dubby wrote:Sheesh, some of you guys need to lighten up.
It's an animated comedy, a classic show that has spanned over 20 years. Its a record never to be reached again. The success is based on its ability to reflect our western society and mock it.
To get upset because they didn't make Ling a central figure is immature.
Enjoy it for what it is; the most quotable and recognised comedy on the planet.
Only Sterlk needs to lighten up.
I think the show sucks now for reasons that have nothing to do with Ling's character development.
I disagree the show "sucks" (I reserve that statement for shows like That 70s Show or Frasier) but it has failed to reach the heights it did in its first ten years.
Still a quality program that is far better than any other comedy/sit com on TV.
I lament the decline in things like Homer saying "mmmm *insert thing here* or Principal Skinners flashbacks to 'Nam.
The spiral of silence refers to the idea that when people fail to speak, the price of speaking rises. As the price to speak rises, still fewer speak out, which further causes the price to rise, so that fewer people yet will speak out, until a whole culture or nation is silenced. This is what happened in Germany.
If you do not speak, you are not being neutral, but are contributing to the success of the thing you refuse to name and condemn.
I completely disagree with that Dubby - the tragedy is that the Simpsons has gone from being the greatest show ever, to being absolutely sub-par. There are numerous shows that are much funnier and better-written than the Simpsons now - it's been cringe-worthy for the best part of fifteen years.
The one common thread that unites just about every great TV show is that it ended at the right time and left the audience wanting more - would something like Fawlty Towers be as timelessly funny if it had run for eight seasons instead of twelve episodes? Every single person who is a Simpsons fan from the old days thinks that the last ten seasons have been rubbish, and yet the producers still don't have to decency to kill it off.
Last edited by Michael on July 4, 2011, 11:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
rodman is right imo, the writting took a serious nose dive... i dont have issues with things like Selma's kid or continious storylines, or even worthless charactor development like Arman Tamzarian
i just think the writting started going south and it wasnt as funny anymore... the new eps that ive seen, i dont watch it much anymore, might deliver one good laugh an ep. Might.
At its peak, you couldnt go 5 minutes without laughing aloud... even when i watch old eps ive seen 1000 times, i still laugh more than a new ep... put simply, the show was funnier back then beacuse the writing was better
Shopkeeper: [Homer has agreed to purchase a Krusty doll for Bart's birthday] Take this object, but beware it carries a terrible curse!
Homer: Ooh, that's bad.
Shopkeeper: But it comes with a free frogurt!
Homer: That's good.
Shopkeeper: The frogurt is also cursed.
Homer: That's bad.
Shopkeeper: But you get your choice of toppings.
Homer: That's good!
Shopkeeper: The toppings contain potassium benzoate.
[Homer looks puzzled]
Shopkeeper: ...That's bad.
Homer: Can I go now?
It's been going for 22 years people, the fact that it still has some entertainment value is nothing short of amazing. However today's episodes have nothing on the early classics (exclude season 1 and 2).
Contrast this with South Park which has seemingly gotten better with age.
Michael wrote:The one common thread that unites just about every great TV show is that it ended at the right time and left the audience wanting more - would something like Fawlty Towers be as timelessly funny if it had run for eight seasons instead of twelve episodes?
Of all the shows that ended on a high and left the fans wanting more, how many of them were actually American? The poms have a history of shows ending after only a few seasons - The Office, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers etc - but the US are all about syndication until the end of time - Friends, Frasier, Two And A Half Men etc.
How many US shows ended after only 20-30 episodes (essentially one season) like that?
Michael wrote:The one common thread that unites just about every great TV show is that it ended at the right time and left the audience wanting more - would something like Fawlty Towers be as timelessly funny if it had run for eight seasons instead of twelve episodes?
Of all the shows that ended on a high and left the fans wanting more, how many of them were actually American? The poms have a history of shows ending after only a few seasons - The Office, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers etc - but the US are all about syndication until the end of time - Friends, Frasier, Two And A Half Men etc.
