I’ve been watching The Simpsons since the beginning, when, in high school, I heard that one of my favorite cartoonists, Matt Groening, had created a series of short cartoons for The Tracey Ullman Show. I tuned in, along with all of my senior buddies, on December 17, 1989 when the debut episode, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” aired. Ever since, I’ve been a nuisance to family and friends. I’ve been able to reference a particular Simpsons moment for nearly every life situation. For instance, on a recent trip down to San Diego, there was a moment when my companions and I smelled a skunk. “El gato malodoro,” I said in Bumbleeman’s fake Spanish.
In other words, I’m a superfan. I am writing and posting this on December 16, 2009, one day before the show turns 20. As much as I have loved The Simpsons, I never imagined that the show would last for two decades. We’re about to see a ton of hype surrounding the anniversary, with lots of promotion from Fox including contests and a Morgan Spurlock-created documentary. I’ve surprised myself upon realizing I haven’t yet written extensively about the show. But, upon reading the news this morning online (a notion that would have seemed particularly futuristic and alien in 1989), I found an article that spurred me to write: Click Here
This article had me in fits. I wasn’t necessarily angry, but I found myself at odds with myself over different segments of the piece. First of all, I’m never a fan of puff pieces. CNN could have easily written a superficial anniversary story, but instead they hit at the heart of what every Simpsons fan is obsessed with--the possibility of declining quality. I was both mortified and intrigued. They even quoted so-called devotees of the show who hinted that maybe it had worn out its welcome.
As a fan, I’ve always been disgusted by the remarks of other fans. When the creators of the show speak on commentaries about certain cast members, early Internet posters, or current bloggers denouncing particular shows, I want to scream. People who supposedly love the show are essentially biting the hands that feed them. And usually, the episodes they are denouncing end up to be some of my favorites, quoted extensively. Case in point, “Homer’s Enemy,” in which we are introduced to Frank Grimes, a very real-life inspired character who points out Homer Simpson’s inanities. I thought it was brilliant from the start, but fans at the time simply hated it.
The main complaints that fans seem to have, as pointed out by the CNN article, is that the show seems packed full of jokes rather than telling an emotional story, as had been done early in the show’s history. The other complaint is that the show has become a revolving door for guest stars, with stories built around these random zeitgeist driven appearances. I sympathize with both of these complaints, and have had them myself from time to time. However, these complaints have never been strong enough to make me think that the show should be off the air. If given the chance to have a world without Simpsons, and one in which the characters still entertain every week, albeit in a degraded fashion, I’ll take the latter.
That being said, I’ll give you my own thoughts about the show, my favorites, least favorites, and general thoughts about one of my favorite shows on television.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the first three seasons of the show were the most centered on the family. With the show’s early creators forging a path from rudimentary beginnings, and the obvious influence of James L. Brooks, stories sprung from family situations such as Bart and Lisa’s troubles in school / not fitting in, the family’s money troubles, the threat of infidelity, and many brushes with success that never pan out as the family hopes. The first three seasons feature some iconic episodes counted among the show’s best, including “There’s No Disgrace Like Home,” “The Call of the Simpsons,” “Krusty Gets Busted,” “Simpson and Delilah,” “Itchy & Stratchy & Marge,” “One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish” and many others. (I don’t want to turn this post into one big nerdy list).
The show hit its popularity and quality peak in the next five seasons, with character voices and personalities hitting their stride, many of the background characters of Springfield not only introduced, but also fleshed out, strong jokes and great stories. Some of my favorite episodes of the show come from these particular seasons. Don’t misunderstand me; there are plenty of episodes I enjoy after season eight. Unlike many complaining fans, I don’t think Mike Scully (as showrunner), brought on the decline of the show. Scully brought on several talented writers and dared to take some risks with the show. HOWEVER, risk is a fine balance. Sometimes things can go too far, too ridiculous, and too “meta.” Not only that, but when you start destroying the vast history of the characters and their world, merely for the sake of making cultural references, you insult the fans who have stuck with you for years.
Fans as devoted as me could probably guess that I’m referencing a particular writer and one particular show. Matt Selman’s “That 90’s Show” is the one instance that made me think the unthinkable, that I didn’t like an episode of The Simpsons. For that reason alone, I could distinguish Matt Selman as my least favorite writer of the show. However, he has made it easy for me, in writing several other shows among my least favorites. For instance, the most recent episode aired, “O Brother, Where Bart Thou?” in which Selman places a clunky rip-off of South Park within the show. It is an example of what I find in most of Selman’s shows, constant pop culture references without a lot of humor or story. I know this is the trend with current animated shows such as South Park and Family Guy, but I conjecture that The Simpsons shouldn’t have to ape these other shows, but rather return to the family driven humor and pathos that made the show popular in the first place.
