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Originally Posted by Palaver
In all sincerity, I'd like to hear your list of well written, clever sitcoms that are currently on the air. I might be missing some. The only ones that come to mind for me in the past five years or so is Scrubs, the Office and Arrested Development :rip: .
I should point out that I might be missing some since I don't subscribe to HBO. 30 Rock My Name Is Earl Curb Your Enthusiasm Extras King of the Hill These were all on within the past five years. I'm sure there are more. |
I love Senfeld, like the Simpsons (Stopped watching after about season 5), think Scrubs has jumped the shark (Sometime in season 3), will netflix "The Simpsons Movie"...Anything else?
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Originally Posted by Lara Means
Saying The Simpsons hasnt been good since the 90s is just something everyone says because its what is expected of people. I bet the majority of people who continue to say that shit hasn't tried to watch an episode in a long time. Yes, the Simpsons hit a slump in terms of quality awhile back, but the show has returned to top form in the last few seasons. That is fact!
And you are correct...how many people here admit they haven't watched the show in the last 5-8 years? I think the past two seasons rank among the best. Not better than the 90's run, but still damn good. |
Originally Posted by GreenVulture
Yes.
[rant] |
Originally Posted by Tracer Bullet
In addition to your three:
30 Rock My Name Is Earl Curb Your Enthusiasm Extras King of the Hill These were all on within the past five years. I'm sure there are more. MNIE - no. CYE - sometimes - but it's even more hit & miss than Simpsons Extras - sure, but there were only 12 episodes KotH - I hate king of the hill... Like I said, the only shows that eclipse Simpsons are Venture Bros, and South Park, then there's a handful of shows on the same level (like the shows above), and then there's pretty much nothing left. Which all proves the point that Simpsons is still better than most comedy shows on now. Which I guess really shows how pathetic the state of comedic shows are now. |
Originally Posted by slop101
I have no problem with your rant, but the OP stated that he doesn't think the Simpsons are funny at all, and you obviously think the earlier seasons are just fine. So why answer "yes"?
So to the OP, my answer is "No." :) |
Originally Posted by johnnysd
I don't want to thread crap a Simsons thread, so I thought I would just ask.
I don't get the Simpsons. I really do not find it funny at all. I have tried a bunch of times and just don't "get it" at all. This hit home during a preview for "The Simpsons Movie" where people were laughing (not everyone) at most everything in the clip, but I did not find it funny at all. "Spiderpig" seemed to be especially funny to many, but I am not sure what exactly is funny about it. On the other hand, I find Seinfield very funny. I have also noticed that a lot of peole hate Seinfield but find Simpsons funny. I am the opposite. Are they polar opposites of comedy. I find a lot of things very funny, but not the Simpsons at all. It reminds me a little of The Far Side type of humour which I also find totall unfunny. Anyone else? |
Originally Posted by slop101
30 Rock - sure (though only the 2nd half of the season)
MNIE - no. CYE - sometimes - but it's even more hit & miss than Simpsons Extras - sure, but there were only 12 episodes KotH - I hate king of the hill... Like I said, the only shows that eclipse Simpsons are Venture Bros, and South Park, then there's a handful of shows on the same level (like the shows above), and then there's pretty much nothing left. Which all proves the point that Simpsons is still better than most comedy shows on now. Which I guess really shows how pathetic the state of comedic shows are now. |
Originally Posted by slop101
Which all proves the point that Simpsons is still better than most comedy shows on now. Which I guess really shows how pathetic the state of comedic shows are now.
I get my laughs from "Venture Brothers" and "Family Guy". Yes the plots in FG are nothing new, however the cut aways and things said sometimes are what brings in the laughs. I think back to some of the more touching episodes of "Futurama" like "The Sting", "Luck of the Fryish" and even "Jurassic Bark" and I remember how unmemorable "Simpsons" episodes were at the same time. It is very difficult for me to choose another helping of Homer's tired buffonery over something as well written as "The Sting". |
Originally Posted by auto
rotfl
I would say that The Simpsons more than lived up to its potential....and then some. It was bound to lose quality after however many hundreds of episodes. I mean, they don't even age for christsakes. Only so many stories they can do. |
Originally Posted by Tracer Bullet
I'm still not sure how this "proves" anything. I happen to think The Simpsons has sucked for longer than it was good, and mentioning a bunch of other half-hour shows, good or bad, is irrelevant.
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I think the Simpsons is an awful show now, so yes it is really that bad. People love to say "Oh, those fans are just pissed because it changed a bit, but they don't want to admit that it's still a good show, or at least better than other crap on tv."
