Better than Peter Griffin, who went from a "Mildly Misogynistic idiot who loves his family" to a "Literally mentally-stunted sociopath who legitimately hates his family 70% of the time"
I can say the same thing about Randy in South Park. Yes he did and said some wacky things in the earlier seasons but he still cared about his family at the end of the day. Ever since he went to the weed business he's been an uncaring, selfish ass that doesn't give two craps about his wife and kids. It's not funny to see Sharon, Shelley, and Stan exasperated every episode. South Park is starting to become like The Simpsons. They need to get back to what made the show great in the first place and stop focusing on the same tired jokes.
I could cry when looking at my like dislike ratio. I have so many jealous people that my videos always get way more dislikes than likes. Please don't be jealous, dear kkt
What is wise though? The Simpsons has continued for so long because it makes its owners good money. It has been pretty wise from their perspective. Seinfeld didn’t want the money that much and so the show ended on a high note quality-wise.
@@Lerppunen That's a fair point. However, Seinfeld has uneniably kept on reaping some fruits from his show to this day without staining his legacy. You can still find the Seinfeld show on TV and streaming platforms, and that means it is still accruing some profit to the creators. It's a trade off, I guess, based on what you value more.
One thing I think deserves discussing is that Homer's general interest in his fellow man lead to some of the show's best stories. His concern for Apu lead him to reassess his views on immigration. His getting to know Rodney Burns lead him to help them become closer (even if he failed). Homer truly worked his best when he was using his significant spotlight to help the supporting cast have an episode to shine. The show didn't decline because Homer grew heartless, it declined because they lost interest in Springfield as a whole. Lazy writing saw them go on more and more trips and focus less on the perfectly balanced ensemble they assembled. The reason the best celebrity guest appearances are the ones you don't even catch immediately is because you tuned in to watch Springfield and the further they went from that, the lazier the writing became.
@@balloonfiesta15 I take Tarantino word on this, he from the beginning makes the movies he wants to make. I don't see him losing his cloud, I think he never have it, he is not responsible for the hype... Every time I watch a Tarantino movie I expect a B movie love letter and I get one... He is a B movie director, he is just the best at it.
When that Apu episode came out it was just like in Springfield that there was only a few immigrants in the west just like how Apu and his family are the only indians in Springfield but now atlest in Europe its completely filled with immigrants from africa and the middle east and there cultures is taking over the native European cultures and the immigrants are soon going to become the majority and the europeans are going to be the minority. So when that Apu episode came out things were very different compared to how things are like right now.
@@CyberLance26 America is different from Europe. America might seem similar, but the problem is the reverse. Europeans took over the native cultures and the "pilgrims", or white people, became the majority. The episode was important because some white Americans forget that they were not native to this country either, but they think they are. As a result, their attitudes towards immigration is haughty or lacks insight.
Their attitude towards celebrity changed to. The one where Bart becomes famous for his I didn't do it, then one day like a puff of smoke it's gone, or when Millhouse gets a role in the radioactive man and the fame ruins his life. Krusty is a celeb but the show is pretty cynical about his character, he seems pretty depressed actually. It became a show though that went from mocking celebrity to lauding it as the greatest thing a person could aspire to....
Homer helping the stonecutters for example...he really tried to make a difference or when he was a garbage man or the ep he helps lisa discover the truth about the town founder....the joke was not him...he was not selfish...
Homer went from a concerned (and slightly abusive) father trying to provide for his family despite having bad luck, to an idiot who does random stupid things for laughs. He also became incredibly selfish, as The Simpson's Movie points out, almost always endangering the people of Springfield in the process.
And, and I'm just going to say this right now. Frank Grimes was right about Homer in "Homer's Enemy." I know Frank was meant for laughs as the only sane character thrown into an environment where everyone else just accepted Homer's antics, but I felt really sorry for Frank.
@@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC Homer’s Enemy is still one of the best episodes of the series that honestly mocks how the show would turn out to be. This show was ahead of its time by predicting its drop in quality.
@@zakbrandsinc I argue that message wasn't what the writers intended it to be when they created that episode on that point of time. It became that message out of unintended implication...
The funny thing is that Peter Griffin ripped off Homer and then Homer ripped off Peter. And yeah, it didn't work. There is a reason almost every memorable Simpson episode is from the first 8 seasons. I think they just got lazy and writing Jerk@ss Homer is easier then classic Homer. But to be honest have Family guy the same problem even if it is with Stevie instead of Peter, he isn't funny anymore either. Maybe they should have cancelled both shows a long time ago, now there is like 1 or 2 acceptable episodes each season but that is it. South Park is doing a better job, I don't think it was as good as Simpsons or Family guy when they were at their top but their quality haven't dropped the same way.
@@loke6664 Loke is right; early seasons Peter was a well meaning idiot who bungled up because of his stupidity. He just got more cruel and abusive as seasons went by.
And I never did find family guy entertaining. The formulaic spamming of jokes, hoping one will eventually land, then padding the runtime with awkward pauses, gets old, fast. The cynicism and edginess never really appealed, either, because there's never a payoff.
Bart turned out the same way. He was a troublemaker but had a good heart (that's why there's Jimbo & Nelson, who provide a nice contrast). But then he became just plain cruel.
Plus very few shows are continually amazing after 8 years, you just run out of things to say, ideas to explore. Most shows run out of ideas and decline around season 2 so at least the simpsons didn't. South Park managed to keep going for longer without dipping because it does so much commentary on pop culture and events so there's always going to be matieral, they can make a show in 5 days which keeps it fresh. Breaking bad managed to stay strong throughout, though that was serialised and had a long term story in mind when they sat down and write it. Most shows though decline in quality, Stranger Things should have ended after season 1 Heroes should have ended after season 1 Game of Thrones got really bad after season 6 The Simpsons should have ended in season 7 Seinfeld should have ended around season 7 but it went on for 2 more True Detective hasn't been able to top season 1 That 13 reasons why sounds like it's getting terrible reviews now
I feel like the descent Homer took is exactly the same one Peter Griffin took in Family Guy. Both were dumb, but rather kind hearted oafs who loved their families, but turned into abusive, manipulative jerks who would do anything for a laugh.
The difference is peter the character seemed aware of the audience and tried to influence them often directly, where as homer just seems to be a jerk for jerks sake and lacks the self awareness.
I've often said that the problem isn't just with Homer, but the show as a whole. The Simpsons, as discussed, started off as an edgier take on the sitcoms of the 80's. In essence, it was counter-culture. But as time passed, those shows faded away and The Simpsons became culture. The show lost what made it stand out from the rest and from there didn't really know what to do with itself.
