What is Digg?464 Comments
- clockpolitiks, on 10/11/2007, -18/+253Personally, I can't pinpoint a certain episode. I feel that once the simpsons stopped being somewhat sentimental, and just about the jokes, that it started to lose its appeal. There are no more moments like when homer has the poster in his nuclear power plant office. It says "Dont forget, you're here forever." Homer covers up some of the letters to make it say, "Do it for her", meaning do it for Maggie or something like that. If the show still had moments of real emotion like that, I might enjoy it more.
- fotd42, on 10/11/2007, -8/+182I really despise how they almost require some celebrity cameo in almost every episode nowadays. It seems like instead of inventing new characters or properly fleshing out old ones, they just have caricatures of modern pop culture that don't/won't wear well with age. I loved how in older seasons there would be tons of esoteric pop culture references that would make you chuckle if you didn't know it but laugh your ass off if you knew the reference. Nowadays it's just been dumbed down to the point where casual viewers will say "what? Bart is joining a rap tour?! How deliciously absurd!" while the rest of us just groan and lament the show we came to love and lost.
- litolist, on 10/11/2007, -2/+96With Phil Hartman's death, we no longer had the always funny Lionel Hutz. *cries*
- ericdano, on 10/11/2007, -21/+102Hmm, when did Digg start sucking? That is really the question.
- jetjaguar, on 10/11/2007, -0/+61Not to mention Troy McClure. "Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!"
- c0baltfish, on 10/11/2007, -1/+58You also have to take into account that the Simpsons have over 400 episodes in 18 seasons, at some point a great idea for the show either already has been done or is going to be a ripoff from another show. That's why most sitcoms and animated series don't last longer than a few years, putting it into that perspective Simpsons is still quite amazing.
- theshizzler, on 10/11/2007, -12/+63shortly after Mr. Burns was shot.
- gthyb, on 10/11/2007, -2/+52When Phil Hartman died.
- chlsmith, on 10/11/2007, -10/+53I think people's enjoyment of The Simpsons is related to their age. Fans in the beginning swear it was better then, fans in the late 90's like it better then, etc. I still think it's pretty good, but not like in the early '90s.
Just like Metallica...
"Metallica was good until 'And Justice for All'" - old fart
"Metallica was good until the black one" - kind of old fart
"Metallica was good until the two-cd set!" - younger than me fart
"Metallica RULZ!" - dumbass kid - dWhisper, on 10/11/2007, -8/+46I can pinpoint it. It was the episode where he ate the peppers at the Chili cook-off and had the long hallucination. It's been a sad downhill slide since then, with only a few, and increasingly far between, bright spots since.
- caddyalan, on 10/11/2007, -2/+39In the past, Jump the Shark has pointed to TV shows which "got lazy" when the writers focused on spinoff movies. I'm not sure if that is true for Simpsons, though. My interest just sort of faded around 2000.
- aquablackmage, on 10/11/2007, -3/+40I say the series started to suck right when Maude Flanders died. You can tell by then they had run out of ideas.
'Nuff said. - mcm297, on 10/11/2007, -1/+38Turning point -> "I'm the real Principal Skinner." That was when they ran out of clip shows.
- KeepSwinging, on 10/11/2007, -1/+36Are you kidding me? That's an amazing episode and there were still a few good seasons after that. The show went downhill when it became less about the stupid people of Springfield and more about political jokes which aren't even funny. Leave the politics to colbert, stick to homer eating radioactive waste.
- Botanicus, on 10/11/2007, -1/+34I agree, shortly after Mr Burns got shot, and Futurama got canned. I still enjoy some eps but the good ones arent as plentiful. Even the Treehouse of Horrors have gotten worse in the last 3 years.
- SolipsismX, on 10/11/2007, -2/+35It was the 8th season. That's when the jokes started becoming a little cheesier, topical, fewer and far between, and trendy guests showed up. If you look up the episode list, there are few fewer "classic episodes" in this season than any before it. After that, the trend continues.
- ProvidenceCrow, on 10/11/2007, -2/+35after the third? i guess you forgot of the awesomeness of seasons 4-7, especially season 7 which had some of the best episodes of all like Bart sells is Soul and the 128th episode spectacular
- civperc, on 10/11/2007, -15/+48imo, it has never "sucked", even if it may have dropped in quality.
- NecroSexy, on 10/11/2007, -8/+40We miss you Conan.
- knightboat, on 10/11/2007, -0/+28Also, the celebrity cameos at the beginning were often used as reoccurring characters within the show's world. These days, Danny Devito would make a snarky joke about himself while playing himself on the show instead of portraying Homer's lost half-brother. Kelsey Grammer wouldn't be classic villain Sideshow Bob; he'd be Kelsey Grammer in a wacky situation.
- phike, on 10/11/2007, -5/+31wrong. I watched an old episode of the Simpsons yesterday and it was awesome. The show has clearly jumped the shark.
- greenriver572, on 10/11/2007, -8/+33i really haven't laughed at an episode of the simpsons since homer got the medical marijuana.
