History FanonDiscontinuity / TheSimpsons

Even many fans whom count the deaths of the above characters as canon, often disregard the the deaths of Snowball II in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E9IAnnoyedGruntBot I (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot]]" and Fat Tony in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E9DonnieFatso Donnie Fatso]]", particularly as both episodes ended with the character getting a BackupTwin identical in [[ResetButton ''every'' single way]] and the cast agreeing to never [[StatusQuoIsGod speak of these events ever again]]. Snowball II's death even [[DiscontinuityNod referenced Skinner]] being Armin Tanzarian in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E2ThePrincipalAndThePauper The Principal and the Pauper]]", implying the death was outright [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]].

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E21BartMangledBanner Bart-Mangled Banner]]", which was so [[{{Anvilicious}} heavy-handedly]] anti-Republican that it could easily pass as an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. Even though ''The Simpsons''' viewer base probably agreed with those politics, many viewers found it unfitting with the show's style.

Even many fans whom count the deaths of the above characters as canon, often disregard the the deaths of Snowball II in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E9IAnnoyedGruntBot I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot]]" and Fat Tony in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E9DonnieFatso Donnie Fatso]]", particularly as both episodes ended with the character getting a BackupTwin identical in [[SnapBack every single way]] and the cast agreeing to never [[StatusQuoIsGod speak of these events ever again]]. Snowball II's death even [[DiscontinuityNod referenced Skinner]] being Armin Tanzarian in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E2ThePrincipalAndThePauper The Principal and the Pauper]]", implying the death was non-canon.

One common thread is the continuity of the show. Many fans like the NegativeContinuity and won't accept anything that drastically changes it. They don't consider any episodes with [[KilledOffForReal permanent character deaths]] as canon, including "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E14AloneAgainNaturaDiddily Alone Again, Natura-Diddily]]" (Maude)[[note]]her voice actress Maggie Roswell had temporarily [[ActorLeavesCharacterDies quit the show]][[/note]], "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E9IAnnoyedGruntBot I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot]]" (Snowball II), "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E9DonnieFatso Donnie Fatso]]" (Fat Tony), and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS25E13TheManWhoGrewTooMuch The Man Who Grew Too Much]]" (Edna Krabappel)[[note]]her voice actress Marcia Wallace [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim had died]][[/note]]. As far as Snowball II and Fat Tony are concerned, the narrative pretends they never happened either. They also don't consider new relationships canon, like Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel, or Comic Book Guy getting married to a Japanese woman (which had [[MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow additional connotations]] people didn't like).

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E13SaddlesoreGalactica Saddlesore Galactica]]" has something of a BrokenBase, but it is a [[SelfDepreciation pisstake against the show's own decline]], and what the writers saw as an overreliance on {{Recycled Script}}s and {{Flanderization}}. Some fans disown it, because they either didn't think the show was ''that'' bad, or because they don't think [[LampshadeHanging hanging a lampshade]] on the problem is going to fix it.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E13SaddlesoreGalactica Saddlesore Galactica]]" has something of a BrokenBase, but it is a [[SelfDepriciation pisstake against the show's own decline]], and what the writers saw as an overreliance on {{Recycled Script}}s and {{Flanderization}}. Some fans disown it, because they either didn't think the show was ''that'' bad, or because they don't think [[LampshadeHanging hanging a lampshade]] on the problem is going to fix it.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E13SaddlesoreGalactica Saddlesore Galactica]]" has something of a BrokenBase, but it is a [[TakeThatUs pisstake against the show's own decline]], and what the writers saw as an overreliance on {{Recycled Script}}s and {{Flanderization}}. Some fans disown it, because they either didn't think the show was ''that'' bad, or because they don't think [[LampshadeHanging hanging a lampshade]] on the problem is going to fix it.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E13SaddlesoreGalactica Saddlesore Galactica]]" has something of a BrokenBase, but it is a [[TakeThatMe pisstake against the show's own decline]], and what the writers saw as an overreliance on {{Recycled Script}}s and {{Flanderization}}. Some fans disown it, because they either didn't think the show was ''that'' bad, or because they don't think [[LampshadeHanging hanging a lampshade]] on the problem is going to fix it.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E19KillTheAlligatorAndRun Kill the Alligator and Run]]", for being a RandomEventsPlot with sheer absurdity that, unlike "Saddlesore Galactica", isn't played for satire. [[DeusExMachina The ending]] where the titular alligator, Captain Jack, turned out to be alive the whole time didn't help matters. WordOfGod was that there was supposed to be a scene where Captain Jack is lying in state at the Capitol, and they were forced to delete it for time; Mike Scully admitted this was a terrible idea because doing so created a massive PlotHole.

