the simpsons' peak period - can we have some consensus please ?

I also say nu-Simpsons starts in 2002

Seasons 10, 11 & 12 are def a "clearly not-peak-era-but-also-not-offensively-terrible" zone

1-9: Phil Spector 1959-1966
10-12: Phil Spector 1970-1980
13-present: Phil Spector 2003-2021

i don't remember specifics from season 13, but season 14 was home to that episode with the rolling stones, so that ^^ seems to check out

Season 13 gave us the "Old Man Yells At Cloud" image at least.

Are the Rolling Stones the only (group of) people to work with both the Simpsons and Phil Spector?

Ramones as well

iirc season 14 has the one where marge gets new boobs and homer sings a song about them, the one where marge gets roid rage and rapes homer, and the one where frank grimes jr shows up to get his revenge. def beyond redemption at that point

paul mccartney (sort of)

xp

The show peaked with Season 8. Specifically, "Homer's Enemy." The Frank Grimes episode should have been the series finale. They were never gonna do anything funnier, and there was no coming back after torching the show's entire conceptual superstructure that way.

I'm sure something similar was said somewhere upthread, but I really feel like what the Simpsons lost after its "classic" years was more its emotional center than its humor. Without that, the constant absurdist jokes started to feel decadent and the cynicism started to feel aimless.

I've always maintained that the Simpsons just slowed down in how quickly they pummelled you with jokes. Like they just left more room to breathe and think and "get it".

I thought it was interesting that Swartzwelder said in his interview that he thought season 3 was the series peak because I feel like there was a shift between season 3 and 4 where they sacrificed some degree of character based humour for joke density and surrealism. I think a lot of the writing staff changed between those two seasons? I think seasons 2 and 3 might be my favourites, it's strange though because I would have guessed that Swartzwelder would come down more on the 'density and surrealism' side than the character/realism side.

paul mccartney (sort of)

Definitely George & Ringo!

I've been rewatching some episodes lately and I've gotten that same impression, the S2-3 ones are better than I remembered while the S7-8 ones are maybe a bit too overexposed and absurd. obviously still very funny though. last one I watched was the one where he eats the psychedelic chili pepper, the first 2/3rds of which is maybe one of the finest episodes of any animated show ever (and clearly seemed to be the inspiration for a bunch of Futurama episodes), but man I'd forgotten how cobbled together and dull the final third is. like, it ends with Marge randomly forgiving him and then they prevent a shipwreck together? its like they couldn't figure out how to end it.

I also say nu-Simpsons starts in 2002

Seasons 10, 11 & 12 are def a "clearly not-peak-era-but-also-not-offensively-terrible" zone

re-read the beginning of the thread

I feel like there was a shift between season 3 and 4 where they sacrificed some degree of character based humour for joke density and surrealism. I think a lot of the writing staff changed between those two seasons?

All the staff Simon hired stayed as long as he did, and several left with him after S4. Oakley/Weinstein and Conan are the only two that joined between 3 and 4.

This thread was started during S14.

I don't remember it exactly but I think there's a quote about jazz thats something like 'jazz is about seeing how far out you can go and still get back', like when a musician improvises around a tune how far can they go while still retaining some connection to that original tune - and the I think the surrealism in the Simpsons is kind of like that. For the first 10 years of the show's life a lot of the humour comes from how there is some base level of realism, the laws of physics apply, people act like real humans to some degree, but because it's a cartoon they can stretch the realism and flirt with outright surrealism, and when they stretch it to the point of breaking and there are no rules left that's when the show stopped being any good.

like the bit with Homer jumping the gorge on a skateboard is funny because it's treading this fine line between loony tunes cartoon surrealism and realism, it's Wile E Coyote type joke but he actually ends up bruised and bloodied. It wouldn't be funny if the Simpsons was set in a world with no rules where cartoon physics applied, but it also wouldn't be funny if the Simpsons was set in a world that was strictly realistic.

Definitely George & Ringo!

― blue whales on ambient (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, May 3, 2021 2:48 PM (nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

george was nearly as memorable as his co-star, a giant plate of brownies

I don't remember it exactly but I think there's a quote about jazz thats something like 'jazz is about seeing how far out you can go and still get back', like when a musician improvises around a tune how far can they go while still retaining some connection to that original tune - and the I think the surrealism in the Simpsons is kind of like that. For the first 10 years of the show's life a lot of the humour comes from how there is some base level of realism, the laws of physics apply, people act like real humans to some degree, but because it's a cartoon they can stretch the realism and flirt with outright surrealism, and when they stretch it to the point of breaking and there are no rules left that's when the show stopped being any good.

i was trying to think of a post-season 12 joke that i really loved and i remembered this one: "aww, i have three kids and no money. why can't i have no kids and three money?"

from episode 397 (season 18)

I've been listening to the commentaries too and the first few times Groening noted he had a problem with a joke in that regard I thought he was being overly fussy but a few seasons later I find myself agreeing with his stance more. Made me wonder if he's still doing commentaries on like season 21 or whatever?

The big writing staff shake-up occurred between seasons four and five (with “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet” and “Cape Feare” being leftovers). Homer calling a college dean a “stupid head” or bumblebee man falling over his chair after taking over for Kent Brockman was such a different kind of humor.

The Poochie episode was the beginning of the end. Yes it was funny, but the humor was just so smug and self-referential.

Made me wonder if he's still doing commentaries on like season 21 or whatever?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAOLTsTtZis

i was trying to think of a post-season 12 joke that i really loved and i remembered this one: "aww, i have three kids and no money. why can't i have no kids and three money?"

from episode 397 (season 18)

― the mai tai quinn (voodoo chili), Monday, May 3, 2021 3:44 PM (twenty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

lol this one stuck with me too.

I doubt it, because then he’d have to explain why the Critic crossover was unacceptable (he took his name off the credits) but had no issue with the later Family Guy crossover.

older, insanely richer, did not think the current show had enough integrity to bother defending

i could have sworn i saw an interview within the last five years with groening where he said the show was still good, he may have even said it was still on par with the 'classic' era

i could have sworn i saw an interview within the last five years with groening where he said the show was still good, he may have even said it was still on par with the 'classic' era