The Simpsons

[DennisMM]

I finally gave up on The Simpsons. They'd been awful for some years, then better again, then flat which is worst of all. Gave up on King of the Hill, too, which once was my favorite program. I miss Futurama.

[stereosforgeeks]

Top 12 Simpson created words.

[LaDracul]

Here's the deets on the new season from The Simpsons Channel...it includes the return of Weird Al and a "Frasier" reunion.

John Stewart, Jack Black, Lionel Richie, Stephen Colbert, Matt Dillon, Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney are among the upcoming guest voices on the 19th season of The Simpsons.

Homer is flying high in the season premiere episode, He Loves To Fly And He D'ohs" airing Sept. 23. After Homer saves Mr. Burns from drowning in a mall fountain, Burns thanks him by taking him on a whirlwind trip to Chicago on his private plane. Homer is smitten with the luxury jet and all the perks that come with it, including flying with song legend Richie, who serenades him with a customized version of "Say You, Say Me." After returning home, Homer makes it his mission to find a job that offers him the chance to fly on a corporate jet, and he enlists a life coach, guest star Colbert, to help fulfill this dream.

Steve Buscemi guest-stars in "I Don't Wanna Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" Sept. 30. When Marge gets caught in a bank robbery, she convinces the assailant, Dwight (Steve Buscemi), to turn himself in with the promise she will visit him in the pokey. Too scared to visit him, Marge may have to pay the price when Dwight escapes and comes looking for her.

In "Husband And Knives" Oct. 7, much to the shock of Comic Book Guy, Coolsville Comics & Toys opens up directly across the street. Owned by friendly hipster Milo (Jack Black), Coolsville is the ultimate retro fabulous store, which even offers the kids of Springfield a chance to meet comic book creators like guest stars Alan Moore, Art Spiegleman and Dan Clowes. Meanwhile, Marge takes her own hobby of working out to the next level by opening up a women's-only workout center.

Later in the season, Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney are reunited playing Sideshow Bob, his brother and father, and Jon Stewart, Matt Dillon, Maya Rudolph, Dan Rather, Placido Domingo, Kurt Loder, Weird Al Yankovic, Beverly D'Angelo and Topher Grace also pay a visit.

[Chilli]

Later in the season, Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney are reunited playing Sideshow Bob, his brother and father

Oh that kicks ass.

[Chairman Kaga]

guest stars Alan Moore, Art Spiegleman and Dan Clowes

Holy crap....Alan Moore.

[Fried Gold]

The first episode started off really well, especially the opening titles with the first ever use of continuity I've seen in The Simpsons.

However, I kinda got bored while watching it and it faded into mediocrity. It seems like the current writers are all trying to emulate past glories, rather than trying something new.

Oh, how I wish for a John Swartzwelder written episode again.

[Ribbons]

He's gotten credit for writing some new-ish episodes, but even they're not especially funny. I suspect they're largely written by commitee.

[LaDracul]

I loved last night's. Well, maybe because I'm a huge Maggie fan and I love to see her saving the day.

Of course, the part where Homer tells all the other captives about the big summer films (Transformers, Shrek the Third) was pretty funny, too.

[DennisMM]

I'm very unhappy that I missed last night's ep. I was doing laundry, forgot about the guest stars and, The Simpsons being what it has been lately, didn't bother even to turn it on.

[LaDracul]

Dillon was ok, but nothing that special. I can't wait for next week's when Steve Buscemi returns.

[DennisMM]

So last night wasn't "Husbands and Knives" with Black, Moore, Spiegelman and Clowes?

[LaDracul]

Nope. They had rearranged the schedule to air "Homer of Seville" as a tribute to Pavoratti.

[DennisMM]

Ah. Thanks. I have a chance to see it, then.

[LaDracul]

The promo for the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode on Nov. 4th-
http://www.lardlad.com/cgi-bin/image.cgi?promo/jabf16.jpg

I love "E.T." parodies, and this one has a story about how one of the aliens tricks Bart into thinking he's a friendly alien...but "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"? I just want to see a parody of "A Series of Unfortunate Events". That would make so much sense...

[bastard_robo]

ALAN MOORE ON SIMPSONS.... BEST CAMEO EVER!


they took him down a notch... Fucking brilliant

[unikrunk]

ALAN MOORE ON SIMPSONS.... BEST CAMEO EVER!


they took him down a notch... Fucking brilliant

That was great; the whole time they had Dan Clowes, Art Spiegelman and Moore on, I was wondering "Is that really them doing the VO?"

Very happy when the credits rolled to see it was.

"So you are happy I turned your hero into a herion junky and removed his radioactive powers?

"I just look at the pictures"

Moore's explosion over the Watchman Babies DVD, Art donning a Maus Mask and Clowes gushing over his desire to draw Batman were strokes of brilliance.

Clowes showing off his utility belt drawing had me LASH I PAMP.