@Adam Thuman yes even as a 13 year old who grew up with the Simpsons I remember a very strong conviction that season 13 was a huge slide downward. Right when futurama came out
This is pretty close to what my wife and I were talking about recently as we binged early Simpsons - it feels like the later seasons can for sure be funny at times, but they traded in genuine care/compassion/well written emotional beats for a more laughs per minute approach. Simpsons shouldn't have to turn to laughs per minute like some joke machine, it was funny WHILE being emotive and deep, a dramedy - now it's almost all pure comedy and that's just off. Wash/rinse/repeat for late stage Futurama too but to a lesser degree
There's another wonderful analysis around that acknowledges early simpsons gags were organic to the chapter episode, they were consequences of things that happened or the reason for the plot itself to happen. Think of the famous meme of Homer sliding through the bushes, which was a consequence of Flanders avoiding Homer, it was a gag that while absurd and funny in itself, had a reasoning because of the full context and plot of the full episode, that's what made it memeable in the first place. Another perfect example is Homer looking for the bill under the couch but finding peanuts, and have this internal monologue of why money is better than peanuts, the joke, again itself is very funny, but then Homer loses the bill, Bart finds it, goes into having a sugar rush and joins the boy scouts, all the jokes worked to escalate the whole situation. In newer episodes for instance Burns makes a bring your kid to work picnic but then uses the picnic to kidnap children to work at the factory, without even considering if this is funny or not, it was a throw away gag, the next gag was completely unrelated to it and it had zero consequences to the story, whereas in earlier episodes this could have been the detonator of the full episode or a gag that moved the plot to the next point. All the following gags are also isolated and completely disconnected from each other.
Have you seen family guy recently, its like a fever dream written by a fifteen year old? At least the simpsons haven't turned into that weird nightmare...
Not really Bob's burgers is a completely different style of humor and has a completely different vibe. I would compare it more to Peanuts. Charlie Brown keeps failing but he never gives up like How Bob keeps trying to run the restaurant even though they don't make that much money. In Bob's burgers the family is nice to each other and they get along for the most part. Its less set up punch line the humor comes more from how they react to the situation. Also the plots start out normal and realistic then they esclate out of control.
To put things into perspective, I started Bojack Horseman near the end of last year and it became one of my all time favourites. I used to watch The Simpsons religiously as a kid and now it doesn’t even cross my mind, this is the first time I’ve even thought about it in years.
I once heard someone say that no tv show should go beyond 8 Seasons since it's hit its peak by that point. Think of it this way, how many shows that lasted at least 9 Seasons had its best Season not be in the first 8? Sure, there are a few exceptions, but I feel The Simpsons is 1 of those shows that has long passed its peak.
What made classic Simpsons a classic is that they understood that you could laugh and care. I think by trying emulate FG and others they forgot where their souls were.
I think the ideal Homer episode is the one where Lisa gets lost on the way to the Egyptian exhibit. The gags are hilarious (that cherrypicker scene) and its genuinely heartfelt at the end. Not to mention the b-story where Bart glues that stuff on his face.
Despite being culturally American, the classic Simpsons was relatable to folks worldwide (at least in the developed world). Recent series of the programme seem to have become caught up in its own celebrity. It's odd because although the classic Simpsons had unusual plots every so often, the show seemed mostly grounded in relatable things. Also, The Simpsons seemed poorer in the older series and thus easier to sympathise with in their everyday struggles to get work or live paycheque to paycheque.
Super Eyepatch Wolf actually put out a comprehensive video on this a few years ago, in detail as to how the writing staff handled humor and prioritized characterization for The Simpsons. Short version, James L. Brooks would throw away any script where a joke came and the expensive of family cohesion. Then he died so...
Sam Simon only died five years ago. That's a good 17 years of the Simpsons been garbage before he unfortunately passed away. It was Ian maxtone Graham who ruined the show.
Weird to talk about the issue of the show turning characters into increasingly exaggerated versions of themselves without mentioning that the name for that trope is based on a character from this same show. Flanderization.
@@POP-nm1ix Homer may fit the term better now, but he wasn't nearly as obvious an example when the term was coined. Ned's descent was far quicker and more immediately apparent, and emphasized because of one the few status quo changes that happened on the show (no reset button!) (and wasn't obviously the result of real life writing the script) was Maude's death.
If you want another analysis of the Simpsons, take a look at SuperEyepatchWolf's video "The Fall of the Simpsons", another well researched, well produced video essay.
Hear, hear! Was going to mention that if no one else had. th-cam.com/video/KqFNbCcyFkk/w-d-xo.html It's more focused on the reasons why Simpsons dropped off in quality. The most telling being the original writers leaving, and also that the show began its life rebelling against the culture of the shows that came before it, but then became so successful that it became TV culture, and how do you rebel against yourself?
I don’t know why but I always feel a sadness when thinking about what had become of the Simpsons. When I think of the classic episodes im both joyous for what it was and saddened that they took this wonderful characters that were so close to my heart and tore them up. I just have so much love for those early seasons when I think of them. I’ll never lose that love
Episodes like roasting on an open fire the way we was I married marge seperate vocations lisa's first word i love lisa selma's choice homer's barbershop quartet and maggie makes three round springfield mother simpson are so earnest in tone people forget how good simpsons writing used to be...like those eps are incredible...I would say streetcar named marge but the way homer is rubs me the wrong way in that one..lisa's sax has the right beats but it's very tonely distant from the classics with bad moments but it's story structure is correct
A show that I found that balances cynicism and genuine care with its characters and situations is, oddly enough, Duckman, a show that I feel like gets left out when talking about adult oriented animation. Each time Duckman feels jaded at the world and hes down on his luck, he reflects alot on what makes him feel that way and what the outcomes of whatever is going on in the episode. Its balance between wackiness, cynicism and heart is golden and it was airing around the same time as the golden era of The Simpsons, they even take jabs at the show, Homer even makes a cameo appearance in an episode! Check out Duckman if you havent.
Ah, Duckman. Truly a forgotten treasure. It's sad whenever the subject of "adult", "edgy", or "modern" animation comes up, it's never part of the discussion at _all._ (And it lasted four seasons, hardly blink-and-you'll-miss-it!) To this day I still think it's the only cartoon that made the colossal jerk leading man formula work, and there two big reasons for this: 1. Everyone knew that Duckman was a jerk and weren't afraid to say it to his face, and 2. He got _no_ immunity whatsoever. Having to face the consequence of his actions and actually work to get what he wanted made him a lot more sympathetic, and, in the end, a much better and more interesting character. Bought the DVD set. Watched it front-to-back. Will do again someday.
We need a philosophy of AL BUNDY! Or “Married with children” People forget that was Fox’s first TV next to the Simpsons and it was the creator of the most dysfunctional families!!
I mentioned this in my comment but correct! Fox keeps dysfunctional families over good natured or broken people trying to better themselves. Think of all the shows they canceled after 1 season that shouldve had more seasons. I doubt it was over ratings but more aligned with corporate control of what their viewers watched.
@@alleriapython As far as I remember Fox has kind of Trump's talent in acquiring promissing properties... his in Real Estate, them in "Intellecutal property" territory... they both find good picks but pay WAY too much for them and thus if they are not extraordinarily successful it's a net loss for them, despite the initial optimism. You also could call them a tad too ambitious for their usual market share...
Oh my God, I though I was the only one who thought that. I'm so happy to have found this video and to know that the fans even had a term for "Jerkass Homer"
This is probably why I took to Bob's Burgers so rapidly: it's wacky but also highly relatable, and you genuinely care about the characters. It's turned into a good substitute while I mourn for the Simpsons.
