Simpsons are going to X" and such repeated plots for episodes. It's only bad, if they now aknowledge (how do you spell it?) the shows problems and not trying to avoid them.

[@miahthorpatrick1013]

Yeah I totally agree. Behind the Laughter should’ve been the series finale. But Season 12 had to happen. And it just got worse.

[@brittasnow64]

Personally I think the simpsons has gone on for too long for there to only be two eras I think theres three personally Classic (1-10), Middle (11-20) and Modern (21-present)

[@JcDizon]

What is the difference between middle and modern? I completely dropped the show somewhere between season 13 and 15.

[@sergiowinter5383]

@@JcDizon 11-20 The Simpsons got more wacky but still has the same kind of humor, after that seems like they become more politically correct and, obviously, less funny

[@JcDizon]

@@sergiowinter5383 Oh I see, that makes sense. A lot of western media became more PC in the 2010's.

[@RyanTheDark]

To me, it died in the Principal and the Pauper when Skinner's character was absolutely destroyed but I believed there was still some good episodes in 9 and 10. I'm not above admitting both seasons goods despite it flaws. There is even some good episodes after like Holidays of Future Passed and Barthood but most are blatant trash that should have never been made. I would rather watch *most episodes* in 9 and 10 than anything during and after 11.

[@zmbdog]

If they'd had the balls to stick with it I might've respected that but that ending was just doubly insulting. They not only destroyed the character but they did it _for nothing_ . Just to declare him Seymour Skinner again, it's like f* you guys.

[@ETH5626]

@@zmbdog Makes me wonder why they made that episode let alone hire Martin Sheen as the real Seymour Skinner when they could have made a different episode altogether. Were they really that stupid back then?

[@NGRevenant]

It died when they killed Maude imo. Having homer indirectly kill the wife of the nicest character on the show just for ratings is officially the point where they stopped giving a shit.

[@Attmay]

@@NGRevenant it didn’t have to be that way. They could’ve given Maggie Roswell a salary increase or just kept Marcia Mitzman Gaven (sp?) on as the voice of Maude Flanders and Helen Lovejoy until they settled it. Instead, they killed her out of spite while retroactively making Ned justified in saying “you are the worst person I have ever known“ to Homer after his nervous breakdown in Hurricane Neddy

[@jordanread5829]

@@zmbdog It does come up again in the episode where Lisa loses snowball 2 and has a series of dead cats afterwards. Until the crazy cat lady throws her a cat looking exactly like snowball 2 and names her that. Skinner shows up and questions that to which Lisa refers to him as his "real" name. Although this subplot is probably more poking fun at Principal and the Pauper though.

[@paulc7956]

1-2: Intriguing to watch 3-10: A joy to watch 11-19: Uncomfortable to watch 20+: Heartbreaking to watch

[@gggumball]

I'll admit I actually like season 11 and 12 and some of the declining Simpsons because they were the first Simpsons episodes I ever saw a couple years ago. I knew nothing about the Simpsons in its prime and I'm used to cartoons with unrealistic traits so I thought that it was just what the show was about the whole time and I really liked it cause of that, but when I watched the Simpsons from season 1-6 I completely understood why people didn't like those seasons I used to love so much.i think that they are still cool I might be able to enjoy them but idk I also don't want to watch them. I like watching modern Simpsons just to judge them really so I watch it every once in a while but always go back to the old episodes

[@Attmay]

There were still some funny jokes in season 11 but they were already starting to run out of ideas. That should’ve been the absolute end of it and the movie should’ve come 10 years earlier. Oh, who am I kidding? They would just reboot if they did that and make Lisa a non-binary named Liso. Remember when she responded to “grow a penis or get lost“by actually trying to?

[@Shorty_Lickens]

Season 9 actually had a bunch of good episodes except for that one with fake Skinner. 10 thru 12 had some decent episodes but overall the seasons as a whole were getting worse. And 13 was the final straw. Crossing over with Family Guy was not needed and a pretty bad idea in general. I like Family Guy, but it never ever had to be relatable to the Simpsons. You can enjoy two types of humor on one channel.

[@simeonteitelbaum3673]

You're right, season 11 is where the decline becomes consistently noticeable but it truly goes off a cliff in season 12 and bottoms out in season 13. Thats when I stopped watching it

[@seanthomson5578]

I totally agree with your point and I did the same where I watched Seasons 11-12 but got minimal enjoyment from them but Season 13 is when the show became unwatchable

[@theimortal1974]

same here (season 13)

[@Attmay]

I want reparations for everything after season 11. I’m not even saying that to be cute.

