The Simpsons

[rollie]

At this point they have so many eps they'll just program a computer to do all the voices from spliced footage.

I wonder if the technology used for deep fakes could be used to take a voice and make it someone else's voice using recordings. I can't profess to know much about the technology but given what they can do with faces you'd think if you had someone roughly doing say Homer's voice the computer could match Dan Castellaneta's over it

 

[Baby Shoes]

Disney is doing their own fan convention that they've had for a little while now, D23, which is where some of the news the past couple days on their properties has been coming from. Due to the Fox acquisition, they had their first ever Simpsons panel. It was revealed that since the acquisition, to no surprise, Disney has not only been pushing for another movie but they are also looking for potential spinoffs.

Maybe twenty years ago they could've had people watching spin-offs but I legit don't know if I know anyone in real life that still watches modern episodes. I can't even begin to think what spinoff they could come up with at this point that people would be looking to watch.

 

[Youth N Asia]

I watched a few episodes over the weekend on FXX. The last new episode I tried to watch was a year or two ago. And one of the bits was Homer for about 2 minutes just listing all the foods he liked in New Orleans. I know the show can’t match seasons 4-10. But this was the most filler shit I ever sat through on the show.

I don’t know a single person that watches the series within the last 5 years or so

 

[Baby Shoes]

Agreed. I still record it but it mainly is a show that plays in the background as I am folding laundry or doing other stuff. The show has its moments as they've been on long enough where some of the writers grew up loving the classic seasons but it doesn't have that magic that even shines when those old ones come on TV.

I know I had a buddy that did a rewatch of everything a couple years back and caught up on years he missed but I know in the early 2000s when I was still a faithful and enjoying the YVAN EHT NIOJ nonsense, I didn't really know of anyone else that was admitting to watching it.

I forget the movie did as well as it did and while I didn't hate it, there were certain things about the movie I still don't like. Clearly there is still money in it but it seems like it has been forever since it was such a big deal as it used to be.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

My kids watch the whole fox lineup of Sunday cartoons so I've kept up with Simpsons. There are episodes where I go "hey that was pretty decent" and then episodes I go "please end", although almost nothing is ever as bad as Family Guy. I think if I didn't grow up with the first 10 seasons it would seem a lot better.

In general the show is pretty out of touch where it used to really have its finger on things. The whole way it has handled the Apu thing for example has been awful.

 

[One Epic Winter (OEW)]

I kept up with the show many years after everyone I knew stopped watching. Season 10 (1999-2000) is widely considered to be the last great season but I watched even after the movie came out. There were still a handful of episodes during that time that I considered really good. I think 2008ish is when I finally stopped watching full time. I'll catch an episode here and there but it's never anything memorable. It'll always be one of my all-time favorite shows and one of my favorite things from my childhood but it should have been taken off the air 7-8 years ago.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Season 10 is part of the Simpsons nosedive. Not the worst of the worst but surprised someone would include in the glory days. I would say 8 or maybe even 7 is consensus last great season. 9, I think most people would agree is good but definitely decline from 3 through 8 glory days.

Somebody has got to be watching 2010s Simpsons episodes and enjoying them or else it'd be cancel but damned if any of us have ever met them.

I watch maybe 2 or 3 random episodes a year as background noise. I would say it's better now than it was in early-mid '00s but not good enough on on a consistent basis to inspire me to become a full time watcher again.

I honestly enjoyed The Simpsons Movie. Probably more than anything since Season 9/10. I would be open to a sequel if it were finale for the TV series but otherwise, I don't really see the point. The Simpsons is like Applebees for the past 15-20 years. They're just gonna churn out product and sometimes it's good in spite of itself but most of the time, it's just whatever.

 

[Mickey Massuco]

Season 10 is part of the Simpsons nosedive. Not the worst of the worst but surprised someone would include in the glory days. I would say 8 or maybe even 7 is consensus last great season. 9, I think most people would agree is good but definitely decline from 3 through 8 glory days.

I would say Season 6 was definitely 'glory days' era. There was something about the conclusion to the Mr. Burns storyline in the Season 7 premiere that always felt like it ended an era. The way it was done was very unsatisfying and seemed unlike the show's style up to that point. While having mostly good episodes, Season 7 still felt more cynical and mean-spirited, didn't have the same heart and the storylines were getting a bit ridiculous when showing all that. Seasons 7 and 8 had enough heart to seem like the classic era before it, but you could tell something was changing. Episodes were getting a bit too irreverent and then

https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/22/6056915/frank-grimes-the-simpsons-jump-the-shark

The decline that follow's the episode hasn't been as sharp as the decline that followed the Fonz's shark jump. But the show has never quite recaptured Homer's humanity from the early seasons. Perhaps that's because in "Homer's Enemy" a lack of humanity is the punchline.

