Why do People hate on The Simpsons so much?

Zachmo182

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I think its sad to see most people expect way to much from this show. Its been on for 21 years man give it a break. We all know its not as good as it was back in the day. You don't have to keep saying it.
Like for example this is how i look at it. You have two pizza places right. Ones Little Caesars and the other is some high end one that sells really good pizza for 12 bucks. You can go to Little Caesars and get it for 5 bucks you know its not as good as the other place. But you don't think of it like that. Its like hey i just paid 5 bucks for a pizza that taste ok and is going to fill me up for the night.
Haha i know it may be a weird way to put it. If you think of the show for what it is today and don't think of its golden days you can still get a lot of laughs out of it.

Basically i think there are four types of Simpsons people One is The Golden days people, Second is people just hating on it cause its the cool thing to do. Third is how i look at it. Fourth is Family Guy fanboys just hating on it cause they feel like they have to defend Family Guy.
 
1. Mostly here that applies
2. Not really
3. That's a good way to look at it
4. Yep, that's true

I don't think people here really hate on it, they just don't really, honestly, enjoy the new episodes. I am one of the few members here who thinks the show is as good as ever.
 
I grew up on this show its part of my life. I've been watching it since i was 5 i'm now 19.
 
I'm a relatively new fan. I've been watching since 2006. It may seem like a long time, but it's not, considering people like you who grew up with the show. This is probably why I enjoy the new episodes.
 
the fact that it's been on so long doesn't excuse quality, which several people (including me), think is weak. granted, i don't 'hate' the show as much as others here. i don't think anyone really hates it (well anyone that posts in the Simpsons forums here). it's just they dislike episodes, sometimes a lot per season. and with as many episodes as this show has, it's damn near impossible to not dislike/hate at least a few imo. and when people do dislike episodes they usually have good reasons why; they don't just dislike it to dislike it.
 
So you're comparing The Simpsons' value to cheap crappy pizza?

I don't really get your analogy very much because all the TV shows "cost" the same. I takes me a half hour to watch an episode of Community. It takes me a half hour to watch an episode of The Simpsons. I enjoy Community much more. How does that make Community the expensive pizza place? Because that show requires me to think when I'm watching it?

Honestly, I think what angers people is the fact that they know the show can do much better (since it already has), but continues to be a run-of-the-mill average TV show. It's that former straight-A student who can now barely pull a C-average. But the show continues to market itself as being "special" because of its long run, but they're still essentially just like every other show on TV these days. Who cares about your heritage? Stop jerking yourself off and write something new.
 
It's not "hate", it's disappointment. As Jims said, the staff IS capable of making the show good, but they seem to just coast along on the good name of the show and expect everyone to just love the show on default. And the show's been on for "X" amount of years defense means nothing. I'm sorry, but the current Simpsons being mediocre to terrible cannot be excused at all, especially because of age. How would you feel if a doctor accidentally used a dirty needle and gave you a serious disease? If he couldn't save your child from dying? Would you forgive him if he said "well I've been a doctor for 30 years, so give me a break"?
 
How would you feel if a doctor accidentally used a dirty needle and gave you a serious disease? If he couldn't save your child from dying? Would you forgive him if he said "well I've been a doctor for 30 years, so give me a break"?

OK, this analogy might be taking things a bit too far. ;)
 
The way that I see it is that the Simpsons was once a nice Pizza from Grimaldi's in Brooklyn. It arrives hot and then you put some garlic, salt, oregano, and red pepper on it. You spend a beautiful afternoon, say 8 minutes, eating you slice. The food goes down to meet your stomach acid. At that point it then enters the intestines until it hits you colon around 19 minutes. At that point it mixes with enough bile, that it is rushed by your body downwards. It then shoots out of your ass 22 minutes after you ate it in a fucking mess of sludge. It is then up to you to flush the toilet or scoop it up to eat once again to make sure you didn't miss any nutrients (a lot of people wouldn't pick the latter option unless you are Chinese in 1959 trying to survive Mao's Great Leap Forward).
 
