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Skavau @lemm.ee

8mo ago

Please Let the Simpsons Die: An Open Letter to Matt Groening

consequence.net Please Let the Simpsons Die Following Season 40

Here's why a long-time fan hopes Season 40 is the last.

Please Let the Simpsons Die Following Season 40

36 comments

I completely disagree.
If you don't like the new episodes of the Simpsons then stop watching. This whole open letter is the author crying that the Simpsons isn't as good as it used to be and that they don't enjoy it anymore. They're honest enough to point out that some people do enjoy it. Yes, are there fewer people that enjoy the show now than used to. Yes, the best seasons and the "golden age" are over. But honestly if you don't enjoy the show just stop watching.
I like The Simpsons. I like the newer seasons. I laugh at the newer episodes.
- I loved the Simpsons. To me there's about 10 seasons. I can go back and enjoy it whenever I want.
  The fact that it keeps going doesn't affect that. It is keeping lots of people employed, and entertained. I hate the new Simpsons and that's my problem to deal with which I do by not watching.
  
  I watched some of the newer episodes out of boredom. I was really surprised! They're pretty good.
  They're not all incredible or anything. But they have a lot more soul to them than a lot of the obvious celebrity circle jerk episodes of the mid 2000s.
- This. I don't understand this weird desire to get a show cancelled only because you don't watch it anymore. Seems really egoistic.

omg yes. its been painful to suffer marges poor voice quality and the diminishing cast list.
its like watching your favorite great aunt who used be the life of the party slowly disappear under layers of age and dementia. a foggy apparition of what they used to be.

I don't know. During the lockdowns, it was comforting to know that if I ever ran out of stuff to watch, there was always 20 years of The Simpsons waiting to be watched.
- I mean, did you ever watch it, though? Most of the stuff in that time period is arguably unwatchable.
  
  The only reason I got Disney plus was to watch the Simpsons in full and I enjoyed the whole thing, some eps ara bit boring, but none are unwatchable in my opinion.

It'll die when it's not getting the ratings to carry on anymore. Stop watching and it'll stop being made.

My mom gave me a Simpson's T shirt when the show had just come out. Everyone was wearing Bart Simpson shirts at the time and I am somewhat anti "wear what everyone else is wearing" so I put it in my closet on a hange and said I won't wear this shirt until the show ends. It has been hanging there since like 1990, never worn. I am ready to wear that shirt already. I am good with this.
- Maybe you're the reason it's still going and you and the show are in an endless battle.
  First to give in loses.
  Either stop the show or wear the t-shirt.
  Neither one wants to lose.

Every other year the sentiment towards The Simpsons swings from "I don't mind, they're having fun with what they have, the show is even getting a little introspective" to "They should've ended 20 years ago, which is coincidentally when I stopped watching TV in general" either relative indifference or wishing the medium of television didn't make it through the 00s, no inbetween.

An Open Letter to Matt Groening
I may be misremembering, but I could have sworn Groening created the Simpsons for the Tracey Ullman Show specifically because he knew he wouldn't own them and he didn't want sign over his Life in Hell characters. They're sort of just doing what they were created to do. I doubt he could stop the zombie husk of the show if he tried.
- He created it, but I would be shocked if he had actual say in the show any more. He's moved into other projects. It's like when you were working something you cared about a job and then left. Sure you might grab beer with someone you used to work with and they may take your advice, but it's not really yours anymore. There's probably a scrap of paper somewhere that proves it, but you're off doing your new thing, and they have it running themselves.
  In fact, I doubt Groening would care to intervene, it's just not his baby anymore. I don't think it has been for almost 2 decades.
  
  This was the reason he created Futurama, because he retained all the rights to it unlike the Simpsons. That's also why FOX killed it.

I didn’t know anyone was watching it.

or make them grow up like they shouldve been, instead of remaining 10years old for the last 35years. shows like supernatural and ISAIP suffered severely after season 10, it got so bad and cringey..
- I had no idea what you meant by ISAIP and people kept repeating it in their replies.
  It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
  Folks. The acronym.
- Definitely this; just how many new stories could they tell with Bart and Lisa in high school, or university even.
  Spiderman apparently had him age over the course of the original run, and that was awesome. New stories you couldn't have told otherwise.
  
  iSIAP while it was still ok til s12, everything after that it was clearly a money grab by the actors, they largely given up on the show, you been there 10+years of course your tired. Rob the cofounder/founder apparently is addicted to being in hollywood elite circles so hes collaborating people that fans find questionable, like ryan reynolds, a football star,,,etc, and thier cosmetic surgeries reflect that.
  SPN is just wierd, they decided to cater to fanfictions fantasies.

After season 40? He wants the show to keep going for another 4 years after this season? The Simpsons has been dead for years already, barely held together like Weekend at Bernie's.
- He doesn't want it to keep going for four more seasons, but it's already been renewed up to season 40 so that's a done deal.
- He said at one point he'd never stop on his own accord and I think we see that playing out.
  
  I went to the live show back in 2000-something, and he made it very clear, in plain words, that he was just in it for the money from the start.

Yeah it's time to let it die before the entire main cast dies first. It lost its relevance a long time ago. Please end it on proper terms

The last 3-4 seasons had some good episodes not many but the good ones were pretty decent. Watched them after I saw yt vids about it. Just watch one if the plot looks interesting and it might actually be good.

I think the show would have been beautiful in its old age if its characters were allowed to grow old, have more kids, and die.

"Of course, I can’t speak for The Simpsons’ legions of fans, but at 43 years old, I haven’t met or even spoken to anyone who champions the new episodes"
Wouldn't champion them but still watch them with pleasure so I disagree
- What is everyone talking about according to my Plex server there are only 11 seasons of the Simpsons. The show ended and everyone started making Futurama.
- the old ones are golden age, and foreshadowing of current affairs. the news ones are just to cringe, just like family guy the most recent ones i heard 1 of them just copied the previous plot. american dad did something similar with thier recent episodes, but they were cleverly done so it wasnt an issue.
  when both stan and francine both had thier own horror-type episodes.
  
  I agree that old ones have more "political and world issues" flavour and the new episodes I think are more about general fun/funny and feel-good stuff about family dynamics. I wouldn't put it no where near family guy in terms of using cringe humour. Just because it is less prophetic and political does not make it automatically worse in my opinion, it just makes it different. I still enjoy it.

They got too pc ages ago. No edgy. No stereotypes. It got boring.

36 comments