The Big Picture: The Simpsons Is Still Funny, Part 2

[LordVyreth]

Wwaaaaaaait a minute. If the Simpsons merely changed, not gotten worse, than why are all but one of Bob's top 5 episodes from the first 7 seasons? Don't get me wrong, it was a good list. I would have lost even "24 Minutes" (though it's still the best episode of the show that I've seen for the last decade or so,) and replaced it with Itchy and Scratchyland or Homer's Triple Bypass, or maybe Mother Simpson. And I think Treehouses 3 and 4 are better than the first. But whatever, at least "Last Exit" topped the list.

Regarding the Simpsons and its "funny" status, the problem is it's not merely not funny compared to its better years; it's not funny compared to other animated shows. Family Guy surpassed it for a while before its own dip in quality, American Dad and Bob's Burgers both feature superior storytelling and use of character, and even the average Adult Swim stuff gets more laughs out of me in 11 minutes. And then there are the better "kids" cartoons like Adventure Time, the Omniponies, Gumball, etc.

 

[Elementlmage]

Ah... Cape Fear...

Now, I suddenly feel the urge to sing a few bars of HMS Pinafore...

 

[Fusioncode9]

Sorry Bob but you're on the list...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qcBjh8yfwY&list=FLi9sQ0QlqxXjBbg2hBQJlKw&index=1&feature=plpp_video

 

[Jumplion]

I'll be traveling to the land of OOO and drop by Equestria to see how things are doing, maybe research on what park Regular Show is based on and jump into the internet.

Though I do wonder, how many people really prefer Adventure Time because they watch both shows and prefer it, or just hate My Little Pony by default and automatically give Adventure Time the trophy?

If a commercial is to be believed adventure time got an emmy nomination. That's serious cred for a cartoon show.

Oh yeah, that's pretty awesome, no denying. Just wondering if the reasons for preferring Adventure Time are legit (not hating on the show, friggin' love it and all the other shows I listed).

 

[Jumplion]

I don't care what anyone says, Adventure Time, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and Regular Show all have a special place in my heart, along with some outliers like Phineas and Ferb and The Amazing World of Gumball. I just love them for how awesomely absurd and weird they are, it's a style I haven't seen in a long time. All of these have quality animation, quality writing, and quality everything else pretty much. They really are much better than they have any business being. The way I see it, I think there's been a revival to the cartoon genre thanks to these shows as they all bring me back to the days where I'd get up for Saturday morning cartoons. I think you'd be able to do an episode on that whole concept of the Saturday cartoon dieing off until this started, but then again this is probably nostalgia talking.

^QFT

I've been documented [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.209746-Cartoons-of-the-90s] as saying that the 90's were truly the last great cartoon era, and I'm VERY happy to report that Adventure Time, Gumball, MLP: FiM, etc. are a brilliant sign that cartoonists are finally taking back their profession.

Back in the dark ages (read early 2001) it seemed almost as if marketing took over cartoons rather than their creators and their imaginations.... Actually, I think I'm going to write a followup piece to my "Cartoons of the 90's" post.

Side Note: Gumball has probably the most imaginative art style of them all right now.
Composing live action with cartoons? Brilliant!

I say go for a followup, it'd be nice to see some optimism after the drab that we've had to go through for 10 years. Sure, there were a few good cartoons here and there like Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends and Code Name: Kids Next Door (both worked on by Lauren Faust. Hmmmm....) and some others that have escaped my memory (which isn't a good sign to begin with), these recent shows seem to go back to the core of the cartoons of yesteryear. That and, now that I think about it, they all had an element of absurdity to them. Like, they were all friggin' nuts. Courage the Cowardly Dog was, well, whatever it was, and stuff like the PowerPuff Girls were just absurd in their own right.

 

[McMarbles]

Sorry Bob but you're on the list...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qcBjh8yfwY&list=FLi9sQ0QlqxXjBbg2hBQJlKw&index=1&feature=plpp_video

...yeah... Family Guy doesn't get to call out anyone for not being funny anymore.

 

[FirebirdXR]

If a commercial is to be believed adventure time got an emmy nomination. That's serious cred for a cartoon show.

Oh yeah, that's pretty awesome, no denying. Just wondering if the reasons for preferring Adventure Time are legit (not hating on the show, friggin' love it and all the other shows I listed).

Adventure Time actually has two emmy nominations.

Though, I have yet seen any of MLP, I know very likely that I would be a fan of it.
Being a bit of fan of Lauren Faust's work with both Powerpuff Girls and especially Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, I have to say, I am quite excited she is at the helm for Super Best Friends for the new DC Nation Block coming to CN.


On the subject of the Simpsons debate, I'll say this.....

