When did The Simpsons jump the shark?

[Ferris]

I can't read that line in anything other than the voice of Professor FJ Lewis, Emeritus Professor of History at All Souls College, Oxford

Me too! Small world

[ajsmith2]

The show must go on
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/simpsons-renewed-seasons-31-32-790998/

[Blumf]

Surely:

They'll never stop The Simpsons,
Have no fears, we've got stories for years,
Like - Marge becomes a robot,
Maybe Moe gets a cell-phone,
Has Bart ever owned a bear,
Or, how 'bout a crazy wedding?
and something happens a do-do-do-do-doooo,

2002 there, and I think most of that has come to pass.

[ajsmith2]

Surely:

They'll never stop The Simpsons,
Have no fears, we've got stories for years,
Like - Marge becomes a robot,
Maybe Moe gets a cell-phone,
Has Bart ever owned a bear,
Or, how 'bout a crazy wedding?
and something happens a do-do-do-do-doooo,

2002 there, and I think most of that has come to pass.

More than half the series existence ago, and that's still true even if you include the Tracey Ullman era. :/

[machotrouts]

32 is a power of two, which means we'll be able to do a knockout tournament between all the seasons in which the first two rounds are almost entirely superfluous.

[JamesTC]

Surely:

They'll never stop The Simpsons,
Have no fears, we've got stories for years,
Like - Marge becomes a robot,
Maybe Moe gets a cell-phone,
Has Bart ever owned a bear,
Or, how 'bout a crazy wedding?
and something happens a do-do-do-do-doooo,


2002 there, and I think most of that has come to pass.

Looking it up, they all near enough have happened.

The Simpsons Wiki specifically links to each episode they happened in on the page for the song.

[Replies From View]

Outside of the cartoon, what is the Simpsons now?  Is Tapped Out still going?

I'm just trying to work out what the brand still is, and how it can be making any money.

[momatt]

TV advertising is likely a big one.
Which is a suitably dull answer.

I don't know anyone who admits to still watching it though.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

I haven't seen a new episode since about 2007. Can someone do a quick summation of all that has happened plot-wise since then plz? Thx.

[ToneLa]

I haven't seen a new episode since about 2007. Can someone do a quick summation of all that has happened plot-wise since then plz? Thx.

Shit for cunts happened

There we go!

[momatt]

I haven't seen a new episode since about 2007. Can someone do a quick summation of all that has happened plot-wise since then plz? Thx.

Everything.  Everything has happened, at least once.

It's been going so long, it's approaching infinity.  So every possible thing has already happened.

[Twed]

I haven't seen a new episode since about 2007. Can someone do a quick summation of all that has happened plot-wise since then plz? Thx.

Sad to report (as already mentioned) that I know somebody who thinks the show has never been better than it is now, because of all the celebrity cameos they get. This person is almost 40, and you could extrapolate his entire character from the information I've given you here.

[imitationleather]

Sad to report (as already mentioned) that I know somebody who thinks the show has never been better than it is now, because of all the celebrity cameos they get. This person is almost 40, and you could extrapolate his entire character from the information I've given you here.

Sorry. My brain rejects that this person can possibly exist.

[Replies From View]

Everything.  Everything has happened, at least once.

It's been going so long, it's approaching infinity.  So every possible thing has already happened.

Except a good episode, bizarrely.  Even infinite monkeys have a higher hit rate.

[Twed]

Sorry. My brain rejects that this person can possibly exist.

I'm going to give that notion a shot myself.

[JamesTC]

TV advertising is likely a big one.
Which is a suitably dull answer.

I don't know anyone who admits to still watching it though.

While it is one of Fox's most successful shows to advertisers, it is one of the most expensive shows on the air.

They are making new episodes for syndication and to keep merchandise sales up.

Thing is I'm not sure how important the show being on the air is to merchandise sales. The show is so ingrained in culture so I think people would buy a mug with a picture of Homer saying "Doh" whether there are new episodes or not.


It is interesting hearing the commentaries on Season 8/9/10 and also interviews with people from around then when they talk about how they expected that they were in the later years of the show's life and were getting ready for the end.

[imitationleather]

What doesn't make sense to me is that the endless churning out of terrible episodes should surely be harming the brand and merchandise sales. Who the fuck wants a Homer Simpson tie now there's two decades of total dreck associated with the yellow cunt? Wouldn't stopping it for a generation or so and then bringing it back as a new shit film or something to keep it in the public consciousness be a better moneyspinner?

