The Simpsons - Wikipedia

[dynoguy88]

Neat website with info on everything you could ever imagine. They had a good description of the seasons of the Simpsons and why the earlier seasons are so much better.......

In spite of the devotion the show has inspired among its fans (or perhaps because of it) there has been an extraordinary amount of analysis of the show's strongest and weakest periods, especially among its most ardent fans. This brand of criticism is distinct from the broader debate over the show's sociopolitical themes that have drawn fire from both ends of the political spectrum.

Fans hold a wide range of views on which period in the show's history was the best. Some prefer the earliest seasons, particularly 2 and 3, when the show focused more on realistic, character-driven humor instead of what they perceive as cheap, throwaway gags. Others prefer seasons 4–7, when Al Jean/Mike Reiss, David Mirkin and Bill Oakley/Josh Weinstein were the showrunners. Under Mirkin, the show began to focus more and more on social satire, as well as shifting focus away from young Bart to Homer.

In contrast, seasons 9–12 and the appointment of Mike Scully as showrunner are often considered to be the show's lowest point creatively. While many fans feel Scully's first two seasons, seasons 9-10 weren't terrible, it is believed that season 11 is where the show began to deteriorate significantly, with the show beginning to focus on more supporting characters for shifting attention away from the Simpsons, with the exception of Homer. The show also became heavily reliant on celebrity guest stars (who almost always were cast to play themselves) and often episodes bent the rules of realism in order to justify these types of episodes. Fans also criticize more recent episodes for being boring and having a lack of plot and innovation that the earlier episodes had. Others point out the fact that many of the recent episodes (particularly those in seasons 14, 15, and the current 16th season) focus more on Marge and Homer's strained relationship, noting that the plotline "Marge and Homer fight, Marge and Homer nearly get divorced, Marge and Homer barely reconcile" is being used far too often. Simpsons writer Mike Reiss had this to say: "much of the humanity has leached out of the show over the years....It hurts to watch it, even if I helped do it."[3]

The biggest controversy is on the change in Homer's personality. Some fans believe that under Scully, the character of Homer became unrealistically stupid and uncaring in most episodes, while inexplicably contradicting his own political and moral beliefs in others. This reinvention, referred to as "Jerkass Homer" by online fans (and later, actually used by Homer himself in an episode when pretending to be stupider) caused a large backlash from many longtime fans of the series, who felt the show had jumped the shark. The episode where Homer is raped by a panda is one low point they continually cite. Many such fans welcomed the return of Al Jean as showrunner, calling it a return to the show's roots. However, to some people the more stupid Homer became the funnier, which has caused them to say that the show is getting better every season. Some feel the complete opposite in it that the series has entered an irreversible decline, and should be cancelled (they feel that the show will tarnish its own legacy if it continues at this pace). Others feel that The Simpsons has become almost a part of their life and without it, TV will never be the same.

Some other changes that provoked criticism were giving the character of Apu a wife and octuplets and having town drunk Barney Gumble quit drinking, although he appears on again and off again as drunk currently.

While some argue that The Simpsons is past its prime, the show remains an important aspect of pop culture, and is particularly influential among teenagers. Its popularity has earned it numerous awards and appearances on magazines such as TV Guide. And most fans argue that the constant changes in the American culture and psyche make it impossible for The Simpsons to pass its prime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

[Redd Foxx]

Yeah, it is a really cool site. It is an online encyclopedia for all kinds of things.

[80sTrivia]

I usually pop into Wikipedia every day or so, when I'm searching for some information. It's a very useful site!

[gilligan fanatic]

at the simpsons section I just learned Comic Book Guys real name.