What I will never understand about this tragedy that affected The Simpson is how Matt Groening can tolerate it. He based the main characters around his own life, he gave life to this yellow aliens and put an episode in every heart that has love the series and, yet, he doesn't care about Homer, Bart, Lisa or Marge. He let them die in life without never making a comment. As an artist, I have nightmares thinking about how people can damage your creations. He does have a commitment to this character and he should do something about it. But god, to watch the very thing you create with so much passion to walk around like a dumb zombie. I guess that is punishment enough.
While Homer has seen a steep decline character wise, the same can be said about the rest of his family to a greater extent at times. Marge has gone from a kind, caring, no-nonsense mother and wife too a nosey, enabling, stereotypical nagging housewife. Lisa has gone from an intelligent wallflower too a a self-centered know it all that pushes her beliefs on to her family and peers to annoying and sometimes vindictive degrees. And Bart has gone from a mischievous but still kind hearted child to a borderline sociopath.
I can totally see how you gjve Family Guy as an example for cynical, heartless comedy. But South Park went the opposite direction The Simpsons took: It developed more and more heart and empathy for its protagonists. Today it is one of the best examples of a funny comedy cartoon show and scores huge political, societal and also emotional points.
I think Rick and Morty as well as South Park play wonderfully with this whole concept of emotional engagement and disengagement in different ways. You're not always detached from those characters, but neither are you always engaged in their personal troubles.
This is also why King of the Hill kicked ass for all 13 seasons. The characters may have grown more exaggerated as the series went on but the writers never lost the core of any of them, especially not the relationship between Hank and Bobby.
I think it says a lot about Simpson's quality when their guest animators for their couch gags pack more creativity and narrative nuance in less than 90 seconds than anything the main series has produced in the last decade. The Rick and Morty couch gag, while being a fantastic crossover in its own way, highlighted how outdated their show's formula had become.
0:26 is actually an outtake on Dan's part. He genuinely misspelt it and went "I mean-" mid take. They kept it as due to that mistake being so in character. It's beautiful and I love that moment
This could have been called, "Why I stopped watching The Simpsons." I can't stand characters, cartoons or real life, who act like current Homer or Peter Griffin. Also, the stereotypes of "dumb, insensitive male characters" is too much to enjoy.
There isn’t a better adult animation than Bojack Horseman and it’s because the characters feel real even in an absurd world. The core issues they face are ones everyone faces, and the fact that they are faced in such absurd situations and ways makes it more safe and accessible for the audience. Early simpsons laid the groundwork, it’s a shame they pivoted away from it.
I think this same issue is in danger of happen to rick sanchez in Rick and Morty. In season 1 of Rick and Morty, Rick could fail, and be killed, he was concerned with overcoming even moderate challenges, and would show his own remorse in caring for Morty. As the seasons go on, it feels that Rick too is becoming more diskish without consequence, and absurd invincibility without consequence.
You missed some hilarious parallels to Married With Children. Vintage Simpsons is untouchable, no show previously nor since have been able to come close to it’s cultural relativism.
Why would anyone want ads that aren't targetted? My biggest annoyance about online ads is when they have nothing to do with any of my interests... Also, early Simpsons did not centre around Homer. Original Simpsons centred around Bart.
This is a very concise and well articulated explanation of why I stopped watching that show ages ago. FOX is really good at two things when it comes to their best shows: canceling them before they get a chance to find their audience, and running them for years and years after they stop being good.
@3:11 Yeah, back then they must have thought that spousal abuse was way worse than child abuse, since most ass holes view child abuse as being a simple way of parenting. Hence why every time Homer choked his son, he does so under the narrative that describes the event as being comical, rather than explicitly describing this as a serious moral flaw that needs to be corrected.
Being an adult doesn't mean to be a careless asshole... Neither it means to be a violent rude idiot without a glimpse of love in the eyes.... That is not mature, it is emptiness as a hollow human
The Simpsons was an iconic original show that descended to Family Guy lite. Ironically, Family Guy started off as a Simpsons knock off and slowly became an original show. However, even Family Guy has become little tiresome, relying almost entirely on shock gags to keep viewers interested. I was a huge Simpsons fan for the first eight or nine seasons, but by 2001, I had lost all interest in the show because it became little more than a parody of itself and no longer held a mirror to American life that was relatable.
Welp, now i understand why i stopped watching the new simpsons finding it boring and only a shadow of its former self. This video hit exactly the right point for me.
This is what happens when the writers run out of ideas. Another tragedy is Archer, a brilliantly written show for the first five seasons, and complete trash after.
Can you imagine if The Simpsons ended with season 12, did 4-5 movies then rebooted itself in HD around 2018 like most other 90’s shows have done? It would still be the most loved series of all time.
I blame family guy, I also blame family guy for the newest episodes of futurama...when the writers forgot who their characters were for the most. Because somehow the easy jokes became more important than the characters.
You made a couple of really excellent points: Sitcom characters becoming over the top parodies of their earlier selves. Not sure if this is limited to sitcoms but it becomes a real issue as shows age; characters become less mature or more goofy. You see this in a lot of 80s/90s shows. Simpsons being a counter reaction to the fake 80s ideal families in popular sitcoms. Homer has the 'ideal' life with a home, a job, a wife, 2.5 children, two cars, two pets etc. But there is an undercurrent of cynicism which makes it hillarious coupled with the fact that it was cartoon at a time when cartoons were loony toons and toy-commercials. The problem is counter culture has become mainstream culture, sitcoms copied the formular, we got the King of the Hills and the South Parks and the Family Guys and Simpsons lost it's raison d'etre. And now you have people saying Simpsons is racist because it has an Indian shop owner and every millennial is basically Lisa. The show should have ended a long, long time ago tbh. Even by the late 90s it was loosing it's charm.
As a great horse once said, for most people life it's a just one big kick in the urethra, and sometimes you just wanna watch a show were no matter what happened, after 20 minutes everything is fine, The Simpsons used to be that show, now it's just a parody of itself
I get it, but it wont get old too quick since it's still riding the wave of how it used to be. Most people who love Homer from the old days will love him now and barely notice the differences if at all. probably.
There is a new wave of adult animation that is going away from the cruelty and familial hatred of shows like Family Guy and modern day Simpsons. It started with Bob's Burgers and then Loren Buchard's new show Central Park and J.G. Quintel's new show Close Enough. Shows where the familial love and bond are front and center to the show. Sure they will argue and maybe fight but in the end they do love their spouses and kids and better themselves for their families. It is a relief that we are getting families in adult animation that don't actively despise each other for 75% of the shows runtime.
I disagree with the example shown around 9:30. Homer did in fact redeem himself for blaming his family on him not pursuing his dreams: the show ends with him declining an offer from Mick Jagger to become a rock start because he just wanted to be with his family.
People always talk about the "golden years" of the Simpsons, and that it should have ended 10 or even 15 years ago. I enjoy the Simpsons just like I did 25 years ago. But here's my take. As mentioned in the video, the Simpsons influenced South Park and Family Guy, and those creators have openly said so too. The problem started when the Simpsons started competing against those shows. South Park and Family guy were different, and they did their own thing. I believe that the Simpsons tried to keep up with them, in the process changing its own formula. Dude, they're emulating you, not the other way around! Keep doing what you did best, that's why we loved you.