I think that really nails it and that's why this episode is when it went too far. Not a coincidence that it was near the end of Season 8. After that, the show was never the same and went from bad to worse to unwatchable by Season 10.

 

[Valeyard]

The show died with Phil Hartman.

 

[BruiserBrody]

I laughed at Principal Skinner having PTSD from the "Tot offensive". Homer having to redraw his face when Bart splashed him with yellow paint was very meta.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Danny Elfman told an Australian newspaper that next season is gonna be the last one.

I'll believe it when I see it but maybe/hopefully Disney told them to wrap things up and work on a 2nd movie.

 

[Brocklock]

I've been going through some of the post prime seasons on Disney for some reason. I know it's really obvious and been said a billion times, but you really notice the drop in quality during the second half of Season 9. The first half has the trash Armen episode but still had some classic episodes/bits and retained the heart and sweet moments the series lost. Homer becomes too much in the second half and the show starts getting very cynical. 10 has some great episodes like Max Power, the trucker ep, and the one where Homer is a bodyguard to Quimby, but is pretty forgettable all around. 11 is when the bad starts to outweigh the good, but I still love the tomacco ep and Behind The Laughter. I don't know how much further I'll continue or when i just decide to watch Seasons 3-8.

 

[geniusMoment]

I always thought the show not having a major character being the shooter of Mr. Burns, and then that character going to prison was the start of the downfall.

I remember that summer all the hype over "who shot Mr. Burns". You really have to finish that off. To me that was the Austin turning heel at mania 17 moment for The Simpsons. And it wasn't ever quite the same after.

 

[Youth N Asia]

I was bummed to hear the show is coming to an end. But then again I haven’t watched in years. Every now and then I would check in on a new episode and it was usually pretty bad. Seasons 4-10ish was an unbeatable run.


Edit. The show runner is saying it’s not so.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/doh-the-simpsons-showrunner-debunks-reports-the-series-is-ending/

 

[Valeyard]

We'll never stop the Simpsons.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

What if Moe gets a cell phone?

 

[BruiserBrody]

I started watching the show again after 15 or so years and yeah....not really a lot of fun. Family Guy still makes me chuckle.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Today is the 30th Anniversary of The Simpsons premiere.

How bad do the episodes look on Disney Plus? I haven't gotten a chance to watch it there but my DVDs aren't around and I'm tempted to fire up some tonight in honor this anniversary.

 

[Brocklock]

They looked fine to me, but I don't really pay attention to aspect ratios to much.

 

[alkeiper]

They look good. The criticism is that the images are cropped, which you can't tell unless you know what you're looking for.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

It kills a lot of the great sight gags though which is an issue. And as someone who has seen all the old episodes 100 times (always up for one more...that's sad isn't it) I'd for sure know they were missing.

 

[Mickey Massuco]

(always up for one more...that's sad isn't it)

nah it just means you grew up with CBC

 

[Zetterberg is God]

Much (Music) in Canada was in the classic seasons and they are showing the cropped episodes as well. It's pretty noticeable. I'd seen the screenshot of the Duff brewery gag being cropped out and sure enough on Much it was as well. This one too was pretty bad:

https://twitter.com/MsDBZbabe/status/1205209140341006336

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://www.polygon.com/tv/2020/1/17/21070431/simpsons-apu-hank-azaria-retiring-voice-fox
Hank Azaria has officially retired from playing Apu.

This was something that was long overdue IMO. I guess Apu's barely been on last few seasons after The Trouble With Apu documentary (and The Simpsons response after). I wonder if the character is retired or if they recast him. Idk. Maybe with an actual Indian person?

 

[Valeyard]

Retire him and just have someone else run the Kwik-E-Mart without explanation. Just put Jasper or someone in there.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

im pretty sure he's just entirely vanished from the show. My kids still watch it and I vaguely pay attention. They've handled the whole thing incredibly badly. They made a patronizing reference to it on the show and kind of shat on people for having any kind of issue with it. Azaria himself in interviews was totally fine with stopping the role and letting someone else do it or whatever.

The show itself should just end. If they really need to keep the cash cow going they could do a movie or tv special every few years but just put it to bed.

 

[vivisectvi]

How is this show still on the air? Does it still pull good ratings?

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

last year it had a Live+ Same Day Rating Average of 1.20 in 18/49 and a total millions of 3.109 the year before it was a 1.42 a 3.45 million viewers.

It's waaay down from what it was but everything basically is. The 18-49 number and the value of repeats is probably what saves it.

The season finale last year did it's worst ever number though https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/05/the-simpsons-ratings/

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Saw a BORT license plate on the way to work this morning.

 

[Master Thrasher]

My son is named Bort.