Why do People hate on The Simpsons so much?

Let's not romanticize the show's earlier "sell-out" days. (Says the guy with a username named after the Bart rap song.

Whether people want to admit it, the show's first two seasons was a fad and Brooks and Groening knew they had to capitalize on before the show could possibly tank. If the show didn't have the established brand name it's built up over the years, I doubt people would be rushing out to buy Simpsons' merchandise if S22 was the first exposure to the show.

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Someone once said (here or on another board) Groening is now the George Lucas of TV, because of the crazy level of merchandising and people like what he did a long time ago (Original trilogy) compared to the new stuff.
 
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Well, as with George Lucas, there's a lot of lame excuse-making for the early marketing excess, and a lot of complaining about the later stuff, and allegation that it affects the actual material even when that might not be so. And then there's those that have simply come to terms with the fact that their hero(es) was always kind of a sellout and made peace with it.

Bill Watterson gets brought up a lot in comparison to these guys, but the fact remains that he's just about the only example of his breed.
 
I happen to love the new episodes maybe even more than the old ones. I can honestly say that season 1 and 2 are by far the worst. When is the last time you watched a new episode? I think that this seasons episodes have been amazing. Can you honestly expect a show in its 23rd season to remain exactly the same as when it first started? No, and especially with all of the different writers that have worked for the show over the years. I think people just need to face the facts. While the show maybe different I have seen no drop in the quality of the episodes. Sure every season has it share of bad episodes, but I don't think the show is to blame. I think most of the die hard fans are just giving into nostalgia and are incapable of change.
 
Then what exactly makes seasons 1-8 so damn good? Not to say I don't like them, but I just don't see why those seasons are put on some kind of a pedestal?
 
I think season 20 was the best since season 9 and the show has been wonderful ever since.
 
Best quote came in season 17.

I think the best quote of all time came in season 17 episode 11 We're On The Road To D'ohwhere.

Marge (answering machine): Homer I hope you get this, I'm in jail and I need $10,000 bail. Hurry!
Homer (answering machine): Ehh Marge, me and Bart got in a fight with this really uncool pit boss, and now we're in a Nevada state prison. Also I don't know where Bart is. If you see him say hey.
Lisa: Well Maggie, I always knew it would someday boil down to just you and me; I'll look for work in the morning.

To me that quote was genius and overall that show was one of the best. You'll probably give me some snide remark saying how this quote sucks and some other quote is better, but I think it shows how they've been able to maintain a high level of quality over the years.
 
The age of the show has nothing to do with it. The current writers are either lazy, incompetent or both.
 
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The show has more flaws, idiosyncrasies, and gaping holes in its execution than ever before.
 
I think the best quote of all time came in season 17 episode 11 We're On The Road To D'ohwhere.

Marge (answering machine): Homer I hope you get this, I'm in jail and I need $10,000 bail. Hurry!
Homer (answering machine): Ehh Marge, me and Bart got in a fight with this really uncool pit boss, and now we're in a Nevada state prison. Also I don't know where Bart is. If you see him say hey.
Lisa: Well Maggie, I always knew it would someday boil down to just you and me; I'll look for work in the morning.

To me that quote was genius and overall that show was one of the best. You'll probably give me some snide remark saying how this quote sucks and some other quote is better, but I think it shows how they've been able to maintain a high level of quality over the years.

That episode made no sense. Why did Homer take Bart to the boot camp or whatever it was, when he wanted to go to vegas? Nobody was forcing him. Like, I can see it working as a really good episode, but there's so many flaws and horrible jokes... do people just ignore them, or what?
 
Then what exactly makes seasons 1-8 so damn good? Not to say I don't like them, but I just don't see why those seasons are put on some kind of a pedestal?

It was a show meant for an adult fanbase that GOT the references and witty humor. It wasn't about Homer screaming in pain and the other members of the family doing random, stupid "funny" shit nearly ever episode.

So, if you're are like under the age 16 and think the past 8 seasons are the best the Simpsons has to offer because it's the most like Family Guy, then you're a fucking idiot.
 
Oh yeah. Try to find a flaw (character continuity, a joke that breaks the basic rules of comedy, bad writing in general - something substantial) in a classic episode. I will find five more from a recent one. There is no possibly way you can justify that the new episodes are better.
 
the simpsons sucks, family guy is where it's at

That's sacrilege. Family Guy is just a retread of where The Simpsons was 20 years ago, with cruder humor and more homosexuality references. And worse, because the Family Guy/American Dad writers have no sense of comic timing. The take a joke that was funny for 10 seconds and drag it out for 2 minutes (a la SNL). I just don't think they compare. Now, if you wanted to talk South Park, at least that show is trying to do a different thing. It's got some originality to it. But Family Guy and American Dad are "plaigarismo" and "plaigarismo de plaigarismo", respectively.
 
The Simpsons are great show and I still enjoy it but I do believe there are occasions when it could be better. If they are running low on ideas they could always retreat to earlier episodes. Back in the day that was what they use to do when they were looking for new story plots was go back and see what interesting ideas they could get from them. They could do that again, if they really wanted to.
 
I haven't really read the thread properly, just skipped to page 5 and died laughing at Le Jake and bort, so I have no idea if this has been said before. But the reason the Simpsons is hated on so much is the fact that the show just reeks of sloppy writing, and the staff simply don't care anymore. Another episode, another paycheck, another poor joke before they get back to their lives. Characters are pale shadows of their former selves, with their long established personality traits being completely disbanded in order to accommodate another cheap joke, and emotional story lines are completely a thing of the past. I haven't really been moved at all by a show since Lisa the Simpson. The showrunners of the Classic Era genuinely cared about the show, its direction, about the comment that the show made on our society. Listen to the audio commentaries,you will still hear Oakley and Weinstein debate about things they did, and that is why they will always be the best showrunners in my eyes. Simply, they loved the show, and it showed, and the jokes were funnier. You just don't see that anymore, and it's not so much hate inspiring as disappointing, the wasted potential.
 
With the exception of a few episodes, Seasons 11-19 are almost unwatchable... I think I can count on my hand the episodes I enjoyed "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner" '"The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" "HOMR" "The Blunder Years" "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" "The Dad Who Knew Too Little" "Three Gays of the Condo" "The Heartbroke Kid" (which is my favorite form this crappy era) "Love, Springfieldian Style" "The Debarted" "Dial 'N' for Nerder"... that's not even enough to fill an entire season. But I'm telling you guys season 20 was awesome... I loved almost every episode and I think any true Simpsons fan would at least enjoy them if you gave them a chance.
 
I liked parts of 20 (lost verizon and no loan again, naturally aren't bad) and there were glimmers of hope that the show might improve, but then they completely dissipated. it also features some of the worst episodes of all time (double double boy in trouble, mypods and boomsticks, the burns and the bees)
 
The twentieth season had some colossal disappointments, but on the whole I thought it was pretty consistantly watchable. There was only a few times where I felt the series crossed the line into "good" territory, though.

Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe was tops, though. Genuinely good episode right there.
 
Will never understand why everybody likes that. Might try to make a case against it soon, unless DHS already has.

Edit: Wait, I already did and nobody agreed. Forget it. :oops:
 
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