[@TheTrohl]

My personal cut-off point is season 14 because that's the first time I shut off an episode before finishing it because I just couldn't take it.

[@magdavelas]

This video not only says as much about The Simpsons decline as a dozen other KZbin videos about the same topic combined… it adds more insight. I agree that season 9 was a mixed bag, perhaps 10 too - and everything after was, is, and will be dreadful.

[@coopdawg7203]

Beyound blunderdome was awesome, it had the best joke of all the simpsons, "look, rdj is having a shootout with the police" Bart-"i dont see any cameras"

[@e-122psi3]

"Mr Smith, this is HIGHLY unorthadox!!!"

[@nousukas]

I think it's better than When you dish upon a star, but these should have been the only celebrity centered plots. I also like Ron Howard in the latter.

[@Attmay]

The joke about Ellen DeGeneres being together with Anne Heche is now dated when Anne is with a man and Ellen is with Portia de Rossi… For now.

[@theangryholmesian4556]

Just goes to show how dire things were were RDJ back in the 90s. So glad he made a comeback and turned his life around.

[@coopdawg7203]

@@theangryholmesian4556 yeasir

[@billscannell93]

I thought the Loch Ness monster one was actually really funny, and no wonder: it was written by John Swartzwelder. The show started going down the tubes when the original team of writers began writing fewer and fewer episodes. It is all about the writing!

[@dugonman8360]

Theres a moment in 'homer vs new york city' where Bart goes to mad magazines headquarters and there are mad cartoon characters interacting with other simpsons characters. This signifies that the writers of the simpsons have forgotten that, yes, the simpsons is a wacky animated sitcom, but it still had its world build around real world logic. There were never any barriers broken before this episode like this, where cartoon characters interacted with the real simpsons world. It was one singular moment, but you'll see other moments later on in the seasons 9-11 that do the same thing: Maggie not acting like a baby or animals not acting like animals. The writers seemed to approach their episodes less as if they were writing the simpsons and moreso that they were just writing a general cartoon.

[@Attmay]

This is why the flying nanny episode was the shark jump moment of the show. It was that episode that opened Pandora’s box for everything else of that nature and completely destroyed the idea that the show was grounded in reality in any way.

[@Attmay]

They turned Maggie into the dancing baby. That already happened when they had her dance like Goldie Hawn did on *Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.*

[@dugonman8360]

@@Attmay ya see, I only saw the flying nanny episode in syndication and was kinda shocked finding out it was a season 8 episode, it felt like a season 9 episode. I'll defend the maggie laugh in dance since its nothing more than a cut away gag and was genuinely funny because the jokes based on how ludicrous it is. A dancing maggie post S9 wouldn't be a joke, it just be something she was doing.

[@pronkb000]

@@dugonman8360 Yeah, the Laugh-In reference almost feels like it's "out of continuity," so to speak. Like, it wasn't something that was literally happening. It was more like the '60s Batman transition bits, which also showed up in Golden Age Simpsons (the Bart-signal in Separate Vocations).

[@Evergladez]

I'm glad you didn't just go for the easy cope out of season 9. I don't get people who say the principle and the pauper was bad yet complain about the show not willing to shake up the status quo. That episode was the biggest shake up and with the episode being criticized not for it being good or bad but for going against the grain ofc they would go on to play it completely safe afterwards.

[@nintendonut100]

Yeah, it's a bad criticism to say it's shite because it did something different. It's shite because it's not funny, but I give it props for trying something different.

[@Attmay]

That episode took the blame for a lot more than it deserved when there were worse episodes before and after it that did more to damage the shows reputation and are a lot more painful to watch. But they still should have stuck with the character change. That wasn’t as bad as asking us to forget about it and threatening the people of Springfield with unconstitutional criminal penalties if they bring it up again. Consider what Martin Sheen did right before it: Project ALF, the pseudo-reunion of a show that used to employ Simpsons writers.

[@nintendonut100]

@@Attmay couldn't agree more. It seems to get hate more for the concept than the quality, which yes, is bad, but of all the episodes to single out as The Moment The Simpsons Died it's an odd choice, as seasons 9 and 10 are still full of good episodes.

[@Ometecuhtli]

It had shock value but it was directed to the fans, something to my knowledge they haven't explicitly made before. And when they tried explaining it they couldn't as apparently didn't expect such backlash.

[@eternitymatters8767]

Well done. James Woods had such a great role. But when they started having guest stars just to have them, it got pointless.

