To be honest, I haven’t watched The Simpsons on a regular basis in almost a decade. I used to look forward to it but by about the mid-2010s, there were too many cracks. The show had become too self-aware and the jokes weren’t as funny as more.
Still, the show stayed on the air. I’d argue The Simpsons was one of the few cornerstone shows that kept Fox afloat during those rough early years. But at the same time, I miss that feeling that we were watching something so many people hated to like and liked to hate. By the third and fourth seasons, the critics had to eat a lot of crow as they admitted the show was actually very good. Entertainment Weekly named it one of the best shows of 1992.
But nothing last forever. Matt Groening went to go work on Futurama, a TV show that really has never lived up to its hype. (Hey, I will die on this hill that Fox only allowed Groening to do it because they expected The Simpsons 2.0 and instead got a more cynical and pretentious show. This is why they dropped the show on Sundays at 7 p.m. EST as it was mostly bumped or pre-empted by NFL.) But before Futurama there was the episode where it’s revealed Principal Seymour Skinner wasn’t the official Seymour Skinner and from there is was all downhill.
Also, with a lot of shows, the fanbase grows up and find different likes. I remember by the fourth and final season of Alf, I was the only one of my friends watching. Still, when the movie was released in the summer of 1997, I found myself sitting in a movie theater with my ex and step-grandson surrounded by more older people, most of which couldn’t be happier. It reminded me of when my friends and I saw The Phantom Menace at a midnight showing surrounded by a bunch of middle-aged fans.
There’s still some spark left that can keep people returning no matter what has happened over the years.
Anyway, what’s your favorite episode? Mine is “Last Exit to Springfield” where the workers at the Springfield Nuclear Plant go on strike.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 