How many US shows ended after only 20-30 episodes (essentially one season) like that?
That's My Bush springs to mind - though it definitely ended at the right time.
And you left The Young Ones and the Alan Partridge shows off of your list of short-lived but classic Brit-coms.
Michael wrote:I completely disagree with that Dubby - the tragedy is that the Simpsons has gone from being the greatest show ever, to being absolutely sub-par. There are numerous shows that are much funnier and better-written than the Simpsons now - it's been cringe-worthy for the best part of fifteen years.
The one common thread that unites just about every great TV show is that it ended at the right time and left the audience wanting more - would something like Fawlty Towers be as timelessly funny if it had run for eight seasons instead of twelve episodes? Every single person who is a Simpsons fan from the old days thinks that the last ten seasons have been rubbish, and yet the producers still don't have to decency to kill it off.
See I disagree.
I think you lads may be romanticising the older shows because of the emotional attachment based on your youth. The newer shows are still funny, still have laugh out loud moments and are still well written. Maybe its not so funny anymore because you have outgrown the show?
If I can make one statement, the show has become mildly PC. This has taken a huge shot at the credibility of The Simpsons who were funny because they could cleanly make fun of people, PC or not. Unlike Family Guy or American Dad which is crude and purley aimed at teen boys.
The spiral of silence refers to the idea that when people fail to speak, the price of speaking rises. As the price to speak rises, still fewer speak out, which further causes the price to rise, so that fewer people yet will speak out, until a whole culture or nation is silenced. This is what happened in Germany.
If you do not speak, you are not being neutral, but are contributing to the success of the thing you refuse to name and condemn.
I disagree the show "sucks" (I reserve that statement for shows like That 70s Show or Frasier) but it has failed to reach the heights it did in its first ten years.
Still a quality program that is far better than any other comedy/sit com on TV.
I lament the decline in things like Homer saying "mmmm *insert thing here* or Principal Skinners flashbacks to 'Nam.
I disagree the show "sucks" (I reserve that statement for shows like That 70s Show or Frasier) but it has failed to reach the heights it did in its first ten years.
Still a quality program that is far better than any other comedy/sit com on TV.
I lament the decline in things like Homer saying "mmmm *insert thing here* or Principal Skinners flashbacks to 'Nam.
Michael wrote:I completely disagree with that Dubby - the tragedy is that the Simpsons has gone from being the greatest show ever, to being absolutely sub-par. There are numerous shows that are much funnier and better-written than the Simpsons now - it's been cringe-worthy for the best part of fifteen years.
The one common thread that unites just about every great TV show is that it ended at the right time and left the audience wanting more - would something like Fawlty Towers be as timelessly funny if it had run for eight seasons instead of twelve episodes? Every single person who is a Simpsons fan from the old days thinks that the last ten seasons have been rubbish, and yet the producers still don't have to decency to kill it off.
See I disagree.
I think you lads may be romanticising the older shows because of the emotional attachment based on your youth. The newer shows are still funny, still have laugh out loud moments and are still well written. Maybe its not so funny anymore because you have outgrown the show?
If I can make one statement, the show has become mildly PC. This has taken a huge shot at the credibility of The Simpsons who were funny because they could cleanly make fun of people, PC or not. Unlike Family Guy or American Dad which is crude and purley aimed at teen boys.
Lol? Family Guy is 500 million times more intelligent, witty and hilarious than the Simpsons has been for over a decade.
I was a massive Simpsons fan, but it's just...naff these days.
Family Guy is a blatant rip off of the Simpsons but with prepubescent crude humour added.
The spiral of silence refers to the idea that when people fail to speak, the price of speaking rises. As the price to speak rises, still fewer speak out, which further causes the price to rise, so that fewer people yet will speak out, until a whole culture or nation is silenced. This is what happened in Germany.
