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June 25, 2018 8:00 AM Subscribe
@13:05 Mmmmmmm... Glutinous Homer...
posted by J.K. Seazer at 8:30 AM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by J.K. Seazer at 8:30 AM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
R. Fiore's 2010 Comics Journal piece remains the best piece of analysis on The Simpsons I've ever read. You can find it online here.
posted by Paul Slade at 8:36 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Paul Slade at 8:36 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
Isn't it everything to do with Al Jean being the sole showrunner since 2002?
posted by JamesBay at 8:44 AM on June 25, 2018
posted by JamesBay at 8:44 AM on June 25, 2018
JamesBay: Not that simple. I'm pretty sure the blue turned me on to this video in the first place, but it's a very astute worthwhile watch, an insightful piece of media criticism. This is certainly worth of it's own post.
More than showing what's wrong with the show, it also explains what made the Simpsons brilliant before the fall.
posted by el io at 8:57 AM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
More than showing what's wrong with the show, it also explains what made the Simpsons brilliant before the fall.
posted by el io at 8:57 AM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
The video leans on the chart of IMDb ratings to make its argument, but I'm not sure how convincing it is. If the only people who take the time to rate Simpsons episodes (particularly old episodes) are hardcore fans like this guy, then the ratings are nothing more than a summary of the hardcore fans' narrative. That's not necessarily bad; I agree with the narrative myself. But I have to think that there's some reason why this show has lasted so freaking long. Who is watching new Simpsons episodes? Why do they like it?
posted by J.K. Seazer at 9:06 AM on June 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by J.K. Seazer at 9:06 AM on June 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
Chart of the actual number of viewers.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:16 AM on June 25, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:16 AM on June 25, 2018 [9 favorites]
The video leans on the chart of IMDb ratings to make its argument
with a lame aside about how this is so as not to depend on "my subjective opinion" - you are making a piece of criticism, you are supposed to have a point of view
posted by thelonius at 9:17 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
with a lame aside about how this is so as not to depend on "my subjective opinion" - you are making a piece of criticism, you are supposed to have a point of view
posted by thelonius at 9:17 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
To revitalize, maybe they bring back Poochie?
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:17 AM on June 25, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:17 AM on June 25, 2018 [13 favorites]
Isn't it everything to do with Al Jean being the sole showrunner since 2002?
JamesBay
If you want a (really, really) deep dive into this, check out the podcast Talking Simpsons, a chronological episode-by-episode exploration of the show (they're up to near the end of Season 7 now), with lots of interviews with writers and showrunners. They actually discuss and are somewhat critical of this "Fall of the Simpsons" video, and also of the idea that it was all Jean's fault.
After all, Jean and Mike Reiss were showrunners for Seasons 3 and 4, universally considered part of the Simpsons Golden Era, and explicitly cited by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein as the template for their own run during Seasons 7 and 8. Talking Simpsons does a great job of showing how the show evolved, and how the seeds of a lot of the problems of later Simpsons were always there ("jerkass Homer", leaning on celebrities too much, new jobs, travel, etc.), they just became more pronounced as the show went on.
The problem is ultimately that the show just went on too long and they had to lean on these things more and more, while also simply exhausting most topics and material. It's hard or impossible to always be great and relevant. And having 7 or 8 years of what is nearly-universally hailed as some of the best television comedy ever made isn't too shabby.
On top of that, it's important to remember context: when the Simpsons began it was a breath of fresh air in the existing landscape of formulaic garbage on TV. If you were a talented young writer who wanted to shake things up, you went to the Simpsons. But after the Simpsons exploded what TV comedy could be, there were all sorts of different opportunities and the show couldn't just soak up every talented and ambitious person, and now the show had to deal with a different landscape that it had in part created. Which is a classic problem: the show began as a gleeful takedown of the Establishment, but eventually became the Establishment.
posted by Sangermaine at 9:18 AM on June 25, 2018 [51 favorites]
JamesBay
If you want a (really, really) deep dive into this, check out the podcast Talking Simpsons, a chronological episode-by-episode exploration of the show (they're up to near the end of Season 7 now), with lots of interviews with writers and showrunners. They actually discuss and are somewhat critical of this "Fall of the Simpsons" video, and also of the idea that it was all Jean's fault.
After all, Jean and Mike Reiss were showrunners for Seasons 3 and 4, universally considered part of the Simpsons Golden Era, and explicitly cited by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein as the template for their own run during Seasons 7 and 8. Talking Simpsons does a great job of showing how the show evolved, and how the seeds of a lot of the problems of later Simpsons were always there ("jerkass Homer", leaning on celebrities too much, new jobs, travel, etc.), they just became more pronounced as the show went on.
The problem is ultimately that the show just went on too long and they had to lean on these things more and more, while also simply exhausting most topics and material. It's hard or impossible to always be great and relevant. And having 7 or 8 years of what is nearly-universally hailed as some of the best television comedy ever made isn't too shabby.
On top of that, it's important to remember context: when the Simpsons began it was a breath of fresh air in the existing landscape of formulaic garbage on TV. If you were a talented young writer who wanted to shake things up, you went to the Simpsons. But after the Simpsons exploded what TV comedy could be, there were all sorts of different opportunities and the show couldn't just soak up every talented and ambitious person, and now the show had to deal with a different landscape that it had in part created. Which is a classic problem: the show began as a gleeful takedown of the Establishment, but eventually became the Establishment.
posted by Sangermaine at 9:18 AM on June 25, 2018 [51 favorites]
Yeah, it uses the IMDb rankings to support its argument, but it's not like there's better data to make the point. And, the video correlates it to departure of crucial staff who were responsible for the show's initial tone, key episodes that reflect a change, and broader change in historical context. So it's not like it's over-reliant on limited data - it just uses those data as part of a broader analysis.
posted by entropone at 9:19 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by entropone at 9:19 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
I have zero nostalgia for the Simpsons, I think I haven't watched more than a season of episodes through all of its run, and now I want to watch the early ones so... thanks for the post!
