The Fall of "The Simpsons"

"The Simpons" just aired the first episode of season twenty last Sunday.  Over the last decade, it has declined further and further, and the only reason I continue to watch is due to loyalty of seasons one through ten.  But, this Sunday has really got me on the ropes.  I think I snickered twice. I couldn't even get a solid "lol".  

This is a very sad state.  In it's prime, The Simpsons was simply the best show in television. Ever. Now, it almost seems like a chore to watch.  I honestly can't even remember what the episode was about, and it was on about two days ago!  Homer has always been an idiot, but now he's becoming stupid to the point it's ridiculous.  Bart's pranks are no longer funny or clever, but are now just vile and rude.  He went from, "Oh, that mischievous rapscallion!", to "Bart, that's a felony" in just a few years.  The characters don't even resemble themselves anymore, and coming from a Simpsons fanatic, it really pains me to watch.

The show doesn't even pretend to be based in reality anymore. Half the episodes end with Homer riding some kind of animal to safety, or with a situation that hasn't be resolved.  Perfect example is the latest episode, where it ends up with homer in prison. Again.  The writers are seemingly out of ideas (twenty seasons, can you blame them?), and now resort to basically repeating old ideas, but making them less funny and way stupider.

I own the first ten seasons on DVD, but no more.  On the bright side, bad as the Simpons may get, at least it's still better than the best episode of "Family Guy".

-XG