As already covered, we know the staff is capable of making the show good; but ever since the Scully-era, they seem to just be phoning it in and using the excuse of age and the number of Emmys they've won as an excuse for the quality. That's all Al Jean seemingly talks about nowadays. How the show has won this many Emmys and we have this guest star on this episode, so that must make it a great episode. Well, I cannot blame Scully too much, but regardless of why, that is where the quality took a nosedive. Sadly, during the Scully era is when I started to watch the show. Even back then when season two came out on DVD and I checked it out from the library and watched it, even then I could tell a huge difference in quality.

It's not that I hate the Simpsons, I just dislike what they have become. For the past few years, the show has seemingly become a vehicle for Fox and pop-culture. I mean, the stupid intro to "To Surveil With Love" should be a dead giveaway of that fact. Not to mention the American Idol-centric episodes, what garbage. The show overall just become lazy.
 
the simpsons is like a friend who's been slowly dying from cancer for twelve long years. you don't hate the guy. you just wish he'd get better or go quickly to end the suffering.
 
The argument that a show should be given a break for a decline or quality or general staleness simply because it's old has never really sat well with me (this doesn't just apply to The Simpsons). It's one thing to be okay with a show sort of coasting for a season or two at the end while it wraps things up, but if a show is seriously stale and not up to its old standards or to the standards of other shows, isn't that generally a sign that the show should...um, I dunno....end?

It's for good reason that most television shows do not last 20 years.
 
I honestly wish the show would simple go back to focusing more on the characters rather then sensational plot points. It could be easily argued that they would very quickly retread old ground, but I for one would rather they do that (with maybe different writers perspectives) then see them continue to do gimmicky plot lines. I think most people would agree that they care more about the family (and by "family" Im referring to the greater township as a whole) and how they interact with each other rather then what is happening to them externally. I know that this is very much true for me at lest.
 
I know this is the most tired argument/discussion in the world but I'm new here so I'll weigh in.

For me, it's because the show isn't clever anymore. It happened gradually around seasons 10-13--there were problems in seasons 8-9 too with characterization and writing, but the show was still genuinely clever. It's not anymore. It's not subversive. It doesn't give you the satisfaction of truly understanding a joke, beyond just laughing at it. It's a little less funny, too, sure, but it can still make me laugh. I just wish I got more out of watching it.

One of my favorite comedy shows of all time was Frasier because it was so mindbogglingly clever. It wasn't just a show about smart people, it was a smart show about smart people that managed to satirize those people and itself at the same time. The writing and acting were amazing, and on top of that, although I know it's unfair to compare it to a cartoon, there was always emotion and characterization involved in watching the show. It wasn't just a dump truck of jokes.

I don't "hate" the show or get as impassioned as a lot of people do over its "decline," but it feels tremendously empty these days. Nothing draws you into the world or the character's hearts anymore. Maybe it's just not possible to do 20 years of characters who don't age, maybe it is, but either way, the well is dry right now.

It's sad in a way, but on the other hand I'm much more in the "it's still better than most shit on TV" camp than the "axe this insult to the golden years" one. I think it's easy for us "old" Simpsons fans to take it for granted, even though it isn't what it used to be.
 
Family Guy and its ilk still get faaaaaar more flack than this show from, say, angry parents.
 
Maybe for some of us it`s just so disheartening to see a show that was once so great fall so far. I`m not so particular in watching the Simpsons that it would have to match how it was in the first eight seasons, but at this point the way the show currently is going it`s simply not enjoyable on its own terms. Comedy in particular seems to have deteriorated so far that I feel lucky when I can laugh at more than one thing in an episode. That`s not to say it never rises above terrible, but shoot me if I expect it to be genuinely entertaining more than occasionally.
 
