The Simpsons - Later Seasons

[Chappy3188]

Just thought i would open a Thread to say that i Believe that The Simpsons is as good now as it has ever been and there is still many episodes over the past few series that are amongst the best that has ever been made. Just saying this because i have read a lot of comments by people saying they dont like newer episodes.

Some of these great episodes from recent seasons are:

Seemingly Never Ending Story - Season 17
Dont fear the Roofer - Season 16
The Italian Bob - Season 17
Waverly Hills 9021-Doh - Season 20
AND MANY MORE..........


Anyone who wishes to comment on this, feel free to do so.

[Dark Homer]

i disagree

[Chappy3188]

Why do you not like the later seasons?

[Üter]

go watch bart of darkness and see if you still think they're as good as ever

[Chappy3188]

go watch bart of darkness and see if you still think they're as good as ever

I have seen Bart of Darkness and still believe there is episodes as good as, if not better, in the later seasons.

[Dark Homer]

Why do you not like the later seasons?

everything is formulaic and phoned in and has already been done a million times before, it's ugly and the voices are way off, and it has no cultural relevancy

but mostly the later seasons are just horrendously unfunny

[Chappy3188]

i think they are not as funny as the classic ones but there is still some good plots amongst the new episodes

[TriforceBun]

There are still some quality episodes these days, but most people agree that the newer seasons are weaker for a variety of reasons. Generally speaking, the humor is more simplistic and can often be drawn out, but since humor is also a fairly subjective point, let's look at the other aspects.

The storytelling and satire in particular have been the major falling points to me. The show used to be able to craft excellent stories, from simple character-driven stuff to grander satirical pieces. Outside of the very beginning (at times) each part of the story fit in with the episode's theme and made sense in context. By comparison, shows like Homer and Marge Turn a Couple Play, Bonfire of the Manatees, The Fool Monty and How Munched is that Birdie in the Window jump from plot point to plot point without much rhyme, reason, or motivation for the characters. Earlier scenes are completely forgotten, issues that arose in the first act are dropped, and the third act often has little to do with the rest of the story, making for a "rushed script" feel in a lot of episodes. And dozens of episodes reuse earlier ideas but in worse ways.

Other users might bring up the characterization as well, but I think that's the area of the show that's fallen the least (although the use of secondaries has gotten extremely one-note). But the generally poor storytelling and weaker humor definitely make a big difference to me.

Every now and then there will be an ambitious episode or a particularly funny one (like Seemingly Never-Ending Story or Fat Man and Little Boy). In fact, I thought the show was going in a good direction during seasons 13-16, but since then it seems to have lost its way again.

[Chappy3188]

I agree, i really like seasons 13-16, them episodes have some funny storylines

[Neptune]

I can understand why people still like the show, I still watch it every sunday. I don't know if I could say they're just as good now as they use to be. I don't think they'll ever be as good as they use to be. Maybe if you just started watching the show, I guess that might make sense.

[Wavy Gravy]

Even though I know The Simpsons will never be as good as it was in the early-to-mid-'90s, and can often be downright terrible today, some form of morbid curiosity keeps drawing me back to it. I lost my faith, as it were, in Season 17, yet I came back for a pretty significant stretch of Seasons 20 and 21. Now I'm back in a period of not going out of my way to watch new episodes, but I'm slowly gravitating towards them again. I'm overcome with an urge to catch up on the episodes I've missed through syndication, despite the fact that I never cared about them before. (I think owning the Simpsons World episode guide book has a lot to do with that - I'm reading about episodes I've never seen and some of them actually seem like they could be pretty funny.)

At its worst, the show today is abominable, but at its best, it really is pretty darn good. Not classic-era good, certainly, but at least on the level of Season 13, most of which I still think is solidly funny. I legitimately enjoyed episodes like "Gone Maggie Gone" and "O Brother, Where Bart Thou", and even middle-of-the road episodes like "Father Knows Worst" and "The Great Wife Hope" sustained my interest. But then there's stuff like "The Devil Wears Nada" that just completely falls apart due to bad characterization, flimsy plotting, and weak humor. It feels like the writers didn't even try. That's the sort of stuff that's a lot harder to forgive.

Somebody on these boards once said that The Simpsons is no longer a standout show like it was in its heyday - it's just another show now, with as many bad episodes as good ones. And knowing what I know about the recent seasons, I have to agree. But as painful as it may be to think about how far the show fell, it still feels like there's a fair bit of humor to be mined from it in its current state. I caught the final 30 seconds of "How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window" while channel surfing the other night, and despite the fact that this particular episode apparently isn't very well-liked, it still piqued my curiosity for the new episodes again. Sure, I'm probably missing out on a lot of crap, but if what I've seen is any indication, I'm also missing some genuinely good laughs.

[lovebug]

Sure, there are a couple of good or great episodes of the later episodes of the Simpsons. But they're pretty bad compared to the older seasons. The humor in the later seasons seems to be less clever and there only worth a couple of chuckles, and that's it.

