When did the Simpsons go stale and sour?

[Deja Q]

Once in a while, they still have a great episode.

But the show used to make nothing but great episodes. Season 3 really started the trend...

But since season 9, Lisa gets less and less liberal/intelligent and more of yet-another-foil-for-Homer. Every plot gets increasingly outrageous. Marge has lost her common sense quite often too... And Homer's idiocy seems to parallel mainstream America in an aggrandizing and aggravating way.

The 4 years of Futurama, even the comparatively lacklustre 3rd season, is infinitely better.

What say you?

[vi5]

1. This is the first year in the entire series....

Where I can honestly say the bad episodes outnumber the good ones. I don't think it has anything to do with liberal or not liberal. They are just recycling too many themes/jokes/ideas.

[lojasmo]

3. Wha?!?! Heresy

shame!

[kixot]

2. Dude!

Simpsons has, like, well over a hundred episodes. It simply not possible that they'll all be golden. That said, I think Simpsons has gotten edgier and funnier in its wit and satire as the years have gone by.

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. Actually it has over 300 episodes

eom

[DenverDem]

5. Still a true believer!!

The Gospel According to the Simpsons.
<http://www.markpinsky.com/>
Check it out.

[Plaid Adder]

6. I haven't watched it in at least 3 years.

It was brilliant in the first couple seasons. Then it became merely much better than anything else on TV. And then, the decline.

I blame whoever it was who came up wtih the idea of building shows around celebrity guest stars. That, and Matt Groening getting more involved in *Futurama.*

*The Simpsons* features in my crackpot theory about why good TV shows go bad:

http://www.plaidder.com/crackpot.htm

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[solinvictus]

7. Jumped the shark

The Simpsons jumped the shark with the "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" season finale of 1995. I honestly enjoyed the show during the first 3-4 years when they were a blue collar family with some realistic problems thrown in. All of these "Simpsons Travel the World" episodes, coupled with Homer's various career changes, are just a symptom of lazy writers.

[JaySherman]

8. When the focus of every show...

Became sight gags, Homer's lowest common denominator antics, and the totally overkilled guest stars (Do we really need one every episode?). The last really good season, imo was around '98, but the show has gotten progressively worse since. It's lost the overall intelligence in the humor. I think FOX's marketing people got their claws on it, and I wonder how much of a hand Groening even has in the show anymore.

[mvd]

9. I still think it's very funny

With more great shows than given credit for. That recent historical Simpsons matched the classics.

[cheezus]

10. too convoluted of a plot / bad episodes still worth watching for the funny

Quite a while ago the Simpsons has shifted to this formula:
Odd situation leads to another odd situation leads to the plot which is crappily or not at all wrapped up.

BUT

The show is still damn funny. That's the thing about all Simpsons repeats: even when I know it's a bad episode, I watch it anyway because there are enough funny parts to make it worthwhile.