20 years of The Simpsons

[Pain]

Just noticed its the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons this year.

Season 21 starts September 27.

The Simpsons' twenty-first season will air on Fox starting on September 27, 2009. The season will establish The Simpsons as the longest running American primetime television series, replacing Gunsmoke for that distinction.

In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of The Simpsons, Fox announced earlier in the year that a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever." would run from January 14, 2009 to January 14, 2010.[23] As part of the celebration, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock will direct and produce The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice, a documentary special that will examine the "cultural phenomenon of The Simpsons". It will air on January 14, 2010 on Fox.[24][25] In February 2009, Spurlock was asked to direct the special. The producers spent several months deciding on the content and format of the film, and production is set to begin at Comic-con 2009. It will include interviews with the cast and fans of the show. Despite the title, Spurlock says the special "most likely will not be in 3-D nor on ice."[26]

 

[El Freako]

Great, I can remember when they first came out, now I feel really old

 

[Tech]

too bad the show stopped being funny 18 seasons ago.

 

[tim290280]

too bad the show stopped being funny 18 seasons ago.

Still one of the funniest things regardless.

Probably says more about the crap that passes for comedy.

 

[Line]

too bad the show stopped being funny 18 seasons ago.

Yeah, I came in to say, "Too bad I stopped caring after 8 seasons".

 

[lifterdead]

It was good when Conan was writing for it, back in the mid-90s.

 

[Daniel Andersson]

 

[Line]

Yeah, I came in to say, "Too bad I stopped caring after 8 seasons".

Actually this isn't fair. I cared, a lot in fact, up until about season 13 or so. It's just that, in retrospect, I should have stopped watching after season 8.

 

[Pain]

I much preferred the animation in season 1 & 2. I don't like how clean it looks now. I also hate how self aware they are in the last few seasons.

I still watch it but I could totally not care if it ended.

 

[lifterdead]

Best cartoon?

Reruns of Futurama or South Park.

 

[Salt]

Stupid sexy Flanders.

 

[tim290280]

Actually this isn't fair. I cared, a lot in fact, up until about season 13 or so. It's just that, in retrospect, I should have stopped watching after season 8.

I've been thinking about this and trying to see if they jumped the shark at any point. I don't think they have but they've been gradually building the ramp and filling up the shark tank. I think that is why they have lost the audience and become less/un funny.

Case in point is the rise in the number of celebs on the show, the messing with canonicity so they can do something new, the same joke about Homer being stupid, the fact that the characters haven't grown or changed yet they have created stories that rely on growth and change, etc.

So they have lost some of that biting satirical whit and humour that made the show great. It isn't gone completely but rather than stopping the show it has had to force the situations to create humour and this makes for less comedic moments. I'm hoping that the new episodes haven't jumped the shark (haven't seen them yet), I enjoyed the movie more the second time (first time felt like a long episode, but what else was I expecting?), but really they should have let it come to an end years ago and be remembered for quality rather than longevity.

 

[Hane]

Still one of the funniest things regardless.

Probably says more about the crap that passes for comedy.

You have to give it to Family Guy these days

 

[mvsf1]

Best cartoon ever. Maybe they are not at their best, but they are still awesome.

 

[thedon]

ill watch the occasional new episode but the past 8 seasons have been just awful!