[@charlesburns7391]

Now it's just Look everyone! It's: insert famous celebrity. Look how amazing they are!!!!

[@georgemillman6774]

Controversial opinion: I think the golden era was Season 1-2. There were still some hilarious moments in the later years, but the first two seasons made the main characters feel like real people - you could probably recreate those seasons as live-action. After that, even though it was still funny, it did become 'cartoony'. As early as Season 3, things started to become wacky and unrealistic, starting at the very beginning of Season 3 with Stark Raving Dad, where Homer goes into a mental asylum for wearing a pink shirt to work - yes, hilarious, but it's a joke you could only do in a cartoon show. As early as that, we'd left behind the heart of episodes like Moaning Lisa or Lisa's Substitute. I enjoy Season 3, but I actually am not the biggest fan of Seasons 4-5 - at that point it goes a bit TOO wacky, like the monorail episode or Homer going into outer space. Season 6 I like a bit more... it stepped back and became more grounded again. But the tone had been set by that point for a wacky cartoon show without much continuity. Another thing I don't like about Season 3 onwards is that Springfield stops feeling like a real town, because around that point every character knows every other character. That hilarious exchange in Blood Feud - 'Hello, my name is Mr Burns. I believe you have a letter for me?' 'Okay, Mr Burns. What's your first name?' 'I don't know.' - wouldn't work in any later season, because everyone knows Mr Burns by then.

[@georgemillman6774]

Forgot to mention - the celebrities turning up in Springfield, whilst it went over the top in the Zombie era, started a lot earlier than people remember. Three out of the four Beatles meet the Simpsons in the first seven seasons! I don't mind Ringo Starr, because the context works, but the other two were really unnecessary.

[@CorazonMexica]

"Another thing I don't like about Season 3 onwards is that Springfield stops feeling like a real town" While I love deeply seasons 3-8, I agree with you. Things gone worse since the Scully era, but it became WAY WORSE since season 13 with Al Jean era. Since season 3 the town became more cartoony and wacky, but since around 12-13, it became into a boring generic sitcom setting.

[@georgemillman6774]

@@CorazonMexica I think the underlying difficulty with The Simpsons was that the ground was laid for it to become silly and cartoony and wacky way before it stopped being funny. So people think the drop happened suddenly, whereas in fact it happened incredibly gradually. I think a good example is the fact that people think the constant celebrities showing up as themselves is a more recent thing - but actually, The Simpsons interacted with all three surviving Beatles within the first seven seasons. All in separate incidents. I don't mind the Ringo Starr one in Series 2 because the context is funny - Marge wrote to him as a teenager, and he's spending his retirement going through the entire backlog of fan mail - but George Harrison and Paul McCartney just turn up for no reason.

[@georgemillman6774]

Just realised I already put down the Beatles example! I do apologise, I thought I'd forgotten to say that :P

[@StephanieWordsworth-jd6db]

Finally someone that agrees with me! In my opinion, Season 2 is unbeatable

[@mechajay3358]

Now this isn't to say every episode in Modern Simpsons is terrible, there are some good ones, but they're so few and in between compared to consistent classics of the Golden Age Simpsons. Great video.

[@violenceisfun991]

Aren't you the priest off the cereal box?

[@emankcin1701]

I still enjoy some episodes from 20-25, or atleast it's a way to spent 20 minutes waiting for something else. Around after 25 it becomes unwatchable. Well, haven't seen all the episodes from that time so I don't know for sure, but yeah. I don't like seasons 1-2 either because of the graphics.

[@diestecs]

@@emankcin1701 the graphics in season 2 are good

[@SophieSean33]

This is such an underrated video! Loved the analysis :)

[@avsevens]

Thank you

[@Jennithebaker]

For me, the decline started on the one where bart becomes a jockey. It was the first time I remember really, really hating an episode. It was just so bad. But I remember the one where he goes on Ritalin being in that same season and finding it relatable as I spent my childhood/teens on some form of ADHD meds and thought it was hilarious.

[@WillowJordan1979]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who hated that episode! It was out of character for everyone, Bart had to become a jockey so suddenly he is the animal rights activist/horse lover and not Lisa. It made zero sense. It wasn't funny, either. I also hated the London and Africa episodes, they came around the same time I think.

