Average morning, flip through the newspaper. Came upon this piece, courtesy of the wire service. I can’t resist sharing my own thoughts about My Once Favorite Animated Sitcom.
First, my Simpsons fan credentials: I began watching the show in early 1990, while still in college. I remained an avid viewer until the end of last season. I own several seasons worth of DVD’s (one though three, then five and six–I do plan to add season four at some point, plus I will likely own seven and eight). My wife enjoys the series, although not to the extent of yours truly. Several Simpsons-esque expressions are now common in our household: “A little from column A, a little from column B;” “I spent last night in a ditch;” and “You promised to limit your servings of pork to six times per week.” I am a frequent visitor to The Simpsons Archive, and I own CDs of "Songs in the Key of Springfield" and "The Simpsons Sing the Blues."
I am (or at least, was) a big fan of the show.
But not presently. I was having lunch with a friend the other day (he is almost as big a fan as I am) and he asked me if I was looking forward to the Simpsons movie. I think my answer surprised him, as I said no. I pointed out how the writing has deteriorated over the past several seasons, and added I am no longer watching the new episodes on Sunday nights, given my disappointment over last season’s offerings. He listened, then offered his slight agreement. And after reading the aforementioned article, I am even less inclined to plunk down my green at the box office to see the flick. Apparently there are MANY creative people working on this movie which doesn’t give me great confidence in the final product. Just watch the 1967 James Bond parody “Casino Royale,” for a movie where there were too many cooks in the kitchen.
And James L. Brooks is either hopelessly optimistic or self-deluded when he said: “I think the last couple of years...have been among our best.”
Cough.
Maybe just the reverse, Jimmy Boy. Although I cannot blame Brooks specifically for the series’ decline, he is culpable if he keeps it on its present course.
Why the decrease in quality? There likely are many reasons but I can enumerate a few right here.
1) Age. Time is taking its toll on the Simpsons universe. Face it, a series that exists purely for entertainment purposes just cannot remain consistently good for 17-18 years. In this respect, being an animated series is now working against the creative heads. Yes, the kids won’t ever grow up (as child actors in a live-action series do), but this has the reverse effect of the story-idea factory straining for every possible, but-not-necessarily-plausible plot. How else do you explain how the early seasons featuring stories that could easily have been developed on a live-action show, with the later seasons highlighting plots and storylines that are more outlandish and fantasy-inspired? Plus, many of its early fans have now moved on to other interests, including becoming middle-aged adults (yes, I am referring to myself) and I’m not sure if the series is attracting any new, younger viewers.
2) Recycling of plots. The Simpsons is not the only series guilty of this (“Frasier” was notorious for reusing some storylines in its later seasons), but do we really need to see another episode where Our Favorite Family sees itself in the future? (“Lisa’s Wedding” was the first future-oriented episode, and it was a gutbuster. All of the others fall well short in comparison.) I also am disappointed that the writers are falling back on the “let’s tell well-known stories from the public domain, and have three different stories in the three acts we are allotted” formula. And even though Sideshow Bob is one of my favorite characters, his shtick is wearing thin (see Point #1).
3) Topicality. The earlier seasons hold up well in reruns or DVD viewing. Now that the writers and producers aim more toward poking fun at current events (with inconsistent results), I cannot see most fans of the series laughing at jokes about the Iraq war when they watch the episode in, let’s say, 2021. Come on, there is a reason once-popular shows such as “Laugh-In” or “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” are not being rerun on TV Land or FX.
4) Lack of interest from Hollywood. Remember seasons two through six? Many of the biggest names in the entertainment industry wanted (and got) guest appearances on the show. And what other program featured guest appearances from all three (at the time) of the living members of the Beatles? And I have a feeling that had Lennon not been assassinated, he likely would have been a guest voice as well. But note the names listed in the article. Of those, only Natalie Portman could truly be considered A-list. And when James L. Brooks and Matt Groening appear as guest voices, you know the well has just about run dry.
I’ll leave it at that. And sometime in the near future, I will fire up the DVD player and laugh loudly at a Simpsons episode that aired when the series was still good. Will I even watch the movie when it comes out on DVD? I’ll answer that question later this year.
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