The only criticism I can make is the "YouTube Documentary" voice but I guess that's just part of the genre.
posted by Memo at 9:20 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
The only criticism I can make is the "YouTube Documentary" voice but I guess that's just part of the genre.
posted by Memo at 9:20 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
The problem is ultimately that the show just went on too long and they had to lean on these things more and more, while also simply exhausting most topics and material.
While I totally agree with this sentiment, it should also be pointed out that South Park hasn't lost a step across 18 seasons.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:21 AM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
While I totally agree with this sentiment, it should also be pointed out that South Park hasn't lost a step across 18 seasons.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:21 AM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
South Park has always attempted to be much more immediately topical, incorporating from-the-headlines real-world events and people, and as much recent criticism shows, it has often suffered for that.
posted by Sangermaine at 9:24 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Sangermaine at 9:24 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not sure I agree with ya 100% on your policework there, mcstayinskool.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:24 AM on June 25, 2018 [75 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:24 AM on June 25, 2018 [75 favorites]
While I totally agree with this sentiment, it should also be pointed out that South Park hasn't lost a step across 18 seasons.
That's because South Park has always been extremely topical. You look at an issue of the day, you run it through a filter of libertarian "common sense" and then ridicule what was caught by that filter on screen.
It's not exactly hard to stay relevant.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:25 AM on June 25, 2018 [15 favorites]
That's because South Park has always been extremely topical. You look at an issue of the day, you run it through a filter of libertarian "common sense" and then ridicule what was caught by that filter on screen.
It's not exactly hard to stay relevant.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 9:25 AM on June 25, 2018 [15 favorites]
I've always felt that later Simpsons gets maligned for things it always was - Homer was always a jerkass and the laws of physics, or injury, or continuity or whatever never applied to the show. In the early joke that's featured for example, apparently Springfield has a subway. The only difference is that they used to make jokes *better*, and now there are a few good jokes and lots of lazy ones, where in the past, there were lots of good jokes and a few lazy ones. Makes sense, they used to have an all-star writing staff and now they don't.
Also, since I'm ranting, The Onion recently rated the best vacation episodes and they put the dumb, low quality Australia episode high on the list. That episode is the new Simpsons - nonsensical, filled with lazy jokes, and ultimately pointless within the Simpsons universe.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:27 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Also, since I'm ranting, The Onion recently rated the best vacation episodes and they put the dumb, low quality Australia episode high on the list. That episode is the new Simpsons - nonsensical, filled with lazy jokes, and ultimately pointless within the Simpsons universe.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:27 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
While I totally agree with this sentiment, it should also be pointed out that South Park hasn't lost a step across 18 seasons.
I try to watch a couple of episodes of South Park whenever they start a new season. I try really hard. I haven't made it to three since [checks Wikipedia] 2010, apparently. I gave up on the Simpsons in 2015, and that was less "I can't watch this anymore" than "My DVR is too full, I guess I have to jettison something, and The Simpsons isn't bringing me that much joy, week-to-week."
posted by Etrigan at 9:32 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
I try to watch a couple of episodes of South Park whenever they start a new season. I try really hard. I haven't made it to three since [checks Wikipedia] 2010, apparently. I gave up on the Simpsons in 2015, and that was less "I can't watch this anymore" than "My DVR is too full, I guess I have to jettison something, and The Simpsons isn't bringing me that much joy, week-to-week."
posted by Etrigan at 9:32 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
Which is a classic problem: the show began as a gleeful takedown of the Establishment, but eventually became the Establishment.
Die a hero, or live to be a villian
posted by zabuni at 9:33 AM on June 25, 2018 [9 favorites]
Die a hero, or live to be a villian
posted by zabuni at 9:33 AM on June 25, 2018 [9 favorites]
Do the IMDb ratings still have the best episode of all-time being "Homer the Smithers"? That's definitely what it was the last couple times this came up. My best guess is that they're primarily used for weird trolling and/or idiosyncratic opinions, because in my experience they do not have any sort of relationship to the vast majority of people's opinions about individual episodes. For ages the worst rated non-clip show episodes from the first nine seasons were things like "Homer at Bat" and the monorail episodes that are routinely ranked in other outlets as among the best and are constantly referenced in other forums.
posted by Copronymus at 9:36 AM on June 25, 2018
posted by Copronymus at 9:36 AM on June 25, 2018
South Park hasn't lost a step across 18 seasons.
Not even the episode suggesting it didn't matter whether you voted for Gore or Bush because one was a shit taco and the other a crap sandwich? If I'm being honest I found that hilarious, but in the end I have to agree with Ebert that the show is nihilist.
-----
There's an episode of Top Chef Masters judged by Matt Groening and Hank Azaria that's really insightful into their working process. They riff on all the food effortlessly and have a total blast.
posted by xammerboy at 9:41 AM on June 25, 2018 [9 favorites]
Not even the episode suggesting it didn't matter whether you voted for Gore or Bush because one was a shit taco and the other a crap sandwich? If I'm being honest I found that hilarious, but in the end I have to agree with Ebert that the show is nihilist.
-----
There's an episode of Top Chef Masters judged by Matt Groening and Hank Azaria that's really insightful into their working process. They riff on all the food effortlessly and have a total blast.
posted by xammerboy at 9:41 AM on June 25, 2018 [9 favorites]
While I totally agree with this sentiment, it should also be pointed out that South Park hasn't lost a step across 18 seasons.
It’s like you’re trying to start a fight
posted by schadenfrau at 9:44 AM on June 25, 2018 [33 favorites]
It’s like you’re trying to start a fight
posted by schadenfrau at 9:44 AM on June 25, 2018 [33 favorites]
SouthPark is like Family Guy - it lost its step after the 1st season.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:58 AM on June 25, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:58 AM on June 25, 2018 [22 favorites]
After all, Jean and Mike Reiss were showrunners for Seasons 3 and 4
Yes. One of them was funny, and the other one came back.