Oh, and the Asterix and Tin-Tin bit had me rolling. "Oh-Oh Snowy!"

[LaDracul]

What got me was Moore enjoying "Little Lulu". But what of Comic Book Guy? Now that he's sold his store, will he be planning revenge against Milo?

[LeFlambeur]

I was really dissappointed when they squandered the whole dueling comic book stores angle. I thought they were really on to something with their satirization of the hipster/loser schizm in geek culture. After the show's first five minutes I was convinced it was going to be the best episode in a long time, but they just switched to another Homer/Marge relationship problem storyline and the show just got worse from there, borrowing a Family Guy gag and coping out with an "it was just a dream" ending. Oh well, at least the cameos were amongst the show's best.

[Fievel]

I was really dissappointed when they squandered the whole dueling comic book stores angle. I thought they were really on to something with their satirization of the hipster/loser schizm in geek culture. After the show's first five minutes I was convinced it was going to be the best episode in a long time, but they just switched to another Homer/Marge relationship problem storyline

I won't go as far as saying that it ended up sucking, but it really felt like they switched gears with the storyline. I would have rather seen the comic book store storyline be the episode's focus.

Alan Moore's sense of humor regarding himself really surprised me.

[Fried Gold]

The past three episodes have been really good.

[Worst Part's Almost Over]

I haven't enjoyed an episode of the Simpsons since season 12 sadly

The quality just hasn't carried through, it's a show that has gone on for far too long or at least too long without a hiatus. The movie did nothing for me and frankly South Park rules the roost these days for original humour and has a better level of continuity than The Simpsons. In South Park, the kids actually change - next year they're going in to 5th grade, for example. How long has Bart been 10?

Even the new series of Family Guy seems stale to me. South Park has never grown stale or dull and Futurama, quite frankly, was the greatest animated adult comedy show ever created. Long may its return endure!!

[LaDracul]

Weird Al and Kurt Loder on an upcoming episode called "That '90s Show"-


However, I'm not fond of Kurt Scroder.

[so sorry]

Harry/Comic Book Guy

Take a close look at the screen grab he has posted... I'm pretty pissed the zone didn't make it in...

[Worst Part's Almost Over]

Is The Simpsons still funny? No, not in my opinion.

The show has not only gone on past its sell-by date, but it has also begun to retcon everything already established in Simpsons history. The last great series for me was season 10. Since then, South Park and Family Guy have long since replaced The Simpsons in my heart, South Park particularly as it remains blisteringly funny.

And as for the movie....a bloody crying shame, wasted opportunity to recapture the old magic.

[havocSchultz]

Grande Rojo/Comic Book Guy

Take a close look at the screen grab he has posted... I'm pretty pissed the zone didn't make it in...

Landspeeder, don't bantha, to your nearest complaint department...

[ironic name]

no sadly.

[bastard_robo]

YES!

This season alone has made up for the mediocre last few seasons...


Last nights gag with the picture of Homer Fighting the Octopus with the tag "Aquarium to stop serving beer" had me rolling.

[Pacino86845]

Grande Rojo/Comic Book Guy

Take a close look at the screen grab he has posted... I'm pretty pissed the zone didn't make it in...

DennisMM is comic book guy... seriously, no offense to H@rry, but he doesn't hold a candle to even the average comics collector... from what I gathered over the years, he buys comics more as a curiosity than anything else. He always seemed more interested in the collector aspect of things (that is all the merchandising as well as the comics themselves). Also H@rry seems more keen on the retro/pop/vintage aspect of comics... A Comic Book Guy takes an obsessive and academic approach to reading comics, and nothing that H@rry has ever written seems to indicate that. He writes about comics the same way he writes about TV, something like "I appreciate some television series... I've heard this one was good and I've been catching up on the DVDs that Universal sent me," etc etc.

That does not a TV/Comic Book Guy make!!!

[Fievel]

I agree with Pacino.

No disrespect meant at all... but DennisMM Is Comic Book Guy!!!!

[Peven]

i am very jealous of Harry being able to afford to acquire DD #1, though.......

[Fried Gold]

Is is still funny. But it is no longer reliably and constantly so.

It went through a period of about eight seasons where there wasn't a bad episode. When Mike Scully took over as showrunner it went downhill, but it seems like there's been something of a recovery of late.

It still deserves a place on the airwaves. And people who say "oh well Family Guy is better now" don't seem to recognise that it is treading ground covered 15 years ago.

[havocSchultz]

The only thing Family Guy is better than is American Dad...

[Vegeta]

Hmmm... my only thought about The Simpsons relevance is that if The Simpsons is still at the top of it's game, why would Harry feel the need to report to us he's "comic book guy". If this was the 90's we would have all been watching...

[DennisMM]

The only thing Family Guy is better than is American Dad...

Oh, havoc, what would I do without you? This is so true.

I'm not fanatical enough to be Comic Book Guy anymore. There was a time, though, there was a time.

