View Full Version : The end of the Simpsons???
^Eagle^
24 Dec 2003, 18:44
About a month ago, my mate in Melb told me that Matt Groening would stop making eps in about 3 years
Please can someone tell me he was wrong
Jim Boy
24 Dec 2003, 19:01
Matt Groening regularly mentions these sort of things, he also vaguely threatened to stop over the demise of Futurama and regular jokes appear on the Simpsons over the age of the show and how the concept is being grounded away.
It will have to stop sometime, but there are no plans to stop the Simpsons, at least while they can keep the show fresh and profitable.
pinkus maximus
24 Dec 2003, 23:55
3 years will be more than enough I think it should have stopped before, it has been going downhill for a few years now. Groening should take a leaf out of Jerry Seinfelds book
I cant see the Simpsons dying in the near future. Too much money involved.
The show hasn't been that good for several years now anyway. They should have spent money hiring decent writers rather than paying Harry Shearer et al stupidly huge amounts of money. Futurama was a far better show.
NICK THE PIE MAN
25 Dec 2003, 07:05
Originally posted by Mog
Futurama was a far better show.
Blasphamy!!!!
Originally posted by pinkus maximus
3 years will be more than enough I think it should have stopped before, it has been going downhill for a few years now. you're obviously not a real fan, The Simpsons will always be funny no matter what happens. Some episodes are crappy but people watch tme no matter what. I know every Sat and Sun morning I get up to watch the Simpsons from 9 til 12, except when the cricket is on of course.
Macca19
25 Dec 2003, 10:01
Im with Mog. Futurama all the way!
As for the Simpsons. Its fantastic, i love it, but the quality has decreased dramtically over the past 2-3 years. There have been a fair few episodes in the past 2-3 years where Ive failed to laugh more than once. They just seem to lack that humour they had once upon a time. The Simpsons will always be profitable as everyone loves it, but that doesnt mean the quality will always be at a high level. Unless it improves once again, i give it 2 more seasons tops.
I'm with mog as well. Futurama is a grossly underrated show!
Zoidberg and Zapp Brannigan rock!!!
Zapp: So, a plan to assassinate some weird looking aliens with scissors. How very neutral of you. It was almost the perfect crime, but you forgot one thing. Rock crushes scissors! ...But paper covers rock ...and scissors cut paper. Kif, we have a conundrum! Search them for paper, and bring me a rock.
:D
^Eagle^
25 Dec 2003, 23:34
Yeah, Futurama is pretty good and IF the Simpsons stops, IMO Ch 10 will buy the rights to Futurama
I remember seeing an interview with Matt Groening who said that they were running out of ideas very quickly, and this was about four or five years ago
anonymous Joe
25 Dec 2003, 23:56
Originally posted by Mickey
you're obviously not a real fan, The Simpsons will always be funny no matter what happens. Some episodes are crappy but people watch tme no matter what. I know every Sat and Sun morning I get up to watch the Simpsons from 9 til 12, except when the cricket is on of course.
Please a real fan isn't obssessed and can ommit when a show has gone old and stale all the simpsons do know is meet celebrities and make clip shows. Ironic how the simpsons always bag clip shows and say shows should go off the air before they go stale.
anonymous Joe
25 Dec 2003, 23:57
Originally posted by Mog
The show hasn't been that good for several years now anyway. They should have spent money hiring decent writers rather than paying Harry Shearer et al stupidly huge amounts of money. Futurama was a far better show.
**** was?
how many seasons did they make of futurama, and when did it end?
^Eagle^
26 Dec 2003, 00:19
Originally posted by anonymous Joe
how many seasons did they make of futurama, and when did it end?
I think they're still making new eps, but it's for PayTV now
Black JuJu
26 Dec 2003, 00:55
Futurama was axed earlier in the year.
It ran for 5 seasons I think.
Classic show if you give it a chance, Zoidy, Fransey and Zapp RULE.
"Look at ME - Dr. Zoidberg - HOME OWNER"
I agree the Simpsons has struggled at times over the last few years, which is sad but happens to every show eventually.
I actually had an idea about the show - I think it could last longer if it moved to skits and short stories. 22 mins worth as usual but lets face it, the episodes these days are mostly just disjointed stories and set ups for punchlines. So why not just embrace that and change the format a bit ?
What ya think ?
thewhippersnapper
26 Dec 2003, 21:43
Its not going down hill.
The episodes are as good as ever in my opinion.
3 Years is still a long time and I can still watch repeats just like Seinfeld.
Richmondfan#1
26 Dec 2003, 23:17
Speaking of Futurama, I saw a christmas episode of that the other week. It was so funny, Santa Claus was evil and wanted to destroy everyone because they were all programmed to 'naughty'. Christmas was known as Xmas and ahh ... it just made me laugh. It's such a bizarre show.
Speaking of Futurama, I saw a christmas episode of that the other week. It was so funny, Santa Claus was evil and wanted to destroy everyone because they were all programmed to 'naughty'. Christmas was known as Xmas and ahh ... it just made me laugh. It's such a bizarre show.
I think there was a second christmas epsiode of Futurama that was banned in the US due to it's controversial use of the Santabot and a Kwanzabot that offended the ever so meek population. Eventually they showed it, but I'm sure thousands of kiddies were scarred and traumatised but. As opposed to Fry getting his arm chopped off by Ziodberg adn them using it as a weapon...
Stealth bomber
27 Dec 2003, 12:57
It has to end sometime. It's the longest running sitcom ever.
The last two years have been much better, but nowhere near the level of the first 7 seasons. I like to think that they want to end on a relatively good note.