[@sergelevesque2718]

I feel like the episode where Bart joins a boy band is very close to that time frame as well, if not the same season. That one was the clear sign for me that the show was going in the wrong direction. It made no sense from Nelson's character to join a boy band, or for Otto to listen to that music. N'Sync presence as guest stars felt forced, pretty much confirming what this video's creator mentioned about guest stars' involvement with The Simpsons. The same thing happened with the 60's Batman series and the Flintstones. The popular sentiment likes to tell that Gazoo ruined the Flintstones in season 6, but in actuality season 5 was where the Flintstones were broken, in much the same manner as the Simpsons. 1. A heavy dose of shows written entirely around guest stars (Ann Margaret, Tony Curtis, etc...) 2. The introduction of Pebbles. (how that relates to the Simpsons is that Pebbles completely changed the behavior of Fred Flintstones and why the audience liked watching him, in a similar fate to how Homer's character change negatively impacted the audience's response.)

[@WillowJordan1979]

@@sergelevesque2718 I remember that episode. "*gasp* It's 'N Sync!!!" It felt so forced. The songs weren't funny, they were a bit too realistic for a boy band. I did like the one joke where they saw themselves on MAD Magazine and Nelson said: "They called me Smellson. Ha ha!" and Homer responded: "It's funny because you smell!" But yeah, all in all a dud.

[@Attmay]

@@WillowJordan1979 they wanted it to be different from the episode where Lisa bought a pony so that forced them into a corner. Once again, something that wouldn’t have happened if that flying nanny BS had never happened. Frankly, an off the wall pseudo-fantasy would have been preferable to a proto-woke lecture.

[@Attmay]

@@sergelevesque2718 I haven’t even watched that episode since it’s original broadcast it was so bad and I was thrilled when they pulled it out of syndication after the September 11 attacks. They never should’ve let it back in. Meanwhile, the Michael Jackson episode was and is a classic and they took it away based on a lie to distract from Matt Groening being on one of the planes owned by that dead Sweathog. That’s why I say that season 11 should have been the absolute last season with no exception.

[@Steambull1]

"Marge vs the Monorail" was the beginning of the end for me (gags took priority over characters and everything that grounded the series in actual family life). It kinda bothers me that so many people hail that very episode as the poster boy of the golden era. Season 4 still has lots of great, classic episodes, though. Seasons 2 and 3 are my favorites.

[@snnnaaaaaakeeeee4470]

I can see that episode being a warning of things to come but I personally really enjoy when The Simpsons mixes realism and wackiness in a way that only a cartoon can.

[@tkthetank]

Funny thing about The Simpsons is that season 8 aired in 1996 ending the Golden Age yet it’s still going strong today. Amazing.

[@pearljam619]

Heartbreaking how much this iconic show has fallen. It ruled the world back in the early 90s.

[@KillbotAndGorGorAttack]

For me, season 10 was the last “good” season. Homer was an asshole by then, but there was still Bart The Mother. I think season 12’s episode of Homer getting raped by a panda is the definitive wake-up call, saying “this is normal now.”

[@ZilogBob]

Yep. The Grimes episode was another low point.

[@bookaufman9643]

Before I had ever heard of the golden era of The Simpsons or had ever read about where people thought that they began to decline I had noticed that good Simpsons episodes were well managed and had a clear storyline while the bad ones seem to have a couple or three lightweight story lines and featured way too many characters from The Simpsons community. It's actually the last thing that I noticed first. If you've got more than 10 characters showing up in an episode, or let's be even more flexible and call it 13, then it might be a good episode if you've got more than 13 it's probably substandard. Obviously there are outliers.

[@Ometecuhtli]

It is evident the writers believed in the quality of their work as they didn't need to push as many things at you so you basically can't remember which episode it came from. It's no accident that when we talk about some Simpsons moment I can recall the episode and context of it while my cousin (who started watching about season 8) doesn't remember the storyline (he's a Senior Programmer with a master's degree, in case anyone thinks he's got bad memory).

[@supremeghost7950]

The Simpsons will be the first show, which will survive all their original voice actors.

[@aSome1]

Simpsons in a nutshell: the best the quality of the animation, the worse the plot...

[@Attmay]

Also, the more the actors get paid, the worse the dialogue they have to speak.

[@davidq.5488]

TY for clarifying how/when and why the current show just does not have the quality of the Golden Era. There were entire seasons I avoided after that Golden Era. And I'll always miss Phil Hartman's performances and characters, may he RIP.