No, I honestly feel that the show is flat out horrible. Who cares about "other stuff" on television. I'm talking about The Simpsons itself. I shouldn't have to say a piece of feces is fun to smell just because it doesn't smell like a rancid corpse. First 7 or 8 seasons = fantastic....but it saddens me that the show has now been shitty for longer than it was good. |
Originally Posted by slop101
Well, I guess my point is that if there are so many shows on TV now that are worse than Simpsons, does that mean that Simpsons is really that bad?
The Simpsons has recovered a bit from the low points of years 9-12, but it's still a shadow of its former self. |
Michael Corvin :lol: Shitting on Seinfeld by nateman241: A brief history of nateman241's hatred towards Seinfeld. Recollect all his greatest hits in this 7 posts recollection. In other words: :notrolls: As for the topic at hand, I watched off and on the first few seasons and catch an episode every once and a while but the Simpsons never struck a chord with me. It's not that it wasn't funny, just not my type of humor. Personally I think the movie is about 13 years too late. Alright that was pretty good actually. Just wait for the 10th post "Anniversary Collection" with a remix of post #1 & #5. Order now for only $19.95 & receive a free collector's edition of "Why I love Scrubs" post. I agree with you on The Simpsons movie coming out too late & it really should have been made when The Simpsons was still extremely popular. I get how it's not your type of humor but that like Seinfeld for me. Mopower He even fit his homo erotic obsession for Zach Braff and Scrubs in the post as well. What were the odds of that? :rolleyes: Scrubs wishes it could be a great as Seinfeld's worse episodes. IMO I'm not a huge Zach Braff fan to be honest. It's all the supporting characters that make the show great. I don't have a homo erotic obsession for Braff, Sarah Chalke= :drool: :drool: :drool: Hottest woman alive! |
Originally Posted by nateman241
Sarah Chalke= :drool: :drool: :drool: Hottest woman alive!
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Are you a communist?
That can be the only thing I can think of! I know what you mean but the same thing can be said of things of Date Movie and the such. Even with the new episodes, I will still watch them but perhaps only find a few jokes. I think the only problem is that you ask why other people find it funny, like if you know why they do, you will. Thats the tricky thing with comedy I'm afraid. You either get it or don't. |
Here's to The Simpsons - the cause of, and solution to all of life's problems...
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I used to really like the Simpsons, but i think it has just gone past its sell by date. I am sure that i can laugh at bits of every episode, but i just feel that they have been milking the whole concept for a bit too long. Its exactly what i imagine would have happened with other comedies if they had kept going longer (Seinfeld, the UK version of The Office). But they had the sense to stop while they were ahead. Its one of the reasons that the Simpsons movie does not excite me in the slightest. It looks too similar to the TV show, and i can't be bothered watching that any more. They should have done the movie a long time ago.
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Originally Posted by cdollaz
Damn your eyes.
Too late. http://content.answers.com/main/cont...rtyFeldman.jpg |
Originally Posted by james2025a
I used to really like the Simpsons, but i think it has just gone past its sell by date. I am sure that i can laugh at bits of every episode, but i just feel that they have been milking the whole concept for a bit too long. Its exactly what i imagine would have happened with other comedies if they had kept going longer (Seinfeld, the UK version of The Office). But they had the sense to stop while they were ahead. Its one of the reasons that the Simpsons movie does not excite me in the slightest. It looks too similar to the TV show, and i can't be bothered watching that any more. They should have done the movie a long time ago.
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Originally Posted by GreenVulture
Yes.
[Excuse this following rant if it feels hastily put together, because it kind of is] The show ceased to be Simpsons-quality somewhere around Season 10. After that, it morphed into some odd hybrid of incredibly crude humor, smug self-reference, really stupid situations and celebrity guest voices that were probably approved on the basis of said celebrity saying to Groening or Brooks, "Hey! Can I come on your show? It'll probably be awkward because I have nothing at all to do with the plot, nor are there any one-time characters you can let me voice, but hey, I'm famous, right? I mean, you can put my name in your ads!" Granted, the show always had stuff like that, but it went into overdrive after the first 9 seasons, making the show a kind of half-assed carbon copy of itself. From Season 10 onwards, the writing felt either lazy or labored over too much, the gags were a mile a minute because now there had to be a joke every 5 seconds, the movie references were there just because, rather than being subtly worked into the scene (there was some episode a few years back where they went to the theater and they played a parody of The Phantom Menace. THE PHANTOM MENACE. And there was nothing creative about it, nor did it have any connection to the plot; all they did was mock the Jar-Jar character, several years after everyone else in the world had done the same thing), the guest voices are there because the producers want to add another celebrity voice notch to their bedpost (you have someone like Thomas Pynchon, and what do you have him do? Recite bad puns of his book titles. "What's that, you say? JK Rowling said she likes the show? Well, find a way to put her in!"), and the plots feel increasingly bizarre because the writers have maybe run out of ideas. This is in contrast to something like Season 5. Yeah, Homer going into space is incredibly outlandish, but it worked beautifully because the writing was fantastic throughout and felt smooth, the gags were a mile a minute and served the scene, not the other way around, and the movie references worked well due to theme of outer space. Bringing in James Taylor to NASA was silly, yes, but it worked because his music provided one of the episode's funniest jokes (suddenly changing his lyrics) and he also had something important to do (inadvertently giving the solution to the ant problem). And despite taking place mostly in outer space, the episode felt down-to-earth and relatable, since part of the plot was about a person (Homer) finding the courage to do something they had a fear of. I stopped watching regularly around the beginning of Season 11 (Season 10 I stuck out due to loyalty), but still catch a few episodes of each year just to see if some of the old magic is back, and it isn't. Looking back, Season 9 had its share of slightly weak episodes, but at least I consistently chuckled during a "bad" episode of that season, as compared to recent episodes, where I smile maybe once. But I'll always have the first nine seasons, and for that, I'm grateful to the cast and crew. That being said, I might Netflix some of the post-S9 seasons, just to hear Groening and Co. try and defend some of the episodes on the commentaries. |
I didn't follow the Simpsons until I started buying the DVDs last year, so it couldn't "get old to me" over several years of following it and I had no sense of nastolgia for earlier episodes. I have to say the earlier episodes aren't THAT much better.
