The Simpsons

[Colly]

How many other series can claim to have entered a new word into the English language that perhaps outlasts the show itself?

Yes!

Crisitunity!

Embiggen?

[Guest mr. potato head]

Also a perfectly cromulent word.

[Fait Accompli]

Ugh...and my fears are about to come true: We're one step closer to "Seth MacFarlane's Sunday Comedy Bonanza".

[GA!]

Ugh...and my fears are about to come true: We're one step closer to "Seth MacFarlane's Sunday Comedy Bonanza".

My theory is they're wrapping up The Simpsons in time for Seth MacFarlane to add The Flintstones to his cavalcade of cuntery.

If this is definitely true, this is the worst news ever when it comes to film and television (personally). It was going to happen at some point but despite its golden era being well over a decade ago, the show is still good enough to keep going. Despite being dumbed down, the stories repeating, and the cringeworthy constant parade of celebrities - it's far more entertaining than every animation show out there apart from most of South Park. And let's face it, The Simpsons is the last barrier before the genre is completely homogenised* by Seth MacFarlane and his 'references alone are funny' Date Movie humour. It's a shame.

*Yes The Simpsons' humour leaned more and more towards earlier Family Guy. Noted.

[tenaciousg]

Ugh...and my fears are about to come true: We're one step closer to "Seth MacFarlane's Sunday Comedy Bonanza".

My theory is they're wrapping up The Simpsons in time for Seth MacFarlane to add The Flintstones to his cavalcade of cuntery.

If this is definitely true, this is the worst news ever when it comes to film and television (personally). It was going to happen at some point but despite its golden era being well over a decade ago, the show is still good enough to keep going. Despite being dumbed down, the stories repeating, and the cringeworthy constant parade of celebrities - it's far more entertaining than every animation show out there apart from most of South Park. And let's face it, The Simpsons is the last barrier before the genre is completely homogenised* by Seth MacFarlane and his 'references alone are funny' Date Movie humour. It's a shame.

*Yes The Simpsons' humour leaned more and more towards earlier Family Guy. Noted.

In his defense, most of the modern assitude of MacFarlane's shows is because of the writing teams. I don't mean to say that Seth himself is completely blameless, just that he's not the sole reason his shows are bad.

[Matt]

What the fuck? The last couple of seasons have been a vast improvement on the 3-4 prior to them and as a whole the series has been incredibnly successful for 2 decades, to cancel it seems ludicrous, yeah it needs to end at some point but let Matt Groening decide when that is, all this means they'll write an "ending" and in 2 years they'll have to find a way to write a comeback when Fox realises cancelling it was retarded.

Can another network pick up the show or would Fox own the rights to it? I'm not really sure how it works.

[GA!]

Ugh...and my fears are about to come true: We're one step closer to "Seth MacFarlane's Sunday Comedy Bonanza".

My theory is they're wrapping up The Simpsons in time for Seth MacFarlane to add The Flintstones to his cavalcade of cuntery.

If this is definitely true, this is the worst news ever when it comes to film and television (personally). It was going to happen at some point but despite its golden era being well over a decade ago, the show is still good enough to keep going. Despite being dumbed down, the stories repeating, and the cringeworthy constant parade of celebrities - it's far more entertaining than every animation show out there apart from most of South Park. And let's face it, The Simpsons is the last barrier before the genre is completely homogenised* by Seth MacFarlane and his 'references alone are funny' Date Movie humour. It's a shame.

*Yes The Simpsons' humour leaned more and more towards earlier Family Guy. Noted.

In his defense, most of the modern assitude of MacFarlane's shows is because of the writing teams. I don't mean to say that Seth himself is completely blameless, just that he's not the sole reason his shows are bad.

When you have four shows including The Flintstones to look over, the quality of every show will deteriorate the same.

As someone who likes Family Guy S1-3 (until I finally watch them back I suppose, haven't seen them in years), it's clear the writing became lazy early into its comeback when they realised their survival was based off DVD sales. And rather than have a couple of uncut moments for the boxset, entire episodes became dedicated to swearing and offending people without a trace of irony/satire to the point where - going by what I've seen at a friend's house - FOX allows them to air anything now. They have been very successful commercially as a result so kudos in that respect, but I find the new stuff unwatchable.

EDIT:

What the fuck? The last couple of seasons have been a vast improvement on the 3-4 prior to them and as a whole the series has been incredibnly successful for 2 decades, to cancel it seems ludicrous, yeah it needs to end at some point but let Matt Groening decide when that is, all this means they'll write an "ending" and in 2 years they'll have to find a way to write a comeback when Fox realises cancelling it was retarded.

Can another network pick up the show or would Fox own the rights to it? I'm not really sure how it works.

Fox own the rights. I believe they still own the rights of Futurama which is on Comedy Central now so striking a deal with another network is possible.

[Matt]

Ugh...and my fears are about to come true: We're one step closer to "Seth MacFarlane's Sunday Comedy Bonanza".

My theory is they're wrapping up The Simpsons in time for Seth MacFarlane to add The Flintstones to his cavalcade of cuntery.

If this is definitely true, this is the worst news ever when it comes to film and television (personally). It was going to happen at some point but despite its golden era being well over a decade ago, the show is still good enough to keep going. Despite being dumbed down, the stories repeating, and the cringeworthy constant parade of celebrities - it's far more entertaining than every animation show out there apart from most of South Park. And let's face it, The Simpsons is the last barrier before the genre is completely homogenised* by Seth MacFarlane and his 'references alone are funny' Date Movie humour. It's a shame.

*Yes The Simpsons' humour leaned more and more towards earlier Family Guy. Noted.

In his defense, most of the modern assitude of MacFarlane's shows is because of the writing teams. I don't mean to say that Seth himself is completely blameless, just that he's not the sole reason his shows are bad.

When you have four shows including The Flintstones to look over, the quality of every show will deteriorate the same.

As someone who likes Family Guy S1-3 (until I finally watch them back I suppose, haven't seen them in years), it's clear the writing became lazy early into its comeback when they realised their survival was based off DVD sales. And rather than have a couple of uncut moments for the boxset, entire episodes became dedicated to swearing and offending people without a trace of irony/satire to the point where - going by what I've seen at a friend's house - FOX allows them to air anything now. They have been very successful commercially as a result so kudos in that respect, but I find the new stuff unwatchable.

The most recent season (8?) was a lot more bearable than anything post season 4, but otherwise I agree, Family Guy basically went from being funny with offensive/crude jokes to being offensive/crude in the hope that it'd be funny.

Edit: So Fox own the rights to old episodes but they could make new episodes on a new network?

[Guest mr. potato head]

Can another network pick up the show or would Fox own the rights to it? I'm not really sure how it works.

Fox own the rights. I believe they still own the rights of Futurama which is on Comedy Central now so striking a deal with another network is possible.

Even though most major American TV production companies are owned by the same companies as the broadcasters, there's a tradition of surprising independence between the two arms and networks picking up shows from each others' production companies. It's happening less in the last few years as there's more convergence, but that's why you got Friends on NBC despite being produced by Warner Bros, for example.

Another network could pick up The Simpsons in theory, but given that the dispute is between the voice actors and the production studio, I don't really see how what network the show is on could make any sort of difference.

[OctoberRaven]

Homer: (angry monotone voice) Kids, could you step outside for a sec?

(Bart and Lisa run out of the room)

(Homer takes a deep breath, then shouts) FU-

(Homer's dirty word is cut off by a pipe organ. Shocked neighbors look in the Simpsons house)

Ned Flanders: Dear Lord, that's the loudest profanity I ever heard!

[zero]

Since we all grew up on it and it's such a big thing, I wonder how much the old 'rose tinted specs' thing comes into effect.

I'd say when it comes to seasons 2-10, there's no nostalgia factor, the show was just that good. Perhaps the best to ever grace a television screen. I was never an "OMG! THE SIMPSONS!!!!!!!!!" kind of guy, and I haven't regularly watched the show since "Behind the Laughter," but whenever I get in the mood to watch, I pop in a DVD and every episode is still as great as it was when it first aired. It's legitimately timeless television and it'll be on in syndication long after we're all gone... assuming the world doesn't end. Even if we have on-demand programming downloaded straight to our brainchips, The Simpsons will be a part of it.

And that's why the show's ending. It's way too expensive to produce, the fact that voice actors are making over a third of a million dollars per episode, I just don't see how it can keep going. FOX will make assloads more money off of it with syndication rights.

Still, it's bullshit it won't make it to its 25th season and if Fox doesn't give it a proper final season, it will be the biggest blunder in the network's history. But, they pulled this shit with Married With Children, so I wouldn't be shocked if they did it to The Simpsons too.

[Your Mom]

Let it go 25. I have just been watching some of it again. It was such a good show! You don't disrespect a classic like this no matter the perceived drop in quality.

[Lineker]

.

Just how do you even end it? Seriously!

[SlicedBread]

It's amazing that a show with such dated references could have a long series of episodes that are always as funny as watching it the first time. I'll see episodes from '98 that still feel new and quite honestly I don't think there's ever been another show that has had as much impact on the world as The Simpsons. I know it sounds like I'm repeating everything that's just been said but damn if there's ever been a show in the history of life that has influenced modern culture it's definitely the Simpsons.