[@tomlazoriksuccessfitness]

Fantastic video, man! Really well-written essay. For me, seasons 1-9 (I love seasons 1 and 2) are beauty divine, and seasons 10-13 are watchable enough. But there is certainly a decline post season 9 in my eyes. I can watch certain episodes from 15 and on, though I more or less fell off pre season 30. The show is almost less than Family Guy by this point. It’s quite sad…

[@Attmay]

Every Simpsons episode that is better than Family Guy predates Family Guy. The only reason either of them are still on the air today is to manufacture consent for neoliberal wars.

[@TheLocalLt]

@@Attmay lmao what

[@PixelSubstream]

it's gone on so long that we now have Modern Simpsons and Post-Modern Simpsons where Martin is actually a 35 year old undercover cop pretending to be a kid.

[@jamesrgamesoffical]

I thought that was a treehkuse of horror episode?

[@jeffbaer5851]

OK, I didn't read ALL the comments here, but... Does NO ONE understand why the show REALLY changed??? Seriously? Four words: South. Park. Family. Guy. The "Golden Age" Simpsons were in a class by themselves. There was NO other programming anywhere like it. (They even pointed out that they had imitators in a Season 4 episode, I think, by ripping on the ABC show which had dinosaurs that were an exact copy of the Simpson family. It was live action people in stupid suits, and it was awful, and it was made to try to leech off the Simpsons structure and popularity.) Then, in 1997, about 8 years after the show started, South Park debuted. Then, in 1999, about 10 years after the show started (SEEING THE PATTERN YET, PEOPLE?????), Family Guy debuted. And WHEN was the "decline"? Between seasons 8 and 10. By Season 11, both SP and FG had become full-blown phenomenal hits in their own right, and the Simpson writers knew it all too well. The "decline" of the Simpsons was simply the writers reacting and adapting to competition. Sadly, they clearly didn't think their original formula could cut it, so they made the show more Family Guy-esque (ridiculous plots, a sociopathic father, bizarre thought-bubble side-cuts...). They didn't really adopt the South Park STYLE, but the line for what is "offensive" was moved ridiculously far by Parker and Stone, so the Simpsons' writers happily walked past the line they had seemed to draw for themselves early on, in terms of the show's "heart." I think your essay is well written, Sevens, but I think if you're trying to be comprehensive, that's a big hole in your thesis. You say WHAT happened, but you don't really scratch the surface as to WHY. Not a slam against you, just some constructive criticism.

[@shutup2751]

i wasnt even born until 1997 and still only watch the golden age simpsons, anything past really 10 / 11 just does not feel like simpsons and is trying way too hard to be funny, south park has remained successful because it sticks to what it knows whereas simpsons had to start trying something different

[@Attmay]

It remains successful because they had no standards to begin with so they had none to lose.

[@capucharoja6887]

For hispanic-americans, the simpsons died on season 16. They changed 90% of the dub cast including Homer's dub actor, which he was and still is one of the most beloved voice performances in Mexico and South America

[@avsevens]

That’s interesting, I’d never heard that before

[@capucharoja6887]

@@avsevens yeah, the story of why that is is pretty sad. The dub actors were protesting the bad salaries overall the bad state of the dubbing industry in Mexico and at that time Fox brought the 16th season to the director, he told them they couldn't bring the cast because they were on strike and they went ''screw it, change the cast then'' and the original dub hasn't work on the Simpsons since. Imagine the Genie's voice in the direct-to-video movies of Aladdin, were the actor was replaced from Robin Williams to Dan Castellaneta but for 90 percent of The Simpsons characters

[@avsevens]

Wow that’s terrible, especially considering how long they’d been on the show

[@speedtracker9556]

@@avsevens what you are saying is not true! The Simpsons will *NEVER* die!

[@FekLeyrTarg]

In the German speaking countries, many people stopped watching "The Simpsons" after Marge's original German voice actress Elisabeth Volkmann had died. Many simply couldn't accept Anke Engelke as her successor, even though she's doing a great job in my opinion.

[@Rita1984]

Michael jackson met the simpsons very early on and the entire episode was pretty much mostly about him.

[@WakeUpUniverse66]

Great video dude, new simpsons is so sad cause it used to be the best.

[@isaaclaf1000]

Seasons 3-9, delete the rest.

[@avsevens]

Thanks man, I agree those early seasons just can’t be touched

[@lookout97]

Seasons 3-8 were the Golden Age of The Simpsons. That was when the animation and writing was spot on, and Homer got his hilarious voice.

[@CineScarborough]

Interesting points. Personally I think the weaker episodes of new Simpsons is more because they go too far on the absurdity rather than focus on relatable scenarios.

