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Community Forums => General Chat => Topic started by: UncleBob on December 24, 2012, 12:30:30 PM
Title: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: UncleBob on December 24, 2012, 12:30:30 PM
Curious.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on December 24, 2012, 01:35:14 PM
Keep it as it is, most of the episodes are pretty good. In the 24 seasons, there have only been 1 or 2 episodes I would consider bad (one of them being the one written by and guest starring Ricky Gervais, nothing he has ever done has been funny). I have thought for years they should do a spin-off though that focuses on the other residents. The episode "22 Short Stories About Springfield" was pretty funny, and Pokémon Chronicles cemented the idea.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TrueNerd on December 25, 2012, 04:11:47 AM
I voted to end the Simpsons, but on second thought I might just leave it as is. I come at this from a legacy perspective. Seasons 2-8 were as good as TV gets, then it declined into being unwatchable in its teen seasons, then it rebounded to being okay where it currently is. If it had ended after season 8, The Simpsons would have been regarded as one of the best shows ever. Now, with sixteen additional seasons that vary from bad to okay/good, it's not thought of in those terms. And that's too bad, it deserves to be thought of the same way Seinfeld is. But, seeing as they kept going with it and it's okay, might as well keep it going. I'd rather watch The Simpsons at its worst than any of Chuck Lorre's painfully broad, obvious, unclever shows.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Shaymin on December 25, 2012, 07:34:02 AM
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: lolmonade on December 25, 2012, 09:48:26 AM
If I were thinking solely about what I liked about the show, I'd say they should call it a day and respectfully discontinue the show. I actually think the Simpsons Movie would have been a perfect stopping point for me.
With that said, for your poll, I picked the "Keep it how it is! Don't change a thing!", because while I no longer watch the show, there is obviously still a following of loyal fans who still appreciate it for what it's become, and I have no problem with people enjoying it for different reasons than why I used to love it.
I see the Simpsons in the same light I see The Office (US). My reason for watching it ended at around Season 5/6, but I take no offense for other people continuing to enjoy it.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: broodwars on December 25, 2012, 09:50:44 AM
Kill it. No show deserves to be on the air for 24+ years.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on December 25, 2012, 12:35:35 PM
Hallmark Hall of Fame: 61 years Guiding Light: 57 years As the World Turns: 54 years The Wondeful World of Disney: 52 years Coronation Street: 52 years 60 Minutes: 43 years Monday Night Football: 42 years Saturday Night Live: 37 years Inside the NFL: 35 years Top Gear (UK version): 34 years SportsCenter: 33 years Doctor Who: 33 years
I could go on. If a show is good (and Simpsons still is), there is no reason it can't keep going on as long as it wants to.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: ShyGuy on December 25, 2012, 08:56:50 PM
I think the common factor in all those long running shows is there is a lot of turn over and they don't focus on the same things every episode. Even fiction like that Guiding light soap opera has new characters, with actors leaving and joining.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: UncleBob on December 25, 2012, 09:03:01 PM
I find it funny how the two polar opposite choices have the most votes.
Anyway, I pick the last two. I say, take a season off from "The Simpsons" and do a "Springfield" season. Then, pick back up with everyone aged twenty years, but don't do stuff like teleporters and flying cars. Tell stories about the extended Simpsons family.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: ShyGuy on December 25, 2012, 11:10:53 PM
Hasn't almost every character in Springfield had an episode or at least a storyline?
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: nickmitch on December 26, 2012, 09:34:04 AM
I say take a hiatus for a year. Just walk away and pick it up again from where they left off.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Adrock on December 27, 2012, 02:33:24 AM
I would end it. Not with fire, but it has run it's course. I haven't watched a whole season since the 13th though if I remember correctly, I stopped watching TV altogether shortly after Fox cancelled Wonderfalls (then Futurama a few months later) which would have been around the 13th or 14th season of The Simpsons. I prefer watching shows in bulk on Netflix.
Anyway, I don't think there's anywhere to take these characters anymore. When the writers are forced to contradict previously established character traits just to make a joke work, it's time to hang it up. The Simpsons has been doing that for ages and it becomes more noticeable as the number of episodes racked up. Yes, I realize that it's a cartoon and a comedy at that, but still. A writer has a responsibility to maintain some semblance of continuity with the characters. When they start acting contrary to how they've been developed, it's more distracting than anything else.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on December 27, 2012, 02:40:05 AM
I want it to stick around a couple years to break the record for longest-running scripted prime time show, and then go away. It's probably still my all time favorite show, but it hasn't been at that level of quality for almost 15 years now and I think it's time to let it go.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on December 27, 2012, 10:45:25 AM
Most episodes are still really good. Not 100% consistent, but overall it is still really good and better than the other Fox animated shows.
Adrock, what contradictions are you talking about? Besides, every show does what you claim.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: lolmonade on December 27, 2012, 08:07:03 PM
I can't speak for how many times they've contradicted older episodes, but I do know off the top of my head that I watched a newer episode where the Simpsons were exiled from Springfield for one reason or another, and joined a group of vagabonds.