Homer's giant arms during his "photographic memory" 2:39 always crack me up. Of all the crazy things in his memory, he also remembers that his arms were massive.
Mmmmmmmmmmm. Wisecrack covering the simpsons *gurrrrrrrrrgle* I also would recommend " The Rise and Fall of the Simpsons" from youtuber Super Eyepatch Wolf
The show has always been about the whole family. though in the beginning the show primarily followed Bart because the audience that they found related to the show the lost was primarily young boys. As those young boys grew up and became adults they didn’t really care about bart anymore because they couldn’t relate to him. This is when the show switched to focusing more on Homers antics.
I found it humorous that you talked about the tendency of characters to become parodies of themselves, but overlooked the name for it - Flanderization. You know, named after Ned Flanders, who had it happen to him to a degree even more extreme than Homer.
Rick & Morty is trying the same trick in reverse: started from total sandbox-world (a literal sandbox-multiverse) and tries every season to give as much emotional heft as possible to the character. At least until last season where it became not only total sandbox easy laugh but also abruptly and tediously referential to classic showbiz.
I've been waiting for a Simpsons video from Wisecrack for a while, but this feels a lot like The Take's kind of format. If y'all had any academic or philosophical connections to this property I'd really want to see that!
This reminds me of season 8 episode "the day the violence died"... (The episode poochy is introduced in itchy and scratchy) That episode literally tells you what happened to the simpsons. Rewatch it, and note lisa's remarks to Roger (the creator of itchy and scratchy)
I don't think the simpsons can go back. I do get the feels I got from the simpsons with Bobs Burgers. I think its time to put the simpsons to rest and move on.
You'd think the voice actor would have enough a sense of the character to say "No, Homer wouldn't do that" to some of those bad pitches. My point is, this could have been prevented. They can't fire him (he voices half of Springfield)
Homer who cares and the Simpsons who are similar to us were just harder to write, they required more screenwriting talent than a simple animated sitcom, as they had to be funny in a non-cheesy way, relatable, and hit you right in the feels every once in a while. Seems like a simple cutting of costs.
it's not just classic homer, but much of the family as well. after season 6, most of the Simpsons season don't have as much re watch allure as some of the characters lose what made them lovable emotionally to just comedic devices.
He went from a dumb guy who loves his family to a mean guy who loves only himself.
He went from a dumb guy who loves his family to Trump who loves only himself.
Just like Peter Griffin, but not nearly as much of a sociopath.
Better than Peter Griffin, who went from a "Mildly Misogynistic idiot who loves his family" to a "Literally mentally-stunted sociopath who legitimately hates his family 70% of the time"
I can say the same thing about Randy in South Park. Yes he did and said some wacky things in the earlier seasons but he still cared about his family at the end of the day. Ever since he went to the weed business he's been an uncaring, selfish ass that doesn't give two craps about his wife and kids. It's not funny to see Sharon, Shelley, and Stan exasperated every episode. South Park is starting to become like The Simpsons. They need to get back to what made the show great in the first place and stop focusing on the same tired jokes.
@@RoseluvsHHR too much randy is literally the reason my wife and I stopped watching South Park after like 15 years
"Do it for her" is still my favorite moment
I've probably seen this episode a dozen times and I still get choked up every time.
Such a creative and emotive ending...modern Simpsons is a shadow of its former self.
“Do her” is even better
That was a terrible episode. Homer had to give up his dream because he couldn't figure out how birth control works.
@@chinafuture6484 So, parenthood
They tried their best and they failed miserably. The lesson is never try
I could cry when looking at my like dislike ratio. I have so many jealous people that my videos always get way more dislikes than likes. Please don't be jealous, dear kkt
Or quit while your ahe
If you don’t play, you can’t lose;)
Perfect summary. Thank you, KKTT.
'at least you never tried'
The Simpsons taught me the wisdom Seinfeld had in giving up his show when he did.
Or even Larry leaving when he did...
th-cam.com/video/iKhQYYSqhgc/w-d-xo.html
Wisecrack does a shit job of explaining this.
Tl;dr the new writer had never watched the show.
A very wise comment
What is wise though? The Simpsons has continued for so long because it makes its owners good money. It has been pretty wise from their perspective. Seinfeld didn’t want the money that much and so the show ended on a high note quality-wise.
@@Lerppunen That's a fair point. However, Seinfeld has uneniably kept on reaping some fruits from his show to this day without staining his legacy. You can still find the Seinfeld show on TV and streaming platforms, and that means it is still accruing some profit to the creators. It's a trade off, I guess, based on what you value more.
One thing I think deserves discussing is that Homer's general interest in his fellow man lead to some of the show's best stories. His concern for Apu lead him to reassess his views on immigration. His getting to know Rodney Burns lead him to help them become closer (even if he failed).
Homer truly worked his best when he was using his significant spotlight to help the supporting cast have an episode to shine. The show didn't decline because Homer grew heartless, it declined because they lost interest in Springfield as a whole. Lazy writing saw them go on more and more trips and focus less on the perfectly balanced ensemble they assembled. The reason the best celebrity guest appearances are the ones you don't even catch immediately is because you tuned in to watch Springfield and the further they went from that, the lazier the writing became.
@@balloonfiesta15 I take Tarantino word on this, he from the beginning makes the movies he wants to make. I don't see him losing his cloud, I think he never have it, he is not responsible for the hype... Every time I watch a Tarantino movie I expect a B movie love letter and I get one... He is a B movie director, he is just the best at it.
When that Apu episode came out it was just like in Springfield that there was only a few immigrants in the west just like how Apu and his family are the only indians in Springfield but now atlest in Europe its completely filled with immigrants from africa and the middle east and there cultures is taking over the native European cultures and the immigrants are soon going to become the majority and the europeans are going to be the minority.
So when that Apu episode came out things were very different compared to how things are like right now.
@@CyberLance26 America is different from Europe. America might seem similar, but the problem is the reverse. Europeans took over the native cultures and the "pilgrims", or white people, became the majority. The episode was important because some white Americans forget that they were not native to this country either, but they think they are. As a result, their attitudes towards immigration is haughty or lacks insight.
Their attitude towards celebrity changed to. The one where Bart becomes famous for his I didn't do it, then one day like a puff of smoke it's gone, or when Millhouse gets a role in the radioactive man and the fame ruins his life. Krusty is a celeb but the show is pretty cynical about his character, he seems pretty depressed actually. It became a show though that went from mocking celebrity to lauding it as the greatest thing a person could aspire to....
Homer helping the stonecutters for example...he really tried to make a difference or when he was a garbage man or the ep he helps lisa discover the truth about the town founder....the joke was not him...he was not selfish...
Homer went from a concerned (and slightly abusive) father trying to provide for his family despite having bad luck, to an idiot who does random stupid things for laughs. He also became incredibly selfish, as The Simpson's Movie points out, almost always endangering the people of Springfield in the process.
