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Super Eyepatch Wolf: The Fall of the Simpsons - How it happened

Rewatching Season 3 this week makes it painfully obvious. The humour used to be so god damn clever.

Now Homer grunts "I'M HORNY" through a mouth brace. Sigh.

Are there any vignettes on YouTube or anything that summarise the humour from more recent episodes? I haven't watched it properly in about a decade and it was lame even back then.
 
I was going to give it a shot, but I gave up five minutes into the excessively lengthening Roman Mars-esque narration. No point in watching when the reasons for its decline are pretty obvious.

Hah, glad I'm not the only one who thought this. I don't like his narration at all.
 
I'm thinking of finally biting the bullet and going through the Simpsons now that Simpsons world is a thing.

BTW those simpsons world episodes are overscanned to fill up widescreen TV's and have a lot of scenes edited out so you are missing out on a lot. They really dropped the ball on that one. I stopped watching them once I realized they were removing some of the best scenes in the episodes. So disappointing. I guess they are never going to do unaltered blu-ray's.
 

Ivan 3414

Member
Yeah, but it's crazy that just a few decades ago the Simpsons was considered offensive and dark, and now we have stuff like South Park and Rick and Morty on basic cable.

To be fair some of the Halloween episodes and the Itchy and Scratchy stuff are pretty fucked up even by today's standards
 
From how this starts it feels like a retread of the material in deadhomersociety's megacolumn: zombie simpsons: how the best show ever became the broadcasting undead

We'll see if he brings something new to this kinda old convo about 'why is the simpsons worse now than 28 years ago?'

Oh he actually lists dhs as a source. So that's nice.

Yeah, its just that but put in digestible youtuber form with animation. Which is cool, but if you've read this, this video doesn't really add that much tbh.
 
I didn't get into the Simpsons until the early 2000's when young me watched a bunch of reruns of the older seasons.

It got me hooked on a Simpsons kick which ended around when the movie came out and I never really bothered to continue following the show since then.
I still have the collector's edition of Seasons 1-3 on DVD.
 

frontovik

Banned
As someone who grew up with 90s cartoons, especially The Simpsons,; it's nice to finally get a concise narrative about what went wrong with the series.

Did Futurama suffer from the same decline as the Simpsons by the way?
 

ZoddGutts

Member
As someone who grew up with 90s cartoons, especially The Simpsons,; it's nice to finally get a concise narrative about what went wrong with the series.

Did Futurama suffer from the same decline as the Simpsons by the way?

The post revival seasons are bad, you can see eps of them on Youtube live streams, it only serves a reminder that those seasons lost something when it came back from cancellation.
 
the show stayed on for way too long. Eventually you just run out of ideas. The show wasn't as great as it used to be after the first 7-8 seasons but the writing was still decent. I think the most noticeable decline in quality is when the show switched to widescreen. It's like the they gave up and just don't care anymore, but let's continue to milk that cash cow.
 

Big One

Banned
The thing with the Simpsons is that it's kind of a double edge sword. Let's say they did end it in the 90's on Season 8 or 7. Do you realize the amount of people that would be consistently begging for Simpsons content if they did something like that? Simpsons was literally a cultural phenomenon like anything else was. It wasn't a cult hit like Twin Peaks, and look how much of a demand there was to see more of that. They pretty much had no choice, financially, to produce more Simpsons. Hell I would even argue if they cancel it now it won't take but a couple of years before people start asking for more. Simpsons fans want more, but the guys that were the main creative force of the Simpsons just aren't there anymore to provide what those fans want.
 
Watching now... had to take a stop. I'm not keen on him claiming Simpsons was the end of "clean family" sit coms when Married With Children premiered 2 years prior...

(Edit) Apparently I paused too soon, as another couple minutes further indulges in what the simpsons did 'first' which MWC did much earlier. I guess what he says holds true for animation, but if that's what he means, he's referring directly to other live action shows muddies his point greatly.
 

JCHandsom

Member
Really dig SEW's videos, and I was pleased with his analysis. Definitely check him out if this is the first you're hearing of him!
 
Watching now... had to take a stop. I'm not keen on him claiming Simpsons was the end of "clean family" sit coms when Married With Children premiered 2 years prior...

Roseanne was also from just before "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" and was absolutely a reaction to the same sanitary, saccharine bullshit on TV at the time. It was a family sitcom, but this time the house was frequently a mess, the two leads were blue collar misfits struggling to make ends meet and not everything got a happy ending. #1 in ratings right up until the Simpsons took over everything.
 
Roseanne was also from just before "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" and was absolutely a reaction to the same sanitary, saccharine bullshit on TV at the time. It was a family sitcom, but this time the house was frequently a mess, the two leads were blue collar misfits struggling to make ends meet and not everything got a happy ending. #1 in ratings right up until the Simpsons took over everything.

Too true, forgot Roseanne. The first few seasons were quite good and yeah also served the same thing.
 