[@kitestar]

It’s still in decline, the Billy eilish short? Tried to sweep history under the rug and said homer didn’t share Lisa’s passion for music. The very same show that saw him buy lisa the sax with an engraving

[@zmbdog]

What infuriates me about the show is their utter refusal to take advantage of their longevity. If they'd let the kids age a few years they'd open up all kinds of new storylines for them. But no, even when they change something...they really don't. They'll have Barney quit drinking but still be the same character hanging out at Moe's all the time. They'll kill off Fat Tony but then just add a relative, turn him into Fat Tony's f*n clone and call him Fat Tony! What's the point? Why are they so afraid of change? They chased most of their audience away with their plummeting quality anyway. They should be fearless to try new things, they have nothing to lose! They don't even do multi-episode story arcs. For a show so increasingly reliant on retconning and filler material they sure like to burn through potential plot lines as fast as they can. It's like they _want_ to be bereft of ideas.

[@willissudweeks1050]

I remember this shift. When I was really little the show was much more emotional and when I was like 13 it was more crude and obnoxious. That’s sad.

[@missmeaghanj2482]

Let us not forget that The Simpsons is still one of the best shows of all time. 10 phenomenal seasons. Even eight phenomenal seasons. That's a better record than 99% of shows.

[@JDrevolver66]

Season 9 is the hinge that the golden era and modern era swing on. Noticeably worse but still holding over some good elements, and the less 'realistic' episodes like Simpson Tide are still very good. From 10 on it's unmistakably a dumber show, for the reasons mentioned. 12 and 13 might be the last l'd bother with, if you don't mind dumber jokes and escalating wackiness (e.g. Skinner's Sense of Snow).

[@nendoroiddancing7361]

God season 30 is like rotten corpse that Disney is keeping alive to pay for over spending on fox

[@wolfgangfegelein2450]

I can't help but wonder how many amazing shows we missed out of because the bloated corpses of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park hog all the spotlight.

[@mrnobody2018]

Certain animated teen sitcoms must have a end but some don't end which means they aren't unforgettable

[@aussieknuckles]

Great video, and the Simpson's End video. Switched from my Brave browser to KZbin just to comment that lol. Really great content, subbed.

[@arthurpietrogarcia1057]

I Don't know why but if you arent a Flashback/Flash forward or a Treehouse of horror,you can't be a good modern episode because those are the olny good ones(except TOH XXII that was just a dream.)

[@kasel1979krettnach]

i remember the exact moment and where I was, in S11, when we switched off TV in the middle of an episode for the first time.

[@icecreamhero2375]

7:46 A story being busy doesn't mean it doesn't have a 3 act structure. Not every modern episode is as busy as kill the alligator and run. Homer is stressed out so they go to Florida to relax. Its not so relaxing because it's spring break and the college kids want to party. They then accidentally kill an alligator. They are on the run from the cops. They are eventually captured and try to escape. The alligator is fine after all.

[@kimstryitchannel3903]

This is the video I’ve been waiting to see about the Simpsons. You are SPOT ON.

[@ripgamecubememorycard5312]

I’d say season 8 is the first real stumbling block, although much to that seasons benefit, the quality wasn’t consistent. That said, the Mary poppins episode and the one where Lisa babysits Bart are shit. Anyways nice video

[@avsevens]

Thanks appreciate that

[@icecreamhero2375]

The Marry Poppins episode is one of my all-time favorites.

[@randomguyontheinternet7940]

I wouldn't say it was the first stumbling point. I feel like it was the step towards it. Many describe it as the shows perfect final Season. Few, including myself pointing at Homer's Enemy as the perfect finale of the show. Maybe even the Magnum Opus.

[@Zman201]

Personally in my opinion Homer's Enemy is the Simpsons magnum opus

[@BirdsElopeWithTheSun09]

Season 8 has so many fantastic episodes in it: Homer's Phobia, Homer's Enemy, You Only Move Twice, Hurricane Neddy, the Guatemalan insanity peppers episode... I think it's easily the best season. Season 9 is where the quality starts going down, but it's still a great season.

[@astrobullivant5908]

@3:05, The episode where Homer and Mel Gibson did the Three Stooges Dance with the killing spree version of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington was hilarious!

[@levioneill9677]

As a prior hard-core Simpsons fan, I'd still accept up to season 13 but after that it's nearly unwatchable. Thank goodness for Futurama.