And, and I'm just going to say this right now. Frank Grimes was right about Homer in "Homer's Enemy." I know Frank was meant for laughs as the only sane character thrown into an environment where everyone else just accepted Homer's antics, but I felt really sorry for Frank.
@@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC Homer’s Enemy is still one of the best episodes of the series that honestly mocks how the show would turn out to be. This show was ahead of its time by predicting its drop in quality.
@@zakbrandsinc I argue that message wasn't what the writers intended it to be when they created that episode on that point of time. It became that message out of unintended implication...
@@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC Bruh his death was tragic
@@ranimeRAT His dearh was bought on by his own foolishness.
TL;DR: Homer Simpson became Peter Griffin and he now sucks.
Peter Griffin is still a million times worse!
The funny thing is that Peter Griffin ripped off Homer and then Homer ripped off Peter. And yeah, it didn't work. There is a reason almost every memorable Simpson episode is from the first 8 seasons.
I think they just got lazy and writing Jerk@ss Homer is easier then classic Homer. But to be honest have Family guy the same problem even if it is with Stevie instead of Peter, he isn't funny anymore either.
Maybe they should have cancelled both shows a long time ago, now there is like 1 or 2 acceptable episodes each season but that is it.
South Park is doing a better job, I don't think it was as good as Simpsons or Family guy when they were at their top but their quality haven't dropped the same way.
@@loke6664 Loke is right; early seasons Peter was a well meaning idiot who bungled up because of his stupidity. He just got more cruel and abusive as seasons went by.
Nailed it. Homer should not be Peter IMHO.
And I never did find family guy entertaining. The formulaic spamming of jokes, hoping one will eventually land, then padding the runtime with awkward pauses, gets old, fast. The cynicism and edginess never really appealed, either, because there's never a payoff.
Bart turned out the same way. He was a troublemaker but had a good heart (that's why there's Jimbo & Nelson, who provide a nice contrast). But then he became just plain cruel.
And he became a loser lol
What went wrong? Best writer's left the show between season's 6-8.
Plus very few shows are continually amazing after 8 years, you just run out of things to say, ideas to explore. Most shows run out of ideas and decline around season 2 so at least the simpsons didn't.
South Park managed to keep going for longer without dipping because it does so much commentary on pop culture and events so there's always going to be matieral, they can make a show in 5 days which keeps it fresh. Breaking bad managed to stay strong throughout, though that was serialised and had a long term story in mind when they sat down and write it. Most shows though decline in quality,
Stranger Things should have ended after season 1
Heroes should have ended after season 1
Game of Thrones got really bad after season 6
The Simpsons should have ended in season 7
Seinfeld should have ended around season 7 but it went on for 2 more
True Detective hasn't been able to top season 1
That 13 reasons why sounds like it's getting terrible reviews now
I feel like the descent Homer took is exactly the same one Peter Griffin took in Family Guy. Both were dumb, but rather kind hearted oafs who loved their families, but turned into abusive, manipulative jerks who would do anything for a laugh.
The difference is peter the character seemed aware of the audience and tried to influence them often directly, where as homer just seems to be a jerk for jerks sake and lacks the self awareness.
Have you watched the new seasons Homer is probably sweeter then ever
I've often said that the problem isn't just with Homer, but the show as a whole. The Simpsons, as discussed, started off as an edgier take on the sitcoms of the 80's. In essence, it was counter-culture. But as time passed, those shows faded away and The Simpsons became culture. The show lost what made it stand out from the rest and from there didn't really know what to do with itself.
Once they started hiring writers that believed Homer getting raped by a Panda was funny, the show went downhill.
It's simple, The simpsons turned into family guy
@@kingreichenberger659 if that were true, the Simpsons would've at least been funny.
I thought that was pretty funny, until I looked back with gift of hindsight and thought "yeah it was all downhill from there"
That was the moment I stopped watching. Just like I stopped watching Family Guy the moment Peter violently murdered a cat.
are those the same writers wrote the episode when Hank Hill was raped by a dolphin?
Simpson’s seasons 1-8 tv gold
@aydooknow Only watched seasons 1-10 and bits and pieces of every season after. First ten seasons are definitely gold.
@Adam Thuman yes even as a 13 year old who grew up with the Simpsons I remember a very strong conviction that season 13 was a huge slide downward. Right when futurama came out
@Adam Thuman how the fuck can you enjoy 10-12? literally the worst seasons imo, not that anything past 8 is good
@@feelingevaporated2912 *cough*HOMR*cough*
season 1? it was absolutely god awful just coz it’s the oldest doesn’t make it good
This is pretty close to what my wife and I were talking about recently as we binged early Simpsons - it feels like the later seasons can for sure be funny at times, but they traded in genuine care/compassion/well written emotional beats for a more laughs per minute approach. Simpsons shouldn't have to turn to laughs per minute like some joke machine, it was funny WHILE being emotive and deep, a dramedy - now it's almost all pure comedy and that's just off. Wash/rinse/repeat for late stage Futurama too but to a lesser degree
It still comedy? cause new chapters don't make me laugh at all
*sobbing* What a crappy candle.
You’ve ruined our vacation!
Now they copy family guy
There's another wonderful analysis around that acknowledges early simpsons gags were organic to the chapter episode, they were consequences of things that happened or the reason for the plot itself to happen. Think of the famous meme of Homer sliding through the bushes, which was a consequence of Flanders avoiding Homer, it was a gag that while absurd and funny in itself, had a reasoning because of the full context and plot of the full episode, that's what made it memeable in the first place. Another perfect example is Homer looking for the bill under the couch but finding peanuts, and have this internal monologue of why money is better than peanuts, the joke, again itself is very funny, but then Homer loses the bill, Bart finds it, goes into having a sugar rush and joins the boy scouts, all the jokes worked to escalate the whole situation. In newer episodes for instance Burns makes a bring your kid to work picnic but then uses the picnic to kidnap children to work at the factory, without even considering if this is funny or not, it was a throw away gag, the next gag was completely unrelated to it and it had zero consequences to the story, whereas in earlier episodes this could have been the detonator of the full episode or a gag that moved the plot to the next point. All the following gags are also isolated and completely disconnected from each other.
No the show during the golden era had more gags what are you talking about
The recent seasons literally turn Homer Simpson into Peter Griffin
Maybe like the early Family Guy Peter, but Peter now is way more of a sociopath.
@@saininj So is Rick Sanchez the next level after that?
Ironic that the Simpsons/Family Guy crossover roasted Family Guy for copying the Simpsons, when really it was the Simpsons who turned into Family Guy
@@consoleking9670 Spot on!
Have you seen family guy recently, its like a fever dream written by a fifteen year old? At least the simpsons haven't turned into that weird nightmare...
Bob's Burgers is closer to Classic Simpsons than The Simpsons is.
Not really Bob's burgers is a completely different style of humor and has a completely different vibe. I would compare it more to Peanuts. Charlie Brown keeps failing but he never gives up like How Bob keeps trying to run the restaurant even though they don't make that much money. In Bob's burgers the family is nice to each other and they get along for the most part. Its less set up punch line the humor comes more from how they react to the situation. Also the plots start out normal and realistic then they esclate out of control.
