Stuff From The Classic Era You're Glad They Dropped

[CousinMerl]

Of course, the classic era is great and there's more to like than to not like, but are there some things, if any things, you're kinda glad they dropped and didn't go on with?

I'll start of with two things that comes to my mind:

Mean Hardass/Jerkass Apu: I like Apu, but I have to say that I don't really like the mean jerk Apu. He wasn't always like this, but when he was I wasn't a fan; for example he was shooting at people from the Kwik-E-Mart roof with a rifle at one point and was partying along with Sanjay and celebrated that Marge, whom he referred to as "bitch", was going to prison for 'shoplifting' from his store in 'Marge In Chains'. I like that they toned him down a bit and made him nicer later on.

Smithers enmity towards Homer: In some cases, this was pretty evident such as sometimes sternly telling Homer to shut up when speaking infront of Burns and chuckling in a evil manner as he banned Homer permanently from the SNPP's baseball game events per Burns' request in 'Dancing Homer'. I like it better when he is more indifferent towards Homer and does not have an outright dislike for him.

[Prune Tracy]

Smithers enmity towards Homer: In some cases, this was pretty evident such as sometimes sternly telling Homer to shut up when speaking infront of Burns and chuckling in a evil manner as he banned Homer permanently from the SNPP's baseball game events per Burns' request in 'Dancing Homer'. I like it better when he is more indifferent towards Homer and does not have an outright dislike for him.

I gotta say, I kind of agree with this. I don't find Smithers as enjoyable when he displays hatred towards Homer (not including the running gag of "one of the ____ from Sector 7G").

Other than that, I may have to sleep on this one.

[Dobbie]

How funny the show used to be...

Ah, you mean't GLAD that they dropped? Erm...

[Bartesque]

Smithers enmity towards Homer: In some cases, this was pretty evident such as sometimes sternly telling Homer to shut up when speaking infront of Burns and chuckling in a evil manner as he banned Homer permanently from the SNPP's baseball game events per Burns' request in 'Dancing Homer'. I like it better when he is more indifferent towards Homer and does not have an outright dislike for him.

I disagree. The real Burns found in the classic era had utter contempt for the working man (or hardly-working man, Homer), and Smithers was merely following his boss like the lapdog he is.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

DATABASE

[Monty_Burns]

Apu was like that cuz those indians in gas stations tend to be jerks with bad service often, I've seen them arguing with people who you can tell are high in around 3am, I mean come on you can get hurt but they dont seem to give a f**k lol

and also they get mad at you if you tell them the pumps aren't working or the air, so Apu was spot on if you ask me

[CousinMerl]

I get the points you Bartist and Monty Burns make about Smithers and Apu respectively; but I wasn't really a fan of those I mentioned. It's a matter of taste, I suppose.

[YellowFever]

Definitely agree with yours CousinMerl, and a couple others I'd like to add are:

Nelson's hatred of Bart: As much as I still appreciate the fact that yes, he's a bully etc, I really enjoy the episodes where him and Bart or him and Lisa get along, call me soft but I find these unions much more heartwarming I guess.

Something that doesn't really count is in the later seasons where Barney becomes his old self again, a burping alcoholic, changing him to sober in Season 10 was an absolutely horrific idea, which I'm glad they changed back.

[Prune Tracy]

Definitely agree with yours CousinMerl, and a couple others I'd like to add are:

Nelson's hatred of Bart: As much as I still appreciate the fact that yes, he's a bully etc, I really enjoy the episodes where him and Bart or him and Lisa get along, call me soft but I find these unions much more heartwarming I guess.

I'm kind of on the fence about this one. On one hand, it is nice to see another side of Nelson. On the other, with this new side, it's pretty much impossible for him to go back to his old roots. I don't know, I think we could have done without it. We already have a sympathetic child character through Milhouse.

Something that doesn't really count is in the later seasons where Barney becomes his old self again, a burping alcoholic, changing him to sober in Season 10 was an absolutely horrific idea, which I'm glad they changed back.

Season 11. But I definitely agree.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

C'mon, guys, the one time they changed the status quo! I actually quite liked that change, too.