I have an economics GCSE so I am a bit of an expert on this sort of thing.

[Twed]

Wouldn't stopping it for a generation or so and then bringing it back as a new shit film or something to keep it in the public consciousness be a better moneyspinner?

I think just making episodes to keep it in the public consciousness is the strategy. The show is surely driven more by data than art, and I guess their data shows that this is the way to do it.

It makes sense to me. Look at the second paragraph here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons_(franchise)

A "Remember The Simpsons?" movie would probably tank, but if it was a big a hit as a Marvel blockbuster would only make just under a billion itself, and I can't see it selling more merchandise than they currently have. Meanwhile, they've lost ten years of sales from not constantly throwing shit episodes in everybody's faces.

[Replies From View]

They should rest The Simpsons for a couple of decades, then bring it back in a version where Bart and Nelson are best buddies and can speak using actual human words.

[neveragain]

Most recent episode on Sky (involving Homer and Marge on a gameshow) went in a surprising direction and was actually quite good. Although if you don't like extended Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? parodies then you may disagree.

[madhair60]

Most recent episode on Sky (involving Homer and Marge on a gameshow) went in a surprising direction and was actually quite good. Although if you don't like extended Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? parodies then you may disagree.

Maximum chinny reckon.

[Menu]

TV advertising is likely a big one.
Which is a suitably dull answer.

I don't know anyone who admits to still watching it though.

I still watch it regularly. I series link them and watch them when my brother comes round. It IS actually quite good at the moment, believe it or not. I've probably only been watching regularly since Season 28 started but have only been disappointed by a few. I probably stopped watching originally around Season 15 as it was getting mediocre and I had better things to do. Am pleasantly surprised at how good it is now. There are very few guest cameos these days, thank fuck, or at least I don't notice them if there are. And I do think that if a few of these episodes had been slotted into the Golden Era, nobody would tell much of a difference.   

Basically I think it's safe to dip your toe back in the yellow water again, if you pardon the expression.


(this is essentially my first post in here so apols if I've not done this right in format terms. I'm finding it surprisingly complicated to post.)

[Menu]

(this is essentially my first post in here so apols if I've not done this right in format terms. I'm finding it surprisingly complicated to post.)
[/quote]


Also not sure if you all know, but most of the old writers are back on it. The golden era writers, that is. It must have an effect.

[Menu]

(this is essentially my first post in here so apols if I've not done this right in format terms. I'm finding it surprisingly complicated to post.)



Also not sure if you all know, but most of the old writers are back on it. The golden era writers, that is. It must have an effect.

Ah fucked that post up didn't I.

[Avril Lavigne]

Also not sure if you all know, but most of the old writers are back on it. The golden era writers, that is. It must have an effect.

Aside from Al Jean who never left, I'm not seeing any names from the Season 1-8 era (e.g. John Swartzwelder, Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein, Greg Daniels, Jon Vitti, Jeff Martin) in Wikipedia's list of writing credits for these last few seasons.

[Sebastian Cobb]

If they stopped making it, what would Sky One show?

[Menu]

Aside from Al Jean who never left, I'm not seeing any names from the Season 1-8 era (e.g. John Swartzwelder, Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein, Greg Daniels, Jon Vitti, Jeff Martin) in Wikipedia's list of writing credits for these last few seasons.

On recent ones I've seen, there's been David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, John Frink, Joel Coen, Matt Selman, David M Stern. All names I recognised from the glory days. I thought I saw Bill Oakley but, having checked it, it was actually Bill Odenkirk. 

Without getting into the hoary old debate again, my interpretation of the Glory Days is more Season 3 -12ish. By 13 I tend to get the seasons muddled up anyway.

[St_Eddie]

...I do think that if a few of these episodes had been slotted into the Golden Era, nobody would tell much of a difference.

I would be able to tell the difference by virtue of the horrible digital animation, if nothing else.

[Menu]

I would be able to tell the difference by virtue of the horrible digital animation, if nothing else.

For me, it was never about the animation. It was about the jokes. I'd watch a comedy on an Etch-a-Sketch if it was funny enough.*



*i wouldn't

[Replies From View]

There are very few guest cameos these days, thank fuck, or at least I don't notice them if there are.

*George Ezra enters thread, hopefully*