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This is an animated sitcom about the antics of a dysfunctional family. Homer is the oafish unhealthy beer loving father, Marge is the hardworking homemaker wife, Bart is the perpetual ten-year-old underachiever (and proud of information technology), Lisa is the unappreciated viii-year-former genius, and Maggie is the cute, pacifier loving silent infant. —Sam Kelly

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Bullheaded loyalty and network greed has ruined what used to be an animated masterpiece

Network: Fox; Genre: Animated Comedy, Parody, Satire; Content Rating: Boob tube-PG (language, adult argue and animated nudity); Available: DVD and syndication everywhere; Perspective: Archetype (star range: ane - five);

Seasons Reviewed: Season 12+

If someone had told me 10 years agone that I would ane day be bored by 'The Simpsons', I would take called them crazy. Simply here we are and while 'The Simpsons' has become the longest running bear witness on Telly at the cost of its cadre integrity. "Simpsons" in its prime was the best things to grace the small screen. A funny, ground-breaking animated one-act with lightening-quick wit, insightful social and brilliantly integrated parody. It created its own universe with an unabridged town of original characters. Most importantly, information technology really helped shape the sense of humor of an entire generation. That generation which has now grown upwardly and is now creating animated shows in direct competition.

"Simpsons" is a pale shadow of its former greatness. It gradually slipping this style for several years, simply it wasn't until the 2002 and 2003 seasons that the bear witness really smashed up against the rocks for practiced. I used to delight in each new episode of "Simpsons". Only now the bear witness clunks along each calendar week in what appears to be filling time. The gratis-wheeling gags it used to deliver with such ease are now weighted downwards past an unnecessary over importance on story. The evidence at its best may get off a funny, precipitous one-liner every now and then. It's biggest nugget currently is it's willingness and given latitude to slam its own network. I do delight in their "Joe Millionaire" on-air promo parodies or a recent episode where Homer calls to give the network an idea and the recording says something like "If you know of another network'due south reality bear witness we can rip off, press 2..."

So what happened? There really is no one thing that tin easily be pointed out to all the late-commers and say "this is what happened" - you have to have traced the history. The 'spring the shark' moment could have come up as early on as the infamous Frank Grimes episode where our vision of The Simpson family unit was suddenly turned into something to aspire to instead of parody. It could be the legion of large proper noun celebrities forced into every episode. To bring downwards a bear witness as great equally this, it was a slow convergence of several things.

Watching it, 3 differences are evident on-screen at any given time: Kickoff, the stripping downwardly most of the characters to 1-note cartoons. Notably, British favorite Homer Simpson going from child-like, difficult-luck father to a rag-doll for wild animals to rip apart as each episode closes. I'm particularly appalled at its attempts to apply Homer as a political mouthpiece. Did yous know that a guy who once lit a Q-tip and then he could see within his brain has an active concern for global politics? Yeah, I didn't either.

Secondly, the classic Babe Boomer vocalisation of the serial has evaporated and was replaced with contemporary generation Ten and Y jokes. Now, it'south the internet and Tony Hawke. The vocalization of the serial used to be ane of creator Matt Groening'southward, seen through the eyes of Homer and Marge. That vocalization has been lost every bit the bear witness has turned into an associates line institution, repackaged and been homogenized for the masses and a new generation of writers lead by Ian Maxton-Graham has come in to "keep it fresh".

Thirdly, it has run out of artistic juice. Anyone who has stuck with the evidence long enough can see information technology literally re-telling jokes and recycle previous story lines. When the recycling becomes too obvious or the episode makes no sense, they merely double dorsum and declare information technology all a large cocky-parody. Not even Al Jean (architect of the show in its prime and the Larry David of "The Simpsons") can relieve it now.

Since the talented voice cast has remained the same low these many years, I put all the blame on this squarely with the Fox network who refused to permit this show get out gracefully when Groening siphoned off his function to piece of work on his dream project, the now far superior 'Futurama'. In Fox'south race to claim this endurance record they have turned a once edgy and visionary evidence into an institution with an assembly line production and revolving door of writers to match any of the other lame shows on TV. Behind the scenes, possibly the condescending nosotros-can-practise-no-wrong attitude of Maxton-Graham has dealt the show its biggest death blow, while producer Mike Scully sat back and ineptly allow Maxton-Graham run it into the basis.

In the terminate, the biggest blame may really land with the "dice-hard fans" that embolden the prove by letting it go away with this junk. Yes, "The Simpsons" was basis-breaking and every adult animation in the future owns information technology a bit of gratitude, but blind loyalty to a show only for how it performed in the by isn't healthy.

Since it has hit long-running status the critical bandwagon jumping has begun and "Simpsons" is more popular than always amongst critics that want to be on the within of history. We've now reached a indicate where the bad episodes and bad entire seasons outweigh the good and that, I'm afraid, is going to be the pitiful legacy of "Simpsons" . A train-wreck of crass, childish humor, grainy animation, oddly misplaced satire and forced parodies of only the nearly obvious pop culture targets.

10 years agone I didn't know what I would practise without "The Simpsons" but now, particularly with the emergence of satisfying new developed blithe shows ('Futurama', 'Family Guy' and 'South Park'), living without it might exist pretty good.

* * / 5

• liquidcelluloid-1
• Jan 25, 2004

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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/

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