[The Governor]

Just thought i would open a Thread to say that i Believe that The Simpsons is as good now as it has ever been and there is still many episodes over the past few series that are amongst the best that has ever been made. Just saying this because i have read a lot of comments by people saying they dont like newer episodes.

Sorry, chappy, but the older episodes were a refined combination of funny, heartwarming and bitingly satirical. Modern episodes can barely be any one of those three.

[Rowdy Roddy Peeper]

The Italian Bob? Really? Really?

[noaizuma]

I think one of the reasons that the show was so groundbreaking and "must-see" in the first few seasons was the tension between matt groening, sam simon, james l brooks, and the various executives at fox. Satirical television didnt exist then in the way it does today. In the first few seaons the show was a rallying cry about what was wrong with our many long established institutions (this is largely attributed to Matt, who tried to bring in the anit-establishment feel of his life in hell series) that at its core had a genuinely touching family dynamic (this is Brooks primary influence).

There was a point in time where if you were in script writing, or animation; the simpsons was your holly grail, kinda like Pixar is today in many regards. So basically they got to skim the cream of the crop. Thats just not the case anymore. Without fresh new writers bringing fresh new ideas to the table the episodes continue to rehash familiar ideas over and over again. At this point in its history its become more of a gag show akin to family guy. The plotlines seldom seem to exist for any reason other then to derive one-off jokes. I agree that the plots which used to be incredibly tight, are now often sloppy and porely executed.

now having said all of that. The show still has the ability to be good and even great from time to time. It really seems to be all about if its a subject they havent treed over before. Ive said it before and I'll say it again. I think if you got rid of al jean you'd see the show rebound a bit. Sure they have a several episodes each season which are good awful bad now, but (and this is MY opinion now) the "classic" era had some real bombs as well.

[Nauru-1]

At its best now, I can find the show pleasant if not particularly funny or memorable. At its worst I wonder how anyone is willing enough to tune in again. You get some of the former, some of the latter, and much somewhere in between where I really don't care what's going on one way or the other.

That's a considerable difference from 5 or 6 years ago when I at kind of enjoyed myself or even Scully who could at least deliver one-off laughs even if there was no substance whatsoever. In relation to the classics, that discrepancy is just kind of alarming from my point of view. So I guess we'll have to disagree on this one. I'm hard-pressed to find a recent episode that can really hold up against anything before '98.

[D'ohmer]

Just thought i would open a Thread to say that i Believe that The Simpsons is as good now as it has ever been and there is still many episodes over the past few series that are amongst the best that has ever been made. Just saying this because i have read a lot of comments by people saying they dont like newer episodes.

Some of these great episodes from recent seasons are:

Seemingly Never Ending Story - Season 17
Dont fear the Roofer - Season 16
The Italian Bob - Season 17
Waverly Hills 9021-Doh - Season 20
AND MANY MORE..........


Anyone who wishes to comment on this, feel free to do so.

I completely agree with you, actually. You are completely entitled to this opinion, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I am a new episode lover too

[Jesse Pinkman]

there's no doubt that the later seasons don't have some really great episodes capable of making people laugh, but there's just no way they can compare to the classics. a lot of the episodes of the later seasons i used to like, like eternal moonshine of the simpson mind, gone maggie gone, homerazzi- to name a few- bore me on rewatches, whereas the classics i could watch over and over and still laugh. so the show still produces good episodes some of the time, but i don't think they are anywhere near the quality of the earlier seasons

[The Governor]

People can say the newer episodes are good, but to say they equal what the finest moments of the first 8 seasons is like throwing shit on the past accomplishments of the show.

[Old painty-can Ned]

I completely agree with you, actually. You are completely entitled to this opinion, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I am a new episode lover too

See this is where you really lose me and make me think your posts are stupid because you just hide behind the "no one can take your opinion away blah blah" talk. It just takes away any chance for debate.

Also The Italian Bob is one of the worst if not the worst episode ever. I did actually enjoy Don't Fear the Roofer and I do think the post classic era is capable of making good episodes not great ones mind you but good ones i.e The Haw-Hawed Couple. But the good episodes in the post classic era are really needle in hay field and are in no way close to the classic era. The only episode of the post classic era that are better than the worst of the classic era is Lisa the Simpson.

[noaizuma]

People can say the newer episodes are good, but to say they equal what the finest moments of the first 8 seasons is like throwing shit on the past accomplishments of the show.

Ahh there you've fit the nail on the head. The FINEST moments. The first few seasons had literally the best-of-the-best on board, so yes the level better be fantastic. For roughly the last 10 years I dont think I've met any up-and-comers who want to work on the Simpsons. There is just too much competition for those exceptionally talented guys an gals elsewhere.

[Nauru-1]

The only episode of the post classic era that are better than the worst of the classic era is Lisa the Simpsons.

And I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that one doesn't really count given that it was produced by Oakley & Weinstein the season before. Along with the other holdovers, it's virtually a season 8 episode.

[Zombies Rise from the Sea]

Seemingly Never Ending Story - Season 17
Dont fear the Roofer - Season 16
The Italian Bob - Season 17
Waverly Hills 9021-Doh - Season 20
AND MANY MORE..........

What no Seasons 18, 19 or 15?