[@FuturePast2019]

and also season 14 ... The Rolling Stones Fantasy Camp. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3vHZ5ZtoNWAoKs

[@dandycrow2821]

Golden Age ends with the final episode of the 11th season, "Behind The Laughter".

[@abelmantor7557]

Someone just really needs to pull the 🔌 already.

[@christopherwalsh2368]

The Simpsons to me is like an old friend. I check in every now and again to see how it's doing but always have the fond memory of what they used to be like...

[@khanad3247]

The decline of the simpsons is actually a representation of a deterioration of society as well. Yes when the simpsons became more mainstream they stopped putting effort into the writing but society going down also factors in to it.

[@SubZero-hs9xc]

Meh... Not

[@Adamkalb1]

That is not a good excuse for the writers to do better. It should motivate them to do better!

[@chrisbg99]

So much like the decline of Spirograph corresponded with the rise of gang violence, the decline of Simpsons corresponds with the decline of society? I'll think about it.

[@eyeballjay]

I'd really like to see these "deterioration of society" edgelords to to go back like 100 years just to see what it was like then probably die of TB or something lmao. Not that modern society can't do better; we can. Much better. But we are living in the golden age of medicine, technology, science, free information and progression. You don't know how dumb and entitled yall sound when you say stuff like this. Also it's a cartoon bro it's literally not that deep.

[@CoderatheGreat]

If society is deteriorating then that should make it easier for people to get creative with their art, Weimar Germany for example had a lot of innovative art being produced, there's so much crap to work with that you can piece it together into something unique.

[@sentimentalbloke185]

A more challenging topic is to describe why people have continued to watch it for the last 20 years. IMO, it was a product of its time (the 90s) which has long passed, and the show hasn't grown in terms of new characters/ageing of the characters.

[@glen366]

Exactly who even watches it anymore?

[@AnnDVine]

It's worth noting that production seasons and airing seasons have slight overlap. The Principal and the Pauper, for example, was actually a holdover episode from production season 8.

[@pronkb000]

That's interesting, I didn't know that about that particular episode. I do know some episodes were holdovers, but the S9 episode I most associate with that quality was Lisa's Sax. Funny how one of the consensus best S9 episodes and one of the worst both came from S8, which is usually considered superior all-around.

[@AmitSingh-gd3fj]

The decline started to begin even back in Season 6, last episode: "Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part 1" The last episode which I thought had the feel of the early glory episodes was "Team Homer" - Season 7, episode 12

[@j04370859]

Nope, that was a classic episode and Season 6-7, was definitely still the golden era.

[@redherronrecords]

This is all true, but the "Jimmy crack-corn and I don't care/ we built this city on rock'n'roll... something something day." bit still gets me.

[@brandnewman9870]

Season 11 is a season I have owned, then sold, then bought again, because while I agree this is a steppingstone in the wrong direction of "modern day", it also contains the last episodes I can precisely remember from my childhood. Everything afterward becomes foggy, as I ultimately stopped watching the show, maybe around season 13? It is true the stories are weaker and unrealistic (something that started 2 years prior, as you rightfully mentioned - God, that Nessy episode...), but there are still memorable moments, and I believe "Behind the Laughter" can serve as a nice finale, in a "meta" sort of way (something a show like Tiny Toons was never criticized for doing). I also liked that some episodes were "bold", even if it was for financial reason (the leaving of Maud's voice), or if it led to diminishing a character's deepness (Barney, who I loved for being a pure and artistic soul that just got crushed by his personal demons). I mean, even though they said in Futurama that the secret of a lasting show is to "revert" the situation at the end of an episode (remember the time Homer and Flanders were friends?), one can admit that it was pretty interesting to focus on mourning or alcohol addiction for a cartoon that was already known to talk about "adult matters". Anyway, long story short, I am giving this season another chance, for the sake of maintaining a somewhat acceptable finale, and because I can't deny there are still some episodes that were memorable enough. Everything after that... well, let's put it nicely and say it's just another show that shares the same name and characters!

[@adamazzalino5247]

I mean the ep in season 33 that ends with Homer feeding Marge chips as they watch the sunset after they survived in the middle of nowhere is pretty close to the rain drops ending. The new seasons have a lot of heart in the character study eps--but only recently.

[@Sum41rthe1]

11-13 the stories are really stupid, BUT there are some killer jokes and lines in there. Yeah Homer becomes a jerk, but in a funny way which still ties into him being stupid. 14+ is just unfunny, family guy-esque garbage.