''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is a LongRunner, and its fans have [[BrokenBase all sorts of different opinions]] as to which episodes should "count" and which shouldn't. For the most part, though, there's a dividing line somewhere around Season 8, 9, or 10 (no one can really agree), after which everything [[SeasonalRot seems to go downhill]], and perhaps another point at which it officially became a FranchiseZombie. One thing that's objectively true is that after Season 8, Creator/MattGroening stopped being so involved in the show; he started working on ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' and took much of the writing talent with him. The later showrunners ran ''The Simpsons'' differently, and many fans weren't enamored with it; Mike Scully (seasons 9-12) relied much more on VulgarHumor, hoping to compete with the then-new ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', and Al Jean (season 13 onward) was full of politics, [[WereStillRelevantDammit dated pop-culture references]], and [[CutawayGag odd asides]], hoping to compete with the then-new ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS24E14GorgeousGrampa Gorgeous Grampa]]", in which ''(a)'' Marge hopes Grampa is gay so she can look more progressive (which fans saw as an offensive caricature), ''(b)'' we see an extended ''Series/StorageWars'' parody (one of those [[WereStillRelevantDammit references]] the fans hate so much), and ''(c)'' Burns is presented as Abraham's fan, when [[SeriesContinuityError prior continuity]] establishes that they're mortal enemies and have been since World War II.

One common thread is the continuity of the show. Many fans like the NegativeContinuity and won't accept anything that drastically changes it. They don't consider any episodes with [[KilledOffForReal permanent character deaths]] as canon, including "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E14AloneAgainNaturaDiddily Alone Again, Natura-Diddily]]" (Maude)[[note]]her voice actress Maggie Roswell had temporarily [[ActorQuitsCharacterDies quit the show]][[/note]], "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E9IAnnoyedGruntBot I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot]]" (Snowball II), "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E9DonnieFatso Donnie Fatso]]" (Fat Tony), and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS25E13TheManWhoGrewTooMuch The Man Who Grew Too Much]]" (Edna Krabappel)[[note]]her voice actress Marcia Wallace [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim had died]][[/note]]. As far as Snowball II and Fat Tony are concerned, the narrative pretends they never happened either. They also don't consider new relationships canon, like Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel, or Comic Book Guy getting married to a Japanese woman (which had [[MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow additional connotations]] people didn't like).

One common thread is the continuity of the show. Many fans like the NegativeContinuity and won't accept anything that drastically changes it. They don't consider any episodes with [[KilledOffForReal permanent character deaths]] as canon, including "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E14AloneAgainNaturaDiddily Alone Again, Natura-Diddily]]" (Maude)[[note]]her voice actress Maggie Roswell had temporarily [[McLeaned quit the show]][[/note]], "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E9IAnnoyedGruntBot I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot]]" (Snowball II), "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E9DonnieFatso Donnie Fatso]]" (Fat Tony), and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS25E13TheManWhoGrewTooMuch The Man Who Grew Too Much]]" (Edna Krabappel)[[note]]her voice actress Marcia Wallace [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim had died]][[/note]]. As far as Snowball II and Fat Tony are concerned, the narrative pretends they never happened either. They also don't consider new relationships canon, like Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel, or Comic Book Guy getting married to a Japanese woman (which had [[MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow additional connotations]] people didn't like).

