Are SIMPSONS episodes getting too complicated?

I just watched an episode from 1990 tonight, and it was so simple yet effective: Bart enlists the help of Martin to help him study for an exam in exchange for teaching him how to be "cool". His plan backfires, and Martin becomes a hoodlum with no interest in studying.

This got me thinking, do the writers think that such an episode at this point in time would be ineffective? That we would get bored with such a simple story as this? That the stories HAVE to get more and more complicated to keep us interested?

AND ARE THEY RIGHT? Question: Do you think if that episode with Bart and Martin were to have come out in 2006 that it would have worked with the current Simpsons audience?

They are more complicated because all the simple episode ideas have been used.

If a similarly simple episode came out now, it would be well received, if it was original.

You are the Space Boss, I am the Space Museum.

L¢vix Xpac3 Mvx3vm

wrote in message news:[email]...

And I am the Space Cowboy.

The word "complicated" doesn't come to mind so much as "lame" or "stupid." Well, that may be a little harsh.

In the earlier episodes, the characters were still being developed, their personalities were still forming. Now those personalities are pretty much set in stone, so character development has come to a halt. To be fair, there may be no way around this. The last major push to change a character (that I can remember) was Barney drying out, and that worked so badly they've basically reverted him. (I know, Patty's a lesbian, that too. That change was better.) We can't have Homer getting smarter (permanently), or Marge getting a job (permanently).

So what we are left with is long lost relatives, wacky adventures, etc. I just don't think they can do those types of early episodes anymore, because they can't do character development anymore.

-- R Flowers

And the last one before Barney drying out was Maude Flanders dying out. And before that, when Marge got the falsies by accident. Now that was some development.

You are not the Space Cowboy. Some people CALL you the Space Cowboy. And don't some call you the gangster of love? And some people call you Maurice? And is "pompitous" a cromulent word? And is the Steve Miller band a dinosaur band?

Patty was always pretty gay. The character development part was when she came out of the closet.

How about Homer getting a job (permanently)? Does he still work at the nucular (sic) plant?

For more character development, some guy named Roy could come and live with the Simpsons. And when the Simpsons go to Hawaii on a vacation, Roy can waterski over a shark tank.

L¢vix Xpac3 Mvx3vm

Consider that this Sunday's episode features none other than Richard Dean Anderson, who either plays himself or Angus McGyver, who leant a totally different approach when it came to complicated!! ;)

Greg

Complicated? I don't know. Gimmicky is the first word that comes to my mind. It's funny that several years ago they made fun of themselves for "lame gimmick stories" like the Armand Tanzarian episode, but the gimmicks just keep coming these days.

I guess it's like a previous poster said. The main characters are pretty much set in stone, and they have to find a way to keep it fresh somehow.

It just makes me wonder if they can support a feature with all the shark-jumping going on in the tv show these days.

-Ray Kelley

I just watched an episode from 1990 tonight, and it was so simple yet effective: Bart enlists the help of Martin to help him study for an exam in exchange for teaching him how to be "cool". His plan backfires, and Martin becomes a hoodlum with no interest in studying.

This got me thinking, do the writers think that such an episode at this point in time would be ineffective? That we would get bored with such a simple story as this? That the stories HAVE to get more and more complicated to keep us interested?

AND ARE THEY RIGHT? Question: Do you think if that episode with Bart and Martin were to have come out in 2006 that it would have worked with the current Simpsons audience?

[email] wrote:

simpsons has never jumped the shark but it stopped being essential viewing around 1994.

DUDE...you have missed some good ones.

what in the hell are you doing linking your posts to a nascar racing group? just go away unless you want to talk nascar racing...

maddog --- make it idiot proof and someone will create a better idiot...

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 20:34:21 -0700, [email] wrote:

You have a little crush on them boys in their fast cars, don't you?

They are just written by 4 writers

One writes the main plot

One writes the "B" plot

One writes the plot that intertwines the Main and B plots

One is in charge of changing the Darren Hayes's CDs

On 14 Apr 2006 17:59:48 -0700, [email] wrote:

It's getting like Seinfeld, with intertwined plots.

The Grand Beckoning wrote in news:[email]:

At least it's not written by manatees

On 14-Apr-2006, [email] wrote:

Perhaps some of the episodes have become more complicated, but in my view that only allows for more gags. I think that the shows in syndication are working with todays audience, probably as you read this. I do appreciate the good post. Most of the stuff you post seems to be basically retarded. Perhaps if you sent your musings to only one newsgroup instead of bothering others? This newsgroup for Simpson related thought, maybe racing stuff for the Nascar group, and the scientology one for the goofy stuff no one wants to read?

Gary

If the lines below sound reasonable - then it must be too good to be true