JuryDuty

I was just perusing the ratings and was amazed to see that, even though it weekly falls between #26 and #37 in terms of all the shows on the air, The Simpsons is still Fox's #1 show. 24 is #2 (sweet!).

I know this is like The Simpsons 12th? season--has any other sitcom or drama consistently been this hot for a network for 12 seasons?

Guess that shows the mark of a good show!

Goat3001

I guess theres been plenty of shows that have been huge for they're network but I don't know how many lasted 12 seasons.

fujishig

Well, Simpsons is currently number 10 or 11 in number of total episodes ever:

http://www.angelfire.com/trek/proutsy/

It's already beat out 90210, and all the other shows that have lasted longer are pretty old. For instance, Gunsmoke, #1 on the list, lasted 20 years (1955-1975) which was before I was born, so I have no idea of the popularity of that show or even if the ratings system is comparible to today's. (though it had to be pretty popular to last 20 years...)

Even shows that I would think should come close have already been eclipsed by Simpsons. Cheers lasted 11 years, and Happy Days and Married with Children only 10.

Of course the big benefit the Simpsons has is that they don't have to rotate the cast at all. No one gets any older, and so you don't have the kids growing up or the status quo changing.

But it makes it even more amazing that an animated series has lasted so long... especially because it debuted at a time when cartoons were considered only for children (the stigma still exists today, but there are now other primetime cartoons).

Unfortunately, the show is losing it's appeal, at least to me. People may say that it hasn't "jumped the shark" yet, but the past few seasons have been lackluster, and the episodes have really gotten zany.

UAIOE

Considering that some of the better shows FOX comes up with usually end up being canceled and whats left is either trailer trash eating competitions or "exciting" reality shows....

No, i'm not suprised its thier #1 show.

Rogue588

Quote:

Originally posted by fujishig
People may say that it hasn't "jumped the shark" yet, but the past few seasons have been lackluster, and the episodes have really gotten zany.

Umm...they jumped the shark during last week's intro.

Simpson Purist

The Simpsons in it's 14th season (tied with Ozzie & Harriet for longest running sitcom). I agree with some of the members here that the last 5 seasons have been disappointing to say the least.

bboisvert

The only show that comes to mind is Law & Order. That has been pretty consistent in the ratings and is still pulling in high numbers.

But, yes, it is a rarity for a show to not only last this long, but also still get high ratings after all this time.

Groucho

I've seen this same exact criticism continually leveled against the show since Season 3.

Simpson Purist

Well this is different, now the show is wacky and at times unfunny. The characters I knew and loved have been dumbed down to shadows of their own selves. There's also too many "flavor of the month" guest stars (I almost turned off the TV when I saw N*SYNC make their self-congratulatory appearances).

slop101

The Simpsons is as good as it has ever been. It's the people watching that have changed.

Are you still into the same movies/music/etc. that you were into 14 years ago?

Simpson Purist

I assume the people that are loving The Simpsons now are the same people that love such movies as Scary Movie, Pearl Harbor, XXX, and MIB2. Face it fellas, The Simpsons aren't as funny as it was 3-4 years ago.

For those of you who still think The Simpsons are better than ever, I recommend you read the articles in this website.

Rogue588

Different strokes, etc...

I'm still entertained by the Simpsons. Granted, for me, it seems like each season has at least one show that isn't "on". But i'll definitely keep watching.

UAIOE

No I don't listen to/watch the same stuff i did 14 years ago....but that has nothing to do with the simple fact that writing on the show is lackluster compared to what it was in the past.


I have changed and so has "The Simpsons".

Once it was witty and funny, now its just Homer's cartoonish exploits with the token famous person guest appearance.

sherm42

The real question is this:

Is being the number 1 show on FOX mean as much as being the number one show on NBC? CBS? ABC?

Hard to tell. Fox never seems to be able to have more than a few hit shows at a time.

Mark Holtz

Gunsmoke and Dragnet were also a radio series prior to being a television series. Also, if you combine all of the Star Trek series together (TOS, TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise), you've got over 600 hours of television--enough to watch one episode per day for a year and ten months!

SuperJim88

Simply put, Simpson is running dry on materials.......

Just watch each new episodes and beware of what the episode start up talking about and what did the episode ended up focus on and you'll notice the writers are doing their best to come up with story to write.

JuryDuty

Wow--that's some interesting stuff. Well written and insightful. Is that your site?

clemente

Wow! That websiet has completely changed my mind, here I was dillusional, thinking that The simpsons was good....how stupid was I.

I have seen the light and the inferiority of the latter Simpson episodes.

big whoppa

In the case of the Simpsons, I disagree. Back in the early days and even to the days of the Tracey Ullman skits, it was funnier.

Simpson Purist

No, I'm a frequent poster at the No Homers Club. Many members on that board think Chris Philer's views on the decline of The Simpsons are insightful and well-thought out. It's not that I don't think The Simpsons suck right now, it's just that I think they're not as funny as they were 4 years ago. Occasionally they'll surprise me with a smart and funny episode, that is why I continue to watch the show .

spainlinx0

Well I didn't like Scary Movie, didn't see the last three choices, and yet I still find the Simpsons funny. And yes, I have been watching since the first episode. Maybe if you don't like the show as much you and everyone else with your opinion can simply stop watching. That way the show can get cancelled, and you can all be happy, and I can stop hearing all the whining. And you know what, for all the people that point to the episode with Nsync as a travesty, you failed to realize that the episode wasn't half-bad. I certainly laughed at the way they were portrayed. Instead, all you see is "oh that's lame a group I don't like because girls like them so I have to hate them because I am jealous and cannot get the girls they do are on so now I will flame a show I supposedly love because I have nothing better to do."

Groucho

Yawn. When you start making statements like this, it's an admission that you're losing the argument. If you want to attack the show, that's fine...but you aren't going to get anywhere by attacking those who have an alternate viewpoint.

Jason

If they're still valid and worthwhile? Absolutely!

While Vapor Trails (2002) is vastly different than Hold Your Fire (1988), Rush are still making thoughtful, well put together albums. If the quality of their last release was similar to the current crop of Simpsons episodes, I would leave it on the shelf. Rush prove that you can change with the times without losing the spark that made things interesting in the first place. The Simpsons writers need to learn this lesson.

The Simpsons have lost the intelligent edge that made it the best show on TV. While they still have some good moments and some truly great lines, such as when Homer cried out that Kentucky Fried Panda was "finger ling-ling good", the characters have lost their focus.

Red Dog

The show is definitely worse and I am into the same kind of entertainment that I was when I was in college in the early 90s. It jumped the shark by Season 9.

Dr. Rosenrosen

I would clarify only to say that the real rarity is the show lasting a long time-- if it wasn't pulling in good ratings, it wouldn't be around! That said, for it to be the #1 show on Fox is remarkable, and not good news for Fox-- what's that say about their other shows?