Seasons 8 and 9 were average. Seasons 10-12 are almost unwatchable in reruns.
In retrospect, I think they should have quit after they had peaked, but I can understand why they didn't. I'm just glad there appears to be some measure of quality control involved again, because for awhile, it had really gotten bad.
If someone had told Matt Groening 10 years ago that one day his production staff would churn out absolute garbage like 'Kill the Alligator and Run' or 'Saddlesore Galactica', I like to think he would have shut down production.
I think what happened is that Groening clearly put all his focus on Futurama. Sometime around 1997-98 is when the Simpsons really began to lose the plot (in my opinion) and that would coincide with the initial stages of Futurama's production.
I have the early season DVDs and I like to watch all the old episodes with commentary. It amazes me how many times that the shows writers always say "we didn't want to make this cartoony or make that cartoony" - in those days they followed through on that philosophy but in later years they wouldn't.
beckybiglands
27 Dec 2003, 14:32
Originally posted by BomberAUS
Its not going down hill.
The episodes are as good as ever in my opinion.
3 Years is still a long time and I can still watch repeats just like Seinfeld.
i agree, i could watch the simpsons forever, i just love homer and ralph, i love em!
futurama has been much better than the simpsons in recent years and i'm ****ed off that its only on every now and then on free to air and only on @ 11pm grrr
mace007
27 Dec 2003, 15:43
Futurama > Simpsons. Recent Simpsons, anyway.
Fall Out Boy
27 Dec 2003, 19:38
Originally posted by ^Eagle^
I think they're still making new eps, but it's for PayTV now
Nope, finished 3/4 way through season 5.
GoalsFrom50Out
27 Dec 2003, 21:20
Originally posted by BomberAUS
3 Years is still a long time and I can still watch repeats just like Seinfeld.
That's teh beauty of sitcom TV, you can watch it again, and again, and again, and again ... and again ...
anonymous Joe
28 Dec 2003, 17:09
Originally posted by phatandphreaky
Nope, finished 3/4 way through season 5.
why would/ did they stop 3/4 of the way through?
bacon buster
28 Dec 2003, 17:57
i'm as big a fan of the simpsons as anyone, but the last 5 seasons have been crap.
i think ever since ian maxtone-graham took over, things went downhill.
they should get conan o'brien back to write, i think my favourite 2-3 episodes ever were all written by him.
Dogwatcher
28 Dec 2003, 22:03
I would like to see the Simpsons go in a different direction.
This is going to cause some disagreements, but I'd like to see the writers move 25 or so years ahead and see what the family is like then.
They've done looks into the future before, but they are only assumptions of what the characters will become - like any look into the future. In my opinion it would be cool to see the characters developed around their future life.
Stealth bomber
29 Dec 2003, 10:50
I always liked the idea of a spinoff with the kids as teenagers. Then they could play up all of the sexual tension between Lisa and Milhouse.
^Eagle^
29 Dec 2003, 17:28
That would be awsome!
But, if the Simpsons do one day stop airing, maybe they should go out with a Movie or even a Movie trilogy, dealing with the future of the Simpsons
rwfan83
29 Dec 2003, 19:55
Originally posted by Stealth bomber
I always liked the idea of a spinoff with the kids as teenagers. Then they could play up all of the sexual tension between Lisa and Milhouse.
But then Maggie would have to talk, and I don't think I'm ready for that yet! And anyway, Milhouse would probably end up getting rejected ;)
Yeah, the last couple of seasons the quality has declined but it's coming off a high standard. The new episodes might be funny once or twice but they don't have the same repeatability as before.
Roonaldo!
29 Dec 2003, 20:12
Originally posted by Mickey
you're obviously not a real fan, The Simpsons will always be funny no matter what happens. Some episodes are crappy but people watch tme no matter what. I know every Sat and Sun morning I get up to watch the Simpsons from 9 til 12, except when the cricket is on of course.
hey remember! on weekdays its on from 7-10 on FOX 8!
its great!
BTW on the Futurerama VS Simpsons, they're both great ofr different reasons, so i'll sit on the fence.
Roonaldo!
29 Dec 2003, 20:14
Originally posted by rwfan83
But then Maggie would have to talk, and I don't think I'm ready for that yet! And anyway, Milhouse would probably end up getting rejected ;)
Yeah, the last couple of seasons the quality has declined but it's coming off a high standard. The new episodes might be funny once or twice but they don't have the same repeatability as before.
haven't you seen the episode when maggie's a teen who always uses the phone? she talks heaps, or i think they haven't played it for so long.
Black JuJu
29 Dec 2003, 20:21
Originally posted by captain-boomer
haven't you seen the episode when maggie's a teen who always uses the phone? she talks heaps, or i think they haven't played it for so long.
Well to be a nitpicking Simpsons nut, she doesn't ACTUALLY have the chance to speak in the episode as she is always interupted or told to be quiet etc.
She did once say "Daddy" though (well Elizabeth Taylor did anyway....anyone remember what a huge deal that was ??)
I agree. The last few episodes have been awful. Even the animation looks crap. The Simpsons should be take a page out of Mike Judge's book (with B&B) and end it with a movie like Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.
Also, I have to agree about Jerry Seinfeld. I still watch that show and can't stop laughing even though I know what is going to happen.
noogie_da_sheep
29 Dec 2003, 22:46
Originally posted by Fraser
The Simpsons should be take a page out of Mike Judge's book (with B&B) and end it with a movie like Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.
yeah, they said that when the show eventually finishes, they'll do a movie...the characters will actually have aged and be a bit older for that movie