The Simpsons telly show jumped the shark years ago.
Both Mel and I were devotees of the show for ages. In fact, I used to record every episode on VHS and store them for future viewing. That got unwieldy and I stopped after eight or nine seasons, but it’s a testament to my love for the show. It’s also a testament to the drop in quality that I never started collecting the DVDs when they came out. And that I taped over or tossed my collection long ago.
The show started its downhill slide by Season eight, and now it’s just dismal. We held out as long as we could, but this season (what is it, 17? 18?) we finally called it quits. We removed the season pass from our Tivo. Ashes to ashes.
It was sad. I would have liked to see it through ’til the end, but it’s just such a waste of time now. It might offer one good laugh in a half-hour episode. Which is probably why it took us so long to see the Simpsons Movie. I can’t say I’m sad we waited.
The film was just okay. It could have been so much better. Had they made it around season four or five, when the show was at its peak, it probably would have been one of the funniest animated films of all time. As it stands, it did improve on the current state of the TV series in that it had a single coherent plot rather than a mishmash of ideas. But it still pales in comparison to the best seasons. It was just a blip for this fading franchise.
Worst thing is, the producers are in denial about the show’s prospects. Last time I read an interview from Matt Groening, he said something to the effect of, “We have tons of great stories for the Simpsons, so there’s no reason to call it quits anytime soon.” Bullshit! The sooner you put it to rest, the better. It’s just sad now.
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