.... haven't kept up with it. Moved on to Futurama.

 

[Gamer_152]

Very insightful stuff as always. I maintain the view that there has been a significant drop of quality in The Simpsons and for me these videos were more about how that came about rather than any defence of the show but none the less I think you made some excellent points.

 

[Toriver]

This is why I still keep my account open here...

Good episode, Bob. Actually made me notice something about the pop culture of the country I'm in and one reason why it seems to be such a surprise to me that EVERYONE here tends to get the same jokes and like the same things, compared to back at home in the US: it's a situation that's very similar to the way things were in the US pre-internet, despite the internet being widespread here. Despite the popular view of this country, people here are still quite wary of new technology and the average person here doesn't use the internet nearly as much as the average American or European (the average American probably doesn't use the net as much as the average European or at least British person... the British are EVERYWHERE on the net... but anyway,) and when they do, they tend to mainly use it for research, shopping and games, as far as I can tell. Sure, there are small subcultures that tend to use it for various kinds of entertainment, but if you look at what's on TV here, it looks very similar to the pre-internet US: a few national stations and local affiliates of national networks, who tend to broadcast the same kinds of shows across the board. Here, those shows are mainly news, dramas similar to CSI or Desperate Housewives, the occasional sports program, and brightly-colored comedy variety shows featuring mainly celebrities who are only famous for appearing on said variety shows. Cable and satellite TV doesn't offer too much more, either, and that's mostly where you can find foreign programming. Hulu just opened up shop here, and all that's offered on Hulu here is the same programs that appear on those cable programs, which is a small portion of what you could find back home. And cable/satellite TV isn't really big here either. So as Bob said, with a more unified pop culture, it makes it easier for people here to at least all understand the references and jokes, even if they don't find them entertaining or funny. And it leaves a person like me, who just plain doesn't like much of the TV or music here (and trust me, I've tried), feeling quite out of the loop in that regard.

So thanks, Bob, for helping me understand a bit more about life here, whether you meant to or not.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Dear lord Bob, what have you done?!?!?!?

Though now I feel the need to check out Adventure Time as a counter argument to all the ponies...

OT: I never really enjoyed the Simpsons, but then, I never saw it before the internet. Interesting phenomenon though.

 

[TheBrett]

I'm not convinced by Bob's second theory, either. I didn't regularly start watching The Simpsons until 2007, and I only occasionally caught a glimpse at one of the "Golden Age" episodes (Seasons 3-8) until I started buying used Simpsons season box sets in 2009-2010.

Having watched a bunch of post-Golden Age episodes, as well as the Golden Age ones, I'm still convinced that the Golden Age ones are better. The stories in particular seem much better written - compare "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" in Season 5 to many later seasons' episodes. I'm not sure why the later Simpsons seasons lost that, but it could simply be that they wanted to avoid repeating themselves, and that's become almost impossible to do without doing

1. "Celebrity" episodes
2. Spoof episodes, which are often still quite excellent ("24 Minutes" is a very fun episode)
3. "Topical" episodes, like the one where Marge and Kids become Foodies.

They're still actually quite good at doing "spoof" episodes, but episodes where the humor derives from the plot are much rarer ("500 Keys" is one of the few episodes from Season 22 that pulls this off, in my opinion).

Since, as Bob says, every Simpsons post must end with a Top Five list, these are my Top Five (not in order of personal value):

1. Last Exit to Springfield: It's a nearly flawless combination of absurdist humor, the drama of the strike, the humorous interaction between Burns and Homer, and even the slightly emotional ending where they're singing in the darkness and Burns realizes that he has lost.

2. Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badass Song: Another excellent episode, both because of the plot and because of the interaction between Skinner and Bart. This episode really balances the drama, heartwarming elements, and humor well.

3. Homer's Enemy: Easily one of the darkest episodes the Simpsons has ever made, even while it's funny. It's basically "What if a real-life person entered Homer's world and had to interact with him?". The results are funny, but also rather disturbing when you think about it in depth.

4. Skinner's Sense of Snow: I think this one really does the "kids gone wild" and "snowed-in" plot well, combined with the absurdist humor. Character interaction really sells it for me.

5. Who shot Mr. Burns? Part One: What makes it good is how the episode gradually builds up the menace Burns is being to the town, piling grievance upon grievance to the point where you really could imagine that anyone in that town could be responsible for attempting to murder him. The scene where Homer is dragged out of Burns' office, shouting, "You're dead, Burns!" particularly stands out to me.

 

[Plinglebob]

After your 1st episode, I was worried you'd just do another episode of "Its just nostalgia talking", and while I disagree that the qualitys the same, the reason for the change (and why I now don't like it) are well argued. For the record, for me the rot started setting in in season 9 and I stopped after seeing "Principle and the Pauper" and the episode with Funzo. The first annoyed me because while it was a good story, the ending was so lazy it made me want to hit the writers. The Funzo episode just made me go "WTF" throughout.

