Rank the showrunners

[irvine_11]

Not sure if this has been done on here before, but I had this idea, so here goes...

1. Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein - Seasons 7 & 8 are among the best seasons of the series in my opinion. At this point, the show was running so long, there was a lot you could do with it and they used the potential to its definite fullest. Season 7 has some of the most well-written family centered stories, such as Home Sweet Homediddly-dum-doodily, Summer of 4'2, and Marge Be Not Proud. People are probably going to down-talk season 8 for its experimental edge, but the experiments are what made the season great in my opinion. As I mentioned before, the show was so well formed at this point, there was a lot you could do with the show's universe and the experiments gave the show depth. (By the way, I am aware of the hate for Principal and the Pauper. I can't say it particularly bothers me because it's one of the first episodes I remember watching, so Skinner was always Armin Tamzarian in my mind. I will admit it's my least favorite O&W episode, however, but that's more because of the lack of humor.)

2. David Mirkin - Season 6 is my personal favorite season, but David Mirkin comes in at number two because season 5 is among my least favorite classic era seasons. David Mirkin's episodes are probably the funniest of the series, and even when I watch stuff from him I've already seen a thousand times, I am still in awe of his great comic timing. Season 6 is my #1 season because it does the best at blending comedy and empathy. Season 5 was pretty good, but it got carried away with the silliness at times.

3. Al Jean & Mike Reiss - These guys set the bar for the guys above. Season 3 was a touching and well-written season and it helped the show's segue into being recognized as a comedy. I feel that season 4 is overrated, however. Yes, I will admit it's a great season, but it just feels too simplistic compared to some of the other seasons before and after it. I can't view it any other way than "classic."

4. Matt Groening, James L. Brooks & Sam Simon - The guys who started it all. These guys took a series of simple cartoon sketches and made it into a cultural phenomenon, which is definitely more than worthy of admiration. The realistic feel that the first two seasons had gave the early episodes a certain charm that resonates with me. They'd be ranked higher, however, if they didn't rely so much on sitcom cliches.

5. Mike Scully - I'm sure just reading that name means death to you boarders. I can relate. Mr. Scully took over the show when it was at its best and in a matter of time, quickly turned it into a cynical gag-fest with unrelatable characters and a plethora of shamless celebrity usage. It happened rather quickly, too - his season 9 episodes are decent with only a handful of them showing glaring Scully problems. The first few episodes of season 10 feel like the better season 9 episodes, but along the way, you definitely see something amiss. While seasons 10-12 probably excel compared to today's stuff, they are still crap compared to the classics and I still feel that Mike Scully screwed up a great show.

6. Al Jean - I was very hesitant to put him as the worst, but his last few seasons have earned him this. His first four seasons, while not classics, put the show back on track to being relatively enjoyable, but he overstayed his welcome when the 17th season rolled around and it brought the show to the point where it was worse than any offenses Scully commited. It got slighly better when the seasons entered their 20s, but they are still worse than Scully's crap.

[Blobulle]

1. Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
2. Al Jean & Mike Reiss
3. Al Jean
4. Matt Groening, James L. Brooks & Sam Simon
5. David Mirkin






6. Mike Scully

[lionelhutz123]

Showrunner, showrunner showrunner showrunner:

1. showrunner
2. showrunner
3. showrunner
4. showrunner
5. showrunner
6. showrunner

[YellowFever]

1) David Mirkin
Season 6 is my all-time favorite season by far! Not one bad episode. Definitely the most memorable. And Season 5 was good too!

2) Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Seasons 3+4 have so many classic episodes and just give me that warm 90's feeling, a link to my past. Love 'em!

3) Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
Absolutely love all their episodes, even TPATP!

4) Matt Groening, James L. Brooks & Sam Simon
Love the crudity and imperfections, brilliant episodes here, especially Season 1 (IMHO)

5) Mike Scully
Loved Season 9, Season 10-12, not so much, they were good in my eyes, but nothing compared to Seasons 3 thru 8.

6) Al Jean
Loved Seasons 13-16. Seasons 17-19 were just bland for me, there were a lot of good episodes but there were a lot of plain bad ones too. Season 20-22, was it the 20th Anniversary and the move to HD which made them pick it up a bit, I found these Seasons were miles better than 17-19, not classics, but certainly better, especially 21.

