"The Simpsons Is Good Again"
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Simpsons
merry christmas — 2 years ago(June 06, 2023 11:09 PM)
So says an article in something called Vulture. I haven't seen an episode in quite some time so I don't know, maybe it is good again.
https://www.vulture.com/article/the-simpsons-is-good-again.html
Selman sees the show as a “Groundhog Day–type reality, where at the beginning of every episode, they’ve forgotten everything that’s happened before.” That frees the writers from the burden of story continuity, allowing them to push the boundaries of what The Simpsons can do. No recent episode defines the current spirit like “Lisa the Boy Scout,” a mind-bending postmodern intervention into the series. In it, hackers interrupt the episode to play supposed deleted scenes that would “ruin” the audience’s conception of The Simpsons universe. There’s a clip in which Carl learns that his best friend, Lenny, was actually a figment of his imagination and another in which it is revealed that Martin, Bart’s nerdiest classmate, is actually a grizzled 36-year-old father of three with an aging disorder that leaves him looking 10.
It is one of the wildest, all-out funniest episodes in the history of the show, which Carolyn Omine, a seasoned writer, credited to a new process in which everyone pitches “bad” ideas.
This year, inspired by her own struggles with the idea of racial authenticity as a person of mixed race, she wrote a script in which Carl, a Black character who only recently started being voiced by a Black actor, explored his origins as the adoptee of white parents, having him venture into the Black part of Springfield, which had never been seen before.
In an episode called “Bartless” from 2023, Homer and Marge fantasize about what their lives would be like if they weren’t Bart’s parents, which ends with them appreciating him for what makes him special, as opposed to wishing he’d meet some “good kid” standard. Beyond exhibiting a different perspective on parenting a “problem” child, the show was reexamining its own relationship to Bart, who was never treated with the same empathy as the other main characters.
Take the season-34 premiere, “Habeas Tortoise,” in which Homer leads a group of conspiracy theorists in the search for a lost turtle. In the past, you’d expect the show to end with a bunch of jokes about how stupid and silly the characters were, but instead it offers a sensitive portrayal of people’s need for community and meaning in the digital age.
They're not so focused on comedy anymore.
Over the past two decades, episode run time has been reduced from 24 minutes to 22 or less, a significant drop for a sitcom, demanding tough choices about what makes the cut. Jean crammed the episodes with jokes and bits, giving less airtime to stories. The writers say the show now has fewer gags to make room for character development.
I'm skeptical but you can probably find similar ways to describe older episodes that makes them sound not funny. -
merry christmas — 2 years ago(June 07, 2023 12:57 AM)
I watched about half of "Lisa the Boy Scout" but got bored and quit. It wasn't offensively bad like some episodes are. Some of it might have been clever. But I didn't laugh. I don't know if I can give a newer episode of The Simpsons a fair shot.
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Bort — 2 years ago(June 10, 2023 08:16 AM)
Homer and Marge, perpetually in their late 30s, are now living in the year 2023, meaning they are millennial parents facing millennial issues. There was a touching episode in 2021 about the psychological ramifications of Marge offhandedly calling Lisa “chunky.” In an episode called “Bartless” from 2023, Homer and Marge fantasize about what their lives would be like if they weren’t Bart’s parents, which ends with them appreciating him for what makes him special, as opposed to wishing he’d meet some “good kid” standard. Beyond exhibiting a different perspective on parenting a “problem” child, the show was reexamining its own relationship to Bart, who was never treated with the same empathy as the other main characters. You feel less like you are watching season 34 than a reboot of season one.
This sounds awful.