Welp, that explains everything.
Apr. 28th, 2006 12:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thehefnerThis is from Matt Greoning's interview with The Onion this week:
"AVC: At this point, The Simpsons is one of the longest-running television shows of all time. How do you avoid cannibalizing and repeating yourself?
MG: We have an entire staff of writers and animators who are so young that they grew up watching the show. So they have the entire history memorized, and remind us when we're repeating ourselves. The goal is to keep coming up with things that both surprise the audience and the people who've been working on the show for the past 15 or 20 years."
Welp. That explains everything. The reason The Simpsons have sucked by and large for the past eight or so seasons is because the show is being written by Simpsons fans. You're getting material from people whose whole outlook and sense of humor was fashioned by the original brilliant Simpsons episodes! There's no innovation going on, nothing new, just watered-down retreads upon watered-down retreads. What's the old saying about the end of everything being self-parody? The Simpsons started parodying themselves years ago. Now we know why. At least, that's my new theory. I'd love to hear yours.
Oh, and by the way, Matt? The past season Marge got angry with Homer and started spending more time with another, more attractive, sexy man. For, like, the third time. And Sideshow Bob came back to kill Bart for, what, the eighth?
(the moment where this Jesus icon comes from was a rare one; indeed, it might be the single most brilliant joke the Simpsons have done in five or even ten years)
Oh, also, I found this interesting:
"AVC: Speaking of Family Guy, The Simpsons has taken a few shots at it, and it's shot back. What's your take on Family Guy?
MG: The rivalry is very affectionate. Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, is a good guy and he does great work, and I certainly have no problem with the perceived competition. If anything, we have the same kind of competition that Pugsley Addams and Eddie Munster had in the old days. They duked it out a few times, and so did Seth and I, but that's probably before your time.
AVC: Family Guy often seems like a child of The Simpsons. Do you feel like you're a godfather of a whole school of comedy?
MG: I think Family Guy and American Dad have definitely staked out their own style and territory, and now the accusations are coming that The Simpsons is taking jokes from Family Guy. And I can tell you, that ain't the case."
Affectionate? Not sure if I buy that.
"AVC: At this point, The Simpsons is one of the longest-running television shows of all time. How do you avoid cannibalizing and repeating yourself?
MG: We have an entire staff of writers and animators who are so young that they grew up watching the show. So they have the entire history memorized, and remind us when we're repeating ourselves. The goal is to keep coming up with things that both surprise the audience and the people who've been working on the show for the past 15 or 20 years."
Welp. That explains everything. The reason The Simpsons have sucked by and large for the past eight or so seasons is because the show is being written by Simpsons fans. You're getting material from people whose whole outlook and sense of humor was fashioned by the original brilliant Simpsons episodes! There's no innovation going on, nothing new, just watered-down retreads upon watered-down retreads. What's the old saying about the end of everything being self-parody? The Simpsons started parodying themselves years ago. Now we know why. At least, that's my new theory. I'd love to hear yours.
Oh, and by the way, Matt? The past season Marge got angry with Homer and started spending more time with another, more attractive, sexy man. For, like, the third time. And Sideshow Bob came back to kill Bart for, what, the eighth?
(the moment where this Jesus icon comes from was a rare one; indeed, it might be the single most brilliant joke the Simpsons have done in five or even ten years)
Oh, also, I found this interesting:
"AVC: Speaking of Family Guy, The Simpsons has taken a few shots at it, and it's shot back. What's your take on Family Guy?
MG: The rivalry is very affectionate. Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, is a good guy and he does great work, and I certainly have no problem with the perceived competition. If anything, we have the same kind of competition that Pugsley Addams and Eddie Munster had in the old days. They duked it out a few times, and so did Seth and I, but that's probably before your time.
AVC: Family Guy often seems like a child of The Simpsons. Do you feel like you're a godfather of a whole school of comedy?
MG: I think Family Guy and American Dad have definitely staked out their own style and territory, and now the accusations are coming that The Simpsons is taking jokes from Family Guy. And I can tell you, that ain't the case."
Affectionate? Not sure if I buy that.