I'm pretty sure that and ones where they're kicked out of Springfield and are forced to move to another town are horses that have been beaten beyond death, and now are a pulpy puddle of horse remains.
Again, I have no problem with the show continuing because the new seasons don't sour my memories of the seasons I enjoyed, but let's not imply that the show is fresh or treading ground they haven't already. These episodes are re-treading themes they've done (arguably more effectively) in the past.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on December 27, 2012, 08:24:15 PM
Um, those don't contradict earlier episodes. I was hoping you would give actual contradictions.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: ShyGuy on December 27, 2012, 08:54:58 PM
Is Matt Groening the next George Lucas? Talk amongst yourselves.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: lolmonade on December 27, 2012, 09:03:47 PM
Um, those don't contradict earlier episodes. I was hoping you would give actual contradictions.
I started my post with "I can't speak for how many times they've contradicted older episodes". I was actually speaking to how they've re-tread their story lines so many times that it's almost laughable.
Take a look at this article. (http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/2010/05/07/ten-times-the-simpsons-jumped-the-shark) While I don't find all of them offensive (and not all contradictions), I think it points out several ways the show has "jumped the shark".
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on December 27, 2012, 09:08:02 PM
Is Matt Groening the next George Lucas? Talk amongst yourselves.
Matt Groening was never that hands-on with The Simpsons, though. He's not the problem with the show.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on December 27, 2012, 09:16:53 PM
To address the points in that article one by one:
1)The Tik Tok opening was funny and creative, and has nothing to do with the quality of the episodes 2)The writer missed the joke (I blame the writer, not the show). The POINT was that CBG has a ordinary name 3)Nothing wrong with clips shows, and 5 in 13 years is not bad. Not the best one, and it does annoy me that Kang and Kodos appeared in a non-TOH episode. 4)This was not a copy of a previous episode. The plot of the episode was the fame got to Lisa and she tried to takeover Krusty's job. 5)OK, I agree on this one being bad. The writer of the episode destroyed 9 years worth of character building for Skinner. It's funny listening to the audio commentary and hearing the writer almost angrily defending the decision. 6)This is just him not liking the plot. It has nothing to do with the show itself or its quality. 7)His complaint is that someone the episode referenced isn't in it. The episode name is usually picked because it sounds funny, that is it. And the guest stars fit in based on the plot. 8)Again, nothing to do with the quality of the show, just the writer not liking the plot. 9)Swatzwelder stopped making good episodes after season 8, so this is to blame on the writer. Though again it is just him not liking the episode. 10)The ONLY contradiction in the list. I hate how they seemed to retcon things by changing the timeline. It makes sense though because you can't have the show set in 2012 and have the parents meeting in 1976 (it would make Homer and Marge in their 50s) and Matt Groening said on the audio commentary for "The Way We Was" that he didn't want them saying the year Homer and Marge met because of this exact problem.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Plugabugz on December 30, 2012, 06:12:41 PM
The basic problem with the show is, as usual, the american TV system.
20+ episodes for a series running more than 20 years means its running on steam. It should be limited to 10 eps a season.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on December 30, 2012, 07:31:23 PM
LOL, no. That is a joke. TV shows show be 16 episodes a season MINIMUM. British TV is also a joke, where you can have 3 episodes in a year, then 2 years before new episodes. The only time a season should ever be short is the first season, and even that should be at least 13 episodes.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on December 30, 2012, 08:43:20 PM
It depends on the show. Something like The Wire averaged about 11 episodes a season, which was just about perfect, but for a non-serialized comedy it's fine to go 20+ episodes in a season.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: oohhboy on December 31, 2012, 01:32:19 AM
If the BBC's Sherlock wasn't a 3 episode a season show, what you would get is a by the numbers criminal procedural show that plague TV like reality shows. IE, Elementary. Sherlock is awesome because it has such a short run. British TV shows tend to be Quality over Quantity.
I rather they Burned down the Simpsons years ago especially in the years when it was the Homer Simpson Show. But I would be open to a Springfield show. I have lost count the number of episodes that have failed to get me to laugh even once. Even the most horrible, most horrific, disconnected Family Guy episode get at least one laugh.
I can't believe you are defending the Simpsons TJ.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on December 31, 2012, 01:42:29 AM
Because it is still a good show, which is obvious if you watch it.
And you defend Family Guy? I like it, but the show is crap more often than not, the last few years have especially been bad. Simpsons, on the other hand, are always funny and 99% of the episodes are at least good. If you can't laugh at at least something in every Simpsons episode, you have no soul.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on December 31, 2012, 03:25:06 AM
There's at least a couple great jokes in every episode of The Simpsons, all four hundred and some, and at least a few great episodes in all 23 (24? I don't even remember at this point) seasons. Really, if they were going to cancel it due to decline they should have done that almost 15 years ago; stopping it now seems pretty arbitrary, especially since it seems to have picked up a bit in the last few years.
