The Simpsons "Grading Curve"...

[zach]

...or whatever you want to call it. when people grade in two separate parts, classic simpsons and modern simpsons. after talking about this grading curve lately, i thought to myself, doesn't everyone do this.

i certainly do not do this as i like to compare the series as a whole. i hate grading on a curve. when i'm looking at someone's rating and they give something from season 6 a 4/5 and something from season 15 and 4/5 does this mean that they are equal in quality? how drastically does your rating of an episode from season 18 change if you compare it to the classic era. i'd just like for some to express their opinion on how they rate. curve or no curve?

[Sinister Burns]

I also disapprove of this, specifically when people say something along the lines of "1/5 for classic Simpsons, 4/5 for modern/Jean/Zombie Simpsons". It's so stupid. Just judge the episodes on their own merits.

[zartok-35]

I use a grading curve on the rate/review threads. Constantly having to put in a 1/5 everytime gets old really fast.

[zach]

well at least we agree that every newer episode is a 1/5.

[I'm not Mike Reiss]

I dislike purely numerical ratings. They depend too much on mood and personal preference. All well and good when you know the reviewer... say, a movie reviewer who you've read for years but if you don't, I think they're next to useless. If, however, the rating is accompanied by a description, that's a different story. The other issue I have with a numerical rating is, unless specified, it doesn't reflect what it is actually grading. For example, an episode could be a 5/5 because the writing is so strong but the animation could be crappy, primitive or without soul.

As for the merits of a grading curve, I'm kind of on the fence. Sometimes it can be beneficial to grade on a curve but it can have the effect of separating whatever has been graded into more than one group without making it clear that the values don't directly correspond with each other.

[Lionheart]

My expectations for newer Simpsons episodes are lower than they were for the single-digit seasons. Using different scales for classic Simpsons and modern Simpsons just seems like too much work though.

Usually though, most classic Simpsons episodes get mostly A's, some B's, maybe a few C's from me. One episode is a D or F. (It's not hard to guess which one. It can't be blamed on Scully though.)

With newer seasons, I think there are usually more C episodes than A, B, D, or F episodes. So I wouldn't call current Simpsons terrible, but I'm not claiming it's better than ever. It's mediocre at best. Perhaps my opinions will change if I decide to re-watch the newer episodes more than once.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

I do to an extent, but I make sure that the grade I give any post-classic episode is no more than 1 point off what it would get in the classic era. For example a post classic 5/5 will be no worse than a 4/5 even factoring the classic era. It is especially difficult to give an episode a grade after only seeing it once.

[Jims]

I like to think that I don't grade on a curve, but I'm probably lying to myself a little when I give something a 4/5. Of course, I'd give the majority of classic era episodes 5/5 (or at least 4.5/5), so maybe it's not that unreasonable for me to say, "This is almost as good as something from Season 6." I think the main difference between the classic era and modern era is more about consistency than actual quality. Where the classic era would just pump out amazing episodes just one after another. These days, you have to cut through the fat a little, but there are occasionally the gems that feel like they could blend in reasonably well with any season you put it in.

If I'm giving an episode like "The Dad Who Knew Too Little" a 5/5, then I'm generally saying that you could throw the episode in Season 6 or something and it wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

I do use a rating curve, "Too Little" would certainly be a 3/5 in the classic era, whereas it's a 4.5/5 for me, due to being in season 14.

[Financial Panther]

I don't use a curve; I still get a lot of enjoyment out of post-classic episodes, and I find many of them to be on par with the classic episodes. If I give a 5/5 to a post-classic episode, and a 4/5 to a classic episode, I would prefer the post-classic one.

[Kayla]

an A in season 7 to me is an A in season 14, 21, etc. i've only given A's or A+ to the following post classic era episodes:

the cartridge family
natural born kissers
treehouse of horror xix
lisa gets an a
hungry hungry homer
trilogy of error
special edna
a star is born again
three gays of the condo
moe baby blues
tis the fifteenth season
the way we weren't
sleeping with the enemy
my fair laddy
yokel chords
24 minutes
waverly hills 9021 d'oh
holidays of future passed

these are all exceptional episodes that deliver, are clever, and remind me why i started watching the show. i'd put this in the top 100 if i had to pick

[Knightboat]

My expectations for newer Simpsons episodes are lower than they were for the single-digit seasons. Using different scales for classic Simpsons and modern Simpsons just seems like too much work though.

