R&R: Behind The Laughter

**Adam R** · 01-09-2006, 11:38 AM

I believe this is the only episode to be included in both of the previous best and worst episode threads. Well it aired today so I'll see what everyone thinks. I think it's really great, it's a funny exagerated spoof and the hilarious metaphors never get old. I can really understand the criticism though, I think it was DB who said it 'ruins the illusion' of the show. I don't think you should look at it like this and as an actual episode, instead as a special spoof, which I think it works as tremendously.
One of the best of season 11 4/5

**Green_Peaness** · 01-09-2006, 11:58 AM

Nope, don't care for it. The concept of using a Behind the Music parody as a fake behind the scenes / recap of the history of the Simpsons is clever, but there isn't much within the actual episode that's clever. I found most of the jokes lame.

C

**Cartoonnetwork** · 01-09-2006, 12:15 PM

It was ok, pretty good for its season and the silly metaphors were hilarious, but it could have been funnier considering the concept and I don't find it especially memorable or brilliant, so C+

**Veryjammy** · 01-09-2006, 01:06 PM

The first time I saw it, straight after the horror of most of the Season I thought it was great. The more I see it though, the more bored I get. As has been mentioned the ridiculously over the top metaphors and needless visuals accompanying them are brilliant and there are some well observed bits, like Marge saying she was told what to wear three times in slightly different wording. But on the whole there is a dearth of clever material and it's a pretty pedestrian watch.

C/C+

**IAMHOMER** · 01-09-2006, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by FuzzyWuzzyWuzABear

Nope, don't care for it. The concept of using a Behind the Music parody as a fake behind the scenes / recap of the history of the Simpsons is clever, but there isn't much within the actual episode that's clever. I found most of the jokes lame.

C

Tell me Fuzzy, what (if any) Season 11 episodes do you actually like, because you gave Faith Off an F and Days of Wine and D'ohses and Behind the Laughter C grades and they are clearly the best two episodes of this season (in my and most other people's opinion)?

**Green_Peaness** · 01-09-2006, 02:07 PM

I like "Last Tap Dance in Springfield" and would give it about a B. That's about it though; I think season 11 is easily the worst season.

Edit: And I'd give "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner" a B- or so. It's a silly but fairly funny episode imo.

**simplysimpsons** · 01-09-2006, 02:33 PM

The only things remotely funny in "Behind the Laughter" are the couch gag and the metaphors, not much can be said for anything else. Spoof or not, this episode is the definition of scraping the bottom of the barrel. The idea that the family are all actors should never have been done in the first place - and this was possibly done in the worst way. What there is in the form of a plot makes fun at itself so much that it just isn't funny - unrelatable characters, no emotion and it is so loose that there is barely any structure to it. Add an overblown parody of "behind the music", a sprinkling of convoluted 'shocking revelations' and repeated misfire jokes, you end up with quite possibly the most dull and pathetically bad episode ever. This may have been more acceptable as say, an extra episode on a DVD, but not part of a season. F

(Yes, I know this'll probably generate waves of critisism, as before, but I really don't like in your face meta humour, which the entire episode was based on.)

**wallet inspector** · 01-09-2006, 04:52 PM

I think it was brilliant. The references to moving into MC Hammer's house, Bart paying Lenny & Carl to kiss "did we ever see that money?", Homer had some great lines "success was like a drug, but what was even more like a drug was the drugs", and when the family is arguing and it seems like it's one of those lame Brady Bunch type faux-arguments but it's actually for real. very good episode, i give it an A.

**Grippa** · 01-10-2006, 04:07 AM

I think it is decent, but nothing special. 3/5

**Drunk Barney** · 01-10-2006, 05:01 AM

What SimplySimpsons said. Utter crap. There is little or anything to like in this episode. Big fat F

**Jayrayman** · 01-10-2006, 05:49 AM

Brainless fun, that's all it is. B

**Garp** · 01-10-2006, 09:30 AM

It's original, and better than the average of season 11, but that's not saying much.

C+/B-

**Willmak5389** · 01-10-2006, 02:16 PM

I though it was funny the way they made fun of so many things (Behind the Music, MC Hammer, etc.)
It also had a lot of funny new info.