While I have very little evidence (can't remember exactly where I saw either) there are two quotes that I believe are important in why there's been a decline. In an early episode commentary, someone said (along the lines of) "We don't change jokes from the original writing because even though we may no longer think they're funny, its because we've lived with the joke for 3 months" then in an inerview about the film another person linked with the show said "Not one joke from the 1st script made it into the final film" I'm probably just taking 2 quotes and using them as a reason when its really something else, but its slightly worrying all the same.

I also not quite sure why, but in the "Golden Age" episodes, the absurd/parodies/nonsensical were woven in better. I first watched Homers Barbershop Quartet when I was 14 and even now I somehow still find it to be relatively believable.

Finally, the top 5 list:

5) Any Sideshow Bob Episode: I love the Character and Kelsey Grammer always sounds like he's having a blast doing it.

4) You Only Move Twice: Like Homers Barbershop Quartet, the whole idea of the episode is completely absurd yet its written so well you end up either believing it completely or just not caring its stupid.

3) Treehouse of Horrors I: Best reading of Edgar Allen Poe ever!

2) Bart Gets an F: Barts realisation that he is really not that bright is heartbreaking.

1) And Maggie Makes Three: Hard to explain, but I just love the story and the emotion shown throughout.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

About Adventure Time/MLP debate, since I can't really get into MLP at all, I am gonna have to side with Adventure Time. Personally, my favorite 2010-2011 Cartoon is Regular Show, and my Favorite Cartoon from the 21st Century is Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.

OT: While I agree with you that The Simpsons basically had to change from Exaggeration of a Sitcom to an Exaggeration of an Exaggeration of a Sitcom, that doesn't give it an excuse to produce dumb episodes. I'll admit that I like many of the modern ones, there are still plenty of garbage ones out there. "Four Women and a Manicure", "Bart Gets a Z", "The Devil Wears Nada", are all terrible in my opinion. Since you did a Top 5, and since a lot of people are also doing Top 5 episodes, I might as well.

MY TOP 5 SIMPSONS EPISODES:

5: The Principle and The Pauper

4: The Itchy And Scratchy And Poochie Show

3: Angry Dad: The Movie

2: The Joy Of Sect

1: The Lemons of Troy

 

[NaramSuen]

This is why I tune in every week Bob. Always informative and entertaining. I never really got into the Simpsons, but I can appreciate the analysis.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Nicely done, Bob (and for the record, I like both Adventure Time and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, so to each their own.)

I know everything has to end eventually, but with something as big as "The Simpsons" some people don't want it to (I don't watch the Simpsons as much as I used to, I should really start again...)

As for favorite episodes, well, that's kinda hard... I'll just name five episodes I like:

#5 24 Minutes

#4 I am (Furious Yellow)

#3 Behind the Laughter

#2 El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)

#1 Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind

 

[MB202]

Okay, Bob, you CAN'T just say Adventure Time is better then sweep it under the rug. You've GOT to make an episode about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic AND Adventure Time now!

 

[NinjaDC]

I just don't see the appeal of Adventure Time, its cynical as hell
The characters are @$$ holes & morons
The art style rubbish
The plots are insane(though I guess some like this)
I guess people who liked early 90s era Nickaloaden bat ***** crazy humor like the show,
but classic CN >>>>>>classic Nick

 

[maninahat]

Whilst it is certainly true that the Simpon's change in approach - skewering niche fads like WOW, irrational fear of muslims, etc. - isn't in itself a bad thing, I still think the writing is far poorer. I don't chalk this down to less relatability.If you are not associated with the niche parody de jour you aren't likely to get the joke, but I find that even if you are familiar with what they are joking about, the jokes are still not very funny.

Tonally, the simpsons has become less cynical and dark, and far more offbeat and wacky. Not unreasonable changes in themselves, but they aren't proving to have worked i this instance. We like the Simpsons best when it is making bitter remarks about Union bosses and schools. Not tepid jokes about online gaming. Also, where once the celebrity appearances were an amusing surprise, now they have become so common, they have lost all impact. The joke was to have celebrities cropping up out of nowhere. Nowerdays, they just walk in, do a tame, comedy routine of themselves, and then go away. That doesn't work.

 

[Vordi]

The last time I've sick of The Simspons was to do with the fact that Sky one insisted on showing the twelve episodes every week, plus they showed of them between 7pm-9pm So quite a few episodes aired twice in one week.
So yeah not the production team's fault and for the record, none of them were on Bob's list.