Simpsons: Season 4 When? (1 Viewer)

[WillG]

I don't understand why people are so hard on recent Simpsons seasons. Sure the show isn't in its prime anymore, but I still think they often come up with some pretty funny stuff

 

[Mark Zimmer]

They could do without the commentaries on every single episode, frankly. They don't have much to say and it ends up being a time waster. Do like Angel and Buffy and have commentaries for a couple important or classic episodes on the set.

 

[earl_roberts]

I wondered why people complained about The Simpsons nowadays but realised that I hadn't actually seen a recent episode for about a year and had just been watching re-runs practically every day {and still funny EVERY day too!} so then I saw the 300th episode a while back, the one with Tony Hawk in.

OMG!!!!! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!?!?

I've watched The Simpsons since it first started here in the U.K. I used to go to my aunties house to watch every episode as she was the only person we knew who had satalite television. I think I was about 4 years old! And I still watch it almost everyday to this day, but that 300th episode was definately one of the worst I've seen. Thank god we in the U.K only get to see the oldies! I really didn't realise The Simpsons was in such a state!!!

 

[Andrew Bunk]

I agree that the 300th episode was not that great for a regular episode, let alone a milestone episode. But the show is still better than most of the other "comedy" on TV these days.

Personally, I couldn't care less about the commentaries. Out of over 400 titles, in 3 years I have never watched anything with a commentary on. I barely have enough time to watch what I want at all-watching with commentaries is just not important to me.

Just give me the episodes with good PQ as fast as possible, and I'll be happy!

 

[Seth--L]

A 60-75 minute group moderated discussion would probably be more effective than all the commentaries combined.

The problem with the commentaries are:

1. In the large group ones, some people never have time to get a comment in, making their presence a waste.

2. Sometimes someone will delve into an interesting story, and get cutoff by someone pointing something out in the episode, and then they will never go back to the story. A perfect example of this in the commentary for "Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes." Brooks is talking about the George Bush, Sr. Waltons comment, gets cutoff by Groening who points out the made up awards show, and then they never get back to it.

3. Often the commentators get into a discussion at the very end of the episode, and it has to come to an abrupt end when the credits finish.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I like having commentaries on every episode. With most shows, I'm left wondering what the creators thought about something that happened. There are advantages of keeping it to five or fewer people, though.

 

[David Williams]

I liek having commentaries on every episode. With most shows, I'm left wonderign what the creators thought abotu something that happened. There are advantages of keeping it to five or fewer people, though.

I agree with you, but I feel like for a lot of S3, the commentaries were a waste of time. There were a ton of things I would have liked to see them have commented on instead of going off in tangential directions. An explanation for a reference, the pieces of trivia that litter each ep, etc.

I guess I've been spoiled by the great episode guide and snpp.com. If the participants (and it was great to see the voice actors get in on it) aren't going to comment on the material of the episode, why bother? Stark Raving Dad was about the only commentary I felt really nailed it in the set.

 

[Adam Brandner]

How about they just release the episodes without commentaries, and allow those of us who don't care about it to buy the entire series already? Then, they can take their sweet time cranking out commentaries for all 300+ episodes, and release special editions if there is demand for it. How much can they possibly have to say anyway? I can see it now. Episode 250- "This is where we completely ran out of ideas and decided to just rehash old episodes for a while."

Don't get me wrong. I love commentaries and other special features... on movies. I have no interest whatsoever in TV show commentaries, particularly when they are severely holding up the release schedule. Yeah, I'll wait a year for a great special edition. But a decade is where I draw the line, and Simpsons fans are looking at a decade and a half here.

 

[Anthony Neilson]

No ! Say it ain't so ! The Simpsons has gone bad ??
Is that the general consensus over there ? Like it said in a previous post, we're way behind over here. So how many really good seasons are there ? Where did the rot start ?
Why don't they just stop now and do that movie they keep talking about ?

 

[Adam Brandner]

Personally, I think that it went sour when they started fiddling with characters. One of the nice things about the show has been that nothing ever changes (for more than one episode). Sure characters get added, but once there, they never change. Until Apu got married, Barney stopped drinking, and Ned Flanders slept with some random woman, etc. There are a lot of other complaints to be made, but I think that fundamentally changing characters is the worst of the things they've done. So, I'd say it was great through season 10, and still funny through season 12. After that, I'd rather not even watch the show.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

. . .Barney stopped drinking. . .

I remember reading somewhere that Matt Groening did not like that idea, either.

 

[TedT]

I've stopped saying "the Simpsons have gone bad" because every time I've said it, I've had to take it back!

I remember watching the first season going "Oh, it's ok, but not as good as the Tracy Ulman shorts." Second season: "Yeah, it's good, but not as great as the first season." Third season, same thing... I guess multiple viewings made me realize how great each season was (after the fact).

I finally stopped saying the current season "was not as good as the previous" at season 8. At that time everyone was ripping on the show and I finally realized as I was watching it that it was better than ever! You had Homer vs the 18th Amendment, the X-Files episode, Homer questioning Bart's sexuality, and two other classic episodes which I can't place right now. All great episodes.

It's still a great show. They haven't lost a thing (except when they revolve a show around Lisa).

 

[MartinTeller]

I also have been disappointed in the commentaries for most of the same reasons already listed in this thread. What they ought to do is just sit everyone down individually and interview them. Episode by episode, ask them "what do you remember about this episode? Any good stories or little bits of trivia?" Edit the most interesting comments into either a commentary track or a trivia subtitle or an interview featurette.

That way, you don't have to worry about when you can get everyone together in the same room. For a whole season, it would take maybe 2-3 hours to interview each person. You could get 3-4 seasons released a year.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

Most Simpsons seasons these days seem to start off weak, then get better.

 

[Kwang Suh]

Barney relapsed a few episodes back...

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Frankly, revisiting these old episodes I'm not so hot on them either. I think season 3 may be the last one I bother to buy. :frowning:

 

[Adam Brandner]

That's great to hear, but the whole point of the show is that no one ever ages, develops, or changes fundamentally in any way. Even Barney falling off the wagon shouldn't have to happen, because storylines in this show typically don't span multiple episodes. I guess that the Skinner/Krabapple relationship is the exception to that, but even that storyline is rarely mentioned and then is treated as more of a running gag than anything else.

 

[WillG]

Barney relapsed a few episodes back...

Yeah, but unfortunately, it wasn't permanent. I definately saw Barney at Moe's a few episodes later drinking coffee

 

[Rob Gardiner]

Whichever season contains MR. SPARKLE, John Waters, and the psychedelic chili pepper will be the last season I buy.

 

[Seth--L]

Or the other way around. It seems like the writers put all their effort into either just act I, or act II and III. Basically they have a great idea for a story, but don't know how to get into it, or have a great way to start an episode, but have nothing after that.