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS19E6LittleOrphanMillie Little Orphan Millie]]", in which Milhouse's parents get back together, when fans thought that their divorce was good CharacterDevelopment for Milhouse. It's a bit of a BrokenBase, though, with people who didn't care for the divorce to begin with or thought it was good character development for Kirk; WebOriginal/TheRealJims, for instance, warmed up to the episode, thinking that divorced Kirk fared a lot better than sober Barney.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E19KillTheAlligatorAndRun Kill the Alligator and Run]]", for being a RandomEventsPlot with sheer absurdity that, unlike "Saddlesore Galactica" mentioned above, isn't played for satire. [[DeusExMachina The ending]] where the titular alligator, Captain Jack, turned out to be alive the whole time didn't help matters. WordOfGod was that there was supposed to be a scene where Captain Jack is lying in state at the Capitol, and they were forced to delete it for time; Mike Scully admitted this was a terrible idea because doing so created a massive PlotHole.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS24E14GorgeousGrampa Gorgeous Grampa]]", in which ''(a)'' Marge hopes Grampa is gay so she can look more progressive (which fans saw as an offensive caricature), ''(b)'' we see an extended ''Series/StorageWars'' parody (one of those [[WereStillRelevantDammit references]] the fans hate so much), and ''(c)'' Burns is presented as Abraham's fan, when [[SeriesContinuityError prior continuity]] establishes that they're mortal enemies and have been since World War II.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS17E16MillionDollarAbie Million Dollar Abie]]", in which the abuse heaped on Abe Simpson got so extreme that it [[DudeNotFunny stopped being funny]]. Same thing for "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS18E18TheBoysOfBummer The Boys of Bummer]]", this time on Bart.

* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E2ThePrincipalAndThePauper The Principal and the Pauper]]", in which Principal Skinner -- who had been a recurring character for eight seasons -- was actually [[DeadPersonImpersonation a fraud named Armin Tamzarian]]. The episode was nearly universally revilde, and the writers seemed to anticipate this reaction, as the characters have the same reaction InUniverse -- they decide they prefer the fake Skinner, run the real one out of town, and [[StatusQuoIsGod agree never to mention it again]]. Several subsequent episodes have made self-effacing TakeThat jokes and {{Discontinuity Nod}}s to the preposterousness of the plot.
* "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E10VivaNedFlanders Viva Ned Flanders]]", which depicts Flanders as being 60 years old, which conflicted with earlier episodes showing him to be the child of {{beatnik}}s. They went back to the beatnik thing because it made more sense in the timeline -- until the show became a LongRunner and it didn't anymore.

One common thread is the continuity of the show. Many fans like the NegativeContinuity and won't accept anything that drastically changes it. They don't consider any episodes with [[KilledOffForReal permanent character deaths]] as canon, including "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E14AloneAgainNaturaDiddily Alone Again, Natura-Diddily]]" (Maude)[[note]]her voice actress Maggie Roswell had [[McLeaned quit the show]][[/note]], "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E9IAnnoyedGruntBot I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot]]" (Snowball II), "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E9DonnieFatso Donnie Fatso]]" (Fat Tony), and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS25E13TheManWhoGrewTooMuch The Man Who Grew Too Much]]" (Edna Krabappel)[[note]]her voice actress Marcia Wallace [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim had died]][[/note]]. As far as Snowball II and Fat Tony are concerned, the narrative pretends they never happened either. They also don't consider new relationships canon, like Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel, or Comic Book Guy getting married to a Japanese woman (which had [[MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow additional connotations]] people didn't like).

