Criticisms of the declining quality of The Simpsons: Difference between revisions
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File:C-SimpFamily.png For many years, critics' reviews of new Simpsons episodes praised the show for its wit, realism, and intelligence.[1][2] In the late-1990s, the tone and emphasis of the show began to change. Some critics started calling the show "tired".[3] By 2000, some long-term fans had become disillusioned with the show and pointed to its shift from character-driven plots to what they perceived as an overemphasis on zany antics.[4][5] Author Douglas Coupland described these claims as "hogwash", saying "The Simpsons hasn't fumbled the ball in fourteen years, it's hardly likely to fumble it now."[6]
In 2003, to celebrate the show's 300th episode "Barting Over", USA Today published a pair of Simpsons related articles: a top-ten episodes list chosen by the webmaster of The Simpsons Archive fansite,[7] and a top-15 list by The Simpsons' own writers.[8] The most recent episode listed on the fan list was 1997's "Homer's Phobia"; the Simpsons' writers most recent choice was 2000's "Behind the Laughter". In 2004, Harry Shearer criticized what he perceived as the show's declining quality: "I rate the last three seasons as among the worst, so Season Four looks very good to me now."[9]
The Simpsons managed to maintain a large viewership and attract new fans. While the first season enjoyed an average of 13.4 million viewers per episode in the US,[10] the seventeenth season ended with an average of 9.2 million viewers.[11] In an April 2006 interview, Matt Groening said, "I honestly don't see any end in sight. I think it's possible that the show will become too financially cumbersome... but right now, the show is creatively, I think, as good or better than it's ever been. The animation is incredibly detailed and imaginative, and the stories do things that we haven't done before. So creatively there's no reason to quit."[12]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
toonterrificwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Remington, Bob (1990-10-26). "It's The Simpsons, Man". TV Times (Calgary Herald). p. 10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Suellentrop, Chris (2003-02-12). "Who turned America's best TV show into a cartoon?". Slate. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Weinman, Jaime J. (2000-01-24). "Worst Episode Ever". Salon.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Bonné, Jon (2000-09-02). "'The Simpsons' has lost its cool". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Turner, p. xiii
- ^ Paakkinen, Jouni (2003-02-06). "10 fan favorites". USA Today. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "15 writer favorites". USA Today. 2003-02-06. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Leggett, Chris (2004-08-04). "Harry Shearer". UK Teletext.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "TV Ratings: 1989–1990". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
- ^ Mahan, Colin (2006-05-26). "2006 Ratings Wrap-Up (continued)". TV.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Rabin, Nathan (2006-04-26). "Matt Groening interview with The A.V. Club (page 3)". A.V. Club. Retrieved 2006-10-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)