I am so glad it's reached the UK now. I instantly loved it when I watched it on a trip to the states
Biggest difference is that Bob isn’t a dumbass like Homer. I’d argue he’s the most sane character on the show.
It’s odd thinking about how family guy was considered a simpsons rip off, meanwhile modern simpsons tries to rip off its humor
And so we have come full circle.
It's like an old man trying to be cool. There's nothing more pathetic.
As much as I love the Simpsons, I must admit that it really needs to end.
I agree it had its time
Cue Old Yeller music...
Stop watching it then, is still making money
Too late for it to end, just run it forever.
Should have ended 15 years ago
To put things into perspective, I started Bojack Horseman near the end of last year and it became one of my all time favourites. I used to watch The Simpsons religiously as a kid and now it doesn’t even cross my mind, this is the first time I’ve even thought about it in years.
Exactly. He went from a lovable oaf to selfish jerk.
They traded Homer's soul for quick gags and it shows.
When you haven't watched the past 18 seasons
The episode that ruined it for me was the one where he caused Maude's death.
I once heard someone say that no tv show should go beyond 8 Seasons since it's hit its peak by that point. Think of it this way, how many shows that lasted at least 9 Seasons had its best Season not be in the first 8? Sure, there are a few exceptions, but I feel The Simpsons is 1 of those shows that has long passed its peak.
Yeah, I think you're right, I have yet to find an exception...
@@bienemaja4007 South Park.
South Park's pandemic special is better than literally any other show's post season 8 material, because Matt Stone and Trey Parker are just that good.
I want to say Stargate SG1?
I'd also nominate original recipe Law & Order, but as a procedural with a rotating cast it might be the exception that proves the rule.
"Who knows what adventures they'll have between now and the time the show becomes unprofitable?"
Golden age simpsons is why I love Bob's burgers. It really does feel like the characters are Believable people.
What made classic Simpsons a classic is that they understood that you could laugh and care. I think by trying emulate FG and others they forgot where their souls were.
I think the ideal Homer episode is the one where Lisa gets lost on the way to the Egyptian exhibit. The gags are hilarious (that cherrypicker scene) and its genuinely heartfelt at the end. Not to mention the b-story where Bart glues that stuff on his face.
Which ep is that
Yeah. They tried the same with the P.I. Episode, but that felt stupider in every way.
@@MerlinHills9004 Season 9 episode 24
@@mattnar3865 Is not Season 9 considered the last good Season of the Simpson. Like after that, the show begun to going down.
@@bing4131 Yes most fans including myself consider it that.
Wholesome Homer forever! Jerkass Homer never!
Despite being culturally American, the classic Simpsons was relatable to folks worldwide (at least in the developed world). Recent series of the programme seem to have become caught up in its own celebrity. It's odd because although the classic Simpsons had unusual plots every so often, the show seemed mostly grounded in relatable things. Also, The Simpsons seemed poorer in the older series and thus easier to sympathise with in their everyday struggles to get work or live paycheque to paycheque.
Super Eyepatch Wolf actually put out a comprehensive video on this a few years ago, in detail as to how the writing staff handled humor and prioritized characterization for The Simpsons. Short version, James L. Brooks would throw away any script where a joke came and the expensive of family cohesion. Then he died so...
See I knew it was either him or Emp Lemon.
@@allencrown And now I am picturing James L Brooks tossing out scrips and saying "UNACCEPTABLE!!!", thanks for that.
James L. Brooks isn't dead.
@@shawniscoolerthanyou Ah, you are right, I went back and watched the video since it was Sam Simon.
Sam Simon only died five years ago. That's a good 17 years of the Simpsons been garbage before he unfortunately passed away. It was Ian maxtone Graham who ruined the show.
Weird to talk about the issue of the show turning characters into increasingly exaggerated versions of themselves without mentioning that the name for that trope is based on a character from this same show. Flanderization.
Weirdly enough, I always thought Homer fit that description better than Flanders but I guess Homerization doesn't seem catchy
@@POP-nm1ix It's more catchy imo but it might get confused by the other famous Homer
I was thinking this through the entire episode and only now remembered to see if someone else thought it.
@@POP-nm1ix Homer may fit the term better now, but he wasn't nearly as obvious an example when the term was coined. Ned's descent was far quicker and more immediately apparent, and emphasized because of one the few status quo changes that happened on the show (no reset button!) (and wasn't obviously the result of real life writing the script) was Maude's death.
💯 but I suppose after so many years, you run out of shit to be original about.
If you want another analysis of the Simpsons, take a look at SuperEyepatchWolf's video "The Fall of the Simpsons", another well researched, well produced video essay.
Hear, hear! Was going to mention that if no one else had.
th-cam.com/video/KqFNbCcyFkk/w-d-xo.html
It's more focused on the reasons why Simpsons dropped off in quality. The most telling being the original writers leaving, and also that the show began its life rebelling against the culture of the shows that came before it, but then became so successful that it became TV culture, and how do you rebel against yourself?
The dark Prince Jonch truely does create brilliant long form video essays
I don’t know why but I always feel a sadness when thinking about what had become of the Simpsons. When I think of the classic episodes im both joyous for what it was and saddened that they took this wonderful characters that were so close to my heart and tore them up. I just have so much love for those early seasons when I think of them. I’ll never lose that love
Episodes like roasting on an open fire the way we was I married marge seperate vocations lisa's first word i love lisa selma's choice homer's barbershop quartet and maggie makes three round springfield mother simpson are so earnest in tone people forget how good simpsons writing used to be...like those eps are incredible...I would say streetcar named marge but the way homer is rubs me the wrong way in that one..lisa's sax has the right beats but it's very tonely distant from the classics with bad moments but it's story structure is correct
A show that I found that balances cynicism and genuine care with its characters and situations is, oddly enough, Duckman, a show that I feel like gets left out when talking about adult oriented animation. Each time Duckman feels jaded at the world and hes down on his luck, he reflects alot on what makes him feel that way and what the outcomes of whatever is going on in the episode. Its balance between wackiness, cynicism and heart is golden and it was airing around the same time as the golden era of The Simpsons, they even take jabs at the show, Homer even makes a cameo appearance in an episode! Check out Duckman if you havent.
Ah, Duckman. Truly a forgotten treasure. It's sad whenever the subject of "adult", "edgy", or "modern" animation comes up, it's never part of the discussion at _all._ (And it lasted four seasons, hardly blink-and-you'll-miss-it!)
To this day I still think it's the only cartoon that made the colossal jerk leading man formula work, and there two big reasons for this: 1. Everyone knew that Duckman was a jerk and weren't afraid to say it to his face, and 2. He got _no_ immunity whatsoever. Having to face the consequence of his actions and actually work to get what he wanted made him a lot more sympathetic, and, in the end, a much better and more interesting character.
Bought the DVD set. Watched it front-to-back. Will do again someday.
We need a philosophy of AL BUNDY! Or “Married with children”
People forget that was Fox’s first TV next to the Simpsons and it was the creator of the most dysfunctional families!!