Seriously, watch any of the interviews with Al Jean (the Conan roundtable especially), or listen to his commentaries. The man clearly has no idea what makes anything funny, and has a real knack for sucking all the laughter out of a room.
But it’s not just the writing that sucks now (and for the past two decades). As the video points out rather well, the animation has become stiff and lifeless. Plus the voice actors just sound so bored.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:59 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes. One of them was funny, and the other one came back.
Seriously, watch any of the interviews with Al Jean (the Conan roundtable especially), or listen to his commentaries. The man clearly has no idea what makes anything funny, and has a real knack for sucking all the laughter out of a room.
But it’s not just the writing that sucks now (and for the past two decades). As the video points out rather well, the animation has become stiff and lifeless. Plus the voice actors just sound so bored.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:59 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you were a talented young writer who wanted to shake things up, you went to the Simpsons. But after the Simpsons exploded what TV comedy could be, there were all sorts of different opportunities and the show couldn't just soak up every talented and ambitious person, and now the show had to deal with a different landscape that it had in part created. Which is a classic problem: the show began as a gleeful takedown of the Establishment, but eventually became the Establishment.
I've made this crack before, but we're at a point where generations of talented young comedy writers grew up watching The Simpsons, and The Simpsons hasn't managed to hire any of them. It's a mediocre paint by numbers joke factory now. It's formulaic. It's long since become everything The Simpsons was originally made in opposition to.
posted by thecjm at 10:04 AM on June 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
I've made this crack before, but we're at a point where generations of talented young comedy writers grew up watching The Simpsons, and The Simpsons hasn't managed to hire any of them. It's a mediocre paint by numbers joke factory now. It's formulaic. It's long since become everything The Simpsons was originally made in opposition to.
posted by thecjm at 10:04 AM on June 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
mcstayinskool: South Park hasn't lost a step across 18 seasons
Boy, I couldn't disagree more. I enjoyed the first few seasons, and now wouldn't even consider watching it.
Perhaps it's due to my own personal development, but I increasingly find South Park's attempts at humor sophomoric at best and more often offensive on a wide variety of levels.
posted by slkinsey at 10:08 AM on June 25, 2018 [18 favorites]
Boy, I couldn't disagree more. I enjoyed the first few seasons, and now wouldn't even consider watching it.
Perhaps it's due to my own personal development, but I increasingly find South Park's attempts at humor sophomoric at best and more often offensive on a wide variety of levels.
posted by slkinsey at 10:08 AM on June 25, 2018 [18 favorites]
the Simpsons began it was a breath of fresh air in the existing landscape of formulaic garbage on TV
And when it started there were 3 major networks and broadcast choices: NBC, CBS and ABC. PBS iff you were lucky.
The show underwent the viewship shrinking of there being more channels via cable and now the choices of YouTube/NetFlix/The InterNet of entertainment. And viewership is no longer the US - it is the world.
When it was successful it became the formula for success. So how do you try and tell the people who watch the cash-flows there needs to be a change? And as the options expand andthe concumer can silo itself into the entertainment the consumer wants - how are you to attract talent good enough to write humor common to the world VS common to a shared 3 or 4 media network shared experience?
posted by rough ashlar at 10:11 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
And when it started there were 3 major networks and broadcast choices: NBC, CBS and ABC. PBS iff you were lucky.
The show underwent the viewship shrinking of there being more channels via cable and now the choices of YouTube/NetFlix/The InterNet of entertainment. And viewership is no longer the US - it is the world.
When it was successful it became the formula for success. So how do you try and tell the people who watch the cash-flows there needs to be a change? And as the options expand andthe concumer can silo itself into the entertainment the consumer wants - how are you to attract talent good enough to write humor common to the world VS common to a shared 3 or 4 media network shared experience?
posted by rough ashlar at 10:11 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
While the Simpsons of the 2010s is not the Simpsons of the 90s by any measure, I have found it consistently watchable until the last couple of years. Now every episode gets 5-7 minutes to figure out if they have something to say, and then DVR delete button if not. This most recent season I'd say half the episodes made the cut. Not one was really memorable.
posted by MattD at 10:28 AM on June 25, 2018
posted by MattD at 10:28 AM on June 25, 2018
the show began as a gleeful takedown of the Establishment, but eventually became the Establishment.
And it'll happen to yooouuu ...
posted by RobotHero at 10:29 AM on June 25, 2018 [27 favorites]
And it'll happen to yooouuu ...
posted by RobotHero at 10:29 AM on June 25, 2018 [27 favorites]
I really loved this analysis. I’ve always felt that the reason for the decline boiled down to the fact that they ran out of things that normal families do and had to venture into the increasingly absurd so it stopped being relevant satire. For me, it wasn’t the Principal and the Pauper that marked its irrelevance it was the earlier Homer in Space.
What’s interesting to me is that The Treehouse Of Horror episodes get a pass on their absurdity because that’s the set up from the beginning and they stayed worthwhile for longer than the early series. Gradually, even Treehouse came to stink and I didn’t realize why until this video — it’s because the characters became no longer internally consistent. It became “Wouldn’t it be funny if we made Milhouse a psychopath?” instead of “Wouldn’t it be funny if Milhouse acted like Milhouse in this absurd situation?”
But all the other stuff about how the jokes were crafted and paced, and the horribleness of celebrity cameos, that was some really wonderful criticism.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:39 AM on June 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
What’s interesting to me is that The Treehouse Of Horror episodes get a pass on their absurdity because that’s the set up from the beginning and they stayed worthwhile for longer than the early series. Gradually, even Treehouse came to stink and I didn’t realize why until this video — it’s because the characters became no longer internally consistent. It became “Wouldn’t it be funny if we made Milhouse a psychopath?” instead of “Wouldn’t it be funny if Milhouse acted like Milhouse in this absurd situation?”