Harry does seem very casual about comic books, considering how he talks about having grown up around 30,000 (or however many) that his parents had as part of their business.

[Al Shut]

I'm choosing g. Occasionally amusing

that is very different from funny

[Seppuku]

"Ain't I studly." You know the Simpsons has officially hit rock bottom when the writers have resorted to stealing jokes off talkbackers.

They should have named it "Ain't I Studly."

[King Of Nowhere]

still, they deliberately left off the Zone.

[Pacino86845]

still, they deliberately left off the Zone.

We're too cool for The Simpsons.... one of the future South Park episodes will have the kids visiting The Zone, MARK MY WORDS!!!

[Brit Pop]

I watched a Simpsons last night... it felt really tired.

The Simpsons was a lot funnier in the day, but there on season 19 so you can hardly blame them for running short of new material. Even South Park made a funny about there being no available storylines because - The Simpsons already did it!

The Simpsons was always aimed at a family audience in the 90's... but I think 'the family audience' craves for a lot more adult humour than before... my 11 year old nephew is a major Family Guy fan!

But lest we forget - The Simpsons was the first animated sitcom, which got animation accepted by the mainstream audience - we salute you.

If I had to put my anicom's in order from favorite to least.... then this would be it...

FAVORITE

AMERICAN DAD
SOUTH PARK
FAMILY GUY
FUTURAMA
THE SIMPSONS
KING OF THE HILL

LEAST FAVORITE

[Pacino86845]

Venture Bros. PWNTs all of those!

[Brit Pop]

Never seen it - does it have your golden approval, 5 star, two thumbs up, lock of the week?

[Pacino86845]

Oh yeah, mos' def'!!

[King Of Nowhere]

But lest we forget - The Simpsons was the first animated sitcom, which got animation accepted by the mainstream audience - we salute you.

Erm, The Flintstones.

That is all.

[Nordling]

I thought this week's was funny, actually. But I agree that it's fallen since the heyday.

[Fried Gold]

But lest we forget - The Simpsons was the first animated sitcom, which got animation accepted by the mainstream audience - we salute you.

Erm, The Flintstones.

That is all.

He was talking about good animated sitcom.

Another problem The Simpsons seems to face now is that the writing team now has likely grown up being influenced by the show, so unless they're having particularly original ideas things start to feel a little samey.

[stereosforgeeks]

I watched a Simpsons last night... it felt really tired.

The Simpsons was a lot funnier in the day, but there on season 19 so you can hardly blame them for running short of new material. Even South Park made a funny about there being no available storylines because - The Simpsons already did it!

The Simpsons was always aimed at a family audience in the 90's... but I think 'the family audience' craves for a lot more adult humour than before... my 11 year old nephew is a major Family Guy fan!

But lest we forget - The Simpsons was the first animated sitcom, which got animation accepted by the mainstream audience - we salute you.

If I had to put my anicom's in order from favorite to least.... then this would be it...

FAVORITE

AMERICAN DAD
SOUTH PARK
FAMILY GUY
FUTURAMA
THE SIMPSONS
KING OF THE HILL

LEAST FAVORITE

Yes your definitely missing out on the Venture Bros.

Other would include: Frisky Dingo and Sealab 2020.

My list would be:
Venture Bros.
Futurama
South Park
Sealab 2020 / Frisky Dingo
Simpsons (mostly due to it going on for too long with lots of meh)

[Fried Gold]

Yes your definitely missing out on the Venture Bros.

Other would include: Frisky Dingo and Sealab 2020.

Sealab2020 was a little dull. All they did was rescue injured dolphins.

I find Frisky Dingo a strange one. I really liked it to begin with, then it went off a complete tangent that doesn't always work.

[stereosforgeeks]

Yes your definitely missing out on the Venture Bros.

Other would include: Frisky Dingo and Sealab 2020.

Sealab2020 was a little dull. All they did was rescue injured dolphins.

I find Frisky Dingo a strange one. I really liked it to begin with, then it went off a complete tangent that doesn't always work.

Selab can be mentioned for the stimutab episode alone.

Frisky Dingos first season was brilliance i thought. Some weird tangents yes but they worked in the context of the world they set up.

[King Of Nowhere]

But lest we forget - The Simpsons was the first animated sitcom, which got animation accepted by the mainstream audience - we salute you.

Erm, The Flintstones.

That is all.

He was talking about good animated sitcom.

The Flintstones wasn't good?

[Fried Gold]

Yes your definitely missing out on the Venture Bros.

Other would include: Frisky Dingo and Sealab 2020.

Sealab2020 was a little dull. All they did was rescue injured dolphins.

I find Frisky Dingo a strange one. I really liked it to begin with, then it went off a complete tangent that doesn't always work.

Selab can be mentioned for the stimutab episode alone.

Frisky Dingos first season was brilliance i thought. Some weird tangents yes but they worked in the context of the world they set up.

......it's Sealab2021 which is the good one.