‘The Simpsons,’ back from the pit

[kysrsoze]

http://msnbc.com/news/988733.asp?0cv=CB20



"THREE YEARS AGO, I argued the show had lost its soul and devolved into an uneven, slapsticky mess that needed to be put to a respectable death. At that point, it seemed that the show’s creators — even those like George Meyer who had shepherded it through its proudest days — were hopelessly on a track to TV hell, allowing “The Simpsons” to drift toward ever-coarser humor and a lowbrow view of the world that bore little resemblance to the subtle work of earlier years.

I won’t say they’ve fully cured themselves. Jerkass Homer, as old-time fans called him, can still dominate the screen — presumably because those younger viewers who more recently learned the virtues of the Simpsonsverse compose a large chunk of the viewing audience.

Guest star appearances often still seem incongruous, such as filmmaker Michael Moore’s stint in one of the new season’s early episodes.


A January 2003 episode, “Special Edna,” was a great example: Bart leverages his storied career as ne’er-do-well to get teacher Edna Krabappel nominated as Teacher of the Year. The episode was hardly retro: The family’s visit to Orlando’s “Efcot Center” included a seating on “Enron’s Ride of Broken Dreams.” After a mere 14 seasons, Principal Skinner finally grew a spine, sort of, and belatedly proposed to the lovelorn Krabappel.

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To those of you about to argue, "Off-topic," I say, read the article. The Simpsons has poked fun at everything, including government over the past years. I expect to see something big on this show in the next couple of months. Something's changing here for the good. Notice the reference to Michael Moore. Ater all the strong-arming of entertainment property, this show has somehow gotten past Fox's political leanings (probably because they haven't been that active in awhile - love to see how it turns out and whether they get toned down).

The show has always skirted public issues, but I think it's going to hit hard in the next year. If nothing else, it will be thoroughly entertaining (if the Halloween special is any incidator.

[VolcanoJen]

1. Not LBN... locking

The article is from November 7th. LBN Rules require that news items be no older than 12 hours at the time of posting.

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Thanks!
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator