The people on the blog spit out quite alot of Simpons reference humor, that I miss cuz I stopped watching it a LONG TIME AGO... So Im throwing out the QnD for you and the blog.
1. What are the Top 5 seasons of the Simpsons for me to watch?
2. I remember the Simpsons being the funniest when "The Critic" was out. Did you ever watch the Critic during its heyday?
3. Did you ever watch "The Tick?" If you did, thoughts?
4. Thoughts on "American Dad" (because I love it.)
5. What about "The Cleveland Show?"
6. Do you think "South Park" will ever get cancelled or just stop running?
7. What happened to "Futurama?" It just doesnt have the same feeling since coming back.
8. Rodimus or Optimus?
9. Cobra Commander or Serpentor?
1. From 3-8 in no particular order. 1-2 are working out the kinks and it’s kind of downhill from 9 onwards, but those early ones are the sweet spot.
2. Of course. Also watched the DVDs several times. The Critic crossover episode of The Simpsons may in fact be the best episode ever.
3. Of course. Both the animated and live action versions.
4. Clearly the best of the Seth Empire at this point. I actually have Volume 7 sitting on my review pile as we speak.
5. Stopped watching it after the “live” episode in season 2. I can’t even get through an episode anymore.
6. Not as long as Matt and Trey need money and Comedy Central exists.
7. No idea, I’ve only started watching the rebooted season on Netflix. I’m just up to the one where Bender and Hermes are trying to find who created Bender (with touching twist ending) and it’s been pretty good by my watch thus far.
8. Rodimus never worked for me as lead babyface. It would be like John Cena getting killed off and Zack Ryder taking his place as World champion.
9. Serpentor was a poser. Cobra Commander did all the legwork for that organization.
Cobra LALALALALALALALA
ReplyDeleteRemember the good old days when The Simpsons didn't need 6 celebrity cameos an episode to seem appealing?
ReplyDeleteAnd that's another reason why I prefer Commander.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just because I'm older and less angsty about stuff, but as someone who has still never missed an episode of The Simpsons yet, I feel like they've settled into a good groove since Season 15 or so where the seasons are 1/3 excellent, 1/3 "okay," and 1/3 clunkers.
ReplyDeleteObviously that's a downgrade from Seasons 3-8, but the absolute best episodes today still hold up to the stuff from the '90s IMO.
"Holidays of Future Passed" is an all-time Top Twenty episode, potentially lower Top Ten.
I don't know -- the Mike Scully years are VASTLY underrated. 9-12 are some of my favorites. Scott's right, though, the 3-8 years are just insane considering the quality of every episode produced during that time. Still, Scully is unfairly maligned as a showrunner. I actually like his stuff more than the Oakley/Weinstein stuff.
ReplyDeleteI don't get how anybody can make it through one episode of a MacFarlane show.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Scott is just about to hit the great stretch of the revived Futurama.
ReplyDelete"The Late Philip J. Fry" holds it own against ANY episode of the show.
The "second half" of the season (the ones that aired in 2011 as opposed to 2010) aren't as good, but there are still enough gems that it doesn't feel like they're just propping the show up well beyond its last legs of quality or anything.
Five that are definitely worth checking out: Homer Simpson in: Kidney Trouble, The Computer Wore Menace Shoes, Children of a Lesser Clod, Beyond Blunderdome, Simpson Tide
ReplyDeleteI agree that the show was at it's peak during seasons 3-8, but there still some true gems that often get overlooked in seasons 9-14. I honestly couldn't stand most of season 14 when it originally aired. However, after rewatching the episodes on dvd a decade later, I find that I like them much better now.
"Homer vs. the 18th Amendment", "You only Move Twice", "The Springfeild Connection", "Homer's Phobia", and "22 Short Films About Springfeild" are my top 5, in that order. The X-Files episode and the one where they are staying at Flanders' vacation house are great too.
