Twenty Years? I’ll Take Twenty More!: The Simpsons
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
They still got it!
There are few quicker ways to piss me off than to suggest that The Simpsons isn’t worth watching anymore. All one needs to do to be proven otherwise is to have a long, hard look at the barren wasteland of what is the rest of Animation Domination, Sundays on Fox. Seth McFarlane can seriously suck it. I mean, occasionally he gets something right, but for the most part, I’ll take The Simpsons worst episode over the rest of Animation Domination’s best anyday. Find out why after the jump.
I’m not going to draw it out for effect here. I love The Simpsons. I STILL love The Simpsons, and it took every one of it’s twenty years to get me to that point. Why? Because unlike most other animated shows on, I actually CARE what happens to The Simpsons. The Simpsons have heart. Someone could stab the everlovin’ shit out of Stan Smith or Peter Griffin, and I wouldn’t give half a toss. However, when Marge is disappointed by Homer or Bart, or Lisa is upset by a bully, or Homer’s happy because for once, he’s on top, I’m right there with them! There’s a reason that most people’s favorite episodes seem to feature one of the parent’s relationship with one of their children. Because not only is it good television, it’s a part of almost every great episode of the show. Take And Maggie Makes Three, or Mother Simpson, or Bart of Darkness…All of these episodes have at least one scene of parental concern. And no one can boast such a permanent expanded cast on TV. Well, The Venture Brothers is kinda gettin’ there, but you see my point. (And, for the record, The Venture Brothers is the only other animated show out there that I think is worthy of being around for twenty years. I might say Futurama, but you never can tell, with it’s zombie like resurgence, can you?)
And yet, for all the quality TV that The Simpson’s have given us over the years, almost every article you read about it these days is asking the question, “Should The Simpsons be cancelled due to it’s declining quality?” Personally, I don’t know what show everyone else seems to be watching, but it’s never looked better, and I still laugh whenever Homer chokes his only son, Bart. Much like I still laughed whenever Hawkeye came on to Hot Lips over on MASH seven years after the first time he did it. There’s a reason that Fox, a network not known for keeping around unsuccessful shows, continues to run a 20 year old animated show. It’s because people still watch it. And, if the quality of the show has gotten so terrible, why are people still watching it? If your answer was habit, then you’ve just given Fox all the reason they need to keep it around.
So, here’s to twenty more years of The Simpsons. I could only be so lucky. Hell, one of my proudest days was finding out that my children were just as hooked on it as I am. Bring them in young, I say. So, I’ll say it again…I love this show. And, it’s not in jest that I say keep it around. Give me more! Just keep them coming. And, thanks Matt Groening. I know you’ve been at it for two decades, but I really needed them.
Tags: Commentary, The Simpsons
Posted on December 15th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I love “The Simpsons” as much as the next bloke, but I can see where people think it has declined. It’s still a great show, but it doesn’t stop me from being of the mind that “Family Guy” is a better show for my tastes NOW. If we compared, say, season 5 of “The Simpsons” to “Family Guy” now, that’d be a different bowl of rice krispies altogether.
McFarlane is an undeniable genius. Matt Groening is as well. They may both have different ways of getting their commentary across, but they both do it poignantly, whether it’s with Bart learning Krusty is a loser he shouldn’t idolize, or Peter finding out that he’s better off if he doesn’t take coupons from giant chickens.