Decline of the Simpsons
Will Riker
ca> From: ca...@busop.cit.wayne.edu (Carl Mueller)
ca> Newsgroups: alt.tv.simpsons
ca> Subject: Re: Decline of the Simpsons
ca> @Message-Id: <carl....@busop.cit.wayne.edu>
ca> Date: 9 Mar 1994 16:14:21 GMT
ca> Organization: Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, U.S.A.
>I hate to say this folks, but the Simpsons are going downhill....
>I did not realize this myself until recently. The thing that finally
>showed me the extent of the decline was when FOX played those
>back to back episodes with the new episode and the re-run. When one
>Kyle Kawamura
ca> Like everyone seems to be doing, I agree with you here. While I have
ca> Carl Mueller, Programmer | FTP site and mailing list for
Have you noticed the time period that the Simpsons began to decline?
It seems that when Matt Groening became less involved and a gentleman named
Conan O'Brien took over the majority of the scripting and directing, the
episodes lost their charm. There was also a distinct change in Marge's
personality. She became more self-centered and developed a cruel streak.
Lisa became more of a whiny bag. At least they have left the cat alone.
(Is She still alive?)
Shane Gray
... He is no lawyer who cannot take two sides.
Mark Andrew Gannon
Uh, wrong. Sure, last season was not up to "Krusty is Jewish" and
"Homer Gets Hair" levels, but it wasn't bad. It was this season, after
Conan O'Brien left, that the show got really bad. I gave it more time
than I gave Star Drek when its writing got so bad it hurt to watch it,
but I think I'm about done with the Simpsons. Too bad. I used to look
forward to Thursday nights.
But anyway, the point is that the Simpsons may have been a bit off last
year, but it fell off a cliff this year. I wonder how Homer can be
alive for two reasons: 1) He is so dumb he shoulda died long ago- he's
too stupid to live; and 2) he is such an asshole now that somebody
should have killed him. The stories are now poorly written and seem
hastily thrown together. And this all happened AFTER the departure of
Conan O'Brien.
>Shane Gray
--Mark
:-b
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"NEVER do second order perturbation theory." --Toby Falk
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Erick Rudiak
Conan O'Brien took over from Matt Groening, I respond a hearty "no!!!" The
Glory Years of the Simpsons for me have been the '90-'91, '91-'92, and
'92-'93 season, when O'Brien was the executive producer. Don't forget that
prior to that, Bart was the single centerpiece of almost every episode.
Under Conan, Lisa, Marge, and especially Homer developed a much greater
stake in the hilarity of each episode (perhaps at Bart's expense, in
retrospect). Under O'Brien, we also delved much deeper into the
personalities of Mr. Burns and Chief Wiggum, and Abraham Simpson. Who
could forget the "Blinky" episode, all the great Itchy and Scratchys, and
of course the classic Monorail ("I'm the best mono-thingy-guy that ever
lived!") episode? It was only after O'Brien began to devote his attentions
to his talk show that the quality of the Simpsons has noticeably decreased.
The Simpsons had an edge under O'Brien, where anything could happen, and
the most unexpetedly funny inevitably did. That edge has been missing in
many episodes this season. Marge On The Lam was one of the few where
O'Brien was in charge, and I think the results speak for themselves. That
is not to say that the Halloween Specials, which Groening still
participates actively in, do not cast a dark shadow over most of the other
stuff we see during the season. Let us thank Conan O'Brien for three great
years of Simpsons. Any decline we see, however, is due much more to his
absence than to his presence.
Whew. I knew I had a diatribe in me somewhere, but little did I expect one
to come out right now ;)
Hasta La Vista, Abey! (Bart to pres. Lincoln in the school play)
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| Erick Rudiak
She doesn't come around here no more | er...@nwu.edu
And it bothers me |____________________