If you're worried about the legacy, that ship has long since sailed, and a few more years of it won't do any more damage. Still beats the **** out of any of MacFarlane's shows.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: oohhboy on December 31, 2012, 04:51:21 AM
I wouldn't defend the Cleveland show. That show is a crime against nature.
The problem is not the lack of jokes in the Simpsons, it's that they tend to be horribly behind the times, unfunny with a punch line that has been done to death in previous episodes or so utterly tame to be on the same level as Airline food. Seeing Homer get hurt and do stupid stuff was funny, but at this point has lost all meaning. Whenever Lisa is on, she will no doubt be inadvertently be promoting another trend or product that doesn't need promoting whether it be Harry Potter, horse/unicorns/dolls, vegan or some baseless midday talk show material. Bart has been dialed back so much, he is a cardboard cut out of himself. Marge is nothing more than a Janitor to the family and an unthinking moraliser. Maggie is a non-entity.
Most Simpson "Jokes" tend to be something normal, but done really ineffeienctly. Example, First Lady Obama visits Springfield elementary to see Lisa, before the helicopter lands, 3 guys zip lines down and spray paints a landing zone. That is not a joke, it's filler, a non-statement about nothing. The rest of the exchange is some moral bludgeoning with random lines that pass for jokes thrown in to see what sticks. Of course when they try to get back on the helicopter the door is stuck, so the first lady rolls her sleeves exposing her biceps and opens the door where 3 guys couldn't. None of this was funny.
You know what was funny? When Lucy Lawless just ups and flies off after spending the entire episode insisting she wasn't Xena. That joke had a lot of setup time and work put in. there was a very real risk it would get lost to people with poor attention spans. The Simpsons has left behind the long joke years ago degarding down to short skits held together by plot no doubt caused but Homer's stupidity. It's not much different to Family Guy now, but at least Family Guy has the guts to tell offensive jokes or play it's strongest card by not giving a ****.
If the Simpsons was nothing but Itchy and Scratchy cartoons, that would be something to get behind.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Plugabugz on December 31, 2012, 10:03:27 AM
Family Guy is now suffering badly from the same problems The Simpsons is, but somehow managed to accelerate its downward slide.
The Simpsons still is at least maintaining an attempt to write good stuff and occasionally does, but Family Guy is basically at the mercy of complete apathy from the writers - so much now that some tangents (and entire endings of episodes) have even acknowledged they have nothing to go on, and just stuff in CONWAY TWITTY FFS!!!!!.
The best episode of Family Guy was PTV back in 2005. Nothing has come close, not even the Brian/Stewie episodes, which themselves are the best pair the show has since its reboot.
American Dad is the best Seth MacFarlane show simply because of it's insane absurdity, and Roger, which allows for all kinds of bizarre nonsense to happen. Coincidentally the rise of American Dad happened around the time the start of Family Guy's decline. Back in S1 it was a "FG clone" but it quickly shedded that. Futurama is, arguably, better than The Simpsons because of its sci-fi setting (allowing for wider creativity to happen, like when Bender overclocked himself).
All 4 of those shows are old and do suffer from age, which is fair enough, but American Dad and Futurama don't have such a problem because they have a much wider premise to run with and are not tied down by Peter and Homer.
And about British TV - remember we do not have strictly defined TV seasons which forces shows to start in September/October or end in May. Shows are commissioned and shown all year around and are frequently 10 episodes or less. So hence we get more shows but fewer episodes of them.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on December 31, 2012, 07:20:31 PM
I don't want to sound/feel like I'm backing TJ but..
I saw a newer episode of the Simpsons recently (can't tell if it was new-new or just new to me, last time I saw a new-new episode it was their 300th episode or something, and that was yeeears ago) and I was surprised that it was still funny.. I haven't made an effort to watch on a regular basis or anything, but at least what I happened to watch was funny. Not what I expected to be honest.
Meanwhile I can't watch Family Guy anymore. It was fine at first, it got canceled and I was bummed like all the other fans, but once it came back.. ugh. I just instantly disliked it. I know they were trying to pay homage to the fans that stuck around but to me it felt super cheap to just keep repeating the same damn jokes that, frankly, weren't that old/classic/memorable/funny.
I still don't watch either show regularly so I shouldn't be so harsh on one and not the other. I will say, if a gun was pointed to my head and I had to choose a new episode of either show, the simpsons would be my choice.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: oohhboy on December 31, 2012, 09:58:41 PM
Funny thing is that I would agree with you, but for different reasons. Family Guy already has a good off spring to carry the line in American Dad, but the Simpson lacks the same. Killing the Simpsons now would end it for good.
Both Family Guy and the Simpsons gets brutally murdered by Futurama and Archer though.
