What would you do if you were show runner of the Simpsons?

RJS160

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What would you do if you were show runner of the Simpsons?

Please give honest responses.
 
An interesting topic if you actually want serious answers, I'm not much of an actual writer but I can think of a few things I guess:

*Only 1 Homer and Marge marriage crisis episode per season.(If that)
*Only 1 Christmas episode every 2 years.(If that)
*Guest stars are only allowed to voice actual new characters and not themselves. Nor lame pun versions of themselves.
*Homer should always stay at the plant and never have another new job unless the script is unbelievably hilarious.
*If the whole Nedna thing wasn't happening I probably would've tried to get Edna and Seymour back together for good but that's done with now...
*Go easy on the puns like mypod for ipod and what not...
*J. Stuart Burns would write at least 1 episode every season as he's the current most consistent writer, imo.

Those are just some basic thoughts off the top of my head though. Given more time and energy I guess I could think up some more stuff....
 
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i'd lay off the lame puns. if you want episodes i'd do, please visit my thread in Itchy and Scratchy Studious.

basically, i wouldn't have a lot of guest stars, i'd have more family-related episodes (i.e. not ones all about, or mostly about, homer), and whatnot. i'd make the show more centered on the family and focus less time on guest stars, secondary/recurring characters, and i wouldn't have most of the episodes be homer-centric (sure, he's a central part to the family, but he has more episodes then probably bart, marge, lisa and maggie do combined, i'd guess)
 
Okay... Here it goes.

*Less puns
*More character based episodes
*New writers
*More focus on other characters (even having entire episodes based on other characters.)
*A script has to be gold in order for it to be an episode (no more episodes which rely on sketchy premises)
*Less gags and more believable situations.
*Less guest stars.
*More status quo changing episodes.
*An actual end to the series.

That is all.
 
1) Less guest stars
2) No more "Homer gets a job doing..." episodes. Keep Homer working in the Power Plant.
3) Less "Homer becomes talented at doing..." episodes too.
4) Try a few fan scripts, with a dedication to the creator.
5) Less episodes with Gil, The Rich Texan and the Crazy Cat Lady. More episodes with funnier secondary characters like Snake.
6) Make Lisa less of a bitch cos these days she is.

I'll think of some more later. And I'm thinking of writing my own episode ideas soon for my new website :)
 
To be fair leprechaun_dan I think Gil has only appeared in very minor rolls in two or three episodes over the past 3 seasons or so, unless I'm forgetting something.
 
to everyone who has said 'more homer at the plant' plots: i wonder how many more jobs homer can do? he's done like almost everything imaginable. what, are they going to have him do variations of jobs he's already done?

oh, that's raspberry: i kinda wish they'd stop with marriage crisis episodes. they have so many of them already, and some are stupid (homer forgetting marge's eye color in the nineteenth season? right.). if they were more creative though i'd like more.

Bartist- instead of punching yourself, you could change the ending to something less stupid!
 
You'd be surprised with how many jobs a person can have Percy, to my knowledge he hasn't even been a pimp yet, something Hank Hill did years ago.:)

And yeah, about the marriage crisis episodes that's why I put if that in parentheses, the episode would have to be great to be acceptable to air.
 
Ban all meta-references and puns. If the show can't survive without either, it's dead.
 
Oh, that's raspberry, I just think that Gil is a very bland and uninteresting character and in a recent episode, 500 Keys, he tried committing suicide, even though Moe is the one who attempts suicide.
 
How bad is it that I don't even remember that in "500 Keys?" Was he the one Bart saved cause I actually liked that gag.

I actually don't mind Gil personally though.
 
You'd be surprised with how many jobs a person can have Percy, to my knowledge he hasn't even been a pimp yet, something Hank Hill did years ago.:)

that KOTH episode is a personal fave. of mine.

yea, true. there probably still are a lot of jobs he could do that could fill up a lot more episodes. but he's still done an obscene amount.
 
Two words:

"Hookers" and "blow."

And every day. Gotta jazz up the writer's room somehow.
 
fire the writers

find out whatever today's equivalent of "army man" is and hire new writers from it

tell the animators to go crazy and make the show lively and fun to look at again
 
If I were a show runner - I'd lay off the worst staff who written poor episodes in the past. Hire new and professional comedy writers - and probably put the show to an end, showing respect for the voice actors who are aging, and FINALLY giving them a break.
 
Start getting new writers
Help bring the show back to it's roots
Open up to new ideas
Work on correct characterization
Research the show's history to avoid repetitiveness
Undergo a series of edits so every last aspect of an episode is perfect
Never incorporate unnecessary music montages or celebrities to help drive a plot
No usage of lame puns or shabby filler in my show
End the series before I feel the creativity is suffering
Relax and be grateful when the years pass, for the quality contributions I produced
 
A lot of these suggestions sound so harsh. I don't think the writers are the problem, they all have the capability to write great episodes. It's the time and effort put in during re-writes. Even Mirkin has said in commentary that rewrites used to last until 2-3 in the morning, before adding "well, not anymore". So I'd just put in a lot of effort, in order to perfect pacing, characterisations, and quality/number of jokes, before quitting after two seasons. Even so, I'd make it clear that I wanted the tone of the show to change and emphasise the importance of characterisations and continuity (to a slightly lesser extent).

Some of the rules laid out by earlier posters sound restrictive and firing all the writers is just unnecessary. As a showrunner, I wouldn't want to be a strict, headmaster like figure, I'd try to give friendly advice and inspire the writers, but still work hard in order to achieve perfection. No one wants to work for someone they hate.
 
I'll get my own TV show! With blackjack, and hookers! In fact, forget the TV show and the blackjack!



Ah, screw the whole thing.
 
I'd probably stand on street corners shouting obscenities at traffic cops till i was arrested, or something like that.
progression of madness ->
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i would fire all the people who depend on this show to make a living, bring people of my own choosing and try to make it more "edgy" and "hip", make more references to underrated masterpieces such as "Back to the Future II" and "Back to the Future III"
 
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