Adds nothing to the conversation about The Simpsons that hasn't previously been articulated and is extremely hyperbolic in its claims about both the show's qualities and its place in the American cultural canon.
 
the show stayed on for way too long. Eventually you just run out of ideas. The show wasn't as great as it used to be after the first 7-8 seasons but the writing was still decent. I think the most noticeable decline in quality is when the show switched to widescreen. It's like the they gave up and just don't care anymore, but let's continue to milk that cash cow.

To me, when the Simpson went HD is when it started getting good again. Everything from the fake Skinner episode up until then was just horrible.

Though, to me, what the episodes are missing is 'heart'. I don't know, I don't feel their is genuine emotion/emotional stakes anymore. They have some with heart still, like the Christmas episode about Maggie, but those are few and far between.
 

JordanN

Banned
I'm a lapsed Simpsons fan but I find it hard to pin point when did the show really suck or what should have been the proper solution to addressing the decline.

The only definite viewpoint I have is that I believe the Simpsons Movie came out too late. In the video, the guy talks about how early Simpsons tried to be clever with its storytelling/jokes and it was true. The Simpsons Movie clearly wanted to do the same thing, but when the current show was surviving off of using celebrities, the movie was caught in the crossfire and couldn't deliver anything that would appeal to lapsed fans who wanted a story, and the more modern "pop culture" one.

The result was just a "passable" movie but not one anyone talks about anymore. Had they made a movie in 1999 like South Park did, I think they could have put out something more memorable.
 
I read the synopsis for a recent episode of the past season and oh my. Just kill the show. Something about Dogs lives being ruled worth more than a humans by the court and all the dogs wise up to it.

Let it die
 
Adds nothing to the conversation about The Simpsons that hasn't previously been articulated and is extremely hyperbolic in its claims about both the show's qualities and its place in the American cultural canon.

The Simpsons is (was) an important staple of American television and culture. I don't find anything hyperbolic.
 

UberTag

Member
BTW those simpsons world episodes are overscanned to fill up widescreen TV's and have a lot of scenes edited out so you are missing out on a lot. They really dropped the ball on that one. I stopped watching them once I realized they were removing some of the best scenes in the episodes. So disappointing. I guess they are never going to do unaltered blu-ray's.
Unaltered Blu-rays? Possibly once the show is formally off the air.
The DVD sets feature episodes in their original 4:3 resolution and will continue to be released to retail later this year.
 

Ogodei

Member
Too true, forgot Roseanne. The first few seasons were quite good and yeah also served the same thing.

That was most of the big names of the late 80s and 90s. Saccharine series like The Cosby Show, Who's the Boss, Family Ties, and Full House, or even just shows with a bit more meaning and emotional content like Cheers or Taxi, had set audience expectations about TV comedies. Roseanne, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and especially Married With Children were all reactions to one or more of those series (though Full House was contemporaneous with Married With Children).
 

v1lla21

Member
Huh, it has occurred to me through this video that in my entire 24 year existence, I have never seen "peak Simpsons."
I've never seen a complete episode of the Simpsons. I remember watching it once and something called the ku klux Klam came up.
 
This is not fanart:

latest


Watched one of Season 27 episodes yesterday. Marge becomes a crime scene cleaner. In one shot you see how the intestines of a killed one fall from the ceiling along with his heart and a chopped-off hand.

Its not a Treehouse of Horror episode...
 

Anth0ny

Member
The wit of the writing for peak Simpsons is basically unparalleled in the history of TV imo. It's the reason why there's a Simpsons picture for everything. It's the reason why the lines or gifs still make you laugh all these years later even after watching the episodes over and over.

I'm glad the video brought up the multiple layers to some of the jokes, because that is something I really started to notice as I rewatched the show in my adult life. Maybe as a kid one or two of those layers hit me, but as an adult I'm taking them all in at once and it's fucking hysterical. I often have to pause the show and think about what I just saw because I'm laughing so hard.

7Vnug4E.jpg


It's fucking amazing and those writers are all geniuses.
 

ReiGun

Member
I remain amazed that The Simpsons is still on. I mean, I know it has to be because a ton of people still watch it. But it's so far out of my mind and the minds of those around me that the show may as well not exist.

This was a pretty reasonable video.

Then again, it's Super Eyepatch Wolf. He's not really the type to spit out aggressive takes and back them up with "THIS THING SUCKS AND HERE'S WHY YOU'RE WROOONG"

That's the thing I like most about SEW. While many youtubers and online critics talk about "I only critic this because I love it," Super Eyepatch Wolf is one of the few that backs it up in his delivery and analysis. He comes across as a genuine and humble guy, which gives his videos a very personal and relatable feel.

That said, he also doesn't fall into the realm of sitting on the fence about things. If he dislikes something, he says it and backs it up. But like you said, he avoids the tiring over-aggresive delivery and overall smugness that plagues so many online personalities.
 

Hydrus

Member
I miss the old Simpsons. I'm glad I got to watch the golden era of it growing up. In fact, I miss old TV period. It was fun coming home from school everyday and knowing when my favorite shows would be on. So much good content. Not so much these days.
 