4/5

barts friend · 01-10-2006, 02:24 PM

3/5

**DKsimpson2** · 01-12-2006, 08:22 PM

I love the parody, i miss the real show, it reminds me that the simpsons are just a TV show and that i shouldn't get upset when people talk about the 'bad years'

**jwbph** · 01-17-2006, 08:10 PM

Originally Posted by mike_donnelly

The references to moving into MC Hammer's house, Bart paying Lenny & Carl to kiss "did we ever see that money?", Homer had some great lines "success was like a drug, but what was even more like a drug was the drugs", and when the family is arguing and it seems like it's one of those lame Brady Bunch type faux-arguments but it's actually for real. very good episode, i give it an A.

well, right there is most of the reason i hated this episode. an episode that i thought for a while was good because it was shoved into an incredibly awful season, and was a clever premise. however, it was still stuffed with the type of humor that characterized that season and the low point of the series. C-.

**Nebuchanezzar** · 01-17-2006, 11:23 PM

It's pretty imaginative, and I liked it, I'd give it a 9/10 which translates into 4.5/5 which rounds to 5/5. So whilst it's not perfect, the flaws of the /5 system give it an unjust rating.

**George Cauldron** · 01-18-2006, 01:02 AM

I like Behind The Laughter, on the whole it's clever and original, and in a way, comparable to the Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase really. The episode's funny, perhaps less so on repeated viewings, but still stands up as one of the better Season 11 episodes. I think the writers concentrated on this one too much, and not enough on the rest of the season. My one real gripe with this episode is...what was the point of Willie Nelson? I think they just put him in there for the sake of it, as I can't for the life of me work out why Willie Nelson would want to reunite the Simpson family.

**Ryan_** · 01-18-2006, 03:15 AM

5/5 - I really liked this episode.

*waits for Jonah's post*

**The mayor of Albuquerque** · 01-18-2006, 09:48 AM

I liked that they took the chance on the idea. I found it much more enjoyable than most clip shows or other concept shows like "Bible Stories". Even if some of the jokes were flat and the premise was silly, how is that different from any other episode? Behind the Laughter, for me, was totally unexpected and that alone made it the stand-out of a rather dull season.

**AngryDad33** · 01-18-2006, 10:04 AM

Behind the Laughter is a great episode but I see how some people can see it as a bad episode but as for me I give it 5/5

**Gibbles** · 01-18-2006, 11:26 AM

The problem I have with this episode and indeed most of the Scully era is that all the character seem like dumbed down out of character parody's of their former selfs.

This episode sees the whole family portrayed as a bunch of spoiled mindless actors with no real characteristics other then Homer stupid, Bart wild, Lisa smart. It has a few good gags here and there, but as said before the episode gets more dull the more you watch it. For a behind the music spoof it actually pretty good, but as a Simpson episode it sucks. I bet you easily do the same script with the Flintstones or the Jetsons.

2/5

**Mr Sparkle** · 01-26-2006, 05:28 PM

I found this episode lacking, it got all the knowledge I had and it flushed it down the sink hole in a matter of minutes.

SO I GIVE IT A LOUSY 1/5

**GrandmaBird!!!** · 01-27-2006, 07:03 PM

I thought it had a lot of funny moments. For instance, the "trendy guest stars" mentioned were Buzz Aldrin and Butch Patrick. Also, The Principal and the Pauper being desribed as having a non-sensical plot. 3.5/5

**Homer Jay** · 01-29-2006, 12:33 PM

This episode is probably the best from either the Scully era or the Jean era. I thought that the parody worked wonderfully and that it had some of the best jokes in the entire series. It also worked as a giant screw you to fans like us here who tend to take the show a little to seriously at times.

**grissom** · 01-29-2006, 12:35 PM

5/5 - Creative and extremly funny

**moed'oh** · 01-29-2006, 07:08 PM

i really enjoyed this episode. it was very self-aware which sometimes works sometimes doesnt. i dont think it tried to be a real simpsons episode. i just think of it as a TOH type episode.

**HellKat666** · 01-29-2006, 07:49 PM

I haven't seen this episode in years, but from what I remember, it was okay. This is a pretty ambitious concept, and I applaud the writers for being brave enough to do it, but something about it just falls flat for me. I don't think it was the humor, since from what I remember it was either on par with or better than most of Season 11's other episodes. It sure wasn't the characterizations, since I can excuse any out-of-character behavior due to this being one of the special, non-canonical shows. Maybe it's the actual plot. A parody of Behind the Music is nice, but I don't think I like it being the focus of an entire episode. It just gives me a weird feeling to see the Simpsons, characters that I have grown up with and continue to identify with, being portrayed as actors and not really as characters. It's kind of jarring, even though I realize that this episode should not have any significance of the others, much like "Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" and "The 138th Episode Spectacular". Those episodes, as well, didn't sit right with me but I appreciate them for what they are.

Anyway, I'd rate this about a C+ or a 3/5.

View Poll Results: How did you rate it?

Thread: R&R: Behind The Laughter

Thread Tools

Display

R&R: Behind The Laughter