One of my favorite comedy shows of all time was Frasier because it was so mindbogglingly clever. It wasn't just a show about smart people, it was a smart show about smart people that managed to satirize those people and itself at the same time. The writing and acting were amazing, and on top of that, although I know it's unfair to compare it to a cartoon, there was always emotion and characterization involved in watching the show. It wasn't just a dump truck of jokes.

Yay another Frasier fan ^_^

As far as I've seen, the only part of the board where there's so-called "hate" is in the Rate&Review section, and it's not so much hate as it is frustration of eagerly anticipating each episode only to be disappointed every time. If everyone here hated the show, they wouldn't even take the time to write a review and complain on what's lacking or what wasn't funny.

I also agree that their seniority of being on TV for 20 years doesn't redeem them from being so bland...go look in the I&S section or the fanfics, or hell, lots of ideas that Jake's shared about summaries and plots. The staff CAN write good episodes...why don't they? Hell if I know.
 
You have two pizza places right. Ones Little Caesars and the other is some high end one that sells really good pizza for 12 bucks.
If high end is Domino's and Pizza Hut. To me, high end is zpizza, which costs almost $20 for a large pizza.

You can go to Little Caesars and get it for 5 bucks you know its not as good as the other place. But you don't think of it like that. Its like hey i just paid 5 bucks for a pizza that taste ok and is going to fill me up for the night.
You can also pay 5 dollars more for Pizza Hut or Domino's and it's still fill you up for the night, imo Domino's is the best $12 pizza and I kinda like Little Ceasers pizza.

Haha i know it may be a weird way to put it. If you think of the show for what it is today and don't think of its golden days you can still get a lot of laughs out of it.
What the show is, is random, gag heavy and attention grabbing. The current day Simpsons is like a greedy pizza franchise place. They convince you that it's high-end quality pizza that costs $20 dollars when in reality it's just a $5 (maybe $3.99) pizza. Sure it might of been better when they were just starting out but when you're a longtime customer and you buy a pizza from them, take it back home and eat it, you discover that it didn't taste as good as it used to.
 
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I have a couple thoughts:

* I don't think anyone who would post on a Simpsons message board "hates" the Simpsons. Some, like me, may hate what it's become but any criticism is out of love. I loved this show, I still watch the first 8 seasons a lot, and it pains me to realize the show now has more bad episodes than good ones.

* The "it's not as good as it used to be, but it's still better than most of what's on TV" argument falls on deaf ears here. For one thing, it's not even close to being as good as other things I watch on TV. It's Always Sunny has blown the doors off the Simpsons since it started, Family Guy was funnier and more clever for awhile, and the Office was also really good. The TV world does not start and stop with the Simpsons.

* Age is also a lame excuse. I'll be the first to admit that it's very hard to keep a show fresh and funny for over 20 years, but you know what? If you're going to attempt it, then you're damn right I'm going to hold you to the same standard as before. If you're going to bear the Simpson moniker, then you're going to be judged by everything the Simpsons have done. If this were a different show, I wouldn't think twice about how awful it is.

Dan Marino was a pretty good QB from about 1983 through 1997. Then around 1998 he went downhill, to the point where his backup Damon Huard started to look like a better option. Do you know what Marino did after the '99 season? He retired. When athletes go downhill because of old age, they retire. When shows get stale from old age, they go off the air. If you're too old to produce anything of quality, then just go away. Being around for over 20 years is no excuse for poor quality. Either make a good show, or go away.

* Comparing the Simpsons to food is ridiculous. I have to eat; I don't have to watch television. Television is something I watch in my free time for entertainment. And since the Simpsons haven't entertained me for years, I don't watch it. It's really easy to cut the Simpsons from my diet, but it's not so easy to cut food from my diet, which is why I'll settle for a lesser pizza or something else cheap. But I won't settle for lesser television, because I don't have to have it and I only have a limited amount of free time. It's a waste of 30 minutes of my weekend to watch new Simpsons episodes.

