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When Did Simpsons Stop Being Funny?

ZephonateZephonate Registered User regular
edited August 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
G'day, y'all. Old school Simpsons fan here, been contemplating buying the DVDs lately. Problem is (as I'm sure most of you are aware and would agree), The Simpsons hasn't been genuinely funny in years, nor has it approached its once atmospheric levels of wit, hilarity, and excellent caliber of writing. Most people can tell just from looking at it or listening for a minute or two whether or not it's one of the classic Simpsons episodes of old. The golden (or in this case, yellow) years.

My question to all of you is when do you think The Simpsons ceased being the show we all grew up with and loved? At what season did its reign over animated comedy end? When do you feel the shift began from old awesome Simpsons to new sub-par Simpsons? I will gauge the answers I get here and use them to help me decide up to which seasons I should go about collecting on DVD.

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    Folken FanelFolken Fanel anime af When's KoFRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I own seasons 2 - 10, and would recommend seasons 3 - 8.

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    SentrySentry Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Yeah, it's pretty much widely assumed Season 8 was the last good season, but there are scatterings of good episodes up through season 10.

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    The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    the very last good episode was I Am Furious Yellow, from Season 13

    but don't be fooled

    it was the only good episode from Season 13

    also there was the Bronson, Missouri gag in that season

    The Lovely Bastard on
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    L Ron HowardL Ron Howard The duck MinnesotaRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    When Conan left the show. Well, I think the season after that wasn't so bad, but the rest on forward kinda just were there.

    L Ron Howard on
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    John MatrixJohn Matrix Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    L Ron Howard wrote: »
    When Conan left the show. Well, I think the season after that wasn't so bad, but the rest on forward kinda just were there.

    Beat me to it, but my favorite episode was The Springfield Files with Gillian Anderson (swoon) and David Duchovny. So many great jokes packed into that episode.

    John Matrix on
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    TayaTaya Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I agree; The Simpsons were funny through Season 10 but its best episodes were Season 8 and before. You can find the odd good episode here and there past Season 10....

    My friends have been telling me that the show has improved lately but I'm not sure if I believe them.

    Taya on
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    strebaliciousstrebalicious Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I don't know, I found some pretty funny stuff in the past couple of seasons. Maybe it's just my son thinking it's funny and not knowing any better, and him laughing is just rubbing off on me. Though there does seem to be a tinge of Family Guy showing up in the Simpsons.

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    Dark_SideDark_Side Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    In my opinion anything after season 10 is when you start getting real diminishing returns. Some might even lump season 10 into the don't buy category, but I think it's is still pretty decent as a dvd set. I stopped buying the dvd sets at 10. And for the love of god don't buy the damn "collecter" sets in those goofy plastic cases, they're awful.

    Dark_Side on
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    oncelingonceling Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    5-8 have every single thing I quoted throughout teenagerhood and to current years, but it will depend slightly on when you were born. I'm an 82.

    I have enjoyed plenty since then, but everything that ingrained itself in my vocab is in 5-8.

    onceling on
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    EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    On a related note, does Futurama season 6 ever get funny? I just watched the first two episodes and they were fucking terrible. :?

    Esh on
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    AwkAwk Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Esh, i believe episodes 4 and up are really good.

    Awk on
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    blakfeldblakfeld Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Esh wrote: »
    On a related note, does Futurama season 6 ever get funny? I just watched the first two episodes and they were fucking terrible. :?

    Different kind of funny then the old days, but I think it gets a lot better after the eye phone episode

    blakfeld on
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    ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    edited August 2010
    blakfeld wrote: »
    Esh wrote: »
    On a related note, does Futurama season 6 ever get funny? I just watched the first two episodes and they were fucking terrible. :?

    Different kind of funny then the old days, but I think it gets a lot better after the eye phone episode

    This. I've stuck with it so far, and a few episodes were nearly objectively awful, a few just left me thinking "what the fuck?", and a few have been really enjoyable to watch. I'll probably watch to next season to see if they really get their legs back.

    As for the Simpsons, I usually say that seasons 2-8 are the best, 9 and 10 are still pretty good, 11 and 12 are mostly watchable with a few really good ones, and just don't bother after that.

    ceres on
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    retrovmretrovm Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    i think the simpsons was genuinely hilarious from seasons 2-8 or so. 9 is where it really starts to fall off, and 8 even has some episodes that suck.

    retrovm on
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    TetraNitroCubaneTetraNitroCubane The Djinnerator At the bottom of a bottleRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    While I can't pinpoint the exact season when The Simpsons lost "The Humor" for me, I offer the personal opinion that season 5 is a must-own addition to any collection. Even the weakest installment from season 5 still makes me laugh harder, to this day, than any of the much-later episodes.

    TetraNitroCubane on
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    retrovmretrovm Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    oh my god, seasons 4-7 absolutely SLAY me. season 5 is nonstop hilarity.

    retrovm on
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    Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited August 2010
    Folken Fanel wrote: »
    I own seasons 2 - 10, and would recommend seasons 3 - 8.

    I own 2-10 as well, though I'd recommend 3-9, as there's still some quite good episodes in that season.

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    KalkinoKalkino Buttons Londres Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I also have 1-10 as well. Which seems to be the consensus position

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    RaneadosRaneados police apologist you shouldn't have been there, obviouslyRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    depends what you think is funny

    I think simpsons is still rather funny, just not the same type of humor as the earlier seasons

    Raneados on
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    lunchbox12682lunchbox12682 MinnesotaRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    ceres wrote: »
    blakfeld wrote: »
    Esh wrote: »
    On a related note, does Futurama season 6 ever get funny? I just watched the first two episodes and they were fucking terrible. :?

    Different kind of funny then the old days, but I think it gets a lot better after the eye phone episode

    This. I've stuck with it so far, and a few episodes were nearly objectively awful, a few just left me thinking "what the fuck?", and a few have been really enjoyable to watch. I'll probably watch to next season to see if they really get their legs back.

    As for the Simpsons, I usually say that seasons 2-8 are the best, 9 and 10 are still pretty good, 11 and 12 are mostly watchable with a few really good ones, and just don't bother after that.

    Episodes 5, 6, 7, and 10 of season 6 are as good as any other of the best episodes. The rest are hit or miss. I did like Rebirth (ep 1).

    lunchbox12682 on
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    UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Used to be everyone said that season 8 was the end of funny, now everyone says season 10.

    So in another couple of years, expect people to say "yeah everything up to season 14, after that don't bother, it's just terrible."

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    TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited August 2010
    The odds of this thread not becoming terrible are slim. I think you have an answer from the hive mind.

    Tube on
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