But all the other stuff about how the jokes were crafted and paced, and the horribleness of celebrity cameos, that was some really wonderful criticism.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:39 AM on June 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
Learning when people think The Simpsons went to shit has been a good indicator of their age in my experience. Everyone seems to think the Simpsons got bad at whatever season aired when they were about 25.
posted by mikesch at 10:44 AM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by mikesch at 10:44 AM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
Everyone seems to think the Simpsons got bad at whatever season aired when they were about 25.
And they haven’t made any good music since then, either!
posted by Huffy Puffy at 10:48 AM on June 25, 2018 [11 favorites]
And they haven’t made any good music since then, either!
posted by Huffy Puffy at 10:48 AM on June 25, 2018 [11 favorites]
Everyone seems to think the Simpsons got bad at whatever season aired when they were about 25.
Nah. There's general consensus that it at least started to fall apart around Seasons 8-10, that the 2000s were a low period, and apparently that recently it's gotten a litlte better.
There was an interview from a years back (previously) with Al Jean, Dave Mirkin, and Matt Selman where Jean makes a similar argument:
posted by Sangermaine at 11:08 AM on June 25, 2018 [13 favorites]
Nah. There's general consensus that it at least started to fall apart around Seasons 8-10, that the 2000s were a low period, and apparently that recently it's gotten a litlte better.
There was an interview from a years back (previously) with Al Jean, Dave Mirkin, and Matt Selman where Jean makes a similar argument:
Well, I personally don’t know what a "classic" means. It seems to me that it is whenever you left for college. And by the way, whatever bar there is, it’s moved so many times.And yet...almost every single episode or reference they discuss in that interview is from the "non-existent" "classic" era ending in Season 8, including all 3 of their answers to the question "So let’s say you have an adult who’s never seen the show before. Which episodes would you recommend starting with?" (though Jean does add the newer "Gone Maggie Gone" after answering "Flaming Moe's").
posted by Sangermaine at 11:08 AM on June 25, 2018 [13 favorites]
Everyone seems to think the Simpsons got bad at whatever season aired when they were about 25.
This leaves out us olds who started watching the Simpsons as young adults. For me, the change in quality was painfully evident at the beginning of season 9.
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:11 AM on June 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
This leaves out us olds who started watching the Simpsons as young adults. For me, the change in quality was painfully evident at the beginning of season 9.
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:11 AM on June 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
The Simpsons has been bad ever since I got a cow.
posted by srboisvert at 11:38 AM on June 25, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 11:38 AM on June 25, 2018 [15 favorites]
South Park hasn't lost a step across 18 seasons.
It's easier for South Park and Family Guy, because those shows never had heart.
posted by rhizome at 11:40 AM on June 25, 2018 [22 favorites]
It's easier for South Park and Family Guy, because those shows never had heart.
posted by rhizome at 11:40 AM on June 25, 2018 [22 favorites]
Bart Vs. Australia is the first bad episode (I'm excluding the clip shows, which are more something the executives forced on them than a proper episode). It's the first time we get a reliable pattern for bad episodes, specifically the Simpsons going to a real-world location and making a bunch of really tired jokes about it. That said, the episode's still watchable, as it predates the point where the writers forgot how to also write genuinely good jokes.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:41 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:41 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
It's easier for South Park and Family Guy, because those shows never had heart.
Ok yes fuck Family Guy forever, but South Park is all the more painful because there are occasional glimmers of heart — or at least at caring about something — and then they turn around and shit on those glimmers because they are fundamentally afraid to care in public, just like adolescent boys steeped in toxic masculinity
Just off the top of my head: Cartman becomes this acknowledgement that pure, irredeemable evil does exist in the world (which is its own daring thing, honestly) and, after he makes fun of breast cancer, Wendy beats the shit out of him with the blessing of Principal Victoria “because that’s what you do with cancer.” NOT WRONG. And then they just go back to being dicks, and Cartman remains the unaddressed evil who develops all their plots for them, inevitably enabling the both sides are shit nonsense.
Glimmers of heart, shat upon.
posted by schadenfrau at 11:50 AM on June 25, 2018 [12 favorites]
Ok yes fuck Family Guy forever, but South Park is all the more painful because there are occasional glimmers of heart — or at least at caring about something — and then they turn around and shit on those glimmers because they are fundamentally afraid to care in public, just like adolescent boys steeped in toxic masculinity
Just off the top of my head: Cartman becomes this acknowledgement that pure, irredeemable evil does exist in the world (which is its own daring thing, honestly) and, after he makes fun of breast cancer, Wendy beats the shit out of him with the blessing of Principal Victoria “because that’s what you do with cancer.” NOT WRONG. And then they just go back to being dicks, and Cartman remains the unaddressed evil who develops all their plots for them, inevitably enabling the both sides are shit nonsense.
Glimmers of heart, shat upon.
posted by schadenfrau at 11:50 AM on June 25, 2018 [12 favorites]
mikesch: "Learning when people think The Simpsons went to shit has been a good indicator of their age in my experience. Everyone seems to think the Simpsons got bad at whatever season aired when they were about 25."
I was 25 the year it first broadcast but I watched it for about another seven or eight years.
posted by octothorpe at 11:52 AM on June 25, 2018 [7 favorites]
I was 25 the year it first broadcast but I watched it for about another seven or eight years.
posted by octothorpe at 11:52 AM on June 25, 2018 [7 favorites]
Everyone seems to think the Simpsons got bad at whatever season aired when they were about 25.
I saw Simpson Tide (s9e19) when it first aired in 1998, and I distinctly remember having the feeling something was very wrong (I was 12). I pretty much stopped watching probably around season 11 - season 20 was out when I was 25 and I definitely thought it was unwatchable long before then.