ReplyDeleteThose who neither realize nor admit that South Park is the most brilliant modicum of social commentary going today clearly haven't been paying attention.
ReplyDeleteYou need to watch Bob's Burgers. Awesome stuff, and only a season in, each character really has a distinct personality that's not cookie-cutter.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree that American Dad is the best Seth show. I still watch FG and Cleveland (can't get enough Rallo!), but the character development in AD is great.
The ending of GI Joe The Movie (Falcon's comment about "Thanks, big brother") makes more sense when you realize that Duke was supposed to be dead at that point. Watching it as an adult, you can tell where they made the changes , but as a kid you'd be none the wiser.
ReplyDelete"I come in peeeeace."
ReplyDelete"He comes in peace. Get him!"
I love Bob's Burgers. I didn't at first still I kinda got into a bit and then I was like, well hell this is pretty entertaining stuff. It's not must-see or anything, but it rarely disappoints.
ReplyDeleteSouthpark is amazing.
The Simpsons aren't half as bad as everyone makes them out to be.
American Dad is a good show, but I feel like Family Guy's kind dropped out a good bit, almost so much so that I couldn't care less if I miss it or not.
Count me in as a big fan of the Cleveland show. Living in the South the humor probably resonates with me a tad more than it does up there in the frigid Great White North. Do they even have black people there? Different strokes for different folks though I suppose.
I've always been a fan of Animation Domination, so I'm probably a bit of a mark. I just like to laugh, and the majority of the time these cartoons get a good chuckle out of me.
That's harsh on Rodimus. I feel he was more like the Bret Hart to Optimus' Hogan. The guy in the midcard who had to step up to the big seat unexpectedly when the designated replacement (Ultimate Warrior/Ultra Magnus) was revealed as being a flake. Rodimus is vastly underated.
ReplyDeleteWait, does anyone have a link to that Transformers animated movie review done in the style of a Scott Keith rant?
ReplyDeleteTHats exactly my take on Rodimus. Mid car guy thrusted into mani event and has to deal with low returns and no main event heels to make him so to speak.
ReplyDeleteQuintessons, bleh.
Galvatron was cool but how do u perceive him as a rebooted Megatron or a whole different person?
Humans? Garbage.
Not a lot of Main event heels during his run. There werent in Optimus's case but Megatron clearly made up for it.
American Dad might quite possibly be better than any animated show, even South Park. Its that good. At first I couldnt stand it and accused it of being a FG ripoff, but as i watched it on Netflix, it just clicked and now its appt tv. CLeveland Show sucks. As Gorilla would say. "He went to the well one to many times"
I OTOH, like Serpentor, not more than Cobra Commander, but he has his charm.
I don't like ranking Golden-Age Simpsons episodes, but if I *had* to I'm putting "Homer at the Bat" at number one. It's Mr. Burns at his absolute BEST- the fact he pinch hits for his best player to exploit a slight statistical advantage (if the 2 players are of equal ability, which of course Homer and Darryl Strawberry are not) always kills me. As does the fact he sticks to his guns and sends Don Mattingly home even though he knows his ringers are dropping like flies. And his original "Dream Team", which consists entirely of long dead players. I could go on and on...
ReplyDelete"You don't know when to keep your big mouth shut, DO YOU Saxy Boy?"
as a kid I found Galvatron much more intimidating than Megatron. but I also like Optimus a lot more than Rodimus.
ReplyDeleteYeah because showing the worst stereotypes of both sides of an issue, mocking them relentlessly, and then ending every episode with "well now I see that thinking this makes me a douchebag and thinking this makes me a pussy, so I'm just not gonna think anything. Everything sucks." is great social commentary and not just deadheaded nihilism. I won't watch South Park because of shit like that anymore.
