General Simpsons Thread

I couldn't find a thread for the Simpsons by themselves, so I decided to start one.

Anyways, I just got some news over the Simpsons Facebook page that Allison Krauss and Union Station are doing a special rendition of the Simpsons Theme for the opeing of the 500th episode. Here it is.

Marcia Wallace, actor who played Edna Krabappel, Dies At 70.

EDIT: Dammit, this was already posted on the "Is The Simpsons getting better?" Thread.

edited 26th Oct '13 4:45:34 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Since every other Simpsons thread I could find here was about something specific, I decided it'd be worth it to revive this thread.

So, I've recently started (yes, started) watching The Simpsons. Never actually watched it before, aside from maybe two or three episodes long ago as well as going to see the movie with a friend when it came out (you can imagine how many things in it were lost on me). Now, upon the insistence of one of my friends and my own desire to fill this gap in my pop cultural knowledge, I have decided to watch the show from the beginning and, I've gotta say, it's pretty fantastic, and I really had no idea what greatness I was missing. Just started on season 3 now, which I've heard marks the beginning of the show's golden age, but I loved most of the episodes in season 2 and didn't think the first season was nearly as bad as people make it out to be (even if it was still rough around the edges).

Anyone here have any comments for me, or any advice on my watching or anything at all?

Season 4, when they abandoned Klasky Csupo for Film Roman, is when it gets good.

The post-Golden Age episodes are not bad at all; there are quite a few episodes that can stand up with the best of the Golden Age.

"The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show" is probably the best episode; every joke in it works and its satire is incredibly on-point.

There are a lot of great episodes that have yet to come, it's almost impossible to name all the great episodes. The Treehouse of Horror episodes are particularly good examples on how to do a Parody Episode, as they work even you haven't seen the source material. Be warned once you hit season 9-11, as that's when the show's quality starts go down.

One episode I always hear is really good is "Marge vs. The Monorail"?

Yes, it is; there's a parody of The Music Man and a cameo from Leonard Nimoy...

Homer is the genius this world needs.

This show's fanbase is one of the more extreme examples of a Broken Base, so proceed with caution.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/arts/television/sam-simon-who-helped-shape-the-simpsons-dies-at-59.html

Awful.

Harry Shearer is officially off the show.

I saw that trending on Facebook.

First two links: "Harry Shearer quits The Simpsons".

Second two links: "Harry Shearer fired from The Simpsons."

What? Who's got their facts wrong?

Third two links: "Harry Shearer leaves The Simpsons in contract dispute."

Oh, both right then.

Well, that's troublesome for those characters he voiced. What will be done with them?

Find convincing soundalikes? Put them on a bus? Kill them off?

...maybe finally bring the show to an end?

Most likely do what they did with Maggie Roswell.

Doesn't Harry Shearer portray, like, more or less the entire male supporting cast on the show?

I read that they would scour the voice actors out there to find a replacement.

So there's a few possible options on what's gonna happen now that Shearer has left the show:

1. Fox realizes the mistake they made and they manage to negotiate a new contract for Shearer.

2. The show continues as it is, but with a new voice actor subbing in.

3. The show continues as it is, but all of Shearer's characters are now Put on a Bus or Demoted to Extra.

Honestly though, if Fox doesn't go with the first option, I don't think the show's going to last much longer.

Well at the very least he played the family's neighbor, Homer's boss, one of Homer's best friends, and Bart and Lisa's principal, so... how are they expecting people not to notice his absence?

• Grumbles because he played my favorite character and another two in my top 5*

I hardly like the family. I'm only watching it for the recurring characters.

The show has already been renewed for Seasons 27 and 28.

If Shearer's departure does kill the ratings, hopefully FOX will announce plans to cancel after Season 28 early enough for them to produce a proper series finale.

There may very well be several more episodes with Harry Shearer yet to air. Several episodes made for one year's season are often held over for the next.

As I said, though, they'll probably do what they did for Maggie Roswell - except without killing off one of his characters.

That's going to be a big blow. Aside from a few celebrity voice spots like Jon Lovitz as Artie Ziff, they generally stick with the VA or remove the character, but yeah, removing Flanders, Burns, and Skinner is going to leave yet more notable gaps than Edna Krabappel.

I wonder if they're trying to go for 30 seasons. They should end on a round number, although the loss of Shearer should be warning that it's time at last to wrap this.

How long will this show last? 30 years? 50 years?

Apparently there are really old soap operas (some from as far back as the 1950s) that are still running on TV.

I love seasons 3-8 of this show. The Scully era is where things start to go wrong, and the modern era is just bland with some really bad episodes.