Doesn't Al Bundy have the same roots, along with Roseanne? Subvert the family sitcom with a dysfunctional but relatable everyman family.
I mentioned this in my comment but correct! Fox keeps dysfunctional families over good natured or broken people trying to better themselves. Think of all the shows they canceled after 1 season that shouldve had more seasons. I doubt it was over ratings but more aligned with corporate control of what their viewers watched.
@@alleriapython As far as I remember Fox has kind of Trump's talent in acquiring promissing properties... his in Real Estate, them in "Intellecutal property" territory... they both find good picks but pay WAY too much for them and thus if they are not extraordinarily successful it's a net loss for them, despite the initial optimism. You also could call them a tad too ambitious for their usual market share...
lol at Trump having any "talent"
@@Vivi_9 he is at getting away with things
Homer's the only guy I trust operating a nuclear power plant
Then you clearly haven't watched enough of the show!
sure, the accident rate at the power plant doubles every year, but there's no proof someone else would do better.
De tin marin de do pingüe
Oh my God, I though I was the only one who thought that. I'm so happy to have found this video and to know that the fans even had a term for "Jerkass Homer"
This is probably why I took to Bob's Burgers so rapidly: it's wacky but also highly relatable, and you genuinely care about the characters. It's turned into a good substitute while I mourn for the Simpsons.
I really hope you guys eventually do something on king of the hill
Adore that show. Hank never became Peter Griffin
I'm Hank Hill and I sell propane and propane accessories and I agree!
@@Archivist82 thank you
He's got a crayon in the brain.
I remember vividly sitting in the Cinema and angrily screaming at the screen when Homer tried to kick Bart from the roof.
What I will never understand about this tragedy that affected The Simpson is how Matt Groening can tolerate it. He based the main characters around his own life, he gave life to this yellow aliens and put an episode in every heart that has love the series and, yet, he doesn't care about Homer, Bart, Lisa or Marge. He let them die in life without never making a comment. As an artist, I have nightmares thinking about how people can damage your creations. He does have a commitment to this character and he should do something about it. But god, to watch the very thing you create with so much passion to walk around like a dumb zombie. I guess that is punishment enough.
Simpsons simply stayed on too long. Spoofing late 80s sitcoms is just not that funny in 2020
and the nuclear family it was parodying died out decades ago.
I get what your mean, but that's not really the problem.
I thought of this too. Even if they were to make classic episodes today they wouldn’t really make sense
@@0987__ The only way it might have worked is if they actually aged up the characters over time and explored new more grounded themes
While Homer has seen a steep decline character wise, the same can be said about the rest of his family to a greater extent at times. Marge has gone from a kind, caring, no-nonsense mother and wife too a nosey, enabling, stereotypical nagging housewife. Lisa has gone from an intelligent wallflower too a a self-centered know it all that pushes her beliefs on to her family and peers to annoying and sometimes vindictive degrees. And Bart has gone from a mischievous but still kind hearted child to a borderline sociopath.
Lisa is a woke troll
"hey wisecrack, Michael here" we see what you did there
I can totally see how you gjve Family Guy as an example for cynical, heartless comedy. But South Park went the opposite direction The Simpsons took: It developed more and more heart and empathy for its protagonists. Today it is one of the best examples of a funny comedy cartoon show and scores huge political, societal and also emotional points.
Bring back Thug Notes!!!!
And why isn't the Alien's Guide channel making videos anymore?!
Best episode with Homer is when he met his mom. 😭
I think Rick and Morty as well as South Park play wonderfully with this whole concept of emotional engagement and disengagement in different ways. You're not always detached from those characters, but neither are you always engaged in their personal troubles.
This is also why King of the Hill kicked ass for all 13 seasons. The characters may have grown more exaggerated as the series went on but the writers never lost the core of any of them, especially not the relationship between Hank and Bobby.
I think it says a lot about Simpson's quality when their guest animators for their couch gags pack more creativity and narrative nuance in less than 90 seconds than anything the main series has produced in the last decade. The Rick and Morty couch gag, while being a fantastic crossover in its own way, highlighted how outdated their show's formula had become.
Homer ironically got flanderized.
Poor fella
0:26 is actually an outtake on Dan's part. He genuinely misspelt it and went "I mean-" mid take. They kept it as due to that mistake being so in character. It's beautiful and I love that moment
This could have been called, "Why I stopped watching The Simpsons." I can't stand characters, cartoons or real life, who act like current Homer or Peter Griffin.
Also, the stereotypes of "dumb, insensitive male characters" is too much to enjoy.
There isn’t a better adult animation than Bojack Horseman and it’s because the characters feel real even in an absurd world. The core issues they face are ones everyone faces, and the fact that they are faced in such absurd situations and ways makes it more safe and accessible for the audience. Early simpsons laid the groundwork, it’s a shame they pivoted away from it.
Futuramas better
I think this same issue is in danger of happen to rick sanchez in Rick and Morty. In season 1 of Rick and Morty, Rick could fail, and be killed, he was concerned with overcoming even moderate challenges, and would show his own remorse in caring for Morty. As the seasons go on, it feels that Rick too is becoming more diskish without consequence, and absurd invincibility without consequence.
I'm well aware something went horribly wrong because I was dying of laughter for the first 45 seconds of scenes, I now I'm crying.
I was always more of a King of the Hill guy myself
It’s decent, but I found the show a little to predictable at times!
I'm Hank Hill and I sell propane and propane accessories!
You missed some hilarious parallels to Married With Children.
Vintage Simpsons is untouchable, no show previously nor since have been able to come close to it’s cultural relativism.
Why would anyone want ads that aren't targetted? My biggest annoyance about online ads is when they have nothing to do with any of my interests...
Also, early Simpsons did not centre around Homer. Original Simpsons centred around Bart.
This is a very concise and well articulated explanation of why I stopped watching that show ages ago. FOX is really good at two things when it comes to their best shows: canceling them before they get a chance to find their audience, and running them for years and years after they stop being good.
@3:11 Yeah, back then they must have thought that spousal abuse was way worse than child abuse, since most ass holes view child abuse as being a simple way of parenting. Hence why every time Homer choked his son, he does so under the narrative that describes the event as being comical, rather than explicitly describing this as a serious moral flaw that needs to be corrected.
This is an excellent break down!
Being an adult doesn't mean to be a careless asshole... Neither it means to be a violent rude idiot without a glimpse of love in the eyes.... That is not mature, it is emptiness as a hollow human
The Simpsons was an iconic original show that descended to Family Guy lite. Ironically, Family Guy started off as a Simpsons knock off and slowly became an original show. However, even Family Guy has become little tiresome, relying almost entirely on shock gags to keep viewers interested. I was a huge Simpsons fan for the first eight or nine seasons, but by 2001, I had lost all interest in the show because it became little more than a parody of itself and no longer held a mirror to American life that was relatable.
Welp, now i understand why i stopped watching the new simpsons finding it boring and only a shadow of its former self. This video hit exactly the right point for me.