The best point is the writing staff quality and the quantity of work they put in.

If you don't change those variables the show would of declined because the juiciest story-lines are put into scripts.

And playing the same originally very funny note with characters for years and years doesn't work.
 

Strax

Member
I'm a lapsed Simpsons fan but I find it hard to pin point when did the show really suck or what should have been the proper solution to addressing the decline.

The only definite viewpoint I have is that I believe the Simpsons Movie came out too late. In the video, the guy talks about how early Simpsons tried to be clever with its storytelling/jokes and it was true. The Simpsons Movie clearly wanted to do the same thing, but when the current show was surviving off of using celebrities, the movie was caught in the crossfire and couldn't deliver anything that would appeal to lapsed fans who wanted a story, and the more modern "pop culture" one.

The result was just a "passable" movie but not one anyone talks about anymore. Had they made a movie in 1999 like South Park did, I think they could have put out something more memorable.

This post is bonkers.

The show wasn't surviving off of using celebs anymore then usual and Simpsons have had many guest stars for a long time. Season 7 had over 1 celeb on avg per ep and that's not counting Phil Hartmann. Season 4 had an entire baseball team.
 

Anticol

Banned
The video is on point and those first 8/9 seasons of the Simpsons are the best thing ever on TV, it is kinda sad to see where they are right now and feels weird to remember or watch an episode from any of those seasons, they were pretty much perfect.
 

Auctopus

Member
Good video. He nails what the later season are missing, especially heart. But more so how the current writers have such a disregard for who the characters are.
 
I think the issue The Simpsons has is shared by a lot of TV shows. Where the characters become dramatised caricatures of themselves. I mean as shows go on it must become harder and harder to write new situations for the characters to find themselves in, so we end up seeing more and more absurd storylines to which the characters have to respond to.

I felt the same thing happened in The Office, and Parks and Recreation. What were once exaggerated but plausible characters, slowly get eroded away into one parodies of their former characters. I still love the shows (even the later seasons), but it is a massive shame. Kevin in particular just turns into the fat idiot for the audience to laugh at. Holly even thinks he has learning difficulty. Shows often wind up being a victim of their own success.
 
I think the issue The Simpsons has is shared by a lot of TV shows. Where the characters become dramatised caricatures of themselves. I mean as shows go on it must become harder and harder to write new situations for the characters to find themselves in, so we end up seeing more and more absurd storylines to which the characters have to respond to.

I felt the same thing happened in The Office, and Parks and Recreation. What were once exaggerated but plausible characters, slowly get eroded away into one parodies of their former characters. I still love the shows (even the later seasons), but it is a massive shame. Kevin in particular just turns into the fat idiot for the audience to laugh at. Holly even thinks he has learning difficulty. Shows often wind up being a victim of their own success.
The only show I can think of to escape this is Always Sunny. The characters descend further and further into mania and ridicule, but it's actually very entertaining to watch as they go off the deep end.
 
I've watched the vast majority of simpsons episodes (including the new ones) and I find it hard to say what exactly is wrong with the new episodes. Too clean maybe? The animation is definitely off. It lacks the razor sharp wit it once had.
 

normanski

Neo Member
Bang on. The link is absolutely on-point.

I've argued for years to people that what made the early simpsons great compared to the last 20 odd seasons was it's heart, and most of my favourite episodes are based around that.

My favourite example to show this is to consider the amount of character moments that make up the famous Springfield gorge joke: Homer teaching Bart how it feels to see someone you care about risk their life and saying how he's never felt as close as he does to him right now just as he's easing away down the ramp, to how he goes from fear in mid-air to Euphoria and hope at the possibility of clearing it just before the fall.

Nowadays Homer would just go down the ramp and fall, because...you know, that's the joke SMH.
 
SEW has a problem with his non-opinion videos where it seems like he does very narrow research that can be picked apart quite easily.
Yeah. This happened in his One Piece video where he was saying that it was losing popularity by comparing volumes sold a few years ago to present. In theory, this is a great way to gauge popularity but he didn't take into consideration that the Mainford arc was coming to an end and a whole new era of One Piece was starting up. This lead to a lot of people picking up older volumes of the series. Volume 1 was in like the top 10 manga sold that month. So the current volumes weren't not selling as much but people were actually buying more One Piece than usual. His research is usually pretty good but he tends to gloss over bit of information that sometime tend to ruin his argument.
 

Narroo

Member
As someone who grew up with 90s cartoons, especially The Simpsons,; it's nice to finally get a concise narrative about what went wrong with the series.

Did Futurama suffer from the same decline as the Simpsons by the way?

After Futurama came back from Hiatus, it was different; it leaned a lot harder on pop-culture reference jokes, like the cat episode and the social media dare episode, and in general took a bit more of a family-guy style humor than before. The quality drop wasn't nearly as bad as the Simpsons, but it's noticeable.
 
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