Usually though, most classic Simpsons episodes get mostly A's, some B's, maybe a few C's from me. One episode is a D or F. (It's not hard to guess which one. It can't be blamed on Scully though.)

With newer seasons, I think there are usually more C episodes than A, B, D, or F episodes. So I wouldn't call current Simpsons terrible, but I'm not claiming it's better than ever. It's mediocre at best. Perhaps my opinions will change if I decide to re-watch the newer episodes more than once.

I also don't like numerical rating systems but a star rating doesn't really fit when reviewing singular episodes of a certain show. A hobby of mine is reviewing films and I use an 'out of five stars' star rating system, i.e. half a star to five stars.

As for episodes of a show, I like to use letters like The A.V. Club do it, i.e. F to A+.

[Dobbie]

I guess there's an hint of me comparing it with the episodes of it's era. I'd say if a modern episode gets a 5, it would be a 2.5/3 in classic terms, unless I state otherwise.

[leprechaun_dan]

I don't use a grading curve either. My standards for each episode are based on the show as a whole, for example:

The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed - 0.5/10 for classic standards
The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed - 0.5/10 for post-classic standards
Old Yeller Belly - 4.8/10 for classic standards
Old Yeller Belly - 4.8/10 for post-classic standards
Marge Gamer - 7.7/10 for classic standards
Marge Gamer - 7.7/10 for post-classic standards
Holidays of Future Passed - 8.7/10 for classic standards
Holidays of Future Passed - 8.7/10 for post-classic standards

As you can see from these ratings, they all remain the same for both standards, hence why I don't use the grading curve

[Rowdy Roddy Peeper]

I don't use a grading curve either. My standards for each episode are based on the show as a whole, for example:

The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed - 0.5/10 for classic standards
The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed - 0.5/10 for post-classic standards
Old Yeller Belly - 4.8/10 for classic standards
Old Yeller Belly - 4.8/10 for post-classic standards
Marge Gamer - 7.7/10 for classic standards
Marge Gamer - 7.7/10 for post-classic standards
Holidays of Future Passed - 8.7/10 for classic standards
Holidays of Future Passed - 8.7/10 for post-classic standards

As you can see from these ratings, they all remain the same for both standards, hence why I don't use the grading curve

I'm not trying to be mean...but did you need to post anything after the first sentence. You spent a paragraph, re-iterating the same thing?

[Prune Tracy]

I prefer letter grades to numerical grades, for starters. So, do I give those letter grades on a curve? No, I don't really see the point in doing so. When I rate an episode, I'm not comparing it to any other era, I'm simply judging the episode by itself. I hold lower standards for the current era, but I don't adjust my grades based on that.

[Malaise Forever]

I'm really tempted to use a curve most of the time if only because it's hard to compare a post-classic 5/5 with a classic 5/5. I try to think to myself "Did I enjoy the episode?" regardless of the surrounding episodes. So, if I really enjoyed an episode even if it doesn't have the same qualities as a classic episode, I'll give it the same grade.

[Lionheart]

I prefer letter grades to numbers too, I just do both for the sake of the polls here.

[Bert Stanton]

rating out of 5 is too narrow anyway. and grading on a curve defeats the point of grading at all, surely it is so you can compare episodes from 23 with season 1

[irvine_11]

I grade on a curve because I don't want to come off as being black and white towards new episodes.

[Nauru-1]

I don't use a curve. As a result, virtually every classic Simpsons episode gets at least a B (4/5). That's in contrast to recent years where barely any episode even earns a C- (3/5).

[The Governor]

I grade new episodes on a curve because I tend to grade the newer episodes on how much they don't suck, not because they are good in their own right.

Edit: Damn auotcorrect.

[parklife]

I don't use a curve. As a result, virtually every classic Simpsons episode gets at least a B (4/5). That's in contrast to recent years where barely any episode even earns a C- (3/5).

best post in thread

[Jesse Pinkman]

I don't use a curve. a 5/5 is a 5/5 to me, no matter if it is 'classic' or one of the many 5/5s from the 'post-classic'

[jbauer]

The way I see it, the curve is a way to employ a self-indulging double standard.

Personally, I'd never use it. To me, a 5/5 is a 5/5, regardless of the season. I gave The Book Job a well-earned 5/5, the same 5/5 I'd give to an episode like Homer goes to College. To me, they both work equally well.

[The Governor]

The way I see it, the curve is a way to employ a self-indulging double standard.

So what? It's not Simpsons episodes have feelings that could potentially be hurt by having a "double standard" or whatever.