I tried watching episodes here and there throughout the years, but it was just too painful. I particularly hate the newer character models and miss the imperfectness of hand-drawn cel animation.
posted by littlesq at 12:02 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
I saw Simpson Tide (s9e19) when it first aired in 1998, and I distinctly remember having the feeling something was very wrong (I was 12). I pretty much stopped watching probably around season 11 - season 20 was out when I was 25 and I definitely thought it was unwatchable long before then.
I tried watching episodes here and there throughout the years, but it was just too painful. I particularly hate the newer character models and miss the imperfectness of hand-drawn cel animation.
posted by littlesq at 12:02 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Bart Vs. Australia is the first bad episode
I see you've played knifey/spoony before.
posted by hwyengr at 12:06 PM on June 25, 2018 [27 favorites]
I see you've played knifey/spoony before.
posted by hwyengr at 12:06 PM on June 25, 2018 [27 favorites]
I particularly hate the newer character models and miss the imperfectness of hand-drawn cel animation.
Even more than that, watch for the shot composition- it's shot like Family Guy now. The show's become flat and lifeless over the years.
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:18 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
Even more than that, watch for the shot composition- it's shot like Family Guy now. The show's become flat and lifeless over the years.
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:18 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
Similar to the brain drain that depleted the writing staff once the show achieved success, many of its best animators eventually left to helm their own animated shows and/or direct feature films for Pixar and Disney.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:30 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:30 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
Everyone seems to think the Simpsons got bad at whatever season aired when they were about 25.
I was 29 when it premiered, and as far as I can tell—which isn't far—apart from a small percentage of standout episodes and a somewhat less small percentage of crummy ones, the quality hasn't varied all that much over the years. Of course, we hung onions from our belts, which was the fashion at the time.
posted by Flexagon at 12:33 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
I was 29 when it premiered, and as far as I can tell—which isn't far—apart from a small percentage of standout episodes and a somewhat less small percentage of crummy ones, the quality hasn't varied all that much over the years. Of course, we hung onions from our belts, which was the fashion at the time.
posted by Flexagon at 12:33 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
When I clicked on this video and realized it was going to be 31 minutes of my day, I have to be honest, I wasn't in for it. But I watched the entire thing, and it was really illuminating.
I was twelve when The Simpsons first aired in 1989. I remember at my 13th birthday party receiving a gift from a friend that was a Bart Simpson t-shirt with some caption, I think it was "Cowabunga, Dude!" or "Eat My Shorts" or something.
But I wasn't allowed to watch the show in my strict Catholic household. I knew the cultural popularity of it and felt left out, and sometimes I would catch an episode or two at friends' houses who had more lenient TV watching guidelines. I loved it!
I grew up and out of the house and never really reached back to watch those early episodes. Then reruns started playing on FX or FXX some years ago, and more and more frequently I'd be sucked into watching. But I couldn't quite understand the scattered nature of the characters. When I really thought I knew a character's internal motivations, whether it be Homer's or Bart's or Moe's or Flanders', or my all-time favorite ever ever ever ever ever hands down Ralph Wiggum's, they'd all of a sudden do something really out of character, and I was left scratching my head and reconsidering what I thought I knew about them.
And now it makes sense! I was catching episodes completely out of order, from all seasons randomly.
I never got into The Simpsons fandom or searched for critical analysis. In fact, this is the first piece I've watched/read, and it was really eye-opening, so thank you for sharing! It makes me really want to go watch the episodes in pure order, because I have a distinct feeling, as the critic points out, it will feel much more authentic and true to its characters in the first 8 or 9 seasons.
P.S. Favorite episode I have seen thus far is "Home Sweet Homediddily-Dum-Doodily" (interestingly, 3rd ep in 7th season, which tracks). Oh my god, y'all, when Bart and Lisa keep answering "Jesus" to every Bible question while Rod and Todd get every gold star? Flanders' admission he used to let the kids watch My Three Sons but it got them "all worked up before bedtime"? The hilarious Reverend Lovejoy and his ever growing exhaustion of Ned? The emergency baptism kit & almost-ceremony? I swear every time I watch that episode it gets monumentally funnier, likely because of my own religious upbringing!
posted by bologna on wry at 12:40 PM on June 25, 2018 [12 favorites]
I was twelve when The Simpsons first aired in 1989. I remember at my 13th birthday party receiving a gift from a friend that was a Bart Simpson t-shirt with some caption, I think it was "Cowabunga, Dude!" or "Eat My Shorts" or something.
But I wasn't allowed to watch the show in my strict Catholic household. I knew the cultural popularity of it and felt left out, and sometimes I would catch an episode or two at friends' houses who had more lenient TV watching guidelines. I loved it!
I grew up and out of the house and never really reached back to watch those early episodes. Then reruns started playing on FX or FXX some years ago, and more and more frequently I'd be sucked into watching. But I couldn't quite understand the scattered nature of the characters. When I really thought I knew a character's internal motivations, whether it be Homer's or Bart's or Moe's or Flanders', or my all-time favorite ever ever ever ever ever hands down Ralph Wiggum's, they'd all of a sudden do something really out of character, and I was left scratching my head and reconsidering what I thought I knew about them.
And now it makes sense! I was catching episodes completely out of order, from all seasons randomly.
I never got into The Simpsons fandom or searched for critical analysis. In fact, this is the first piece I've watched/read, and it was really eye-opening, so thank you for sharing! It makes me really want to go watch the episodes in pure order, because I have a distinct feeling, as the critic points out, it will feel much more authentic and true to its characters in the first 8 or 9 seasons.