[Bleedin' Gums Murphy]

In otherwords... Scully and Jean ruined The Simpsons. Hate both of them, all of the other showrunners are fantastic and deserve legendary status.

[Dehumanizer]

1) David Mirkin

Season five is my favorite season, and season six probably would be second. David Mirkin himself is a very funny guy I think, and I just love the style of the episodes from season five/six more than any other.

2) Al Jean & Mike Reiss

Season four was the first season I ever bought on DVD, and the first season I watched in its entirety. 'Homer The Heretic' is in my top three favorites, if not my number one favorite. Season three is brilliant as well.

3) Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein

Season seven is a great season, but season eight has a few episodes I'm not too fond of. Season eight is when the show declined in my opinion.

4) Matt Groening, James L. Brooks & Sam Simon

Season two is one of my top favorite seasons. Season one is alright, not sure where I'd really rank it.

5) Mike Scully

Season nine was an alright season, but season eleven was absolutely atrocious.

6) Al Jean

There is no season from Jean's reign that I like over any of the others. For the Jean era, it comes down to individual episodes, no longer about whole seasons. And frankly, there's not many episodes from Jean that I am a fan of.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

I'm lazy so you'll get no explanations, but:

Jean and Reiss
Mirkin
Groening, Brooks, Simon
Oakley and Weinstein
Jean
Scully

I'm tempted to place Jean 13 through 16 higher though, but I'll keep it as is.

[HRH Sir Prince Charles]

In otherwords... Scully and Jean ruined The Simpsons. Hate both of them, all of the other showrunners are fantastic and deserve legendary status.

so you hate Al Jean while simultaneously considering him legendary and fantastic? It does make sense... he both created and killed off the character you're named after

[harlequinade]

1. BILL OAKLEY AND JOSH WEINSTEIN. Because they're freakin' awesome. Two best seasons by far.
2. The duet of Mike Reiss and Al Jean
3. David Mirkin was fabulous.
4. Groening, Brooks, Simon
5. Scully, ick.
6. Jean alone, ick.

[cloneasaurus]

1. Oakley and Weinstein
2. Mirkin
=3. Groening Brooks Simon
=3. Jean and Reiss
-
5. Jean from 13 - 17/18
6. Scully
7. Jean from 18/19+

this is a pretty rough list though, susceptible to change

[HMS pinafore]

Jean and Reiss
Mirkin
Oakley and Weinstein
Groening, Brooks, Simon
Scully
Jean

[Toomanygrandmas]

1. Oakley and Weinstein - Season 7 is my favourite season, and 8 is great too
2. Mirkin - Season 6 beats 8, but 8 is better than 5
3. Jean and Reiss - I enjoy this era, 'nuff said
4. Groening, Brooks, Simon - I'm not too keen on Season 1, but I haven't seen it in a while, so I really do owe it a rewatch
5. Scully - Though I'd say I'm more relaxed towards the Scully Era compared with many fans, I wouldn't think it fair to place this any higher than I've put it
6. Jean - First few seasons better than most of the Scully Era, but the endless blindingly average/plain bad seasons that followed bring it down

[Dark Homer]

Jean/Reiss: I guess this era would be my go-to era. a great balance of surreality with down-to-earthiness, and non-stop jokes.
Mirkin: great great seasons but seasons 3+4 are more interesting to me
Simon: the seasons comprise the emotional core of the show, but they're also funny as hell
Oakley/Weinstein: great seasons but this is when the show begins to show its age. and there's an overreliance on shocking revelations
Scully: ruined the show, blah blah blah, but they still knew how to tell jokes
Jean: overstaying its welcome, to put it lightly

[The Love-Matic Grandpa!]

1. Jean & Reiss: What more needs to be said? The quality of those shows makes Jean's latter-day run all the more sad and perplexing.

2. Groening, Brooks, & Simon: I know some people criticize the slower pace, but these guys made people care about weird-looking yellow cartoon characters with googly eyes and overbites.

3. Mirkin: A little too much wackiness (over substance) at times for my tastes, but still pretty damned great. However, this is the point where Homer transformed from a "well-meaning boob" into an outright jerk for the sake of the jokes.

4. O&W: Good caretakers, but more concerned with their own legacies than the quality of the show, leading to "experiments" which would ultimately create the atmosphere for the downfall.

