InThe Simpsonscreator Matt Groening’s comments at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the cartoonist touched on the changes that turned around the long-running show’s critical standing in recent years.The Simpsonsis the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show in history, and since there are 790 episodes of the iconic TV comedy, it is only fair that some are misfires. However, outside individual episodes that are singled out as unfortunate duds, the show’s critical reception has broader trends that can easily be identified by even casual viewers.
SinceThe Simpsonsis arguablythe most influential network sitcom ever, there is even an entireWikipediapage dedicated to the show’s critical reception and the debates it entails. Broadly speaking, there is a consensus that the Golden Age ofThe Simpsonsbegan somewhere between seasons 1 and 3 and lasted until somewhere between seasons 8 and 12. Meanwhile, the derogatory term “Zombie Simpsons” is applied to episodes from after this era that are perceived as lower effort and less soulful than their predecessors.
Matt Groening Said The Simpsons’ Creators Aim To “Surprise” Themselves
The Iconic Cartoonist Was Speaking At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival
For years, this fairly straightforward paradigm provided a simple encapsulation of the show’s reception.The Simpsonswas critically adored and hugely influential at the height of its success, then declined in its later years and became a shadow of its old self. While regrettable, this trajectory was admirably easy to follow. However, there are flaws with this claim.The Simpsonswon the Paul Slevin Awardin 2004, long after the end of the Golden Age, for a standout episode that was as good as anything from the show’s early seasons.
Similarly, seasons 33, 34, 35, and 36 gained an unexpected degree of acclaim when, as fans online put it,The Simpsonsgot good again sometime after 2020. While season 32 was seen as something of a critical zenith for the show,YouTubecreator SuperEyepatchWolf’s painstaking analysis of seasons 33 and 34 proved that the series massively improved in the episodes that followed. While it is hard to imagine the show ever scaling the heights of the Golden Age years again, co-creator Matt Groening’s comments at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival explain how this shift was possible.
Per Groening (viaDeadline), “Our main motivation is to surprise ourselves. If we surprise ourselves then we think we can surprise the audience.” The cartoonist went on to say of the show, “As it goes on we become known for different kinds of jokes,” noting that “We have parodies of cinema and references to books, TV shows and personal autobiographical anecdotes.”The Simpsonsseason 36 finale’s unexpectedly sweetToy Story 2homage was a perfect example of this phenomenon, a genuinely moving moment that came wrapped in an absurd package.
The Simpsons Has Genuinely Surprised Audiences Since Season 33
Seasons 34-36 Are Filled With Risky Interesting Stories and Gags
As noted in SuperEyepatchWolf’s “The Simpsons Is Good Again,”The Simpsonsfeatures notably fewer jokes per minute in episodes that aired after season 33. However, this has proven to be no bad thing for the show. Maximizing the number of gags per minute works in some more chaotic, anarchic contexts, such asMAD Magazine, the movies of the Marx Brothers, or ZAZ parody movies. However, in a show where viewers are supposed to care about the main characters and relate to them, gags must come second to character-centric storytelling.
In newer episodes, the show’s primary concern is surprising viewers with character-focused plots, and this has paid off judging by the show’s critical reception.
Since season 33,The Simpsonshas enjoyed markedly improved critical reception precisely because of this switch. One ofThe Simpsons’ most interesting Lisa storieswasted a compelling future for the character because the outing was so focused on cramming in more punchlines per minute, but seasons 33-36 have avoided this issue for the most part. In newer episodes, the show’s primary concern is surprising viewers with character-focused plots, and this has paid off judging by the show’s critical reception.
The Simpsons Season 36’s Ambitious Plots Resulted In Mixed Ratings
In season 36 alone, a streak of interesting episodes attempted to do something new with the show’s basic setup. The season 36 premiere “Bart’s Birthday” was a surreal, self-referential “Series finale” that mocked both the clichéd conventions of finales and the long, knotty history ofThe Simpsonsitself. AfterThe Simpsonsmade fun of itselfat length in the first outing from season 36, episode 3, “Desperately Seeking Lisa,” did something new by barely featuring any appearances from the main family outside of Lisa.
Episode 7, “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes,” was a superb multi-story tribute to the iconic genre author Ray Bradbury, while episode 6, “Women in Shorts,” featured an ambitious polyphonic plot that focused on the under-explored female characters of Springfield. However,the ambitious experiments ofThe Simpsonsseason 36 were a mixed bag in terms of ratings, if not critical reception.
While “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” managed a comparatively superb 2.69 million, “Women in Shorts” earned only 0.83 million viewers.
Despite featuring A-list stars like Seth Rogen, John Cena, Tom Hanks, and Danny DeVito, “Bart’s Birthday” received a paltry 1.08 million viewers. While “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” managed a comparatively superb 2.69 million, “Women in Shorts” earned only 0.83 million viewers. Sadly, critical acclaim hasn’t yet translated into consistent success among viewers for the series.
The Simpsons Now Has A Major New Outlet For Experimental Storytelling
The Show’s Disney+ Specials Allow For More Surreal Plotting
However, viewers who enjoyThe Simpsonsseason 36’s weird storiesshould not fret yet. After all, there is another outlet for the show’s riskier ideas, and it is one that isn’t as heavily reliant on audience ratings.The Simpsonsseason 36 released four episodes directly to the streaming service Disney+, which marks the first time that an entire episode of the series has aired somewhere other than Fox since the show began. These specials allowThe Simpsonsto explore strange ideas that could risk falling flat in the series proper.
April’s “Yellow Planet” was a spoof of documentarian David Attenborough’s iconicBlue Planetseries, with all the show’s usual main characters playing their wild animal counterparts. A similarly odd experimental story came in February’s “The Past and the Furious,” an alternate reality outing that saw Lisa travel back in time to try and save Mr. Burns’ soul, along with Springfield’s local wildlife population.
Arguably the best of these episodes was the first, a two-part Christmas special titled “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” that was released in December 2024. WhileThe Simpsonsseason 36’s finalewas moving, this episode’s depiction of Ned Flanders regaining his faith after a crisis of conscience was a poignant, funny, and genuinely unpredictable plot that proved Groening’s comments were accurate. As long asThe Simpsonsis still determined to surprise viewers, the show can continue its unexpected critical revival.
SuperEyepatchWolf (viaYouTube)