ReplyDeleteRanking Simpsons episodes is so hard because as soon as you think you have a handle on which 5 are your favorite, you think of another 20 and pretty soon you've gone insane. So 5 Simpsons episodes I really really like but in no way am trying to say that they're the best ever are: "The Cartridge Family" (where Homer buys a gun), "Homerpalooza", "Summer of 4 ft. 2" (where they go to the beach and Lisa becomes a cool kid), "I Married Marge" (the flashback to when Marge first got pregnant with Bart), and "Homer the Krusty".
ReplyDeleteI think since around the time of the movie, Simpsons has improved from where they were at in the 10th season onward. Obviously they aren't at the level of classic 3-9 Simpsons but then again what show ever has been? This season has been pretty enjoyable thus far. I actually liked the plotting of this past week's episode, even if it gets a little ridiculous toward the end.
"The Great Money Caper" is hilarious as well. "you'll work off that cake in the acid mines!"
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, Galvatron was far more menacing than Megatron.
ReplyDeleteThe Rodimus run also lead to the series best ever episode when the autobots ran into zombie Optimus, though the first transformation of Metroplex was a pretty badass ep too.
What on Earth are you talking about?
ReplyDeleteThat's not at all what the show says. If the show ever gives a msg, it's that we should all just leave each other the fuck alone. If someone isn't hurting or harassing anyone with their opinions or actions, then they should be left alone. Besides, the show is told from the view of 9 year olds. 9 year olds say everything sucks in order to be cool.
South Park is for smart people. Seth McFarlane shows are for people who'd support something as stupid as Occupy Wall Street or something.
You're kind of proving your own point there, bud. They don't have any courage of conviction, they just mock everything and then their big standing point, harped on in EVERY goddamned episode is "just leave us alone." That's just a simpler way of being nihilistic. Even when they get too overtly preachy about libertarian stuff, at least they have some leg to stand on. And reading any interviews or articles about Parker & Stone, most of that stuff comes straight from their own opinions and not filtered through a 9 year old's aesthetic.
ReplyDeleteAs for your right wing grandstanding, blow it out your ass.
So Scott, what do you think of "South Park"? You responded to the e-mailer's question about the life-expectancy of the show, but I'm curious as to your opinion on the show itself.
ReplyDeleteAnd, while we're on the subject, thanks to Scott and the other posters on here who recommended the "Back to the Pilot" (or whatever it was called) of FG - I'm not a MacFarlane fan at all, I actually think he's pretty much a hack that panders to the lowest common denominator (similar to Tyler Perry), but I checked out that episode and have to say it was pretty good. Didn't really find it all that "funny", per se, but it was a very well-written and -executed story, and some of the self-referential bits were quite creative. Kudos to Seth on that one, I guess he CAN craft an actual story every once in a while.
I always felt it was at least half-parody because back in the 80s, seemingly every cartoon ended with a message that pertained to that day's episode. I took the South Park endings as their own style of it.
ReplyDelete"I told you to SHAVE THOSE SIDEBURNS!!!"
ReplyDeleteI'm a HUGE "South Park" (and Trey Parker) fan, but I can definitely see what you're saying.
ReplyDeleteMy own take on it, though, is not that they're trying to say that "everyone/everything sucks", but that it's all of the extremists that populate the media that suck. People with extreme views, the hard-edge left- or right-wingers, are the ones who get their own forums to rant and rave, but the more "normal-minded" people, people who aren't as loud, confrontational, and close-minded, don't get the same type of chances to quietly and politely express their views. Granted, it's the extremists that are more fun to listen to (either because you agree with what they're saying and admire that they have the balls to say it, or because you like to laugh at them), and are better for ratings, but I think Trey and Matt really feel like more time should be spent sitting and talking, and less time just spouting ill-informed beliefs and automatically responding to naysayers in such a knee-jerk manner.
It's not so much that I think they're saying "the right sucks and the left sucks, so fuck everyone", but "the right-wing extremists and the left-wing extremists suck, do your own research and thinking".
Just my own take, though.