P.S. Favorite episode I have seen thus far is "Home Sweet Homediddily-Dum-Doodily" (interestingly, 3rd ep in 7th season, which tracks). Oh my god, y'all, when Bart and Lisa keep answering "Jesus" to every Bible question while Rod and Todd get every gold star? Flanders' admission he used to let the kids watch My Three Sons but it got them "all worked up before bedtime"? The hilarious Reverend Lovejoy and his ever growing exhaustion of Ned? The emergency baptism kit & almost-ceremony? I swear every time I watch that episode it gets monumentally funnier, likely because of my own religious upbringing!
posted by bologna on wry at 12:40 PM on June 25, 2018 [12 favorites]
The Frank Grimes episode was when it started to turn for me. The character was unlikable but the way he was treated was callous. I stopped watching it regularly soon after that.
I was 25 when the show started and 33 when this episode aired in Season 8.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:46 PM on June 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
I was 25 when the show started and 33 when this episode aired in Season 8.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:46 PM on June 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
which was the fashion at the time.
You're doing this on purpose to hurt me, aren't you.
posted by rhizome at 12:47 PM on June 25, 2018 [12 favorites]
You're doing this on purpose to hurt me, aren't you.
posted by rhizome at 12:47 PM on June 25, 2018 [12 favorites]
My six-year-old daughter loves to watch the couch gags, which seem to have held up better than the episodes.
Some of the ones from later seasons are good, but the ratio is lower. The tell is when the Simpsons TV goes from old school tube to flat screen.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:50 PM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Some of the ones from later seasons are good, but the ratio is lower. The tell is when the Simpsons TV goes from old school tube to flat screen.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:50 PM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Bart Vs. Australia is the first bad episode
I do love the diplomacy bit that ends with "So we're in agreement! She won't be allowed near the phone again."
posted by infinitewindow at 1:08 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
I do love the diplomacy bit that ends with "So we're in agreement! She won't be allowed near the phone again."
posted by infinitewindow at 1:08 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Bart Vs. Australia is the first bad episode (I'm excluding the clip shows
"No need to fear, we've got stories for years..."
Voiceover: there was reason to fear
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 1:12 PM on June 25, 2018
"No need to fear, we've got stories for years..."
Voiceover: there was reason to fear
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 1:12 PM on June 25, 2018
Graphic at 1:45 on IMDB viewer reviews vs. years matches my decision to stop collecting after S10...
posted by mikelieman at 1:24 PM on June 25, 2018
posted by mikelieman at 1:24 PM on June 25, 2018
Bart Vs. Australia is the first bad episode
But it did lead to this recent hilarious Twitter moment
posted by daybeforetheday at 1:28 PM on June 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
But it did lead to this recent hilarious Twitter moment
posted by daybeforetheday at 1:28 PM on June 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
I also think the video is wrong in stating that "Homer cares about his family" as an overall guiding principle of his character. Sure, he loves them in that abstract way tv dads generically love their children, but the show has never been about his caring for his family. He spends like 50% of his off time at Moes, and dislikes having to do anything with them. Heck, the first season has him buying a bowling ball with his name on it as a birthday gift for Marge.
So I agree that the show was character-driven, but disagree that the characters' dialogue is anything more than funny jokes. It's character-driven by their respective (what have become) stereotypes. Homer = lazy, Bart= pranks, Lisa=do gooder, etc. I actually think that is one of the problems, in they aren't driven by true personality so everything they do in later seasons is basically typecast.
So I don't think you learn much about the characters by watching the episodes in order.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:36 PM on June 25, 2018
So I agree that the show was character-driven, but disagree that the characters' dialogue is anything more than funny jokes. It's character-driven by their respective (what have become) stereotypes. Homer = lazy, Bart= pranks, Lisa=do gooder, etc. I actually think that is one of the problems, in they aren't driven by true personality so everything they do in later seasons is basically typecast.
So I don't think you learn much about the characters by watching the episodes in order.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:36 PM on June 25, 2018
kirkaracha: The Frank Grimes episode was when it started to turn for me. The character was unlikable but the way he was treated was callous. I stopped watching it regularly soon after that.
I saw Frank Grimes as a stand-in for the audience, who would be vocal in his disgust for all that the Simpsons universe had handed Homer on a silver platter versus what happens in the real world. A disposable foil for Homer that was never meant for anything else.
posted by dr_dank at 1:53 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
I saw Frank Grimes as a stand-in for the audience, who would be vocal in his disgust for all that the Simpsons universe had handed Homer on a silver platter versus what happens in the real world. A disposable foil for Homer that was never meant for anything else.
posted by dr_dank at 1:53 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
"While I totally agree with this sentiment, it should also be pointed out that South Park hasn't lost a step across 18 seasons."
Southpark, though, is something you kind of need to consume as it airs. Even waiting a week and sometimes the references or jokes become outdated. Trying to go back and catch up on seasons you missed always feels weird, even though you lived through the era it was made for, it still feels off since times have already marched on since then. There's also the "South Park Politics" aspect to it all that can sometimes drag things down.
posted by GoblinHoney at 2:00 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Southpark, though, is something you kind of need to consume as it airs. Even waiting a week and sometimes the references or jokes become outdated. Trying to go back and catch up on seasons you missed always feels weird, even though you lived through the era it was made for, it still feels off since times have already marched on since then. There's also the "South Park Politics" aspect to it all that can sometimes drag things down.
posted by GoblinHoney at 2:00 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
I have watched The Simpsons from The Tracey Ullman Show shorts, until the present, and I suppose I always will.
Most evenings I put on FXX, which shows several episodes in a row five days a week. My husband and I marvel at some of the old episodes that had one amazing, iconic line after another. Other times we even see an episode that we are not that familiar with or like finding the baby in a piece of King Cake - have never seen before. It was probably pre-empted for sports, back in the day.