[@stdomingoblues1187]

Couldn’t imagine the modern simpsons having a ending like the early one when homer mums leaves and he’s sitting on the bonnet of his car in the desert. That’s the difference

[@MrConnman123]

But season 11 has sneed

[@xagon2012]

I think I stopped watching some time after Flander's wife died. Maybe season 12 or 13. That character death rubbed me the wrong way and at some point I noticed the series wasn't as funny anymore.

[@matane2465]

No, there's 4 categories. Proto Simpsons era, which are basically the Tracy Ullman shorts and maybe Season 1 and 2 where they were still working things out. Classic era Simpsons which is basically Season 3 to 8 and could possibly include seasons 1 and 2 and 9 and 10. Then you have the aught era seasons where the show was still decent and still had some good writing here and there and had the best Simpsons video game Hit & Run, this being around Season 10 to 19. The modern Era is when they went to HD which I believe started in Season 20. This is when the show truly went to crap.

[@Retro_World064]

I like your videos man and I like your accent even better

[@darkwoods1954]

I found Simpsons funny still till the mid 2000s. Really once the movie came out, that should have been it. Had it been allowed to end with a bit of grace they may well have been able to bring it back soon to huge anticipation. Now they've run it into the ground so much, once it's finally put out of it's misery I doubt it will ever have much demand to return.

[@grantmourning189]

Early simpsons was mostly around Bart, Later Si.psoms was mostly around Homer. That was the change in my opinion.

[@Ometecuhtli]

I didn't like the transition in the beginning but then they maintained Homer's personality traits (dim-witted but family loving). It was when they ran out of ideas, got lazy, or whichever reason that the show took a dip, but it could've happened still with Bart being the main focus of the cartoon.

[@mr.j.perala2861]

I agree, the modern Simpsons is awful. I think season 8 is the last good season of The Simpsons. To me, it is also the end of the golden era of the show.

[@aruce9]

Is still say there is some classic episodes in season 9 and 10

[@mr.j.perala2861]

@@aruce9 Yes. Some episodes are.

[@crazynicko7583]

I still love and enjoy the simpsons obviously the earlier ones are stronger in originality and comedy but it’s a cartoon you put it on you laugh and continue on with life. Personally I love all the seasons.

[@herbertwongsanimations6266]

I consider seasons 3 to 9 to be the golden era, although 9 easily being the weakest one out of them. The show seemed to be threatened by South Park at season 10 and just became mean-spirited without any satirical bite. So season 10 was the downfall in my opinion. There were some good episodes from 10 on but they were few and far between. Any post-movie I find almost unwatchable. (And free-to-air TV over here only screens season 10 onwards 🙄) 1 & 2: Good but still finding it's feet. 3 - 9: Golden era but declining towards the end. 10 - movie: Bad Movie: An improvement but still nowhere near the golden era. Post-movie: Can't watch.

[@Ometecuhtli]

It's like evolution, there's no definite episode or season where the Simpsons are _classic_ and the next they're _modern_ Simpsons. To me the exodus to Futurama (season 8) when one of the writers was quoted as saying he believed it was truly the last season so they started pitching weirder and less realistic scenarios and they actually got approved is the beginning of the end, but putting it on a single episode (I'd like it to be the principal and the pauper, as many others) is because there's already cracks in the show's writing and that particular moment made me realize there was no point of return.

[@PeterParker-ff7ub]

none of the characters act like real people anymore. none of the stories make any sense. It isnt about anything relatable.

[@bewd4310]

And its no longer satirical, nasty or witty. Because they’re too chicken sht they’ll offend people.. the meanness of it made it hilarious.

[@mstrikesback168]

well that was sad. Im on season 2. Looks like I'll stop after season 10

[@mubzytv]

Season 9 is not a bad season despite The Principal and the Pauper being this season even though that episode did have some funny moments compared to newer seasons

[@BirdsElopeWithTheSun09]

Season 9 is great.

[@muruamd]

This was really good!

[@llamasarus1]

When I watched the show as a kid in the early early 2000's I didn't know the difference. So I'll have to re-watch the show with the perspective of a child rather than a critic.

[@bewd4310]

It’s a huge difference.

[@Attmay]

Kids don’t care about the new episodes. They care more about the cartoons that have been created since then. But when I was a kid, every Friday morning we would talk about what happened on the show last night. That’s something you earn and the old Simpsons earned it only to throw it away by forgetting everything that made them a hit in the first place.

[@MrBenjibean]

This is absolutely on the money. Perfect video.

[@UnclePhil1112]

Should have ended after the movie.