I finally gave up on SP at the end of last season, mainly because I got tired of wading through eight or nine mediocre episodes to get to the good one. I haven't bothered with this season at all, and frankly I don't miss it at all. Maybe I'll catch up at some point, but I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteThe Simpsons is what it is. Once a season, they'll have both a really good, near classic episode ("Homer Scissorhands", "A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again") and one stinker ("Donnie Fatso", "Moe Goes From Rags To Riches") and the rest are pretty average. But seriously, they need to stop after Season 25.
AD took a dip in quality this past year (too much Principal Lewis and Jeff) but it's still light-years beyond Seth's other shows. Honestly don't know why FG is still on the air or why people even bother with it anymore. Just tragically unfunny and completely up its own ass.
It's been a while since I watched The Critic, but I do remember not enjoying the show on DVD as much as I did first run. Maybe it's time for a rewatch for a new perspective.
I was never into Futurama, so the new episodes feel about the same as the "classic" ones to me.
And add my voice to the Bob's Burgers chorus. Takes a few episodes to really get into the feel of the show (and get past some of the odd voice choices), but it's worth the effort.
"I still like him better than Steinbrenner."
ReplyDeleteI actually think the last two episodes of the Simpsons have been really good. The key I think is to keep the plot simple, (jimbo's girlfriend has a crush on Bart, the family goes on a cruise.) It when they try to hard with the plot, (looking at you Moe's dishrag) that the show tends to not be as good.
ReplyDeleteI think we can all agree that was the best Simpsons of all time. I know the "talking softball" song by heart. Did anyone else love the Marge on Steroids and Marge vs MMA episodes as much as I did?
ReplyDeleteLouise is hysterical.
ReplyDeleteSlightly off-topic, but since we're talking animated shows, I'm wondering if any of you guys watched 'Clone High' or 'Undergrads'. I think they both only ran for 1 season, but up here in Canada they got some decent play in syndication on Teletoon. If you haven't seen them I'd recommend checking them out (I think there's only about 12 episodes for each show so it's not a huge investment of your time). If you ever lived on campus at college/university Undergrads will kill you (even if you didn't you'll still like it).
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of the kids. I used to know someone who at age 30 or so was a dead ringer for Tina, in voice, disposition, the way she carried herself, etc.
ReplyDeleteGENEDAD!
That Pootrootbeer did on RSPW back in the day?
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist?
ReplyDeleteYup, used to watch it on "Comedy Central" all the time. I also liked "Bob & Margaret".
ReplyDeleteWASSSSS ONCCCCE A MAN!!
ReplyDelete"Undergrads" was fantastic - it actually reminded me of "Seinfeld" in a lot of ways, in that the show as a whole was pretty grounded in reality, with one problem per episode being completely exaggerated for comedic effect.
ReplyDelete"Undeclared", a live-action show that ran on "Fox" at the same time, was very similar and equally fantastic.
Dark Awakening was a good Ep, but if I have to throw out my faorite G1 episode, by far its a toss up between "War Dawn" and "Dweller in the Depths"
ReplyDeleteWar Dawn- That Aerialbots go back in time and meet Orion Pax turn into Optimus Prime
Dweller- The Quints lie to the Decepticons saying there is a power source in the depths of Cybertron and they unleash an energy vampire.
I can definitely see what you're saying, but I don't completely agree. I think the mistake people make is thinking that SP is trying to teach us anything. Libertarians have tried to claim the show as their own, but I really don't think it's a vehicle for getting that sort of message out; it's just an excuse to make fun of pop culture.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why Rodimus never got over was all down to Optimus refusing to give up his spot.
ReplyDeleteWhen Prime took time off by selling the Megatron beatdown (presumably to try and find non-TF related projects) he passed the torch to Magnus - who Prime knew that no-one would take seriously as a main-eventer.
Then at the end of the movie, Rodimus gets an unconvincing win over Galvatron (similar to Luger-Yoko) whilst the announcer puts over that Optimus Prime 'will return'.
They never gave Rodimus a real chance to win over the fans with that finish.
