# Do away with The Simpsons **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013 "2015-08-04T21:57:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dante\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Dante\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante_G)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/1 "2015-08-04T21:57:41Z")
I personally think that the _Simpsons_ used to be a great show. I remember watching it when I was younger and it was like a great family experience. Nowadays though, I just feel that its just kind of there, ya know. Its as if Fox only keeps it on because its their baby. They’ve had it from the beginning and its all they have to show for themselves. Now I don’t want to get into discussions on which is better -\* Simpsons\* or _Family Guy_. Those are old debates, so whats the point. My question is this : Should the Simpsons stop and how? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/2 "2015-08-04T22:13:31Z")
I watched the show religiously for at least the first 10 years. My kids grew up with the show. I’m not one of those who claim it the quality has dropped off significantly, but for whatever reason, I rarely watch anymore. When I do, I find the show “acceptable.” It won’t break my heart when it ends. Should it stop? Doesn’t matter to me. Whatever Fox decides is fine. How? couch gag: They sit there for the whole show, at the end, Homer says, “I got nothing” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/3 "2015-08-04T22:25:34Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I watched the show religiously for at least the first 10 years. My kids grew up with the show. I’m not one of those who claim it the quality has dropped off significantly, but for whatever reason, I rarely watch anymore. When I do, I find the show “acceptable.” It won’t break my heart when it ends. > > Should it stop? Doesn’t matter to me. Whatever Fox decides is fine. > How? couch gag: They sit there for the whole show, at the end, Homer says, “I got nothing” _Ding, ding_ A winner. No one is getting the inside joke here: the more people bitch, the more they play right into Fox’s hands–any mention of the show continues its popularity. \ Troy McClure said it best: Yes, the Simpsons have come a long way since an old drunk made humans out of his rabbit characters to pay off his gambling debts. Who knows what adventures they’ll have between now and the time the show becomes unprofitable? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/4 "2015-08-04T22:29:52Z")
As the show itself noted in 1995 [QUOTE=Troy McClure] Who knows what adventures they’ll have between now and the time the show becomes unprofitable? [/Quote] ETA: How could I get ninja’d on a 20-year old reference??? ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/5 "2015-08-04T22:33:09Z")
I’d bet an impending cancellation would spur the writers to send the show out with a bang. The last season, whenever it came, might end up one of the best since the '90s. Sounds worth it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/6 "2015-08-04T22:35:18Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > ETA: How could I get ninja’d on a 20-year old reference??? [Nelson]HA-hah![/Nelson] I stand by what I said the last time this came up, in the thread [How much longer will The Simpsons last?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741002): > [@How much longer will The Simpsons last?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-will-the-simpsons-last/704824/15): > > I still try to catch every new episode that comes on …, and I usually enjoy them. Not as much as during the show’s “golden age,” but that’s partly because the quality isn’t as consistently high, either from week to week or within an episode, and partly because so many things have already been done and it’s lost its freshness and novelty. Balancing the latter, though, for me at least, is the familiarity and comfort of knowing that The Simpsons is still around, still putting out new episodes as they have been for pretty much my entire adult life, and as long as that remains so, the World I Knew will not have entirely disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/7 "2015-08-04T22:41:42Z")
I still catch it more often than not, and it still beats the hell out of the rest of Fox’s lineup. So, no. Keep it. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/8 "2015-08-04T23:05:08Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Troy McClure said it best: Yes, the Simpsons have come a long way since an old drunk made humans out of his rabbit characters to pay off his gambling debts. Who knows what adventures they’ll have between now and the time the show becomes unprofitable? Some of us are very big fans of [Life In Hell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_in_Hell), Groening’s terrific and sometimes sharply painful work prior to hitting the Big Time. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/9 "2015-08-04T23:14:22Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Some of us are very big fans of [Life In Hell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_in_Hell), Groening’s terrific and sometimes sharply painful work prior to hitting the Big Time. Count ME in. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/10 "2015-08-04T23:24:34Z")