If you do not speak, you are not being neutral, but are contributing to the success of the thing you refuse to name and condemn.
Futurama is still pretty good, I attribute that to the setting... they can be more absurdist, they don't have to be too grounded in reality to keep the show at high quality.
Then there's also the fact that they're not creeping up on 500 episodes.
dubby wrote:Family Guy is a blatant rip off of the Simpsons but with prepubescent crude humour added.
I've gone off Family Guy a bit the last few years, but it certainly has a lot of social commentary that I think has been absent from (or at least, poorly executed by) The Simpsons for many years.
It's certainly crude and occasionally puerile, but it's also very smart. I just don't respect the format of the show and its self-indulgence.
Last edited by Rodman on July 4, 2011, 2:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I've been recording the episodes on channel 11.. Of the 10 or 20 that I've watched, all of which seemed fairly recent - which by Simpsons standards is within the past 15 ish years, but all of them were actually pretty funny. I guess Eleven are hand picking the episodes, because the show definitely took a nose dive some time ago..
dubby wrote:Family Guy is a blatant rip off of the Simpsons but with prepubescent crude humour added.
I've gone off Family Guy a bit the last few years, but it certainly has a lot of social commentary that I think has been absent from (or at least, poorly executed by) The Simpsons for many years.
It's certainly crude and occasionally puerile, but it's also very smart. I just don't respect the format of the and its self-indulgence.
That's what I'm trying to say.
Rodman = a smarter dubby.
As for Frasier, I used to enjoy it (Mrs Dubby loves it) but I grew tired of it real quick. Same with Everyone Loves Raymond.
The spiral of silence refers to the idea that when people fail to speak, the price of speaking rises. As the price to speak rises, still fewer speak out, which further causes the price to rise, so that fewer people yet will speak out, until a whole culture or nation is silenced. This is what happened in Germany.
If you do not speak, you are not being neutral, but are contributing to the success of the thing you refuse to name and condemn.
I love Family Guy
I know its crude and puerile, and i know most of the time it is that way for simply the sake of it
but it consistantly makes me laugh. Great show imo.
How I Met Your Mother is the best "big name" tv show doing the rounds at the moment
Im a big fan of Californication too.
Simpsons is the stuff of legend. It will be talked about for years, just like The Flintstones. Family Guy will always have its cult following but it merely added swears and sexual references to stories the Simpsons have already done.
The spiral of silence refers to the idea that when people fail to speak, the price of speaking rises. As the price to speak rises, still fewer speak out, which further causes the price to rise, so that fewer people yet will speak out, until a whole culture or nation is silenced. This is what happened in Germany.
If you do not speak, you are not being neutral, but are contributing to the success of the thing you refuse to name and condemn.
Grampa: That doll is evil I tells ya! Evil! EVIIIIIIIIL!
Marge: Grampa you've said that about all the toys.
Grampa: I just want attention.
The spiral of silence refers to the idea that when people fail to speak, the price of speaking rises. As the price to speak rises, still fewer speak out, which further causes the price to rise, so that fewer people yet will speak out, until a whole culture or nation is silenced. This is what happened in Germany.
If you do not speak, you are not being neutral, but are contributing to the success of the thing you refuse to name and condemn.
Grandpa is a classic. I love his stories that go nowhere:
"We can't bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell 'em stories that don't go anywhere - like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. “Give me five bees for a quarter,” you'd say.
Now where were we? Oh yeah: the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones..."
I love the "Old man yells at cloud" newspaper clipping.
then Grampa continues to yell and argue with the cloud later on:
Grampa: HA ha ha, whose laughing at who now? Oh shut up!
The spiral of silence refers to the idea that when people fail to speak, the price of speaking rises. As the price to speak rises, still fewer speak out, which further causes the price to rise, so that fewer people yet will speak out, until a whole culture or nation is silenced. This is what happened in Germany.
If you do not speak, you are not being neutral, but are contributing to the success of the thing you refuse to name and condemn.