As for Conway Twitty, it's the writers openly trolling the audience. They know they have out lived their welcome and are activity daring someone to cancel them. I still stick around FG for the Chicken fights, it's good watching.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Morari on December 31, 2012, 10:48:04 PM
Bring back Daria.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 01, 2013, 12:14:06 AM
In July, the president of MTV was talking to the creators of it about bringing it back
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: RABicle on January 01, 2013, 10:28:16 AM
I dunno TJ, you started this thread saying Ricky Gervais isn't funny so I'm thinking of disregarding all your opinions from now on.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: ThePerm on January 02, 2013, 06:51:34 PM
I dunno TJ, you started this thread saying Ricky Gervais isn't funny so I'm thinking of disregarding all your opinions from now on.
i started doing that about a year ago, im not sure if he means these things or if he is a superb troll.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 10:37:19 AM
He's not funny. The episode of The Simpsons he wrote and guest starred in is easily the worst episode of the show, his movie was terrible, The Office is medicore at best. The guy just does not know humor.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: S-U-P-E-R on January 03, 2013, 10:45:01 AM
says the guy that likes Big Bang Theory and has never heard of somethingawful. A firebrand of comedy, you are not.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 10:46:31 AM
BBT is funny, unlike Gervais.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: UncleBob on January 03, 2013, 12:18:28 PM
I don't know who this guy is y'all are talking about, but I have to agree that Big Bang Theory is pretty bottom rung as far as comedy goes.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 12:23:13 PM
The show is one of the most popular on TV, has won numerous awards (including Jim Parsons winning 2 Emmys for Best Actor in a Comedy), and a Brazilian scientist even just named a new species of bee after the catchphrase of Parsons' character Dr. Sheldon Cooper ("Bazinga!", with the bee species being "Euglossa bazinga"). It is a funny show. You may not like it, but that doesn't mean it isn't good.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Morari on January 03, 2013, 12:43:01 PM
Popularity = Quality
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 12:44:31 PM
It's also gotten numerous awards. And it is a really fun show to watch.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Ian Sane on January 03, 2013, 01:18:00 PM
The show has been on for so long that I realize that it would not really make sense to refer to myself as a Simpsons fan. I have seasons 1 to 7 on DVD and have never had the slightest interest in owning any more. Seasons 3 to 6 is the best comedy show ever. 1 and 2 are pretty rough (especially 1) but I cut shows a lot more slack when they're weak at the beginning and still need to find their groove. 7 is mostly good but a new writing style was coming in that was firmly established by season 8. The show ceased to be consistently funny after that and was often annoying. It makes sense when you look at the writing staff turnover. Al Jean and Mike Reiss were the showrunners in seasons 3 and 4 and David Mirken was the showrunner for 5 and 6. Such a major change in staff would affect the tone of the show and I just did not like the tone the show switched towards.
I stopped watching completely around season 9 or 10 or something like that during the episode where the Simpsons got a horse. At that point I was already finding watching the show to be more annoying than enjoyable. Then Homer went to the land of the jockeys and it was so insultingly stupid I turned the TV off in the middle of the episode and have never watched a new episode since.
Now this means I have watched less than half of the total episodes of the Simpsons in existence. For all I know the show is absolutely hilarious right now and appeals perfectly to my sense of humour. I don't know anyone personally who still watches it. And if anyone says "ah yeah, it's funny. You should watch it" I instinctively don't believe them. After I stopped watching it became clear to me that those that still enjoyed it have a different sense of humour than I do. They may find it funny but they also found it funny during the seasons that I got sick of it. Their opinion is of no use to me because our senses of humour aren't compatible. When we were both laughing at season 4, it appears that we were laughing at different things. Or my sense of humour is less flexible so a more modern Simpsons fan may find X and Y funny while I only find X funny, thus a show of just Y is funny to them but not to me. And of course the show has been on for so long that there are young fans that were introduced to the show years after it's writing style had changed. To them the Simpsons I love is like some weird thing from the past.
The Simpsons should have gracefully ended on its own terms years ago. It is too late for that. It cannot be saved and it will eventually be cancelled with a whimper. But it will not hurt the show's legacy at all for it to continue as long as possible until it reaches that point. It already has the reputation of a once great show that lasted WAY past it's best-before date.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Ceric on January 03, 2013, 01:22:41 PM
I find it funny how the two polar opposite choices have the most votes.
Anyway, I pick the last two. I say, take a season off from "The Simpsons" and do a "Springfield" season. Then, pick back up with everyone aged twenty years, but don't do stuff like teleporters and flying cars. Tell stories about the extended Simpsons family.
You do realize that aging them 20 years would put them 4 years ago.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 01:45:56 PM
Ian, the show still gets great ratings, so it will not be canceled anytime soon (if ever). The only reason I could ever see Fox ending the show (rather than the producers) is if they think it is too expensive to make anymore (which is BS since it still makes a huge profit for them).
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 03, 2013, 03:57:53 PM
I'm just going to say most standard sitcoms aren't funny, they're just not. I'll also say Ricky Gervais isn't as funny as people make him out to be. Does he do stand up? Maybe I just haven't seen him in anything good, and as someone who appreciates comedy as an art, I feel stand up is the best gauge for a comedian. I've yet to see anything with RG in it fast nader me think he was worthwhile, whether its a sitcom, film role, radio show etc.