Plus, Prime was disgraceful in no selling most of the Decepticon army's offense when he made his big entrance.
And oh yeah, he always held Grimlock back by making him look like a big idiot. At least when Simon Furman took over booking of the comic, Grimlock got a chance to show he wasn't a moron.
The Simpsons peak for me was Seasons 3-6.
ReplyDelete'Monorail', 'Last Exit...', 'Cape Feare', 'Homer In Space' and many more fantastic episodes with hardly anything approaching a clunker.
For me though, 'Homer: Badman' is hte all time greatest episode ever.
Every now and then I catch one of my favorite tv movies late at night:
ReplyDelete"Homer S: Portrait of an Ass-Grabber" starring Dennis Franz.
I wish we could get more Dr. Katz, except years later I discovered it basically started the formula for those "stand up comedians lend bits of their routines to an animated show" cartoons that Comedy Central had supplies off.
ReplyDeleteI still think the one where they all help the nerdy friend play Doom against the rest of his nerds is pretty classic. I hated that the show somewhat ended on a cliffhanger.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Duke being dead, what are the odds of them killing Channing Tatum off in the new movie? He really doesn't seem to be in any of the previews.
ReplyDeleteWin.
ReplyDelete"Do it for her"
ReplyDeleteStill one of my favorite Simpsons moments ever.
I've heard that about Bob's Burgers from a lot of people, so I guess I've gotta give it another shot. The first season is on Netflix, so I guess I gotta give it another shot. But, honestly, most of what I didn't like about it had to do with the characters: the wife just seems like the kind of character that grates hard on my nerves, and as far as I can tell the three kids are all basically the same character, with only the Asperger's kid having anything unique to herself, but they all basically just seem like "say wacky inappropriate things all the time".
ReplyDeleteIn times of dire circumstance, I do suggest starting a new life under the sea.
ReplyDeleteIt's true. The TV bookers were all in the thrawl of Prime.In the comics, Ratchet, Blaster, Shockwave, Scorponok, Grimlock, Thunderwing and even Nightbeat all got over as main-event players (although Blaster was downgraded after a backstage argument when Furman took over the booking).On TV though, it was all about Prime.I remember on the Brawn shoot-video where he revealed the real plan for TF: The Movie.Hot Rod was supposed narrowly lose to Megatron, get handed the Matrix by Prime and then get the big win over Galvatron AND Unicron on the same night to solidify his place at the top.Instead, Prime played his creative control card. So Hot Rod does the run-in on Prime Megatron Part 50 (surely the Cena-Orton of its day) and is made to look like he is responsible for Prime's defeat.Admittedly, Brawn was bitter and washed up by that point - but he had to job to a freaking shot to the shoulder.Don't get me wrong, I like Prime. But does he really always have to be top of the card?
ReplyDelete"ARE YOU HUGGING THE TV?!?!?!"
ReplyDelete"No."
That one, and the one where they play Risk are my favorites.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has twice attempted to play a game of Risk, only to give up 6 hours later (with the board looking pretty much as it was at the start), I sympathized with Nitz in that episode.
The show has some pretty funny jokes but I'm with you, I just don't like any of the characters (outside of Tina). None of them are very likable or endearing (again, other than Tina). Louise is the worst, I find myself hoping bad things happen to all the characters and I don't think that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteLike x1000.
ReplyDeleteIt's my 2nd favourite Simpsons ending ever. What's number 1 you (and everyone else) ask?
The one with Homer's mom that ends with Homer sitting on the car while the sad music plays in the background. That got me legit choked up when I first saw it (and every time I saw it after that). I always hated that they brought her back, that was the perfect exit for her.
btw: that is the most significant difference between Futurama and the Simpsons. while the Simpsons had a few of those touching moments, Futurama had dozens.
ReplyDeleteI just decided to rewatch it now. Now if I only get Spectacular Spider-Man somewhere.
ReplyDeleteBut being on that big of a card, he certainly didnt question the payday he was getting for a quick squash?
