I hate the Simpsons. I never watched it as a kid, which immediately puts me in a tiny minority of American twentysomethings, most of whom grew up with the show. I’ve seen maybe five episodes of it in my entire life. For the love of Christ, I just cannot dig this show. One reason is Marge’s voice. It’s so fucking grating! It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard! How can anyone sit through an entire episode of a show with a voice like this on it?! I also just can’t really get into any of the humor on it either. Am I alone in hating this show and not being able to appreciate it?
Is it just because the show is an acquired taste and I never watched it as a kid?
Nope. I pretended to like it a little when my husband and I were first married, some 13 years ago. I quickly dropped that charade, though. It grates on my nerves something fierce. He says it’s because I don’t find satire funny.
I don’t find the Simpsons funny, at any rate. You are not alone.
23 year old male; never seen an entire episode. For me, the fact that so many of my peers–particularly the dumber ones–quickly adopted phrases like, “D’Oh!” and began using them regularly turned me off. The show always seemed, to me, to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
Anyway, I’ve recently considered giving the show a try; maybe get some DVDs and start from the top. On the other hand, though, I’m a 23 year old American male who has never watched an episode of the Simpsons… that’s pretty incredible, and do I really want to throw away such an amazing achievement?
I love the Simpsons. FWIW, I was 30 years old when they showed up on the Tracy Ullman Show as filler material before the commercials and I’ve followed them since then. So watching them as a kid never had any part in it for me, as I was well into adulthood. I’m 51 and still love cartoons. Futurama. The Venture Brothers. Animated Batman. Looney Tunes. Marvel cartoons from the 90’s such as Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk. YMMV. I hate Family Guy and have not watched American Dad, so not all cartoons are for everyone.
If you are new to the Simpsons, its really easy to hate it now. Any discerning fan of it has long since dropped it… Theres at least a 50% chance that the show you see is utter crap…
However, if a discerning fan showed you one or two excellent episodes of the classic Simpsons period (Season 2-6), then you might see why some people still love it…
Here’s such a classic homer quote:
“Boy, when Marge first told me she was going to the Police Academy, I thought it would be fun and exciting, you know, like the movie… Spaceballs. But instead, it’s been painful and disturbing, like the movie Police Academy”
I always said that about the Simpsons before I saw an episode of it. I said “the fans of the show are the very people the show makes fun of! And they’re too stupid to realize it!”
Then I watched the show. It has some very genuinely funny moments in it — and they make fun of everything. No celebrity, no politician, no country, no sacred cow is… sacred.
Like any show that’s been on for 19 years — well, there aren’t many, but if there were — it has some shows that are complete clunkers. Those clunkers seem to get more frequent as the show drags on.
I own the first 10 seasons on DVD. I don’t plan to get any more; the quality of the humor is visibly dropping as they turned to more outlandish storylines which are less about satire and more about surrealism.
I think maybe the reason I never dug the Simpsons is that I personally find pop-culture-reference-humor to be one of the least funny kinds of humor that there is, and the Simpsons seems to be pretty heavily based on that. Even if it weren’t so, Marge’s voice would be enough to drive me bananas though.
FWIW, there has never been a bad episode of The Simpson’s, and there is always at least one gem of wit or wisdom that would give it preference over almost any other 30 minutes of entertainment. IMO.
You know…I actually watched it the other day and I was pretty disappointed. I liked it alot even 3 years ago but as the new seasons waned I stopped watching. Now I tune in and I can’t even bear to watch any of it. It just seems to childish and trite for my tastes.
Which is scary too because now I’m getting the feeling that I’m growing old.
I liked the Simpsons - at least the earlier episodes - but I can see why people wouldn’t. I hate it when people are all “You HAVE to love this show or you’re stupid” anyway. I hate Family Guy, and the other one - what is it? With the hick family. I can’t remember!
Ditto. I also hate it when people are all “you HAVE to hate this show or you’re stupid,” as some fans are about the newer shows- which can be hit and miss but aren’t all crap by any stretch. Being dismissive is not the same thing as having good taste.
I’m not sure what to say about the show beyond what’s been said here. Maybe you’ve seen some weak episodes or maybe it’s not your thing. Marge’s voice isn’t really supposed to be pleasant, but it’s a cartoon and lots of characters have weird voices. Who would want to sound like any of these people?
This, on the other hand, is pretty silly. There’s lowbrow humor for sure, but there are also plenty of subtle jokes and Citizen Kane parodies.
Sorry. I’m just indifferent to it. Don’t hate it or love it.
Some bits have been funny, some just dumb, it is not a show I seek out but if there is nothing else on I can watch par tof an eposode.
Pop culture humor certainly dates faster, but the funniest parts of the Simpsons have always (to me) been the wise and educated jokes, or the political jabs that don’t get old:
Example 1:
“Grandpa, didn’t you wonder why people were giving you checks for no reason?”
“I thought the Democrats were in power again!”
Example 2:
A banner hanging in the school during a writing contest: “Brevity is … wit”
There are very few TV shows I’ve ever made an effort to watch with any regularity. The Simpsons is one of those shows. The writing in Seasons 3 through about 8 is about as witty, intelligent, multi-layered, and tight as any comedy I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t say Simpsons humor is particularly heavy on the pop-culture, at least not in those seasons (unlike, say, Family Guy which is just a vehicle for non-sequitor pop culture jokes.)
It is also one of those shows that warrants repeats–something else I rarely do. Almost every time I watch a classic Simpsons episode, I catch something I had missed the first (or first few) time(s) around (in that sense, Arrested Development is similar. In fact a lot of things I like about AD I like about The Simpsons.)
As for the newer episodes, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a bust-gustingly funny Simpsons episode. Maybe around 2000, 2001 (whichever season it was that had them going to Japan had a few bright spots.) It tapered off for me in the last couple years, but the writing and humor seems a bit stronger this season than it has for a while. It’s not A-level Simpsons, but it’s not awful.
Best TV show ever made. That doesn’t mean everyone will like it or that every episode is good but it hits the high notes more consistantly than anyone else. And no show takes on the sacred cows as well and as humorously as the Simpsons - during primetime no less.
This does not apply to any episode with the name Conan O’Brian anywhere in the credits.
