Matt Groening's "The Simpsons" is one of the most influential TV shows to ever hit the airwaves. Without Springfield's dysfunctional yellow-skinned family, the adult cartoon comedy shows of today, such as "Family Guy", "South Park", "Rick and Morty", or "American Dad," would not exist.
"The Simpsons" satirized everything, from movies to other TV shows. The annual "Treehouse of Horror" was a canvas for the creators to go all out with creativity and do whatever they wanted before they really started doing whatever they wanted. But now, "The Simpsons" is a shell of what was once a groundbreaking series that has now become tainted with repetitive story lines, characters acting completely out of character, and just a bland sense of humor.
"The Simpsons" are a product of a time where cartoons made for adult viewers were rare. The 20th Century Fox primetime series was a fresh and new commodity when it premiered in the late 80s, but the novelty has long worn off. TV now has plenty of shows that push the envelope far more. Even some of the early writers that worked on "The Simpsons" who were instrumental in the comedy flow, such as late-night comedy host Conan O'Brien and director Brad Bird ("The Incredibles", "The Iron Giant"), have moved onto bigger things.
The show is almost like a parody of itself now. While in the first few seasons, the series lead Homer Simpson was an idiot but still had common sense and cared for his family. Now he is almost borderline brainless because that's the Homer people are now used to. There is occasionally a funny episode or two of the current episode run, but it's too far and between.
Series creator Matt Groening obviously has other ideas for shows he wants to explore with "Futurama," which has also built a cult following over the years, and Netflix's recent "Disenchantment". Groening owes his career to Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa, and Maggie, but he should also be able to move on as well. Times have changed, and instead of throwing in the towel, "The Simpsons" are forced to change as well.
The 2007 movie, video game, and the now beloved Universal Studios ride managed to reinvigorate some life back into the franchise and had even more classic "Simpsons" humor than the current seasons.
A mistake that the writers have started to make following the 90s "Simpsons Fever" era of the show is believing that every citizen of Springfield needs some kind of backstory... Bumblebee Man included. The focus has started to shift away from the titular family and onto the supporting characters who are all great and memorable (and profitable) but are not the name of the series.
It worked with Kwik E Mart owner Apu and Krusty the Clown in early seasons as they were already established as having personal connections with the family and weren't forced. But the show is called "The Simpsons", not Springfield and its celebrity guest cameos.
"The Simpsons" has also clung onto the gimmick of using celebrity guests to attract more viewers. Now it's sort of a rite of passage to be a voice on "The Simpsons" when, back in the show's heyday, it was a rare occurrence. For the season three premiere, "Stark Raving Dad", the late "King of Pop" himself Michael Jackson lent his voice as a mental patient with the voice and singing talents of the celebrity to make everyone like him. It would have been easy to just have Michael as himself on the show, but it was a celebrity guest role used to create a fun, creative story.
Like other cartoon classics, such as "Looney Tunes" and "Tom and Jerry", future generations of children and adults will know "The Simpsons." The Simpsons family are world icons at this point on the same level as Bugs Bunny, with or without a show on the air. Groening and the Fox executives are better off just running older episodes on syndication and reaping the benefits off of that.
The "Simpsons" brand will always remain, but the comedy and appeal of the show have long been abandoned.