I like the show, but it was NEVER laugh out loud funny all that often even way back. Maybe back in the day before Family Guy and South Park it was if you were watching back then, but for someone getting into it late it's pretty tame nowadays and not as funny. The stories are more often better than Family Guy, but I think people simply got sick of the show more than anything else. The older episodes were a bit better, but it's not night and day like people make it seem, IMO. It's most likely only that way if you followed it way back in the day because it was before they grew tired of the show and had funnier shows to compare against. It was never Family Guy kinda funny and it never will be. It told better stories and had better story writing, but funnier? No way. You could take the 3 funniest episodes from any Family Guy season and I would have laughed more than any entire Simpsons season thus far. The Simpsons usually just makes me smile or gives me a slight chuckle and I just enjoy watching the story or characters. I don't usually get a gut busting laughs from it that often, sometimes, but not too often. What I think happened is funnier series like Futurama, Family Guy & South Park came out and just made The Simpsons seem less funny by comparison and during a time when people were already growing tired of the series and were wanting something fresh and different. If Family Guy had came out around The Simpsons' prime not nearly as many would've thought the Simpsons were as funny, IMO. It paved the way for all the other shows, so it's great for that. |
Keep watching the dvd's as newer seasons come out, Slayer. They're only up to season 9, so it hasn't gotten terribly bad yet.
As others have said, the show really took a sharp turn for the worse around season 10. I believe that was when Mike Scully took over as show runner. I would definitely think you'd be able to notice the difference in quality easier since you are watching them back to back, or close to it. For me personally, it isn't that I liked the show because it made me laugh out loud all the time. I liked it because it was simply a good show. It was funny, but the brand of humor once upon a time was smarter. There was a ton of relevant satirical stuff which simply hasn't been there in years. Sure, even in the "glory days" Homer would do a lot of silly nonsensical stuff, but on the whole his character was much more subdued. Somewhere along the way, his character became nothing but a vehicle for as much zany slapstick type stuff as they could churn out, and seemingly, whatever humanity remained fell by the wayside. In addition, the plots overall became horrendous under Scully's reign of terror. It wasn't even a cohesive show anymore. Instead, it became a disjointed series of sight gags and it seemed like the objective of every scene was to provide a platform for some tertiary character to toss out a stock line (Lindsay Nagle, the Italian Chef, etc.) It isn't just that they all of a sudden ran out of fresh ideas, either. Once Al Jean came back and became show runner again, the plots improved somewhat. Not dramatically, but the difference was noticeable. I will say that the last few seasons have definitely been better than the few that preceded them. However, I do feel that the difference in quality between current episodes and those from season 9 and prior is in fact night and day. I could look at any of my dvd sets and pick out at least 5-7 great episodes and probably another 5-7 good ones per season. I honestly would have a hard time picking out even 10 good episodes out of the last 5 or 6 seasons combined. |
Yeah, Scully's reign sucked, but I can't totally hate the guy since he wrote one of my top 3 episodes, "Lisa's Rival" (the one with Winona Ryder as a smarter version of Lisa, Homer's half-assed attempt at becoming a sugar baron and of course, "I bent my Wookie.").
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Originally Posted by GreenVulture
Yeah, Scully's reign sucked, but I can't totally hate the guy since he wrote one of my top 3 episodes, "Lisa's Rival" (the one with Winona Ryder as a smarter version of Lisa, Homer's half-assed attempt at becoming a sugar baron and of course, "I bent my Wookie.").
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