2-8 is where the show really hit its strides. The show past that has some classics thrown in there every now and then(especially 9-13) but it just isn't the same

3 hours ago, Prowl said:

2-8 is where the show really hit its strides. The show past that has some classics thrown in there every now and then(especially 9-13) but it just isn't the same

From what I've watched throughout the years, through just random watching, the newer seasons tend to be more political, celebrity based, and end up with a ton of characterization problems. Super Eyepatch Wolf on Youtube, did a fantastic analysis video on the decline of the Simpsons if your curious. Quick question, Is season 9 any good,or is it just middle of the road? I know that season contains the infamous "Principal and the Pauper episode. I vaguely remember season 11 being pretty terrible. I've never seen every episode, so I thought this would be kind of interesting to see how this series started out.

Season 1 is a bit surreal in retrospect, as the show was still finding its voice (in some cases, quite literally). Nevertheless, I really liked how grounded the earlier seasons were; nowadays, The Simpsons feels more like a cartoon trying to be hip rather than a surprisingly thoughtful sitcom.

10 hours ago, Yellow Diamond said:

Season 1 is a bit surreal in retrospect, as the show was still finding its voice (in some cases, quite literally). Nevertheless, I really liked how grounded the earlier seasons were; nowadays, The Simpsons feels more like a cartoon trying to be hip rather than a surprisingly thoughtful sitcom.

As wonky as the first season is so far,  l like it. The atmosphere in these episodes seem more generally "chill", than what I'm used to watching from more modern adult cartoons. Also, it's so surreal to watch an adult cartoon with so very little swearing and toilet humor. I just can't believe parents considered this show offensive back then.

15 hours ago, ultrairongorilla said:

From what I've watched throughout the years, through just random watching, the newer seasons tend to be more political, celebrity based, and end up with a ton of characterization problems. Super Eyepatch Wolf on Youtube, did a fantastic analysis video on the decline of the Simpsons if your curious. Quick question, Is season 9 any good,or is it just middle of the road? I know that season contains the infamous "Principal and the Pauper episode. I vaguely remember season 11 being pretty terrible. I've never seen every episode, so I thought this would be kind of interesting to see how this series started out.

S9 was a really weird season, it had some classic episodes like Natural Born Kissers and Das Bus, but it was also the first season to have some really infamously bad episodes, like Miracle Evergreen Terrace and Principal and the Pauper. As for Season 11, it had some of the all time lowest points of the show, but it still had a few great episodes like Treehouse of Horror X, Grift of the Magi and Behind the Laughter

4 hours ago, ultrairongorilla said:

As wonky as the first season is so far,  l like it. The atmosphere in these episodes seem more generally "chill", than what I'm used to watching from more modern adult cartoons. Also, it's so surreal to watch an adult cartoon with so very little swearing and toilet humor. I just can't believe parents considered this show offensive back then.

Ah, the 90s. When "eat my shorts" was considered offensive and edgy.

I think the general constraints worked to The Simpsons' benefit. Total creative freedom can be a curse: writers fall into poor habits because there's little need for cleverness. The unabashed vulgarity of South Park and, to a much more limited extent, Family Guy worked because those shows were grounded in shock humor. But The Simpsons thrived when dealing with down-to-earth life situations. Bart, for instance, was portrayed as a malcontent who was quite clever. He had poor influences (namely, Homer) and lacked the motivation to do the right thing. Later seasons turned him into an outright sociopath who got off on other people's agony and had no sense of shame. Many of the characters suffered from similar instances of Flanderization, unfortunately.