when did OFF begin to slide?

or, what was the first truly bad episode?

dont be a smartass and say anything from season one please.....i know you will....

Adrunk wrote in message news:aqivgs$t3c$[email]...

Why would that be considered being a smartass? I've just reseen the first season, and there are a couple of clunkers!

-Bob

well you have to give the series a bit of time to reach its "peak" first, i'm trying to determine where the "peak" stopped....

Fair enough!

Just before the very first episode to hear the whiners in this newsgroup who year after year say "this season is the worst!".

Waittaminnit, is someone tryin' to sneak in another "When did OFF jump the shark" under cover of slightly modified verbiage? What kind of maroons do they take us for?

R H Menzel wrote in message news:3dcd33cd$[email]...

you

For sure. I think that if those episodes were remade now with the animation and voices we know, they would seem a lot better.

MB

"MB" wrote in message news:aqjd0n$rbe$[email]...

first

animation

No I think not.

["Mr. Burns"; Sat, 09 Nov 2002 20:52:49 GMT]

Maybe if someone could name an example, we could better imagine the "updated" version.

"MB" wrote in message news:...

Um...I don't think so. Yeah, the poor animation and the off voices are a bit of a distraction, but my problem with the first season shows lies in the writing. Too many episodes are centered around Bart, and many of them have sappy, predictable endings that seem out-of-place with what we expect from The Simpsons. Also, there's little of the satire or social commentary that would later help define the show. There's the occasional gem, but, for the most part, the first season is a stinker in my book.

Mike

"Mike" wrote in message news:[email]...

news:...

first

animation

I wouldn't go far enough as to call the entire first season a "stinker", but it's certainly down in the toilet bowl with season 11 (though for entirely different reasons). Since I recently moved to within broadcast range of a station that actually reruns old, OLD eps once in a while on Sunday nights, I almost wish I hadn't paid for the season 1 DVD.

But at least there were no celebrity guest stars that season.

"MB" wrote in message news:aqjd0n$rbe$[email]...

animation

Not to me. I'd still find a few of them much too sappy, Walter Matthau voice or not.

"R H Menzel" wrote in message news:...

No, I see the slide happening shortly after Groening met Brooks.

"$pringfield," from season 5.

Hmmm,,probably either when flanders failed or stark raving dad.

"Metlhd3138" wrote in message news:[email]...

idiot.

Fine tell me how exactly those are "classics".

I think the 1st episode that i saw that i really didn't enjoy much was "Two Bad Neighbors". That, and "Hellfish" were really the only two ones from season 7 that I didn't care for at the time, and they still haven't grown on me, unlikel many others that I have since re-evaluated. For me, until season 8, there wasn't really an episode I didn't love out of gate and would watch repeatedly even today. [Well okay, I probably would be alright with never seeing "The Tell-Tale Head" again]

And now, some examples from my own personal view..which many may take issue with [if only because I happen to love Homer's Enemy and You Only Move Twice] [but then again, I love "A Star Is Burns"]

Season 8 Best: Bart After Dark Mountain of Madness Homer's Enemy Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie You Only Move Twice

Worst: Burns, Baby Burns A Milhouse Divided The Secret War of Lisa Simpsons

Season 9:

Best: Lisa's Sax Lisa The Simpson Last Temptation of Krust Trash of The Titans

Worst: All the Rest, with a Dishonourable Mention to "The Principal and the Pauper"

Season 10:

Best: Simpsons Bible Stories Mayored to the Mob They Saved Lisa's Brain

Worst: Kidney Trouble When You Dish Upon A Star

Season 11:

Best: Treehouse of Horror X Bart To The Future Behind The Laughter

Worst: E-I-E-I (Annoyed Grunt) Saddlesore Galactica Days of Wine and D'Oh'ses

i like all of those a lot!

Springfield Files

Homer They Fall

This Little Wiggy Girly Edition Natural Born Kissers

Trash Of The Titans got the occasional laugh but the story was dumb, nonsensical and derivative.

Mom & Pop Art

Bart To The Future was just the off-hand wacky futuristic satire of Futurama with the Simpsons in place of Fry, Bender et al. now you'd think this would be watchable, as the Futurama characters are rather dull and the Simpsons characters are not, however the plot was terribly thin and it wasn't very funny and not at all clever. Lisa's Wedding stayed down to earth and sensible with its view of the future Simpsons, but Bart To The Future was just stupid...

I consider Grift Of The Magi as one of the best of Season 11. TOH X was OK I guess, one of the better TOHs...

KILL THE ALLIGATOR AND RUN!!! worst........episode.......ever.....

days of wine and d'oh'ses had several funny moments - the AA/AAA gag, Burt Reynolds, Homer's lines as he hangs from the helicopter, Gil, the flying instructor etc. actually, that was definitely one of the better episodes that season.

That episode had one of the best scenes ever!

Homer: I want to register to be sanitation commissioner!" Guy at Window: Well thats great pally but this is where u register as a sex offender." Moe: "Ah theres always a line!"

"Adrunk" wrote in message news:...

Actually, I don't like several episodes from season one. But, more to the point of your original question, I can't think of the first truly bad episode. Even at its peak, there was the occasional lousy episode. But the rest of the episodes were so good, it made up for the occasional clunker. The first bad season was 98-99, when, for the first time, there were more clunkers than great episodes. The 99-00 season was even worse and, in fact, was the worst season for the series. 00-01 was a minor improvement, and this past season was probably the best for the show since the 97-98 season.

Mike

On Sat, 9 Nov 2002, an infinite number of monkeys, masquerading as Adrunk typed this -

IMO Saddlesore Gallactica.

Aside from a few very bad clunkers in season 1, the Simpsons were consistently the funniest or 2nd funniest show(to Seinfeld) on TV until Season 8, where some head scratching episodes started to appear. Season 8 has some real gems(ala the Springfield Files), but some episodes from that year are strange and the tone seems to change from the gold standard set by the earlier seasons. Season 9 is where the real slide begins though, as producer Mike Scully takes over and moves OFF into a new era of crazy plots, random guest stars that add nothing to the story, the increasing reliance on gross and physical humor, jokes falling flat more often than not, etc. The show has never really recovered in my opinion, even with Al Jean taking over. I realize the ratings are still pretty good, but I think that is more a reflection of the show's loyal fanbase and the fundamental popularity of the characters themselves than anything else. I think a test pattern would draw decent ratings if you called it "The Simpsons" at this point.

On Sat, 9 Nov 2002, an infinite number of monkeys, masquerading as Adrunk typed this -

IMO Saddlesore Gallactica.

On Mon, 11 Nov 2002, an infinite number of monkeys, masquerading as Paul Hyett typed this -

Oops - dunno how that double-post happened.