''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' takes this trope and uses it as a '''weapon''':
** Of course, there are fans who utterly despise "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E2ThePrincipalAndThePauper The Principal and the Pauper]]", the episode where it's revealed that the Principal Skinner we've known throughout the show's long-running history (8 seasons at that point) is actually [[DeadPersonImpersonation a fraud named Armin Tamzarian]]. The episode is an [[CanonDiscontinuity in-show example of discontinuity]], too, because the characters in-show [[StatusQuoIsGod decide they prefer the fake Skinner, run the real one out of town, and a judge orders that they never speak of the incident again]]. Several subsequent episodes have made self-effacing TakeThat jokes and {{Discontinuity Nod}}s about the preposterousness of the plot as well.
** The only episode more reviled for its blatant abuse of canon than "The Principal and the Pauper" is "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS19E11That90sShow That '90s Show]]" which depicts the lives of The Simpsons throughout the 90s, completely ignoring that the events of episodes which aired during the show's earlier seasons that took place in the 90s, and completely rewriting canon as a result. This may have been upgraded to CanonDiscontinuity in later seasons, since they continue to depict Homer and Marge as having gotten together in the late 1970s into the 1980s.
** Also "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E10VivaNedFlanders Viva Ned Flanders]]", with its portrayal as Ned as 60 has since been ignored - with Ned's previous background as the son of beatniks being retained. (Of course, twenty seasons later, the two are no longer incompatible.)
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS18E18TheBoysOfBummer The Boys of Bummer]]" and "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS17E16MillionDollarAbie Million Dollar Abie]]" are disowned for showing abuse to Bart and Grampa respectively that goes beyond BlackComedy.
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E13SaddlesoreGalactica Saddlesore Galactica]]" is divided, as some people (and the writers) see the episode more as a surreal [[TakeThatMe piss-take against the show's own decline in quality due to repetitive storylines and exaggerated characterizations]].
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E21BartMangledBanner Bart-Mangled Banner]]" for being so heavy-handed against Republicans and conservatives that Creator/SethMacFarlane could rewrite it as a ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode by just changing the names and no one would be able to tell the difference.
** Crossing with FranchiseOriginalSin on this example, "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E5LisaTheVegetarian Lisa the Vegetarian]]" sometimes gets this treatment, not for being bad (it's considered genuinely funny), but for starting Lisa's eventual {{Flanderization}} into a SoapboxSadie (the reason being due to Music/PaulMcCartney only agreeing to do the episode if Lisa stayed vegetarian for the rest of the show's run).
** Fans usually ignore the presence of Sideshow Bob's Italian wife and son as seen in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS17E8TheItalianBob The Italian Bob]]". Possibly CanonDiscontinuity as they're never seen or mentioned again after "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS19E8FuneralForAFiend Funeral for a Fiend]]".
** Mike Scully's tenure as showrunner is hated by some due to the show's blatant use of ''Family Guy''-cum-''South Park''-esque levels of VulgarHumor. The shining example being the infamous Panda Rape scene in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E5HomerVsDignity Homer vs. Dignity]]", which crosses the line into tastelessness territory with a dash of sickening abandon.
** The Al Jean episodes are hated just as much, only for different reasons – namely, being boring, derivative, full of forced humor, carrying an air of WereStillRelevantDammit due to dated pop culture references, and the constant dueling with ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' in FOX's lineup.
** Some fans treat "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E8MotherSimpson Mother Simpson]]" as the only time Mona Simpson appears, as they feel her later appearances cancel out its ''very powerful'' TearJerker ending.
** One of the biggest complains of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS23E22LisaGoesGaga Lisa Goes Gaga]]" was how much screentime Music/LadyGaga got as opposed to other celebrity guest stars (only Creator/MelGibson in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E1BeyondBlunderdome Beyond Blunderdome]]" had a comparable amount of screentime to her), to the point where the episode's absurdity resembles a CrackFic.
** Ned Flanders getting married to Edna Krabappel is seen by some fans as another JumpedTheShark moment in the series history.
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS19E6LIttleOrphanMillie Little Orphan Millie]]", due to Milhouse's parents getting back together when their divorce was considered by many to be CharacterDevelopment for their son.
*** WebOriginal/TheRealJims admitted he didn't like this development either at first, but when researching Kirk's appearances for one of his ''Simpsons Histories'' videos, he "kind of" changed his mind about it -- he still considers the remarriage boring in a conceptual sense, but it didn't nullify Kirk's own character development from the divorce era as a huge ButtMonkey, and Kirk in fact benefitted from it by getting more frequent appearances on the show from then on. Jims contrasts Kirk's situation with Barney's, who got nothing out of his period of sobriety (seasons 11 through 15) and had minimal prominence afterwards.
** Some fans don't consider any of the permanent character deaths to be canon. This includes the death of Maude in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E14AloneAgainNaturaDiddily Alone Again, Natura-Diddily]]" (after [[McLeaned Maggie Roswell quit the show for a time]]), Snowball II in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E9IAnnoyedGruntBot I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot]]", Fat Tony in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E9DonnieFatso Donnie Fatso]]", and Edna Krabappel in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS25E13TheManWhoGrewTooMuch The Man Who Grew Too Much]]" (after [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Marcia Wallace's own death]]). With the deaths of Snowball II and Fat Tony, the narrative pretends they never happened either.
** Comic Book Guy getting married to a Japanese woman was divisive due to similar reasons as Ned and Edna’s marriage, plus the implications of an Asian woman becoming spontaneously “available” to a Caucasian man.
** Bart, Lisa and Maggie were always considered special for being the three Simpsons kids. Then UniquenessDecay came down '''hard''' with "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS24E3AdventuresInBabyGetting Adventures in Baby-Getting]]", which reveals that Homer donated his sperm and now has a massive number of offspring mothered by other women in the world. In the same episode Homer says he never wanted to be a father which contradicts how much he enjoyed being a father in classic seasons. It is also downright nonsensical that he would donate his genetic material to a sperm bank but not ever want children.
** Among other things the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS24E14GorgeousGrampa Gorgeous Grampa]]" included, like an offensive caricature of transgender people, Marge hoping Grampa is gay so she can look more progressive, and a ''Series/StorageWars'' parody, the episode also included a major SeriesContinuityError by presenting Mr. Burns as a fan of Abraham, when it was established in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E22 Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"]]" that the two were mortal enemies since WWII (although the earlier episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E17OldMoney Old Money]]" somewhat portrayed them as strangers).
** Special mention should go to the people who ignore everything after Season 8, 9, or 10, as so many viewers agree the show declined in quality at that time. The term "Zombie Simpsons" was even coined to show how the show will never get better as it just goes on forever. They might be willing to accept some post Season 10 episodes like "Trilogy Of Error", "Holidays Of Future Past" and "Barthood" as those are the only ones released then considered on classic level. It should be noted that at this time Creator/MattGroening was becoming less involved as he was busy with ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', co-creator Sam Simon had left the show, and Creator/JamesLBrooks was becoming less involved after a public dispute with Groening after the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E18AStarIsBurns A Star Is Burns]]". 90% of the writers from the most acclaimed seasons were gone too.

