bad jokes in the classic Simpsons era

[Video Game Fan 2000]

What are the words "the simpsons" doing coming out of the sky to a heavenly choir? Whats that all about

What's more, a two dimensional person would fall into two halves because there is no way they could have a digestive tract.

The entire premise of the show is bunk.

[JamesTC]

Am I expected to believe that a court would accept that Sideshow Bob had "THE BART, THE" tattooed on his chest?

[Leej88]

No one who is German could be a evil man.

[GoblinAhFuckScary]

I can't believe Chalmers would believe someone would steam clams in their oven and not in a pot. He's a man of the world after all. And its already been established that he finds Skinner to be a highly untrustworthy person. Terrible joke, no wonder its often forgotten.

har har harrrrr

[Petey Pate]

What are the words "the simpsons" doing coming out of the sky to a heavenly choir? Whats that all about

Apparently there is actually a joke in this, as the letters 'The Simp' appear first, which is supposed to lead one to believe that the show is called The Simples or The Simpletons.

I didn't even realise this was supposed to be a joke so I suppose it counts as a bad one.

[McChesney Duntz]

Apparently there is actually a joke in this, as the letters 'The Simp' appear first, which is supposed to lead one to believe that the show is called The Simples or The Simpletons.

Really? That seems... odd. Source?

[Petey Pate]

Really? That seems... odd. Source?

I think it's mentioned on one of the season 1 DVD commentaries, though I forget who said it and on which episode.

[McChesney Duntz]

I think it's mentioned on one of the season 1 DVD commentaries, though I forget who said it and on which episode.

Huh. Then yeah, I'd call that a bad joke.

[Pink Gregory]

Lindsay Nagel is terrible and no replacement for Lionel Hutz

[Leej88]

Nothing could be done about the retiring of Lionel Hutz and Troy Mcclure I do miss them.

[JamesTC]

Gil had his moments but the joke wore rather fast with him.

[Leej88]

I been trying to sell the Whitman house for 21 years.

[Andy147]

just looked it up, it is 'i pronounce this to be the most whimsical jape of the season', but the whole recollection of Homer's pissed rampage as a tableau out of Wodehouse is just a great gag on its own

It's supposed to be the Algonquin Round Table rather than Wodehouse (at least according to the Complete Guide).

[idunnosomename]

Gil had his moments but the joke wore rather fast with him.

those sort of characters are best left as tropes. almost like commedia dell'arte (eh cookd and bombd forum?). I think they even gave Hank Azaria's sarcastic guy a name and a model sheet later on. pointless

woah! a fat sarcastic star trek fan. you must be a devil with the ladies

[Sebastian Cobb]

Does he have a name or is he like 'just stamp the ticket guy'?

[idunnosomename]

https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Raphael

to be fair that's just what Sideshow Bob calls him before he asks if he can sleep in his storage garage. but his design has standardised beyond just a sarcastic voice that he was originally

[Leej88]

The mailman who punches Bart had the same voice as the sarcastic guy always found that odd.

[Pauline Walnuts]

Apparently there is actually a joke in this, as the letters 'The Simp' appear first, which is supposed to lead one to believe that the show is called The Simples or The Simpletons.

I didn't even realise this was supposed to be a joke so I suppose it counts as a bad one.

More like the Simps these days now the SJWs have blah blah AMIRITE?

[Blumf]

The mailman who punches Bart had the same voice as the sarcastic guy always found that odd.

It's kinda like Charles Bronson's voice, isn't it.

[kngen]

As others have mentioned, Bart vs Australia is the first real clunker that seemed mostly laugh-free to me.

But Boy Scoutz in the Hood? So many great lines:

Ernest Borgnine: Hiya kids! You probably know me best as Sergeant Fatso Judson in From Here to Eternity!

Kids: YAAAAAAAAY!!!!!



Homer (looking at map): Hey, there's a new Mexico!

[Magnum Valentino]

Jesus this is worse than the Who's The Worst Member Of threads.

Actively looking for defects in something beautiful to discuss with relish is obscenely destructive.

Five pages suggests this will be an unpopular opinion but I'd regret saying nothing.

[markburgle]

Jesus this is worse than the Who's The Worst Member Of threads.

Actively looking for defects in something beautiful to discuss with relish is obscenely destructive.

Five pages suggests this will be an unpopular opinion but I'd regret saying nothing.

I both agree with what you've said and relish the challenge of participating

[Small Man Big Horse]

Jesus this is worse than the Who's The Worst Member Of threads.

Actively looking for defects in something beautiful to discuss with relish is obscenely destructive.

Five pages suggests this will be an unpopular opinion but I'd regret saying nothing.

I thought the same thing, but couldn't be arsed to moan. And now I don't have to, so thank you!

[Fambo Number Mive]

I don't get the whole "wet willy" thing. Why would Millhouse say yes to it?

[St_Eddie]

Apparently there is actually a joke in this, as the letters 'The Simp' appear first...

The Simpsons predicted incel culture.

#SimpsonsPredicts

[Leej88]

Jimmy Hendrix's dog in Homerpalooza the one episode in general is so bad does have one funny line about the manager sending his freaks to a vet.

[peanutbutter]

When Herb comes back that is a funny episode yet, Danny De Vito is reduced to an answering phone cameo in his next appearance.

I assume DeVito has repeatedly turned down offers to return, and rightly so. His phone camero is at least a bit funny, especially after two decades between appearances.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

I have to admit to getting more uncomfortable with some of the Comic Book Guy stuff as the years go by, at least when it starts to veer into "point and laugh at the fat loser" territory. Particularly when he's used as a proxy for anyone expressing a critical opinion of the show.

The nadir of that would be the "Anyone care what this guy thinks?" - "NO!" scene from Saddlesore Galactica. The ultimate lazy put-down for arseholes trying to stifle dissenting opinions. Made even worse when you think of how the writers must've put that in while being aware that they were producing substandard material, and are obviously trying to head off the online critics before they've even seen it.

But that's from Season 10, so probably over the line of what's generally considered "good" Simpsons.

Here's a hot take though- the Shary Bobbins episode is one of the worst of the classic era, needlessly mean-spirited and hardly any of the jokes land (except for Charles Bronson on the Andy Griffith Show of course- "Now I'm goin' down to Emmet's Fix-It Shop...to fix Emmet!")

This is the kind of thing I mean, lame meta-humour.

Shary Bobbins: Hello, I'm Shary Bobbins.
Homer: Did you say Mary Pop—?
Shary Bobbins: No! I definitely did not! I'm an original creation, like Rickey Rouse and Monald Muck.

One gag from a classic episode I've also never cared for is from "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" when Homer suddenly gets all spiritual after getting accidentally baptised, and then immediately turns round and tells Flanders to shut up. I dunno why, it's just not a very funny punchline to that bit and it always felt jarring to me.

[Leej88]

I do not find the sherry bobbins episode funny at all.

[kalowski]

I've always hated the Shary Bobbins one yet seen it feted elsewhere. It's good to see there are others with a similar view to me.