The Simpsons: A Journey Through Shit

[Sonny_Jim]

How was the download speed?

Not bad, maxing out at around 10-15MB/s but I'm pretty sure the Pi4 USB3/ethernet is the bottleneck now. _{Also I made a booboo by using NTFS rather than ext3/4, so the setup is not exactly optismised at this point}

Forgot to mention that this episode introduces a new character, the 'brother' of Comic Book Guy, Vintage Jeans Collector Guy.

I'm not making this up.

[idunnosomename]

Since this thread is back up here, if you ever think "cringe" doesn't objectively exist, this from a few weeks ago will change your mind

It's so bad it's almost beyond comprehension. Americans trying to be self-aware about their weird tipping system but somehow looking more ignorant. Also you might not realise but the song and the music video visuals is a parody of "Planet of the Bass" which is already a parody of 90s Eurodance with deliberately broken English, so it's basically just piggybacking someone elses joke.

[dissolute ocelot]

The browser on my phone keeps recommending articles from sites like Screen Rant minutely analysing recent Simpsons episodes, full of stories about what the show is doing right and wrong: how the new season is great because it focuses on Marge and Homer and how its major weakness is that it doesn't focus on Bart and Lisa. I'm stunned to learn that there are still critics watching this shit and coming up with complex theories about the difference between individual episodes. Today "The Bob's Burgers Movie Proved It Has Something The Simpsons Is Missing". A father with an actual job?

[Queen Peach]

Dough

[thr0b]

Christ, I think I might have seen that one by accident.

It's like the writers said "so... what is a thing about Homer? Um, he has blue pants."

And they genuinely did a story about Homer's blue pants about 25 years ago anyway.

[thr0b]

The browser on my phone keeps recommending articles from sites like Screen Rant minutely analysing recent Simpsons episodes, full of stories about what the show is doing right and wrong: how the new season is great because it focuses on Marge and Homer and how its major weakness is that it doesn't focus on Bart and Lisa. I'm stunned to learn that there are still critics watching this shit and coming up with complex theories about the difference between individual episodes. Today "The Bob's Burgers Movie Proved It Has Something The Simpsons Is Missing". A father with an actual job?

I strongly suspect Screenrant to be mostly AI.

[g0m]

I strongly suspect Screenrant to be mostly AI.

Not all of it! Some of it is just made by incredibly low-paid writers, even in the context of online media

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

its job is to push plenty of ads via (nostalgic) clickbait

[itf]

Bafflingly, they're doing some exclusive Disney+ episodes of the Simpsons. Surely if they had any good ideas left they'd want more people to see them, not less?

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-simpsons-our-new-episodes-disney-plus-christmas-1236102998/

[idunnosomename]

Just Disney desperation for exclusive new hot content. They can do what they like.

Making a big thing about 35 but I wouldn't be surprised if they manage production to 40. Even if it would mean Harry Shearer is still doing voicework at 86.

After that I don't think they'll bother trying to recast or use robots or heads in jars. I just look at that picture of modern, annoying jerkbag Homer and all I see is noisy tedium.

[dissolute ocelot]

Season 35 was down to 18 episodes from the usual 22 (possibly due to industrial action I guess). Not sure how many episodes Fox wanted for Season 36, but maybe these extra four will take it back up to 22.

More generally, it's the slow death of network television. It's more surprising that Disney+ think there's any cachet or money obtainable from having exclusive new Simpsons.

[Mobbd]

Surely if they had any good ideas left they'd want more people to see them, not less?

I wouldn't want anyone to see them personally. I'd want to burry them.

[dissolute ocelot]

I guess the thought process is (1) Disney Plus has the Pixar shorts which are very good (2) Disney Plus gets some exclusive Simpsons shorts which are mildly interesting [at least the first couple] and keep the animators happy (3) Disney Plus gets exclusive full length Simpsons (4) Fox probably doesn't want it that much anyhow.

But it makes more sense than Disney making another terrible $12m-an-episode series everyone hates. Long-term the most watched shows on streaming channels seem to be old comfort viewing. Paramount+'s top show is South Park. Disney+'s top show is Grey's Anatomy (all 420 episodes). Making more of The Simpsons is a lot cheaper than the latest Marvel TV show, and it's partly a reminder to watch old Simpsons.

[Oh, Nobody]

keep the animators happy

By all accounts they're given a very short turnaround time on the shorts, David Silverman hates them.

[Vince the Shirker]

I watched one of those Disney+ shorts out of morbid curiosity when I had an account, and the only thing I found noteworthy is that they had five credited writers despite being about three minutes at most.

[idunnosomename]

Disney must be to a degree playing the long game with the Simpsons as copyrighted intellectual property for themeparks etc now that Mickey Mouse is finally entering the public domain.

[RetroRobot]

Disney must be to a degree playing the long game with the Simpsons as copyrighted intellectual property for themeparks etc now that Mickey Mouse is finally entering the public domain.

Genuinely are - Universal has the theme park rights currently but it's due to expire in 2028 and I don't see Disney renewing that agreement now they own The Simpsons.

The only reason some Marvel stuff is still there is due to Marvel signing any old shit when they were going bankrupt long before the Disney buyout, so as long as its maintained they can't do shit as that's part of the agreement there. However it's corporate cock waving that Universal has kept them around as without Disney's unlikely approval they can't built owt new there either.

Anyways sorry daft tangent, theme parks are fun... and weird!

[wobinidan]

Just Disney desperation for exclusive new hot content. They can do what they like.