Bob's Burgers is to the 2010's what Simpsons was to the 1990s. Change my mind.
quite great,great visuals,great Wisecrackian videography
great video
Everything, Homer Simpson was so flanderize that he became a parody of himself, he is no longer Homer Simpson, he is Max Power
He became his own worst enemy: Flanders.
@@HarryBuddhaPalm Oh my God
Their best writers went to Futurama in 1999. 2000 Simpsons immediately lacked on quality.
This is what happens when the writers run out of ideas. Another tragedy is Archer, a brilliantly written show for the first five seasons, and complete trash after.
certainly declined, wouldn't call it trash lik dropping form 9/10 to 5/10
@@kodaxmax The Simpsons went from a masterpiece to mediocrity. What a way for art to die.
@@Anarcath meant archer
@@kodaxmax Same answer.
Can you imagine if The Simpsons ended with season 12, did 4-5 movies then rebooted itself in HD around 2018 like most other 90’s shows have done? It would still be the most loved series of all time.
Blame the shows direction and fox trying to cut budget left and right.
Lol, got nothing to do with budget. 90% of it goes to the voice actors anyway.
Budget? Rofl
I blame family guy, I also blame family guy for the newest episodes of futurama...when the writers forgot who their characters were for the most. Because somehow the easy jokes became more important than the characters.
It should be illegal to have more than 8 seasons of the same show.
You made a couple of really excellent points:
Sitcom characters becoming over the top parodies of their earlier selves. Not sure if this is limited to sitcoms but it becomes a real issue as shows age; characters become less mature or more goofy. You see this in a lot of 80s/90s shows.
Simpsons being a counter reaction to the fake 80s ideal families in popular sitcoms. Homer has the 'ideal' life with a home, a job, a wife, 2.5 children, two cars, two pets etc. But there is an undercurrent of cynicism which makes it hillarious coupled with the fact that it was cartoon at a time when cartoons were loony toons and toy-commercials. The problem is counter culture has become mainstream culture, sitcoms copied the formular, we got the King of the Hills and the South Parks and the Family Guys and Simpsons lost it's raison d'etre. And now you have people saying Simpsons is racist because it has an Indian shop owner and every millennial is basically Lisa.
The show should have ended a long, long time ago tbh. Even by the late 90s it was loosing it's charm.
As a great horse once said, for most people life it's a just one big kick in the urethra, and sometimes you just wanna watch a show were no matter what happened, after 20 minutes everything is fine, The Simpsons used to be that show, now it's just a parody of itself
I get it, but it wont get old too quick since it's still riding the wave of how it used to be. Most people who love Homer from the old days will love him now and barely notice the differences if at all. probably.
We think that the simpsons predict the future but the plot twist is the other way around
*We do what the simpsons have done in their show*
Life imitates art, am I right?
There is a new wave of adult animation that is going away from the cruelty and familial hatred of shows like Family Guy and modern day Simpsons. It started with Bob's Burgers and then Loren Buchard's new show Central Park and J.G. Quintel's new show Close Enough. Shows where the familial love and bond are front and center to the show. Sure they will argue and maybe fight but in the end they do love their spouses and kids and better themselves for their families. It is a relief that we are getting families in adult animation that don't actively despise each other for 75% of the shows runtime.
I disagree with the example shown around 9:30. Homer did in fact redeem himself for blaming his family on him not pursuing his dreams: the show ends with him declining an offer from Mick Jagger to become a rock start because he just wanted to be with his family.
People always talk about the "golden years" of the Simpsons, and that it should have ended 10 or even 15 years ago. I enjoy the Simpsons just like I did 25 years ago. But here's my take. As mentioned in the video, the Simpsons influenced South Park and Family Guy, and those creators have openly said so too. The problem started when the Simpsons started competing against those shows. South Park and Family guy were different, and they did their own thing. I believe that the Simpsons tried to keep up with them, in the process changing its own formula. Dude, they're emulating you, not the other way around! Keep doing what you did best, that's why we loved you.
Ironically, the Simmons became the industry standard for sitcom families.
Homer's giant arms during his "photographic memory" 2:39 always crack me up. Of all the crazy things in his memory, he also remembers that his arms were massive.
That "photographic memory" scene was some of the finest humour ever on television.
Early Homer (Season 1-7) was the Dad that was not perfect but he put his best effort in for his family. Those seasons were the best. 👍😎
Mmmmmmmmmmm. Wisecrack covering the simpsons *gurrrrrrrrrgle*
I also would recommend " The Rise and Fall of the Simpsons" from youtuber Super Eyepatch Wolf
Homer got the Spongebob treatment. Mans never been the same sine the fight with Peter Griffin.
The show has always been about the whole family. though in the beginning the show primarily followed Bart because the audience that they found related to the show the lost was primarily young boys. As those young boys grew up and became adults they didn’t really care about bart anymore because they couldn’t relate to him. This is when the show switched to focusing more on Homers antics.
In this video: A Gen X'er discovers Flanderization, but oddly it's not Flanders he noticed first
Flanders isn't the face of the Simpsons. His entire schtick is to serve as Homer's source of frustration, the "most loved neighbor the MC hates"...
I found it humorous that you talked about the tendency of characters to become parodies of themselves, but overlooked the name for it - Flanderization.
You know, named after Ned Flanders, who had it happen to him to a degree even more extreme than Homer.
Rick & Morty is trying the same trick in reverse: started from total sandbox-world (a literal sandbox-multiverse) and tries every season to give as much emotional heft as possible to the character. At least until last season where it became not only total sandbox easy laugh but also abruptly and tediously referential to classic showbiz.
I've been waiting for a Simpsons video from Wisecrack for a while, but this feels a lot like The Take's kind of format. If y'all had any academic or philosophical connections to this property I'd really want to see that!
This reminds me of season 8 episode "the day the violence died"... (The episode poochy is introduced in itchy and scratchy)
That episode literally tells you what happened to the simpsons. Rewatch it, and note lisa's remarks to Roger (the creator of itchy and scratchy)
I don't think the simpsons can go back. I do get the feels I got from the simpsons with Bobs Burgers. I think its time to put the simpsons to rest and move on.
Remember when an episode ended with Homer chloriforming Marge so she would stop talking?
You'd think the voice actor would have enough a sense of the character to say "No, Homer wouldn't do that" to some of those bad pitches. My point is, this could have been prevented. They can't fire him (he voices half of Springfield)
I really miss classic Homer. I felt like The Simpsons Movie was something of a critique of modern Homer, which is one of the reasons I like it.
Great video. Definitely nailed the core reason why we quit caring for The Simpsons. The writers quit caring for the Simpsons.
Homer who cares and the Simpsons who are similar to us were just harder to write, they required more screenwriting talent than a simple animated sitcom, as they had to be funny in a non-cheesy way, relatable, and hit you right in the feels every once in a while. Seems like a simple cutting of costs.
it's not just classic homer, but much of the family as well. after season 6, most of the Simpsons season don't have as much re watch allure as some of the characters lose what made them lovable emotionally to just comedic devices.
Who wouldn’t want to have such a great neighbor like him?
I like classic homer more. I liked that he was always trying to do better even if he failed. Also no matter what he loved his family.