i don't know if it's that they won't but that there's so many episodes now that the % of them from early seasons gets smaller and smaller and the odds of you seeing one from those years gets less and less as they add to the pile. but then i gave up watching it in syndication regularly a couple years ago, maybe they really have stopped playing oldies much at all.
― some dude, Thursday, 10 February 2011 06:32 (thirteen years ago) link
No but it has been really like one or two seasons at the most over and over and over.
― Evan, Thursday, 10 February 2011 06:38 (thirteen years ago) link
It has to be some obligation because Seinfeld is finished and any and every episode plays.
― Evan, Thursday, 10 February 2011 06:42 (thirteen years ago) link
We get the old ones a billion times a week.
― Most women do not like atheism.(8)(9)(10) (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 10 February 2011 07:02 (thirteen years ago) link
Trade
― Evan, Thursday, 10 February 2011 07:07 (thirteen years ago) link
I still watch the new ones hoping for the increasingly rare brilliant episode, or at least a couple of genuine belly laughs, but they're few and far between.
One of the most telling things to me is the fate of SNPP, one of the earliest and longest-running fan sites. For the longest time, they'd provide detailed capsules of every single episode, with production notes, "Did You See?" trivia, transcripts, just about everything you can think of. Halfway through Season 13 - specifically, right after the episode with Reese Witherspoon as Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter - they simply stopped, and have never started up again.
I think about where the show is now, then think about the fact that one of the best fansites around gave up nine years ago. At this point, they've had more bad seasons than great ones. The last DVD set I bought, the last season I think contained more unequivocally good episodes than bad ones, was season 11. I can't imagine buying any after that, even though season 12 has three or four episodes that I love (Lisa the Tree Hugger, Hungry Hungry Homer, Trilogy of Error and, uh . . . that season's Treehouse of Horror was good?)
― Pirates of the Caribbean V: Letters of Marque & Reprisal (Phil D.), Thursday, 10 February 2011 13:55 (thirteen years ago) link
but the africa one is the first 100% horrible, 'why am I watching this shit' episode
They showed this here a few nights ago. It was the first time I'd seen it and came to the same conclusion as you. And last night I caught the one where they go to China, and that was almost as bad. The episodes where the Simpsons visit foreign countries are so fucking grim.
― Danzig, with tears in my eyes (DavidM), Thursday, 10 February 2011 14:09 (thirteen years ago) link
With the exception of Australia and the one where Bart is a foreign exchange student in France.
― Pirates of the Caribbean V: Letters of Marque & Reprisal (Phil D.), Thursday, 10 February 2011 14:11 (thirteen years ago) link
A recent-ish episode that takes off 'Goodfellas' (including Homer quoting 'I get to live the rest of my life as a shnook...' at the end) was pretty good, but yeah, pretty terrible overall.
Although searching for that ep found this, which is kinda brilliant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RyqtrGnicc
― sex cells (S-), Thursday, 10 February 2011 14:13 (thirteen years ago) link
Ugh, hated that episode, which tried to pull an Armin Tamzarian with Fat Tony, only stupider. I think the only joke I laughed at was Homer's camera wig bursting into flames.
― Pirates of the Caribbean V: Letters of Marque & Reprisal (Phil D.), Thursday, 10 February 2011 14:19 (thirteen years ago) link
Only family trip ep. that I recall being any good is Australia. Brazil sucks, Africa sucks, China sucks. Japan sucks.
The NYC one is when I started to tune out. Also recall getting off the boat after the Johnny Cash/chili trip ep, which may also be the one with Bart shoveling mini-pony poop and commenting "how can all this come out of such a small horse?" or something like that. I was, like, poop jokes? Really?
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:36 (thirteen years ago) link
Ha, the NYC and chili trip ones are two of my all-time Top 10. So quotable.
― I've been dancing since 9 and I'm tired and hungry (Dorianlynskey), Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:38 (thirteen years ago) link
otm both in my top 10 no doubt
― iatee, Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:39 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah, the chili thing is all-time.