Today's Simpsons does suck demonstrably, much much more than it did. That Lady Gaga episode in particular that the video linked in the OP shows several times is especially blah. But, even though it sucks, I'll probably still watch it. It's like the fourth bite of something you love - you don't really taste it anymore, but you just keep eating.
posted by 41swans at 2:27 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
Most evenings I put on FXX, which shows several episodes in a row five days a week. My husband and I marvel at some of the old episodes that had one amazing, iconic line after another. Other times we even see an episode that we are not that familiar with or like finding the baby in a piece of King Cake - have never seen before. It was probably pre-empted for sports, back in the day.
Today's Simpsons does suck demonstrably, much much more than it did. That Lady Gaga episode in particular that the video linked in the OP shows several times is especially blah. But, even though it sucks, I'll probably still watch it. It's like the fourth bite of something you love - you don't really taste it anymore, but you just keep eating.
posted by 41swans at 2:27 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
How can contemporary Simpsons ever hope to compete with Big Mouth?
posted by JamesBay at 2:33 PM on June 25, 2018
posted by JamesBay at 2:33 PM on June 25, 2018
Here's a perspective from 2000, a New Yorker interview with and story about George Meyer. Among my favorite bits from the article is where different writers, after being asked at parties which episodes they wrote, found that people would bring up moments in those episodes that Meyer created or tweaked to comic perfection. I'm glad I was able to find it on the author's web site - yay! I've been looking for adequate copies of his Army Man zine ever since.
posted by dylanjames at 3:14 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by dylanjames at 3:14 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
I watched the whole thing and found it surprising there is such a deep analysis of the show and its decline from relevance without discussing Apu. The Simsons's response to Apu was, I thought, the most telling that the show had become out of touch.
What was once seen as acceptable for this character is now seen as racial caricature so some people brought it to the creators' attention. But rather than try and adapt the show or change the presentation of Apu, the writers basically doubled down on it.
(Related post)
posted by GladysKnight at 3:22 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
What was once seen as acceptable for this character is now seen as racial caricature so some people brought it to the creators' attention. But rather than try and adapt the show or change the presentation of Apu, the writers basically doubled down on it.
(Related post)
posted by GladysKnight at 3:22 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
I used to play the freemium Simpsons smartphone game. I noticed, after a while, that whenever they did 'events' with special items and whatnot, they would always be themed to either an episode from the first 10 seasons or to whatever episode was airing that week. Nothing in between, ever.
That... seems telling.
posted by nonasuch at 3:36 PM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
That... seems telling.
posted by nonasuch at 3:36 PM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Bart Vs. Australia is the first bad episode
I agree, but it gave us Australians a lot of good stuff that we have used to enrich our culture. "Knifey-spooney", "I'd've called 'em chazzwozzers", "dollary-doos", "B-E-E-R", the whole bit with the farmer talking to the Prime Minister in the dam, and "the boot". There was an uproar when it first came out, but we love it now.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:43 PM on June 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
I agree, but it gave us Australians a lot of good stuff that we have used to enrich our culture. "Knifey-spooney", "I'd've called 'em chazzwozzers", "dollary-doos", "B-E-E-R", the whole bit with the farmer talking to the Prime Minister in the dam, and "the boot". There was an uproar when it first came out, but we love it now.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:43 PM on June 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
Also my favourite episode is the one where Homer gets a job with a James Bond villain in a volcano. Y'know, the hammock district one.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:48 PM on June 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:48 PM on June 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
I'm impressed that he managed to talk so much about Flanderization without once actually using the term.
posted by radwolf76 at 9:07 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by radwolf76 at 9:07 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm impressed that he managed to talk so much about Flanderization
Flanderization is a new term for me, but it definitely fills a blank. One of the subsets of Lazy F***ing Writing. Don't bother to explore a character, just hone in on their defining characteristic(s) and flog 'em to death.
posted by philip-random at 11:53 PM on June 25, 2018
Flanderization is a new term for me, but it definitely fills a blank. One of the subsets of Lazy F***ing Writing. Don't bother to explore a character, just hone in on their defining characteristic(s) and flog 'em to death.
posted by philip-random at 11:53 PM on June 25, 2018
I was still fairly young when Season 8 aired (13, I guess?) so I didn't notice the decline in quality until my teens. I always chalked it up to becoming interested in media that was outside of the mainstream (as you do).
posted by Young Kullervo at 5:44 AM on June 26, 2018
posted by Young Kullervo at 5:44 AM on June 26, 2018
I wonder if any of the decline of the Simpsons can be attributed to staff joining Futurama.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:59 AM on June 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:59 AM on June 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
When did the shameless product placement begin? I stopped watching well before that, but surely it was the final nail in the coffin.
posted by moorooka at 5:23 PM on June 26, 2018
posted by moorooka at 5:23 PM on June 26, 2018
On the South Park side, I used to be a fan, even though I never found their hit rate super high. It seemed like every season had at least one AWFUL episode. I ended up abandoning it after they started with the serialization, just because they were, well, really bad at it. It felt like they were still writing episodes on the fly, only now dumb stuff couldn't just be a one-off gag that reset. They were STUCK with it.
And, I got progressively sick of their "caring about stuff sucks!!!!" theme.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 6:29 PM on June 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
And, I got progressively sick of their "caring about stuff sucks!!!!" theme.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 6:29 PM on June 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
When did the shameless product placement begin?
I think it was the Mr. Sparkle episode
posted by thelonius at 8:31 PM on June 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
I think it was the Mr. Sparkle episode
posted by thelonius at 8:31 PM on June 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
Killing Maude was dumb and bad, and it came out of nowhere.
The last big or good episodes I really remember seeing are the chili hallucination, grimey, australia was a bit before this. I think Homer 3D was a letdown that probably did the most to open the exit door for me, aside from the noticeably uneven seasons. It had SNL syndrome before they just went completely mechanical.
posted by rhizome at 12:14 AM on June 27, 2018
The last big or good episodes I really remember seeing are the chili hallucination, grimey, australia was a bit before this. I think Homer 3D was a letdown that probably did the most to open the exit door for me, aside from the noticeably uneven seasons. It had SNL syndrome before they just went completely mechanical.
posted by rhizome at 12:14 AM on June 27, 2018
When did the shameless product placement begin?