[The Governor]

Nelson being the 'nice', emotional kid and hanging out with Bart is like when Tom and Jerry became pals and hung out with each other.

Barf!-

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

I was talking about the Barney one, not the Nelson one. I agree with you there.

[Prune Tracy]

C'mon, guys, the one time they changed the status quo!

Skinner and Edna
Milhouse's parents divorcing
Lisa becoming a vegetarian

[Nauru-1]

Not a fan of the whole Simpson gene thing. Granted it was very late classic era (I'd consider the holdovers for season 9 at least to be), but they never refer back to it and it was pretty much retconned in HOMR even if I don't like that decision either.

[YellowFever]

Nelson being the 'nice', emotional kid and hanging out with Bart is like when Tom and Jerry became pals and hung out with each other.

Barf!-

Well I guess I'm just a big softie!!! I really enjoyed Lisa and Nelson together especially.

Season 11. But I definitely agree.

Whoops, my bad, I'm tired.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Skinner and Edna
Milhouse's parents divorcing
Lisa becoming a vegetarian

Nedna, etc, yeah, there's a lot more, I know, but it's an unusual surprise when something like that happens.

[Prune Tracy]

Nedna, etc, yeah, there's a lot more, I know, but it's an unusual surprise when something like that happens.

I don't mind if they change the status quo, but when they take the very basis of a character and throw it away, that's where I have a problem.

[MagicalManFromHappyLand]

I sort of like Jerkass Apu, I just watched SSSBS and I love the scene where Apu is angrily telling off Skinner for copying the plot for Jurassic Park.

[TriforceBun]

Heck, I miss Angry Smithers. While not a "cartoonish supervillain" like Burns, Smithers has a bit of a dark streak himself, and some of my favorite moments of him are when he plays the determined villain (Simpson and Delilah). I like how he can be menacing like Burns, but without the physical frailty. I think that without his occasional menace, he's more likely to just be written as the guy with a crush on Burns, which can get tedious.

[The Spectre]

Not a fan of the whole Simpson gene thing. Granted it was very late classic era (I'd consider the holdovers for season 9 at least to be), but they never refer back to it and it was pretty much retconned in HOMR even if I don't like that decision either.

The Simpson gene has been hinted at as early as "Bart the Genius" and is referenced in "Homer Loves Flanders".

[L. Hutz]

I'm glad they got rid of Skinner mispronouncing words. I know they only did it a couple times but it wore thin really quick.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

I always loved, "Now here's Lisa with stormy leather--WEATHER!"

[L. Hutz]

Yeah I didn't mind them or anything at first. I'm just happy that isn't a permanent characteristic for him. I think it would get really annoying.

[Nauru-1]

The Simpson gene has been hinted at as early as "Bart the Genius" and is referenced in "Homer Loves Flanders".

In those other examples I suppose there aren't any direct contradictions but it would be going too far to suggest that this notion had been established prior to Lisa the Simpson. I'm not saying the Simpsons, particularly Bart and Homer, haven't or shouldn't be portrayed as dim, but I'm not a fan of the explanation they gave in Lisa the Simpson despite it being one of season 9's best.

[HMS pinafore]

The problem I have with the Barney one is not that it changed Barney but that then there was not any ever any followup character development on barney and he was just put into the background and forgoten about until they changed it back.

[lovedartsandsimpsons]

The Yeti and the Banana Split.

[Malaise Forever]

Marvin Monroe.
I'm not necessarily glad they dropped him but I think he didn't really added anything much to the show.

[Haoie]

There's really no more references to the Nam war anymore from Skinner, right?

I support Skinner/Edna though.

[CousinMerl]

DATABASE

The thing is that Database is still used in the post-classic era. For example, he was in 'Old Yeller Belly' as a member of Bart's treehouse gang and also in the Native American activity group in 'Bart Of War', also along with Bart.

[irvine_11]

There's really no more references to the Nam war anymore from Skinner, right?

I support Skinner/Edna though.

Yeah, him formerly being "cool" in Pranks and Greens pretty much contradicted his Vietnam background.

Besides, he'd be too young now.