With that said, as far British comedians go, the last funny one I can recall was Jimmy Carr, but I don't think his style did very well in front of American audiences.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: nickmitch on January 03, 2013, 04:48:43 PM
I kinda like BBT. It's a bit "lowest common denominator" for me though. It's really only a handful of changes from being good.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 04:58:02 PM
I think they have def improved from the first season though, like adding Mayim Bialik (as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler) and Melissa Rauch (as Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski) to the main cast.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Ian Sane on January 03, 2013, 05:20:12 PM
I'm just going to say most standard sitcoms aren't funny, they're just not.
Most of anything isn't that great. Since a comedy's greatness is ultimately dictated by how funny it is, it makes sense that most comedy shows aren't that funny.
The thing with humour is that for the most part the MORE things you find funny the LESS a sense of humour you have. If you have a truly good sense of humour you'll find less things funny than other people. Good humour is clever. It has to sneak up on you because a joke ain't funny if you've heard it before. Of course you can go so far over that you find nothing funny in which case you're in the less sense of humour camp.
I know two people that are opposite extremes. One person never laughs at anything and has this puzzled reaction to almost all jokes told to them, like they're some alien who doesn't understand this human concept of "humour" and can't understand why you would say something so nonsensical. The other person laughs at pretty much anything, often laughing when I'm being completely serious. I suspect he cannot tell when something is funny or not so he laughs at what he guesses are jokes so as to fit in and not come across like the first person I mentioned.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 05:34:47 PM
Good humor doesn't have to be "clever". You can see a joke coming from a million miles away and it can still be funny. And GOOD jokes are funny even if you have heard them before.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 03, 2013, 05:38:58 PM
maybe i should of just said sitcoms aren't funny. big bang theory, 2 and 1/2 men (with or without charlie) are two really popular sitcoms people tell me i need to watch, and I've tried, but I can't. too , if anything.
meanwhile you can categorize scrubs as a sitcom but it doesn't have that same formulaic feel as the other two, and the very off beat humor appeals to me. all in all, I don't watch much tv away, I just felt like starting my opinions that sitcoms suck.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 03, 2013, 06:02:33 PM
maybe i should of just said sitcoms aren't funny. big bang theory, 2 and 1/2 men (with or without charlie) are two really popular sitcoms people tell me i need to watch, and I've tried, but I can't. too , if anything.
The problem there is that basically every show on CBS is awful. Now I know TJ Spyke is going to want to rush in and point out that CBS is the most watched network in America, so clearly everything on it is fantastic, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 06:20:04 PM
The only show I watch on CBS is Big Bang Theory (well, Price Is Right and Jeopardy air on my local CBS affiliate), which IS one of the best and funniest shows on TV.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 03, 2013, 06:25:07 PM
i don't think I've ever watched anything on cbs not willfully anyway. maybe when i was younger and my family didn't have cable tv yet.. but once i started watching my own programming, nothing on cbs appealed to me. honestly, most network tv never appealed to me with the exception of fox..
they got me young with the simpsons and married with children, and later futurama and family guy.
speaking of married.. that's probably the only sitcom that has the same mold as 99% out those before and after it that I enjoy, simply because it was the first to feature a crude, dysfunctional family. It got hammered by the press and civil or religious groups for its content which by todays standards is very tame, meanwhile shows like roseanne who, I believe came out after and had a similar formula, was praised for its originality. I had no idea about the controversy back then, but now it makes me appreciate the show that much more
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: UncleBob on January 03, 2013, 07:01:15 PM
If you want a good sitcom... Raising Hope. It's amazing. :D
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: ThePerm on January 03, 2013, 07:37:48 PM
i think we've had this conversation before. I hated Big Bang Theory when i first watched it, and occasionally there will be a terrible episode where the laugh track is put up full blast during unfunny scenes. There was a recent one where the B plotline with Howard just wasn't funny. The amy/sheldon plotline was very funny though. Pretty much any Sheldon bit is funny. I would put Big Bang Theory in about the same rank as That 70s show(maybe taxi). It is really exactly the same sort of humor. The characters a quirky and weird and thats where the comedy comes from. It relies on a lot of in jokes. Some people would call BBT nerdface, but they really only rely on pop culture jokes occasionally.
That being said i'm more a fan of Curb your Enthusiasm or It's always Sunny in Philidelphia. I'm more into the humor that a bunch of opinionated assholes can provide. Another show I started to like is Peep Show, its British and a bit twisted.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: UncleBob on January 03, 2013, 07:54:16 PM
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: lolmonade on January 03, 2013, 09:04:52 PM
The only people I know who watch The Big Bang Theory or Two and a Half Men are over 50 years old.
CBS is a channel that has older age demographics.
The elderly/baby boomer generation comprises a large percentage of people who still watch television at times the show actually airs, and don't use internet streaming or DVR as consistently to watch television.
Therefore, TJ Spyke is old enough to receive social security benefits.
Seriously though, The Big Bang Theory is the Diet 7UP of sitcoms: Inoffensive but not particularly satisfying.