-- Separation to indicate the severe disparity between the last two and the first four --

5. Jean II: Uneven quality, seasonal rot and an overall sense of ennui.

6. Scully: Again, what more can be said? The proof is in the pudding.

[Léo Pard]

1) Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
2) David Mirkin
3) Al Jean & Mike Reiss
4) Mike Scully (seasons 9-10)
5) Matt Groening, James L.Brooks & Sam Simon

6) Al Jean (seasons 14-16)
7) Mike Scully (seasons 11-12)

8) Al Jean (seasons 13 and 17-today)

[Nauru-1]

1) Jean/Reiss - Considering 3 & 4 are two of my favourite seasons, this was a pretty easy decision. Plenty of greats and I can't even find a bad episode in the bunch.

2) Oakley/Weinstein - 7 in particular finds the great balance of heart and humour much like a season 3. It also contains my favourite episode in Summer of 4 Ft. 2. While I consider 8 one of the weaker classics, it still has all the elements well in place that became shaky the year after.

3) Mirkin - I think he had a tendency to go a little silly in some instances, but his seasons are firmly classics nonetheless and season 6 in particular delievered some impressive homeruns. Easily the best solo showrunner.

4) Simon/Brooks/Groening - Season 2 is fantastic and seems to get better with every watch. Season 1 is charming, although its shorter length and its developing traits put it a cut below the next 7 seasons. On season 2's strength, this competes with the other classic era showrunners.

5) Scully -Season 9 has problems but maintains a certain level of quality for the most part. Huge characterization issues as it goes on, but comic timing intact at least gives it cheap laughs.

6) Jean - If the man just knew when to quit, his solo regime would have been above Scully's. At this point he should have quit about 7 years ago. Considering that's a third of the show's history, it's a little too much to ignore. In his first few years solo, the show was kind of funny and kind of pleasant. Now it's dull and uninspired.

[The Governor]

1. Oakley and Wienstien
2. Jean and Reiss
3. David Mirkin
4. Simon, Brooks, Groening
5. Jean
6. Scully

Although Jean and Scully are basically tied, IMO.

[Matlock]

The worst showrunners Scully and Al Jean have both been given more seasons than of the others.And why has Jean been showrunner for a billion seasons why don't they change him?

[Dark Homer]

you can't change horses in mid-stream

[hammster]

Mirkin - Most consistently good showrunner for me. I can turn on pretty much any of his episodes and I will be watching one of the best episodes of the show. 6 is also my joint second favourite season.
Oakley & Weinstien - Season 7 practically is the Simpsons for me. Their era is slightly let down by season 8. 7 is my favourite season though.
Groening, Brooks & Simon - Season 2 is fantastic and 1 has a weirdly awesome appeal. 2 is my joint 2nd favourite season.
Jean & Reiss - Good seasons of the Simpsons innit.
Scully - Hmmm... On the one hand, he accelerated the inevitable decline. On the other, his episodes still make me laugh. Hmm... I'm a bit of a Scully apologist, I guess.
Jean - Ugh... Odd glimmers but mainly ugh.

[Jesse Pinkman]

oakley and weinstein- 7 and 8 are my two favorite seasons.

mirkin- his seasons were pretty hilarious

jean and reiss- great seasons, need to rewatch them soon.

groening, brooks, and simon- same as what i said for jean and reiss

scully- do i need to say it?

jean- his earlier solo stuff, seasons 13-15 (maybe 16) are decent enough, but the later stuff ranges from god-awful to sometimes passable, but only just. some of these are pretty good, like Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind, Eeny Teeny Maya Moe, To Surveil with Love, but don't forget this late in the series is also when we get Greatest Story Ever D'ohed, amongst some other shit episodes.

[Homer Defined]

Mirkin - Very funny with some twists (I love his intentions of wanting to screw over the audience, it makes the episodes even funnier)
O&W - Season 7 was their best. That formula of "going back to the family" worked well.
Jean & Reiss - A lot of great well rounded episodes.
Groening, Brooks, and Simon - Same as Jean and Reiss
Scully - Uh...ok at times.
Jean - Can we get Mirkin or O&W back as showrunners please?

[The Spruce Moose]

Mirkin
Oakley & Weinstein
Jean & Reiss
Groening, Brooks & Simon
Scully
Jean