** One of the biggest complains of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS23E22LisaGoesGaga Lisa Goes Gaga]]" was how much screentime Music/LadyGaga got as opposed to other celebrity guest stars (only Creator/MelGibson in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E1BeyondBlunderdome Beyond Blumderdome]]" had a comparable amount of screentime to her), to the point where the episode's absurdity resembles a CrackFic.

** Some fans don't consider any of the permanent character deaths to be canon. This includes the death of Maude in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E14AloneAgainNaturaDiddily Alone Again, Natura-Diddily]]", Snowball II in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E9IAnnoyedGruntBot I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot]]", Fat Tony in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E9DonnieFatso Donnie Fatso]]", and Edna Krabappel in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS25E13TheManWhoGrewTooMuch The Man Who Grew Too Much]]" (after [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Marcia Wallace's own death]]). With some of these deaths, the narrative pretends they never happened either.

** Bart, Lisa and Maggie were always considered special for being the three Simpsons kids but "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS24E3AdventuresInBabyGetting Adventures in Baby-Getting]]" reveals that Homer donated his sperm and now has a massive number of offspring mothered by other women in the world. In the same episode Homer says he never wanted to be a father which contradicts how much he enjoyed being a father in classic seasons. It is also downright nonsensical that he would donate his genetic material to a sperm bank but not ever want children.
** Among other things the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS24E14GorgeousGrampa Gorgeous Grampa]]" included, like an offensive caricature of transgender people, Marge hoping Grampa is gay so she can look more progressive, and a ''Series/StorageWars'' parody, the episode also included a major SeriesContinuityError by presenting Mr. Burns as a fan of Abraham, when it was established in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E22 Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"]]" that the two were mortal enemies since WWII.

** Also "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E10VivaNedFlanders Viva Ned Flanders]]", with its portrayal as Ned as 60 has since been ignored - with Ned's previous background as the son of beatniks being retained.