Also, why the hell does every thread in the non-gaming forums degenerate into a BBT bitchfest?
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 03, 2013, 09:44:13 PM
That's the problem for a show like Community, whose target demographic is one that doesn't really want to sit down and watch a show when it airs. It's one of the best rated shows in certain demographics, but those demographics don't watch that much broadcast TV in general.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Khushrenada on January 03, 2013, 10:07:30 PM
CBS shows I watch: The Price is Right, Jeopardy, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Mentalist, and Elementary. Although I'm still on the fence about whether I'm going to keep watching Elementary or not. And yes, I've seen all episodes of the BBC Sherlock and I know it is way superior. I don't care if you don't like my viewing habits. If I did, I wouldn't post them. These shows appeal to me and I'm going to keep watching.
Frankly, I'm a huge fan of game shows (GSN from 1998-2003 was awesome) and for me, a lot of reality TV belongs in that genre. There's a lot that doesn't also but generally, if it has a bit of a large cash prize involved, I've checked it out. And I've been big mystery fan ever all my life starting with when I cracked open a Hardy Boys book as a boy and continuing on into Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. That said, I don't watch too many mystery shows on TV but The Mentalist appeals to me because I do like the tone of the show and the main character and all the secondary characters also. I would rate Veronica Mars higher than The Mentalist but both series live in their own worlds/hieghtened reality so while I sometimes roll my eyes about how convienient a character can get out of a situation, I'm willing to forgive it and keep going but your mileage may vary. The sad thing is, I find The Mentalist to be a better imitation of Sherlock Holmes than Sherlock Holmes in Elementary.
My point is, CBS is the network I watch the most shows from and I know plenty of people that watch other shows on it, including friends younger than myself who watch NCIS and NCIS:LA. As much as I don't care for The Big Bang Theory, I'll watch it over those two shows anywhere, anyday and anytime. I've also watched the occasional episode of How I Met Your Mother and Rules of Engagement also. While they never wowed me to the point where I felt the need to tune in week after week and keep watching, I did enjoy the time I spent with them and am welcome to seeing another epsiode or two of them.
CBS: They've got a little something for everyone.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: lolmonade on January 03, 2013, 10:24:37 PM
CBS shows I watch: The Price is Right, Jeopardy, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Mentalist, and Elementary. Although I'm still on the fence about whether I'm going to keep watching Elementary or not. And yes, I've seen all episodes of the BBC Sherlock and I know it is way superior. I don't care if you don't like my viewing habits. If I did, I wouldn't post them. These shows appeal to me and I'm going to keep watching.
Frankly, I'm a huge fan of game shows (GSN from 1998-2003 was awesome) and for me, a lot of reality TV belongs in that genre. There's a lot that doesn't also but generally, if it has a bit of a large cash prize involved, I've checked it out. And I've been big mystery fan ever all my life starting with when I cracked open a Hardy Boys book as a boy and continuing on into Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. That said, I don't watch too many mystery shows on TV but The Mentalist appeals to me because I do like the tone of the show and the main character and all the secondary characters also. I would rate Veronica Mars higher than The Mentalist but both series live in their own worlds/hieghtened reality so while I sometimes roll my eyes about how convienient a character can get out of a situation, I'm willing to forgive it and keep going but your mileage may vary. The sad thing is, I find The Mentalist to be a better imitation of Sherlock Holmes than Sherlock Holmes in Elementary.
My point is, CBS is the network I watch the most shows from and I know plenty of people that watch other shows on it, including friends younger than myself who watch NCIS and NCIS:LA. As much as I don't care for The Big Bang Theory, I'll watch it over those two shows anywhere, anyday and anytime. I've also watched the occasional episode of How I Met Your Mother and Rules of Engagement also. While they never wowed me to the point where I felt the need to tune in week after week and keep watching, I did enjoy the time I spent with them and am welcome to seeing another epsiode or two of them.
CBS: They've got a little something for everyone.
I was just poking fun at TJ Spyke. :D I haven't watched much live television lately, but I can at least admit to enjoying one CBS show for quite a while (Criminal Minds).
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 10:26:46 PM
The only people I know who watch The Big Bang Theory or Two and a Half Men are over 50 years old.
CBS is a channel that has older age demographics.
I know you are joking, but CBS is almost always 1st or 2nd in the ratings among those 18-49. Want to know how popular BBT is? For the week ending December 30, a re-run of the show was the 4th most watched show among 18-49 year olds (the top 3 were the Sunday Night Football game, the OT on Fox, and Football Night in America). New episodes are ALWAYS in the top 5 among the coveted 18-49 demographic, and the last new episode (December 13) was #2 (behind the Sunday Night Football game).
Among the big 4 (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX), ABC and FOX are usually at the bottom in total viewers 18-49. If you count The CW (which only airs shows from 8pm-10pm Mon-Fri), CW is last.
Yes, I actually wasted time looking this up and typing it all out when I know you were just joking.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 03, 2013, 10:29:51 PM
at least you're living up to your title..