I think it was the Mr. Sparkle episode
In the original Tracey Ulman Show shorts, Homer was always wanting to go out for Frosty Chocolate Milkshakes. I don't think it was an actual paid endorsement from Wendys, but surely they must have been pleased that their trademark was an adjective automatically associated with chocolate milkshakes in the scriptwriters' minds.
posted by radwolf76 at 1:25 AM on June 27, 2018
I think it was the Mr. Sparkle episode
In the original Tracey Ulman Show shorts, Homer was always wanting to go out for Frosty Chocolate Milkshakes. I don't think it was an actual paid endorsement from Wendys, but surely they must have been pleased that their trademark was an adjective automatically associated with chocolate milkshakes in the scriptwriters' minds.
posted by radwolf76 at 1:25 AM on June 27, 2018
I set my DVR to record Simpsons years ago, but it's set to only keep five episodes at a time, lest my dvr fill up, and I think probably two seasons have recorded and been written over without me watching any of them. (To be fair, I don't watch much TV, I'm more an online and game person. Like, I haven't seen Game of Thrones or really anything not BBC America or a cooking show in a long time.) I'm an old, and I remember my first MIL being shocked that I bought my young BIL a Bart shirt that said "Don't have a cow, man!", and she wouldn't let him wear it because the Simpsons was "too rude".
Re: SouthPark, I thought it was hysterical when it first aired, in much the same anti-authoritarian, anti-establishment, kind of ground breaking way that the Simpsons was when it aired on Tracy Ullman's show. And it was very much a signifier for a certain subset of humanity. Example; when we were rebuilding the house, and the contractors decided they were going to try and do some shady stuff, I was able to look at the both of them and say "Don't. Fuck. With. Wendy. Testeburger." And they knew exactly what that meant. (It means, don't piss me off. I will hire Al Qaeda to shoot you into the face of the sun.) SouthPark was a huge thing among my teenager's peer set when they were in 6th and 7th grade (when someone saying "shit" was the height of comedy to prepubescent boys), and I wouldn't let him watch it, but currently, it's not any more relevant (imho) to their media landscape than the Simpson's is; which is to say, neither of those shows appeal to teenagers any more. They're coasting on memories and fondness afforded by the older people who remember when it was good.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:56 AM on June 27, 2018
Re: SouthPark, I thought it was hysterical when it first aired, in much the same anti-authoritarian, anti-establishment, kind of ground breaking way that the Simpsons was when it aired on Tracy Ullman's show. And it was very much a signifier for a certain subset of humanity. Example; when we were rebuilding the house, and the contractors decided they were going to try and do some shady stuff, I was able to look at the both of them and say "Don't. Fuck. With. Wendy. Testeburger." And they knew exactly what that meant. (It means, don't piss me off. I will hire Al Qaeda to shoot you into the face of the sun.) SouthPark was a huge thing among my teenager's peer set when they were in 6th and 7th grade (when someone saying "shit" was the height of comedy to prepubescent boys), and I wouldn't let him watch it, but currently, it's not any more relevant (imho) to their media landscape than the Simpson's is; which is to say, neither of those shows appeal to teenagers any more. They're coasting on memories and fondness afforded by the older people who remember when it was good.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:56 AM on June 27, 2018
rhizome - it came from somewhere, all right. And it was really dumb and bad.
posted by 41swans at 10:43 AM on June 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by 41swans at 10:43 AM on June 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
Gah, those assholes. I had no idea. Look at all the characters she played, all great old-era ones!
So, I guess we can add another person to the Futurama-dominated "staff attrition" pile.
posted by rhizome at 12:53 PM on June 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
So, I guess we can add another person to the Futurama-dominated "staff attrition" pile.
posted by rhizome at 12:53 PM on June 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
New Groening series Disenchantment on Netflix just dropped a teaser trailer.
posted by octothorpe at 4:24 AM on June 29, 2018
posted by octothorpe at 4:24 AM on June 29, 2018
Maggie Roswell did come back - which is why you sometimes see Maude Flanders in flashbacks. She still does Helen Lovejoy, Luann Van Houten, etc.
The last line of this article is the best.
posted by 41swans at 8:16 AM on June 29, 2018
The last line of this article is the best.
posted by 41swans at 8:16 AM on June 29, 2018
That was a good video. It didn't tell me anything I hadn't already read in online articles or message board posts, but it was still worth watching. I played it at 1.25x. That boy’s got a ways to go before he’s Dan Carlin :).
I wonder if any of the decline of the Simpsons can be attributed to staff joining Futurama.
I would include Greg Daniels leaving to produce King of the Hill, which was always funnier than what The Simpsons was putting out that same week. And his NBC sitcoms would often be the funniest thing on TV that season. The man is Norman Lear-tier.
posted by riruro at 5:24 PM on July 2, 2018
I wonder if any of the decline of the Simpsons can be attributed to staff joining Futurama.
I would include Greg Daniels leaving to produce King of the Hill, which was always funnier than what The Simpsons was putting out that same week. And his NBC sitcoms would often be the funniest thing on TV that season. The man is Norman Lear-tier.
posted by riruro at 5:24 PM on July 2, 2018
turbid dahlia: "Also my favourite episode is the one where Homer gets a job with a James Bond villain in a volcano. Y'know, the hammock district one."
I don't love that one (although Albert Brooks is great). Feels very uneven.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:27 AM on July 12, 2018
I don't love that one (although Albert Brooks is great). Feels very uneven.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:27 AM on July 12, 2018
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His breakdown of joke setup between Golden-Era Simpsons and Zombie Simpsons is spot-on.
posted by hwyengr at 8:06 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]