― Pirates of the Caribbean V: Letters of Marque & Reprisal (Phil D.), Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:40 (thirteen years ago) link
chili one is 'tv as work of art' territory
― iatee, Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:40 (thirteen years ago) link
it's "maybe if you didn't go to the bathroom so much you wouldn't be so small"
which is in the upper echelons of 'clever' as poop jokes so I think
― look its not that you listen to metal its that youre a bellend ok (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:41 (thirteen years ago) link
Do you think poop jokes have to do more with laziness or this point that I made: "I especially hate when it seems like they've done market research to appeal to younger demographics with hip references or unsubtle physical comedy."?
Maybe both.
― Evan, Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:43 (thirteen years ago) link
I mean, the whole trip thing aside, there's
Hello? Is this... [reads his paper] GBM? Uh, yeah. I read in the personals that you were seeking a soulmate. Well, I also like rainy days and movies. Uh-huh... [apprehensively] Uh, no, I don't like that... Or that... No, it's not that I'm afraid. [very quickly] I'm going to hang up now, bye-bye.
― Pirates of the Caribbean V: Letters of Marque & Reprisal (Phil D.), Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:43 (thirteen years ago) link
looking at snpp.com -
Gradually, alt.tv.simpsons and Simpsons-L became more and more quiet. Additionally, the number of the kind of Simpsons fans who love the show enough to find a place to discuss it has decreased in general.
― just sayin, Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:43 (thirteen years ago) link
horse poop is from the carnie episode, isn't it?
― Antoine Bugleboy (Merdeyeux), Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:44 (thirteen years ago) link
― Evan, Thursday, February 10, 2011 10:43 AM (47 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
how i yearn for the more sophisticated "eat my shorts" era
― R. L. Steen's HOOSbumps (some dude), Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:46 (thirteen years ago) link
They certainly didn't depend on those things in the earlier ones.
― Evan, Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:56 (thirteen years ago) link
Their trip to England sucks too - a parade of poor gags about British celebs, and the stereotypes didn't have the surreal OTTness which made the Australia one funny.
Japan had the odd funny bit as I recall.
― Inevitable stupid dubstep mix (chap), Thursday, 10 February 2011 15:59 (thirteen years ago) link
I like the japan one
― iatee, Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:00 (thirteen years ago) link
England one is especially terrible I thought, it doesn't even pretend to have a storyline for the majority of it.
― Antoine Bugleboy (Merdeyeux), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:06 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuNahIa2Gxo
― Pirates of the Caribbean V: Letters of Marque & Reprisal (Phil D.), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:06 (thirteen years ago) link
Blair guesting on the British episode is an all time low for me
― look its not that you listen to metal its that youre a bellend ok (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:18 (thirteen years ago) link
The one Simpsons quote that will always make me laugh, no matter what is going on in my life: "It feels like I'm wearing nothing at all! Nothing at all!! Nothing at aaaallll!!!"
― frogbs, Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:19 (thirteen years ago) link
I like how there's a joke about the simpsons going to too many stupid places in the behind the music ep but then, no, they just keep on making those eps after that.
― iatee, Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:22 (thirteen years ago) link
haha yeah that's classic. stupid sexy flanders. (xpost)
― R. L. Steen's HOOSbumps (some dude), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:23 (thirteen years ago) link
Simpsons go to Australia and Homer goes to NY are all-time classic eps imho
― lmao reminisces about his days in southern china (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:24 (thirteen years ago) link
stupid sexy flanders is one of the best/most quoted 00s jokes (and it's from the 99/00 season right?)
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stupid_sexy_flanders.jpg
― idgi fridays (blueski), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:28 (thirteen years ago) link
My biggest gripe about the newer episodes is that they started turning the characters into stereotypes, I mean Flanders at one point was really a pretty complex character, at one point even having a full blown crisis of faith; I can't imagine they'd ever do anything like that now. He's now just another Family Guy-type character whose only purpose is to make fun of the Catholic church with dumb, broad stereotype humor. The great part about the character through the good seasons is that I knew people like that, always thought they were a bit crazy or weird but they were super nice and welcoming so you'd never say anything bad about them. Now he doesn't really resemble a real person. The show went downhill around the time they killed off Maude, which I always thought was senseless. Yep, it's all about Flanders.