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 10:32:04 PM
I didn't go to Wikipedia. And I wanted to make sure my info was correct so I wouldn't look like an ass by spouting wrong info.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 03, 2013, 10:37:39 PM
I didn't take your title as you citing wikipedia, just that you're a source for random information.. can we get a title change to "defensive wikipedia lite"
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: lolmonade on January 03, 2013, 10:47:02 PM
The only people I know who watch The Big Bang Theory or Two and a Half Men are over 50 years old.
CBS is a channel that has older age demographics.
I know you are joking, but CBS is almost always 1st or 2nd in the ratings among those 18-49. Want to know how popular BBT is? For the week ending December 30, a re-run of the show was the 4th most watched show among 18-49 year olds (the top 3 were the Sunday Night Football game, the OT on Fox, and Football Night in America). New episodes are ALWAYS in the top 5 among the coveted 18-49 demographic, and the last new episode (December 13) was #2 (behind the Sunday Night Football game).
Among the big 4 (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX), ABC and FOX are usually at the bottom in total viewers 18-49. If you count The CW (which only airs shows from 8pm-10pm Mon-Fri), CW is last.
Yes, I actually wasted time looking this up and typing it all out when I know you were just joking.
I fully admit to using anecdotal evidence to make my claims. I take your wasting time to look up actual statistics as a win on my part.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 03, 2013, 10:49:04 PM
LOL, to be fair, I am watching TV while I reply. So I would just be sitting here doing nothing important.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 03, 2013, 11:15:07 PM
Good humor doesn't have to be "clever". You can see a joke coming from a million miles away and it can still be funny. And GOOD jokes are funny even if you have heard them before.
Both Sherlock and Downton Abbey both use wit and smart writing over comedic moments.
Plus Maggie Smith can act anyone into dust with those cold harsh put downs of hers.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: lolmonade on January 04, 2013, 10:38:55 AM
Good humor doesn't have to be "clever". You can see a joke coming from a million miles away and it can still be funny. And GOOD jokes are funny even if you have heard them before.
Both Sherlock and Downton Abbey both use wit and smart writing over comedic moments.
Plus Maggie Smith can act anyone into dust with those cold harsh put downs of hers.
Downton Abby is a show that I grew to appreciate and enjoy the more I watch. I'm not a fan of the period-piece type shows, but once you get well aquainted with the characters and the premise, the show can actually be pretty enjoyable to follow (and as you said, has a handful of pretty funny moments).
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Ian Sane on January 04, 2013, 12:21:40 PM
The only time I watch CBS is for football. Most of my broadcast TV has been NBC and FOX pretty much since I was old enough to operate the TV myself. Though the only non-sports shows I watch regularly these days are Raising Hope and Parks & Recreation. I typically only have a small amount of shows I'm following because there are just other things I'd rather be doing. It's quite different from my teen years where I would watch at least two hours of TV a day. I isn't like I think TV is worse now than it was then or anything. I've just changed where TV is not as interesting to me.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 04, 2013, 01:01:07 PM
Good humor doesn't have to be "clever". You can see a joke coming from a million miles away and it can still be funny. And GOOD jokes are funny even if you have heard them before.
Both Sherlock and Downton Abbey both use wit and smart writing over comedic moments.
Plus Maggie Smith can act anyone into dust with those cold harsh put downs of hers.
I never said good humor can't be clever, I was just correcting Plug by letting him know something doesn't have to be "clever" to be funny. Nor does it have to be a joke you never heard before.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Khushrenada on January 04, 2013, 03:51:10 PM
At least someone else is watching Parks and Recreation. I keep telling everyone I can that it is the best comedy on TV right now. Now granted, I haven't watched Modern Family which is the only other comedy I see people really praising these days but Parks and Recreation is just fantastic television. I use to love the office and especially the first 3 seasons but by the 4th, I could tell it was just not the same level anymore. But Parks just keeps getting better and better. However, I will concede that so far this year, it just seems to be on an even keel and has been as good as the 4th season but hasn't risen above it. Hasn't fallen below either but for awhile, each year just seemed to be better than the last.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 04, 2013, 07:37:01 PM
The Office (US) made me want to vomit when I spent 2 weeks in a cheap hotel in Albany for work and that was the only show I was somewhat familiar with that was airing..
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: nickmitch on January 04, 2013, 09:56:35 PM
I don't like The Office.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: S-U-P-E-R on January 05, 2013, 03:27:52 AM
Fortunately for those of us who like funny, you guys aren't television producers.
Also, bring back Conan O'Brien as a Simpsons writer, I guess?
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: nickmitch on January 05, 2013, 12:13:41 PM
Yeah, because that guy has nothing else going for him right now.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 05, 2013, 01:04:38 PM
Fortunately for those of us who like funny, you guys aren't television producers.
Also, bring back Conan O'Brien as a Simpsons writer, I guess?
Subjective, because I can list numerous things I find much more humerous than that stuffy old Office. You people take your own opinions way too seriously ;) Then again Super is a known troll so responding to you directly was probably your intent. Still love ya though!