Not what it used to be, but still the second best of Fox’s animation shows, after **Bob’s Burgers.** ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/11 "2015-08-04T23:30:44Z")
The last episode of _The Simpsons_ should have been “Behind the Laughter” (11:22). ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/12 "2015-08-04T23:56:21Z")
As long as people keep watching, what the hell? I used to love it, and did through the first 10 years. But yes, it seems the writers that did the stuff I liked went on to other things. So I won’t be tuning in. I did love the movie though! ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/13 "2015-08-05T00:20:22Z")
> [@Dante\_G](#): > > I personally think that the _Simpsons_ used to be a great show. I remember watching it when I was younger and it was like a great family experience. Nowadays though, I just feel that its just kind of there, ya know. Its as if Fox only keeps it on because its their baby. They’ve had it from the beginning and its all they have to show for themselves. > > Now I don’t want to get into discussions on which is better -\* Simpsons\* or _Family Guy_. Those are old debates, so whats the point. > > My question is this : Should the Simpsons stop and how? Very good OP. Either I or one of my kids could have written it. I remember huddling around the TV so we could read the chalk board during the intro. For the last 5-10 years it’s been so flat. No cutting humor, very little cleverness. By itself it’s dry as a bone. But add to it that Family Guy is kicking it’s ass in humor and cleverness and you have a long ago has been that can’t give up the ghost. In the FG/Simpsons episode it was easy to detect who wrote what by what was actually funny. I think people like me tune in to new Simpsons episodes in hopes to see something we know isn’t going to be there anymore. I can’t believe I’m talking about my beloved Simpsons that way. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/14 "2015-08-05T00:24:00Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > I’d bet an impending cancellation would spur the writers to send the show out with a bang. The last season, whenever it came, might end up one of the best since the '90s. Sounds worth it to me. Sounds good to me. I’d give up X more years of subpar Simpsons for one season (or most of one season) of great stuff again. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/15 "2015-08-05T00:58:14Z")
While it may not be as good as it was 15 years ago, it’s considerably better than it was 6-7 years ago, and I’ve continued to enjoy it over the years and been inclined to let them go for as long as they want. But the departure of Harry Shearer is a big concern for me. I used to think the loss of any of the Big 6 would be fatal for the show. We’ll see how true that is… ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/16 "2015-08-05T01:02:46Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > But the departure of Harry Shearer is a big concern for me. I used to think the loss of any of the Big 6 would be fatal for the show. We’ll see how true that is… Set your mind at ease. They worked out their differences a little while ago and he’ll be there for the fall season. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/17 "2015-08-05T01:03:04Z")
There was a blurb going around a few months ago that one of the Simpsons head honchos proposed that the final shot of the series be identical to the first shot of the first episode, closing it out as one giant closed loop. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/18 "2015-08-05T01:04:26Z")
Harry Shearer is coming back. I’m on my phone and can’t provide a cite, but that was confirmed in the media. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/19 "2015-08-05T01:30:56Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > While it may not be as good as it was 15 years ago, it’s considerably better than it was 6-7 years ago, and I’ve continued to enjoy it over the years and been inclined to let them go for as long as they want. I agree. Although I think the show has had its ups and downs, it’s been very solid lately. The celebrities-playing-themselves gimmick (which I hate) seems to have subsided. Reading this thread reminds me of when I hung out in the alt.tv.simpsons Usenet group. Every new episode was greeted with howls of “worst episode ever,” and there was a general sense that the series had run its course and should be cancelled before it deteriorated further. And this was back in the 90s, a period now considered the show’s “golden age.” ---
**Author:** ![ImperatorAugustus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/439d5e/32.png) [@ImperatorAugustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImperatorAugustus)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013/20 "2015-08-05T01:45:14Z")
The Simpsons and their decaying popularity shares some similarity with Seinfeld’s last years. Seinfeld [IMO] reached its peak in the sixth season and slowly deteriorated after that point. The only difference is that Larry David was wise enough to pull the plug on Seinfeld, something that should’ve have been done by Fox a long time ago. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-away-with-the-simpsons/727013.md?page=2)