* I hate what this show has become. When I tell people I'm a fan of the Simpsons, I always have to add the disclaimer of "just the first 8 seasons," lest anyone think I have a lame sense of humor. If you catch the Simpsons on syndication, you're more likely now to catch a bad episode than a good one. The only purpose the show serves now is to highlight celebrity guests like Katy Perry, or promote Fox shows like 24 and American Idol. The show used to exist outside the mainstream; now it is the mainstream. Seinfeld fans can hold their heads up high, knowing their show went off before it truly declined. I wish I could say the same.
 
* The "it's not as good as it used to be, but it's still better than most of what's on TV" argument falls on deaf ears here. For one thing, it's not even close to being as good as other things I watch on TV. It's Always Sunny has blown the doors off the Simpsons since it started, Family Guy was funnier and more clever for awhile, and the Office was also really good. The TV world does not start and stop with the Simpsons.
Nobody said "the TV world starts and stops with the Simpsons," especially not me, since it wouldn't even make sense in the context of the statement "better than what else is on TV." You named three shows, none of which I think has ever been better than the Simpsons, but even for the sake of argument, let's say those particular shows are better than the Simpsons. That really has nothing to do with whether the Simpsons is better than your average, typical TV show, which it is. I didn't say "the Simpsons is still as good as the best shows on TV."



* Age is also a lame excuse. I'll be the first to admit that it's very hard to keep a show fresh and funny for over 20 years, but you know what? If you're going to attempt it, then you're damn right I'm going to hold you to the same standard as before. If you're going to bear the Simpson moniker, then you're going to be judged by everything the Simpsons have done. If this were a different show, I wouldn't think twice about how awful it is.
OK. You're entitled to judge anything by any standards you want, I'm just saying the chip on your shoulder has nothing to do with the actual quality of the show.

* Comparing the Simpsons to food is ridiculous. I have to eat; I don't have to watch television. Television is something I watch in my free time for entertainment. And since the Simpsons haven't entertained me for years, I don't watch it. It's really easy to cut the Simpsons from my diet, but it's not so easy to cut food from my diet, which is why I'll settle for a lesser pizza or something else cheap. But I won't settle for lesser television, because I don't have to have it and I only have a limited amount of free time. It's a waste of 30 minutes of my weekend to watch new Simpsons episodes.
I think you might be taking that metaphor a tad bit seriously, chief.

* I hate what this show has become. When I tell people I'm a fan of the Simpsons, I always have to add the disclaimer of "just the first 8 seasons," lest anyone think I have a lame sense of humor. If you catch the Simpsons on syndication, you're more likely now to catch a bad episode than a good one. The only purpose the show serves now is to highlight celebrity guests like Katy Perry, or promote Fox shows like 24 and American Idol. The show used to exist outside the mainstream; now it is the mainstream. Seinfeld fans can hold their heads up high, knowing their show went off before it truly declined. I wish I could say the same.
The concept of having pride in what television shows you watch or being insecure about what people think of the shows you like is bizarre and foreign to me.
 
OK. You're entitled to judge anything by any standards you want, I'm just saying the chip on your shoulder has nothing to do with the actual quality of the show.

Expecting something to be well-crafted has nothing to do with having a "chip on your shoulder." It's more like you're frustrated from trying to oversell a show that--more often than not--currently under-delivers.

The concept of having pride in what television shows you watch or being insecure about what people think of the shows you like is bizarre and foreign to me.

Slow your roll. Assuming others who find fault with current show are harboring ulterior motives is beyond pride, its arrogance.
 
Let's talk about the classic era when the pizza was made with a deep dish vs the shitty modern era where 'thin is in'.

The first 8 pizzas I ordered were so much better than the last 14. These dough-boys aren't even trying anymore!

And LOOK at these pathetic pepporni's. It's all anchovies!!!
 
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