Yeah, because that guy has nothing else going for him right now.
Well the show hasn't been the same since he left NBC, since he can't do a lot of his old bits and a lot of the new ones are just lacking.. I wouldn't mind seeing him write on the simpsons again.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: nickmitch on January 05, 2013, 01:15:27 PM
Andy Richter really makes that show for me, to be honest. I wish he still had his own sitcom. :^/
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 05, 2013, 04:20:22 PM
Andy Richter really makes that show for me, to be honest. I wish he still had his own sitcom. :^/
I loved Andy Barker, P.I., but apparently no one else did.
I watched every episode. I thought it was great. Lately, Conan has started doing a bit more of the comedy he did on Late Night. But I agree that it hasn't been the same. I'm rather tired of the whole fan corrections but I get that he does it as a way to acknowledge the fanbase that has stuck with him. Honestly, when he did The Tonight Show, he was really good and it was the best The Tonight Show had been since Johnny Carson left. Blast NBC and their love of Leno. Funny enough, I just took out a book from the library about that whole debacle to read more about what when on behind the scenes.
And I just want to clarify that while Parks and Recreation is shot in the documentary style of The Office, they don't really treat it like a documentary or go for the awkward humor that The Office tries for. I would actually compare it to the show Newhart if any of you are familiar with that. Both shows were set in a small town full of quirky characters and the laughs come from the relationships of those characters and the townsfolks quirky idiosyncrasies.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 05, 2013, 08:21:30 PM
Andy is the best and I was sad when he left Late Night..
has anyone seen that Conan documentary on netflix, Can't Stop? THAT was awesome..
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 05, 2013, 08:26:32 PM
I've had it in my queue forever and haven't got around to watching it.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 05, 2013, 08:31:36 PM
DO IT NOW! /cona'simpersonationofahhhnoollddd
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: nickmitch on January 05, 2013, 09:03:42 PM
It was absolutely AMAZING! It kind of kicked off a documentary kick I had last spring.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 05, 2013, 11:37:34 PM
Um, Leno had nothing to do with it. It was because ratings of the show with Conan as host were TERRIBLE. The show was bombing and losing to Letterman badly. If the ratings had stayed the same, he would have stayed on as host of the show. Conan does not have the mass market appeal he thinks he does. I like him, but his failure to attract viewers led to him leaving (and he was not fired, despite some people saying NBC fired him).
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: EasyCure on January 06, 2013, 07:03:16 AM
Um, Leno had nothing to do with it. It was because ratings of the show with Conan as host were TERRIBLE. The show was bombing and losing to Letterman badly. If the ratings had stayed the same, he would have stayed on as host of the show. Conan does not have the mass market appeal he thinks he does. I like him, but his failure to attract viewers led to him leaving (and he was not fired, despite some people saying NBC fired him).
so you're saying he chose to walk off the biggest late night franchise ever, willingly, and NBC paid him handsomely for it? Wish I could do that with my job.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 06, 2013, 12:21:56 PM
He and NBC had a contract. He wanted to leave, and NBC wanted him gone because he was killing the show with his dismal ratings, so they were happy to buy him out (I do admire that he made sure part of the deal was that his employees would get paid too). The ratings under him were the lowest in many, many years and it was making NBC lose money and the talk show wars with Letterman. They couldn't just fire him without getting sued, so they agreed to buy out his contract.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: lolmonade on January 06, 2013, 09:04:33 PM
Um, Leno had nothing to do with it. It was because ratings of the show with Conan as host were TERRIBLE. The show was bombing and losing to Letterman badly. If the ratings had stayed the same, he would have stayed on as host of the show. Conan does not have the mass market appeal he thinks he does. I like him, but his failure to attract viewers led to him leaving (and he was not fired, despite some people saying NBC fired him).
For what it's worth, Leno was given a show just prior to Conan's version of the Tonight Show, so it gave Leno's fans no reason to bother checking out Conan's show if they could essentially get the same thing they wanted, just earlier.
I can't speak to the mass-market appeal of Conan, but I think not mentioning that as context makes it seem like Conan's lack of appeal is the ONLY reason things didn't go well in the transition.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Plugabugz on January 07, 2013, 03:03:15 PM
I've never understood these "late shows". They've always been a dead zone here post 11pm.
Title: Re: What would you do with the Simpsons?
Post by: Plugabugz on January 10, 2013, 05:02:33 AM
In an twist which only validates my point that the US TV system is at fault, Charlie Sheen's Anger Management has been granted a 90 episode (45 episodes a season!) production order.
In an twist which only validates my point that the US TV system is at fault, Charlie Sheen's Anger Management has been granted a 90 episode (45 episodes a season!) production order.
That has nothing to do with the TV system in the US, more like FX wanting to secure Charlie Sheen and also have enough episodes to license into syndication. They will film like 3 episodes a week, the show is already getting terrible ratings. It was like when TBS granted Tyler Perry a 100 episode commitment.