There is no reason why absurd cannot mix with great story, however, which brings me to my favorite writer, John Swartzwelder. Some may cry foul over choosing the most prolific writer, but every time I look at my favorite episodes, I am never surprised to find out they were from the mind of Swartzwelder. His scripts have featured iconic Simpsons moments: the flying rabbit when the family went camping (“The Call of the Simpsons”), the revamped family-friendly Itchy & Scratchy sharing lemonade (“Itchy & Scratchy & Marge”), as well as many others, and the entire episodes of “Rosebud,” “Homie the Clown,” “You Only Move Twice,” “Homer’s Enemy” and my all-time favorite, “Whacking Day.”
The perfect example of Swartzwelder being able to combine absolute zaniness with story-driven plots is with his show, “Homer Simpson in: Kidney Trouble.” In this particular episode, Grampa Simpson needs a kidney transplant, and Homer is afraid of going under the knife, fleeing at every opportunity, a solid, emotional, family-driven concept. In the opening act, the family visits a recreated Old West tourist attraction. According to the script, a stage direction is given that the cowboys start to shoot at one another, and one cowboy, for some reason, starts digging a hole. The animators chose to include it in the show, it goes by quickly, but it is absolutely hilarious, albeit crazy.
These jokes lie in stark contrast to Matt Selman’s lead balloon references. In fact, there are a few Selman penned episodes that revolve entirely around pop culture concepts. These, in my estimation, are the least entertaining episodes out there. For one, the aforementioned “That 90’s Show,” and for another, “Bart Gets a Z.” The latter episode seems to simply be a parody of the popular book, “The Secret,” which, with its ridiculous notions of being able to make things happen with the ‘new age’ assertion of the power of positive thinking, itself an notion already asserted for years, was already a parody of itself. Making fun of “The Secret” is like making Michael Jackson jokes. It’s been done, it never needed to be done due to its broad nature, and the jokes aren’t funny. Don’t get me started on “Blue Bronco,” his on-the-nose parody of Red Bull.
I know that writing for television is not easy. But, how Al Jean, a showrunner who has presented some of the best stories in the show’s history, has allowed Selman to continue to write and produce such inferior work is beyond me. In commentaries, besides coming off as extraordinarily pompous, Selman seems to exalt Swartzwelder’s scripts and novels, but never seems to take a cue from his writing. (Not to say that pompousness is a factor in my estimation of actual writing, it’s just more of a turn off. I feel the same way about Ken Keeler, who makes me want to punch him in the face during particular commentaries, but writes excellent scripts for The Simpsons and Futurama. Keeler also wrote another history changing episode with the highly controversial "The Principal and the Pauper," but this episode was much more story driven than referential, and so was inestimably better.)
Oddly, it appears that I am in a minority. Today’s young fans seem to love Selman’s episodes. I just don’t get it. Today’s fans also make a claim that stuns me every time I read it, that they absolutely abhor Lisa-centric episodes. When it comes to well written, emotional episodes, there are almost no better shows than Lisa shows. Think about it, “Lisa the Greek,” “Lisa’s Rival,” “Lisa the Vegetarian,” “Lisa the Iconoclast,” and maybe the most powerful episode, “Lisa’s Substitute,” are all funny, heart-tugging and well formed. She is the heart of the show. The show has gone through several phases including a very heavy Bart focus in the first few seasons, then switching to an increasingly intelligence-challenged Homer, and then exploring the various and sundry Springfield residents, but Lisa has remained steadfast throughout, always sticking to her beliefs and tolerant, if not loving with her family. When Lisa feels something strongly, we feel it too. Many great shows have this kind of character, and the best examples I can think of are the shows of Joss Whedon. Willow, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Kaylee, from Firefly, exemplify this archetypal character to the hilt.
After 20 years, I don’t think The Simpsons has run out of stories. With as many characters as exist in Springfield, it would seem to me that the options are limitless. Years ago, Matt Groening and company proposed a spin-off called Springfield Stories, a show that would not have to revolve around the Simpson family, but instead explore the town’s denizens more closely. Maybe that’s still a good idea, and a way to get good stories out of characters that may be underused in their original show. As far as The Simpsons, I would suggest that there are indeed some ideas that are played out or should be avoided: Homer in another job setting, retelling classic stories in a ‘Simpson-y’ way (other than the Treehouse of Horror episodes), and for Pete’s sake, any show that attempts to rewrite Simpsons history. There are plenty of work, family, school and everyday life situations that could still be explored. I’m not claiming to say that this is easy, by any means, but with so many producers and consultants, you’d think they’d be able to avoid the low points. After all, they made The Simpsons Movie, which had some of the funniest as well as most touching moments in the show’s history. Not kidding, there are nearly fifty producers in total in this current season.
After the last few paragraphs, you might get the idea that I am no longer a fan of the show. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I still watch the show religiously. I have a few complaints here and there, but I usually keep my silence and allow for a few mistakes in an otherwise highly entertaining show. Early in the show’s history, a writer made a joke with the 100th episode that they were “halfway there.” Of course, that turned out to be prophetic, and even shortchanged the eventual run. But, I sincerely hope that the show could last another twenty years. In an environment that finds most of my favorite shows canceled before their time (Firefly, Veronica Mars, Arrested Development, Carnivale, Dollhouse, Deadwood), I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Smell ya later.
