Should I select a area of expertise, it would certainly be The Simpsons. I reference it constantly. I remember titles of episodes and creative leads with ease. I annoy friends and family by reciting lines as they play out. I love The Simpsons.
It's also the weakest offering airing today.
Confessing to being a Simpsons fan comes with inevitable qualifiers: “Avoid the modern installments!” Typically viewers hope their favorite show to run as far as cost-conscious networks will allow. Not me. I'd happily witness The Simpsons retired for good, instead of receiving another film, as recently revealed in recent news.
The Classic Period and Its Influence
Audiences acknowledge the show pales in comparison to the brilliance of its “peak period” – generally recognized roughly during seasons one through eight – when it boasted a remarkable assembly of writers. Featuring such names as several comedy legends, the show’s writers were masters of everyday situations, absurdist, intellectual and slapstick humor, frequently shifting between styles in a single gag.
The Simpsons challenged what was appropriate on television, particularly with the eldest son's cheeky laziness and the father's fondness for beer, food and general laziness. A former U.S. leader famously once said that his goal was to make American families “more Walton-esque and not so Simpsons-like”. Some time after, The Simpsons retaliated by having the father confront the president below the streets.
However, a key charm was the show’s quirky skepticism clashing against its emotional warmth.
A key originator is widely recognized as anchoring the characters in a authenticity rare for animation up until that point. Nearly all primary characters were portrayed as complex personalities rather than simple cartoons; sometimes Homer could travel to space, in another he’d grieve the leaving by his mother.
The Long Decline and Current Issues
But The Simpsons hasn’t truly been good since 1997, showing a steady decrease for as long as I’ve been alive. Now we are beset installment after installment of awful, awful episodes. Ironically, the show was mocking the increasing challenge in remaining innovative all the way back in 1995. As Troy McClure said in an early clip show: “No one can say what exploits they’ll have before the point the show becomes no longer viable?”
It’s impossible to explain succinctly why modern Simpsons falls flat. It’s not funny, sure. Yet the residents are now one-dimensional versions of themselves – a trend so clear in the friendly neighbor’s evolution from a good-hearted and religious neighbor to a extreme believer that it spawned the term “character exaggeration”.
Additionally, the show is not as concerned with shaping culture and more interested in following it. In basic examples this can be seen in the show’s awkward living room version on a viral dance. In more severe cases, you only need to look at the sycophantic Elon Musk episode, or the franchise blending low-quality material made after Disney acquired the former network.
Actor Departures and Reduced Standards
Recently, the caliber of The Simpsons has worsened by the absence of key cast members. The late Marcia Wallace, the voice of the teacher, left the show in 2013, subsequently the death of Russi Taylor, voice of several side characters like the ever-bullied Martin Prince, in 2019. Additionally, the actress, who voiced beloved character Milhouse since 1989, stepped down late last year.
Viewings are significantly lower from the 90s too, with recent seasons often not cracking substantial audiences every show. Additionally, there is the weakening vocal performance of Julie Kavner, whose recognizable rough delivery for the mother now resembles a medical procedure, and Harry Shearer: when he voices characters like Burns and Flanders, he comes off like performing weakly. With recasts already a precedent, how long until AI technology is used to skirt the limitations of aging cast? one actor, the voice behind tavern owner Moe and the axed Apu, has already published an article anticipating that development.
What's Next and Conclusion
However, even with low viewership and a fight for survival, another film to the original film is being developed. Moreover, Fox has commissioned four more seasons, meaning when it hits season 40 in 2028, The Simpsons will be as old as the character Homer.
Admittedly, The Simpsons Movie was a slight uptick in quality – likely because of the comeback of top-tier writing talent.
Yet what might the yellow family do now that they haven't attempted previously? Which gag, which new perspective on the setting can we really expect decades later? At the series' beginning, it was a subversion of idealized comedies like a classic program; currently, it’s become just as hackneyed.
The Simpsons has provided countless moments: new ways to tell jokes and creative storytelling methods. Numerous iconic bits are still passed around in digital jokes. It has made us laugh. It has made us cry. It even embiggened our vocabulary with highly suitable lexicon contributions. However, when quality fades, you shouldn't retain them for many more seasons – you discard them.