ReplyDeleteI mean he could of gotten the extended squash the Junkions got. They were jobbed over and over again, and had to keep feeding Arcee/Springer/Ultra Magnus et al to get them over.
They even had to bump for Danny in the that lame ass exo suit!!!
Starburns? Are you back from the dead?
ReplyDeleteThe 22 Short Films is the one with the Pulp Fiction spoof right?
ReplyDelete"Hey, I know you!"
The Sharkticons and Quintessons had a similarly crappy debut.In fact, hardly any of the new talent came out of TF:TM particularly well.Kup came out looking bad-ass, as did Springer (purely because of 'I've got better things to do tonight than die!') - but pretty much everyone else looked weak.But the worst thing they ever did during that period was in the following TV series where Rodimus just handed back The Matrix back to Zombie Prime. Like The Fingerpoke of Doom it killed the value of the Cybertronians sacred life-giving force/ symbol of leadership/ source of superpowers/ general macguffin. No wonder they had to rebrand it as 'The Allspark' when they made their comeback 20 years later.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's the one. Couple more: the one where the Shelbyville kids steal the lemon tree (Hey, look, it's someone's attractive cousin!) and the one where Homer is tripping balls on insanity peppers.
ReplyDelete(Turtle leads Homer to a little pyramid)
Homer: You want me to climb that? No problem!
(Little pyramid rises out of the ground and becomes really big pyramid)
Homer: D'oh! This is because I kicked you, isn't it?
Turtle: (nods)
It's just spent so much time raising us...
ReplyDeleteIf we're going to talk about animated shows: Archer, holy shit Archer. It gets better every season.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Critic, I was a film major and that show just *slays* me.
I love Strawberry's toadying, I used to joke around with my boss about that. "No heart, skip!"
ReplyDeleteI loved season 7 of Futurama and was lukewarm on season 8.
ReplyDeleteBut I can't believe I'm the first person to mention Archer! Probably my favorite animated show on the air. The first season is strong, the second season kicks it into high gear (starting with the cancer arc) and the third season (other than the middling Burt Reynolds premiere) just gets funnier and funnier.
Archer is what every Seth McFarlane show aims to be: witty, highbrow, profane, and literary. Love, love, LOVE Archer.
Rowdy Roddy Peeper
ReplyDelete"Homer at the Bat" is my #2 episode of all-time. My #1 is "Homer Goes to College." I love everything about that episode, from Burns' chair (and attempting to beat one of the board members) at Springfield U, to Homer watching Corey Masterson movies to get info on college life, the legendary "I am so smart!" dance, the nerds, and of course "Curly! Straight! Curly! Straight!" It's genius.
ReplyDeleteThat Critic-Simpsons 1-2 punch in the mid '90s was awesome.
ReplyDeleteYeah it seems very likely that Duke dies in that big thing early in the movie. All the signs point to the original Joe, Roadback, Flint, Lady Jaye, Snake Eyes and Jinx being the Joe team in this movie.
ReplyDelete"and as far as I can tell the three kids are all basically the same character, with only the Asperger's kid having anything unique to herself, but they all basically just seem like "say wacky inappropriate things all the time"."
ReplyDeleteBut that's what kids do. They're loud, obnoxious and frequently inappropriate. I actually prefer seeing "real" kids on TV as opposed to supergeniuses and snarky smartasses ready with a quip for all occasions. The characters actually feel like a real family, dysfunction and all, and that's rare on shows today. Bob yells at his kids for their screw-ups but never in a scary, violent way, Linda clearly isn't thrilled with her life and is constantly seeking fulfillment elsewhere but loves her husband and supports him, and the kids are just bratty enough without crossing over into "juvenile delinquent" territory (although Louise comes damn close).
Yeah, Undergrads kicked ass- totally fit into my first years at College, as I was shifting from one group of friends to another, and doing all this weird shit I'd never done before.
ReplyDelete