It was 20 years ago that Fox aired the first full-length episode of "The Simpsons" — now the longest-running prime-time series in American history. The dysfunctional cartoon family from Springfield — Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie — has left an indelible impression on American pop culture. But after 449 episodes, Bartmania has faded, and the show's audience has dwindled. Does "The Simpsons" still matter?
The show's influence has admittedly waned: "The Simpsons" doesn't drive the cultural conversation the way it used to, says John Ortved, author of The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History, in an interview with Salon. Quality slipped as the writers substituted "throwaway jokes" for character-driven comedy, and the show became less edgy when Bart's irreverence stopped stirring up complaints from the family values crowd. But "The Simpsons" "made audiences a lot smarter," and for that we should be grateful, even if the show isn't what it used to be.
"Why 'The Simpsons' no longer matters"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The Simpsons" is still funnier than almost everything else on TV: It's puzzling to hear fans complain that "The Simpsons" "ain't what it used to be," says Aaron Simpson in the animation blog Line Boil. "What a picky lot, eh?" The show makes audiences laugh — isn't that the point? "I’m just happy to have more episodes, even if they’re not world-class."
"CNN ready to foreclose on The Simpsons"
Past its prime, perhaps, but "The Simpsons" isn't going away: In the 1990s, says Todd Leopold in CNN.com, creator Matt Groening's brainchild "was one of the most inventive shows ever broadcast, taking on high and low culture with equal abandon." Today, it's as iconic and familiar as Disney, and most observers agree that the show "has declined from its heyday" (probably in seasons three through eight). That said, it still beats the Sunday competition in the ratings. And Homer and his brood are still a "goldmine" for Fox, so don't expect them to disappear any time soon.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
