Some of these older episodes…it’s just random stuff happening. Like the one with the horse, Duncan…its practically a random flow of conciousness. And the characters can be such smartasses now.
And MENSA…it had a few good moments. Well, the last one with Stephen Hawking punching out Homer. 
other than that though…flat. Like old cola. Maybe the Simpsons IS like old flat soda. I mean…perhaps it is time to call it an end?
But I watch the old episodes now, and they’re still funny. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think so. I mean, I’m fully capable of the synrome you describe–I can barely watch any old movie with Robin Williams now, considering how much I’ve grown to hate him. But whereas I find many of the old “Simpsons” episodes still gut-bustingly funny, the last 2 or 2-1/2 seasons just don’t do it for me.
Yeaaaahhh . . . that kind of plays into my complaint.
I disagree completely. Nearly all of the episodes in the first three or four seasons maintained that structure and were some of the funniest in the bunch.
But it didn’t used to be . . . the kickoff often was both the setup for the main plot as well as a subplot which was equally entertaining. The show has appeared to rely on increasingly “wacky” plots (the Spring Break/alligator episode was the absolute worst I have ever seen) and macabre humor, which IMO have been for the worst.
Those are nearly all Season 9, which I said actually had some real gems. The rat milk was from Season 10, and aside from the sci-fi convention, that was the only funny thing in the episode. The MENSA episode was so-so (except for “How many gazebos do those shemales need?”), but the play date was one of the best in a loooooong time, as was the NRA.
I also disagree with you about “King of the Hill.” It manages to be funny despite the formulaity; and Dale Gribble and Bill Dauterive are about as funny as any characters you’ll find anyway. (Last week’s “Hank, if you’re steering, who is taking off your shirt?” quip had me rolling.)
Oh yeah, more about “Futurama”: Not only was Nibbler rescued by the crew on Vergon 6, his species supposedly was responsible for excreting the dark matter (each pound of which weighs over 10,000 pounds) that the planet was famous for.
Re: King of the Hill: whatever happened to Luanne? Did I miss something?
Ah, little Nibbler. Your ways always astound and bedazzle us. 
I agree…a lot of these eps ** are ** weird things happening. In the old days, the beginning would be weird but it would start things off, get them rolling. Now its that- on a much greater and wackier scale. Sigh.
That’s * Ms.* Krabapple. Everybody knows she’s not married, for God’s sake!
OK, I’m just trying to recoup some credibility after getting Agnes’s name wrong…<embarrassed smilie>.
Honey I think she is married. I remember one episode in which she was bitter because her husband left her. Or was that Ms. Hoover…and the kids all call her Mrs. Krabbapel, don’t they? I’ll check snpp. It’s okay. I feel bad too. I should have caught your error, but I didn’t. Damnit, Agnes, Agnes, Agnes!
I had to resurrect this thread to say that the Comic Book Store guy dressed up like the Flash made me laugh out loud for 5 minutes.
Oh, and I got the Join the Navy message the first time they flashed it on the screen.
Yvan Eht Nioj!!
This week’s King of the Hill was the best episode I’ve ever seen. Snoop just brought it home!
I was all prepared to say N’Sync N’Sucked, but I actually thought it was a pretty funny episode.
I half-agree with the criticism that it is not as funny as it used to be. I just seem to recall a lot of episodes I thought were bad when I first sayw them are now among my favorites. The one that comes to my mind is “Bart vs. Australia”, I hated it the first time but love it everytime I see it now.
I missed it. 
Are you saying Snoop Dogg was in it? If so, then I really wish I had seen it.
I’ve been singing “Yvan eht nioj” all day. A catchy tune, that was!
The Simpsons was especially good last night. And I, too, thought it was gonna suck because of N’Sync–but it didn’t. I loved what the voice synthesizer thingie did to Ralph’s voice!
King of the Hill was good, but Fututrama was on the lame side. Oh well. Love Malcolm, as usual. “I’m…one…procedure…away…from…a…Range…Rover”
I agree wholeheartedly with Phil once again (what is the world coming to?), particularly with regard to the Spring Break/alligator episode of The Simpsons. That has to be once of the most poorly written, poorly plotted, poorly conceived episodes of any once-great television series that I’ve ever seen. (With the exception, of course, of most of the Falsone/Ballard/Gharty arcs in Homicide.) At least the elf jockey episode, while bizarre, at least did a reasonable job of poking fun at itself.
Not only did King of the Hill guest star Snoop, but he was a pimp! …And his name was Alabaster something-or-other! It was a riot!