Making a big thing about 35 but I wouldn't be surprised if they manage production to 40. Even if it would mean Harry Shearer is still doing voicework at 86.

After that I don't think they'll bother trying to recast or use robots or heads in jars. I just look at that picture of modern, annoying jerkbag Homer and all I see is noisy tedium.

The Simpsons is prime territory for being made with generative AI. ChatGPT can knock out synopses, the voices can all be recreated, and the art can mostly be done with AI too. They still need to hire humans to do the animation and editing, to write the prompts and pick out the best AI generated stories.

ChatGPT may not be very funny but can it write jokes good enough to be on the Simpsons? I'm going to say yes.

My point is, the show can keep going indefinitely, even after the voice actors retire. And you'd probably not even notice a dip in quality.

[kalowski]

INT. SIMPSONS' BEDROOM - MORNING(The sun is just beginning to rise. HOMER SIMPSON, bleary-eyed and half-asleep, stumbles out of bed. His hair is disheveled, and he scratches his belly as he wanders toward the closet.)
HOMER
(half-mumbling)
Gotta get to work... Mmm, donuts...(Inside the closet, BART SIMPSON is crouched, digging through Homer's things. He grabs a pair of his dad's oversized pants, snickering to himself.)
BART
(quietly)
Heh, these'll do nicely for a little fun later...(Homer reaches into the closet, not noticing Bart, and grabs what he thinks are his work clothes. Bart, mission accomplished, sneaks out, holding the pants behind his back.)
INT. SIMPSONS' BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER(Homer is in front of the mirror, trying to button up what he doesn't realize is Bart's orange t-shirt. He struggles to get the last button done up, sucking in his gut.)
HOMER
(grunting)
Stupid shirt shrunk in the wash... Or maybe I'm finally buffing up!(He then tries to put on Bart's shorts, yanking them up with great difficulty. The waistband gets stuck halfway up his thighs.)
HOMER
(pulling harder)
Come on, pants! You're almost there...!(After a lot of grunting and pulling, Homer finally squeezes into Bart's shorts. He stands up, looking a little proud of himself, even though the shorts barely cover him and the shirt is riding up over his belly.)
HOMER
(smiling)
Heh, still got it!
INT. SIMPSONS' KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS(MARGE is busy making breakfast, humming to herself as she flips pancakes. LISA sits at the table, reading a book, while MAGGIE sips from her bottle. BART struts into the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear, now wearing Homer's oversized shirt and dragging his massive work pants.)
BART
(proudly)
Look, everyone! I'm all grown up!
LISA
(raising an eyebrow)
Bart, you look ridiculous.(Bart shrugs and sits down at the table, still grinning. Just then, Homer enters the kitchen, walking with a slight waddle as the shorts constrict his movement. Marge turns around to greet him and freezes, her eyes widening.)
MARGE
(gasping)
Homer! What on earth are you wearing?
HOMER
(confused)
What do you mean, Marge? It's my work clothes. (Looks down) Well, they're a little snug today, but—(Homer stops mid-sentence as he finally notices the bright orange t-shirt stretched tight across his belly and the tiny shorts clinging to his thighs. His eyes widen in horror.)
HOMER
(shocked)
D'oh! These aren't my clothes! They're Bart's!
BART
(laughing)
And you make them look good, Dad!(Homer groans, tugging at the waistband of the shorts, trying to get comfortable.)
HOMER
(exasperated)
Bart, why are you wearing my clothes?
BART
(grinning)
I thought I'd try out the "working man" look. You know, see what it's like to have responsibilities and stuff.
LISA
(sarcastic)
Yeah, because that's definitely what you're known for, Bart.(Homer sighs and shuffles to the stairs, struggling to walk in the tiny shorts.)
HOMER
(resigned)
I'm going back upstairs. If Mr. Burns sees me like this, he'll dock my pay... again.(As Homer waddles away, Bart can't help but burst into laughter, pounding the table with his fist. Even Lisa smirks a little, and Maggie giggles in her high chair.)
MARGE
(sighs)
Bart, go change out of your father's clothes. And Homer, next time, try opening your eyes before getting dressed!
BART
(still laughing)
Sure thing, Mom. But you've gotta admit, Dad looks pretty stylish in my threads!(Homer reaches the bottom of the stairs, looking back at Bart with a mix of annoyance and mild amusement.)
HOMER
(grumbling)
Stylish, my foot... I feel like a sausage stuffed into a cocktail weenie.(With that, Homer heads back upstairs to change, while Bart continues to chuckle to himself.)
BART
(to himself)
Totally worth it.(The scene ends with Marge shaking her head, flipping a pancake with a small smile on her face as the chaos settles down for now.)
FADE OUT.

[Stinky Lomax]

I think that conclusively proves that ChatGPT is still fucking awful and even worse than season 35 Simpsons writers.

[thr0b]

Definitely fits the style of a Disney+ short however.

[Blumf]

BART
(laughing)
And you make them look good, Dad!

'Dad'? 'Dad'!!??

AI is worthless!!

[Andy147]

'Dad'? 'Dad'!!??

AI is worthless!!

Bart calls Homer "Dad" regularly in the early seasons - in the
, for instance, you can see this about 3 times in the first minute of the clip.

[idunnosomename]

in that sense it seems pretty bad, Bart calls him Homer to annoy him and certainly would during a prank. but there's loads of times in the "classic" seasons he calls him "dad". either when he wants something out of him or he's being sincere. a bit of both here

https://trailers.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/7c1be917-33a4-4df0-b393-d655b07c9ec6