― frogbs, Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:30 (thirteen years ago) link
XP So what season was that from?? Like 10/11? That episode was great. South Park also had a great skiing episode; "if you french fry instead of pizza, you're gonna have a bad time". Classic
― frogbs, Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:31 (thirteen years ago) link
"I wash myself with a rag on a stick."
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:32 (thirteen years ago) link
Marge's line about "pimps and CHUDs" in the NY episode is like GOAT territory. And Homer's whole phone call to the NY police department, too. "Your plea has been . . . REJECTED. Please wait by your car for Detective Steve . . . GRABOWSKI." And the street vendor!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skurheg3P6I&feature=related
xxp He's now just another Family Guy-type character whose only purpose is to make fun of the Catholic church with dumb, broad stereotype humor.
Uh, of all the things Flanders is, "Catholic" is not one of them.
― Pirates of the Caribbean V: Letters of Marque & Reprisal (Phil D.), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:32 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah I probably should have put "Christian" there but he typically stands with them on a lot of hot-button issues
― frogbs, Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:37 (thirteen years ago) link
lol yeah as soon as someone mentioned the nyc one, i immediately thought of the street vendor bit
― dell (del), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:48 (thirteen years ago) link
man it'd be so awesome if someone or some group of people came up with a really discriminating guide to later seasons of the Simpsons or picked the very best episodes of those years. it'd be great to just have all those occasional great ones collected and never play rerun roulette with random shitty/forgettable episodes.
― some dude, Thursday, 10 February 2011 02:12 (14 hours ago) Bookmark
challenge accepted
― if there is a King Moaty, apparently he is huge into slapstick. (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:56 (thirteen years ago) link
clam juice
― lmao reminisces about his days in southern china (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:58 (thirteen years ago) link
http://twitter.com/#!/simpsonsguide
― if there is a King Moaty, apparently he is huge into slapstick. (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 10 February 2011 17:04 (thirteen years ago) link
as you can tell i am going to be spending the next six months poor and need cheap ways to kill time. could be worse ways than watching the simpsons and listening to wu-tang. also learning how to draw.
― if there is a King Moaty, apparently he is huge into slapstick. (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 10 February 2011 17:06 (thirteen years ago) link
that's how i remembered it, but it's actually crab juice!
― dell (del), Thursday, 10 February 2011 17:29 (thirteen years ago) link
lol whoops
― lmao reminisces about his days in southern china (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 10 February 2011 17:29 (thirteen years ago) link
The Japan episode has this exchange I loved:
Marge: Come on, Homer. Japan will be fun! You liked Rashomon.Homer: That's not how *I* remember it.
― Glorified Lolcat (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 10 February 2011 18:08 (thirteen years ago) link
And FWIW, one of the last recent eps I remember finding super-funny was "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story," which was 2006.
― Glorified Lolcat (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 10 February 2011 18:10 (thirteen years ago) link
There's this brief reaction of stammering existential crisis when Homer encounters Mr. Spakeru for the first time that's hard to encapsulate as a joke or catchphrase, but it's just tops!
What are more bits like that?
― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 10 February 2011 18:12 (thirteen years ago) link
"Marge vs. The Monorail" is just breathtaking for the sheer quantity & quality of jokes, all from so many different angles. I'd start a poll but narrowing it down to 50 gags would be difficult enough.
― ilxor gets into jazz (Myonga Vön Bontee), Thursday, 10 February 2011 19:12 (thirteen years ago) link
the cosmic ballet... goes on
― lmao reminisces about his days in southern china (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 10 February 2011 19:14 (thirteen years ago) link
it's an excellent episode but you can see the beginnings of bad use of celebrities in the nimoy-quimby exchange."you don't know who I am, do you?" is the joke! Then he beams out, breaking a long-standing "no cartoon logic" rule.
― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 10 February 2011 19:18 (thirteen years ago) link