- Toast1185, on 10/11/2007, -0/+25already=alright
Typos bring dishonor upon my house - cgomez, on 10/11/2007, -0/+24I think some of you are giving them too much credit. The show, if you could pinpoint an area, was about the middle of season nine. This was when the show stopped focusing on character development and a unique stories. After that point, it become completely focused on guest stars and making Homer as stupid as possible, and not the funny stupid, just plain stupid.
- smurf22, on 10/11/2007, -6/+30I loved the old seasons, but now even king of the hill is more inventive and funny.
- Lonewolfsanscub, on 10/11/2007, -0/+23Johnny Cash is the voice of the coyote in that episode.
- Toast1185, on 10/11/2007, -3/+24Meh, I still think the show is already. I tivo it on Sundays. It's not great, it's probably not one of my favorite shows anymore, but I'm not angry that it exists in the way I was when That's 80's Show was created.
- velocity303, on 10/11/2007, -1/+21The tomaco episode was the last one I REALLY enjoyed. I dont even watch anymore
- ProvidenceCrow, on 10/11/2007, -0/+20Speaking of celebrities as recurring characters, here is something I have always felt, although it probably isn't the actual reason (i.e. correlation != causation) but i always felt the show started going down hill after Phil Hartman died, which also coincidentally enough was right around the time futurama started being made.
- chlsmith, on 10/11/2007, -2/+22I don't know if the word "even" is necessary there. King has been consistently funny during its entire run. And it must be inventive to take a "normal" Texas family and turn it into something worth watching.
- sizbo, on 10/11/2007, -2/+22Yeah. Old Simpsons age like wine. You are dumb.
- knightboat, on 10/11/2007, -3/+22I watch old Simpsons episodes every night. They're still hilarious. I watch newer Simpsons episodes once a month. They're often godawful.
- Elranzer, on 10/11/2007, -9/+27I can pinpoint it even earlier than that. The two-parter, Who Killed Mr Burns. The second half was 10x less funny than the first half, and it was the beginning of Season 7 (the first half ended Season 6 on a cliffhanger). The rest of the season was less funny than 4-6, but finnier than seasons 1&2, and it was just ***** from Season 8 and beyond.
Why the sudden suckage? New seasons is when writers change. The departure of Conan O'Brian was likely the biggest factor towards Simpsons Suckage. - lrf2005, on 10/11/2007, -1/+18Conan only wrote 4 episodes and was a "producer" on 8, which meant he added a gag or two. He was there for two years (seasons 3 and 4). Yet you say 4-6 was the best?
Although, I will agree with you on that point. Season 4-8 are the best IMO. - Protoss, on 10/11/2007, -0/+17Even more coincidental, Matt Groening wrote Zapp Brannigan specifically for Phil Hartman...
- ornerycat, on 10/11/2007, -0/+17The Stonecutters.
Best...Episode...Ever... - KicktheDonkey, on 10/11/2007, -4/+21I got to say, I still enjoy The Simpsons...
- mlazarov, on 10/11/2007, -2/+19I think it happened around season 11. The characters started to become one-dimensional caricatures of themselves; all the depth that developed between the 2nd and 8th seasons appeared to be discarded in favor of a more easily consumed product.
- dWhisper, on 10/11/2007, -0/+17I remember when the first big cameos came about. There was Michael Jackson playing a fat white guy, a dozen baseball stars, and so many other nuggets of perfection.
I remember seeing U2 on that tale of two springfields mess, knowing that the guest star had now become a MadTV worthy joke on the show... - mrmdc, on 10/11/2007, -1/+17138th, not 128th. get your simpsons trivia right!!
- bhavinp, on 10/11/2007, -4/+19You're so right man, during the last couple seasons, all the writers do is show him getting hurt like it was a Disney cartoon or something. So not funny, i like it when it was clever comedy.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+15You're probably the kind of person that thinks the random jokes in family guy are better than the story.
- christopheles, on 10/11/2007, -0/+13I've pinpointed it before. It's in season nine. There's no clear point since I think there was a writer shakeup and the episodes weren't aired in the order they were written.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simpsons_episodes#Season_9
Some very good ones on there and some very bad ones. I agree that it's when the episodes lost their sentimentality. I think a man named Ian Maxtone-Graham is largely responsible. - ProvidenceCrow, on 10/11/2007, -1/+14i didnt even catch that, it was a typo, the 2 is next to the 3! my smipsons knowledge is way too good to let that slide, so i propose we digg someone else down into oblivion for my mishap
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+13"Great read on the destruction of this once-beloved show."
I don't know you but I still love the Simpsons for what they were. - rjbeeswax, on 10/11/2007, -2/+14please stop using the phrase, 'Nuff said.
everyone. - AdamFromMyspace, on 10/11/2007, -1/+13Think of one? Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Still one of my favorite movies.
- KidVicious, on 10/11/2007, -1/+13That seems inaccurate, since according to the graph the show is apparently still good, when we know it really isn't.
- deeboe, on 10/11/2007, -1/+13What the hell does the economy have to do with it?
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