Most times The Simpsons come up on these boards, a whole bunch of people are sure to say something along the lines of-
“Hey hey, that’s a good one, Mr. Groening”, or
“Yeah, Matt’s not writing like he used to”, etc.
Is this just convenient shorthand, or what? Anybody who’s done so please weigh in.
jb
Considering the fact that I do believe Matt Groening created the Simpsons and various other thing. I have The Big Book of Hell and think it’s hilarious, even my biology teacher loves it. It only stands to reason doesn’t it? You never use Shakespeare’s full name so why use Groening’s full name?
Kitty
no, no. Dammit it’s hard to be unambiguous!
What I meant is that Matt Groening has little or nothing to do with the construction of a given line or plot point. What I’m wondering is, is this simply shorthand to refer to unknown or forgotten writers, or a belabored misconception.
I guess this normally would be pit material, but it doesn’t piss me off or annoy me or anything. Just came to my attention, and was wondering.
jb
Matt Groening still has a strong hands-on presence on the scripts. He contributes jokes and storylines as much as anyone, and being the creator of all the characters originally, I say he has the right to be the single recognisable name attributed to it. Especially since other writers may have a reasonable turnover rate.
I wish we knew who turned Groeings drivel into a real cartoon. His Abba and Dhabba characters in fezes are so lame it can’t be the same guy.
guanolad -
Are you sure Groening is still that involved with the
Simpsons? I thought Futurama took a whole lot of his
time recently.
I know one ep he wrote - I think it’s the only one he
wrote - was the one about Lurleen, the country singer
Homer discovered.
It was my understanding (given to me from a newsgroup) that Matt Groening’s duries with the Simpsons is pretty much that of “creative consultant” these days. In other words, he gives some input but is no longer directly involved with the show. I believe, but don’t quote me, that he has also already handed over Futurama to other hands although he remains more active in that than he does with the Simpsons.