I just hope if they do end the series it's as emotional as the ending in Maggie's first word. That legitimately made me tear up.

[tolsvar]

It should go 25 seasons before Fox cancels it. I can't see another network or cable company picking it up if (according to the article) the show is no longer profitable. A smaller network isn't going to make more money than Fox does off of commercials, and I doubt the actors are going to take even bigger cuts than what they're willing to give Fox just so the show can air on a smaller network for less money.

What I'd like to see is for Matt Groening & Friends taking a page from Futurama's playbook, and make some direct-to-DVD Simpsons movies, or maybe another feature film or two.

[CobraKaiEnTai]

This really does piss me off. I get that not everyone enjoys the show like they used to. I get that others just plain dislike everything after about Season 8 (Season 4, for some.) I get that the show is not the mega-pop-culture phenomenon it once was. And I get that many other shows have cropped up over the past 20 years that mostly fill any gap this cancellation would leave behind.

But we're talking about a series that arguably made Fox what it is today. There is no other series you can point to that can make a better argument for being "the flagship." Moreover, there have been few shows in the history of television that can boast the overall cultural impact that The Simpsons has had. How many other series can claim to have entered a new word into the English language that perhaps outlasts the show itself? What of the many, many shows that have come (and gone) since this show began that bear the distinct influence of The Simpsons? Hell, just consider the influence on animation, primetime or otherwise. Consider how rare it once was for a primetime comedy to so frequently, directly, and deftly tackle taboo social and political topics. Hell, consider how rare that is today. If you're Fox, you can even ignore nearly all of that and just consider how much fucking money this show has made for you for over two decades. But yeah, the profit margins are slimmer than they once were. That certainly cancels out everything that came before.

I'm not saying the show should never end. It must end, sooner or later, and we've always known that. However, The Simpsons has transcended being just a TV show and has become a cultural institution.

Give it a respectful ending, on its own terms, and respect the people who put in the work to make it happen.

Fuck you, Fox.

Yes! This. A million times this. Like so many of us, I've been a Simpsons fanatic for so many years, in fact since the very beginning on the Tracey Ullman Show when I was just 6 years old, collecting every piece of Simpsons merchandise I can get my hands on in the past 2 decades and will continue to do so. First in line to see the Simpsons Movie and last person to leave the theatre at the end of it. I knew the day would come eventually, but I wasn't prepared for it to happen yet and not in this fashion.

Its been through so much in the past 20 years, even as the landscape of TV has changed. It more than held its own against the Cosby Show for the couple years it was moved to Thursdays. Yes, it may not be as good as it once was, but what could be after nearly 500 episodes? Its still loads better than a lot of the reality crap on TV these days. I can still tolerate Family Guy somewhat, though not as much as a few years ago. Never really got into The Cleveland Show or American Dad and doubt I'd get into a Flintstones reboot, especially if that took the place of The Simpsons. Don't understand how Bob's Burgers even lasted more than a couple episodes, never struck me as the least bit entertaining. But, like has been said, give The Simpsons a respectable ending on its own terms, let it reach 25 seasons, it deserves that much. You don't end a 23+ year run on a show that has broken lots of ground and influenced so many other animated and non-animated shows over the years, you don't cut it off over a squabble about money, not when you still will fork over millions to Jennifer Lopez to appear on American Idol.

[OctoberRaven]

What I'd like to see is for Matt Groening & Friends taking a page from Futurama's playbook, and make some direct-to-DVD Simpsons movies, or maybe another feature film or two.

If they go the direct-to-DVD route, they should do things like Radioactive Man: The Movie and maybe extended Itchy and Scratchy shorts.

Also, if the Simpsons get a proper finale, it should be Sideshow Bob and Bart working things out.

[gunnar hendershow]

I was never someone who thought The Simpsons was the funniest thing out there. I was too young when the show was at its peak, and by the time I was old enough to get most of its humnor South Park had taken that humor to a new level. With that said I am definitely a fan of The Simpsons and have found the earlier episodes (up to Season 8, with the majority of episodes from Seasons 9 and 10) being absolutely hilarious and timeless because of the fact they don't rely on pop culture references or cheap, current humor for laughs. I'll be devastated when South Park ends, but seeing The Simpsons be cancelled leaves me with a void that I never expected. The show is as old as I am, and that's saying something.

Fox should eternally show reruns of this and Married... With Children out of loyalty for the two shows that helped make it as a major network.

[mystikz]

I was never someone who thought The Simpsons was the funniest thing out there. I was too young when the show was at its peak, and by the time I was old enough to get most of its humnor South Park had taken that humor to a new level. With that said I am definitely a fan of The Simpsons and have found the earlier episodes (up to Season 8, with the majority of episodes from Seasons 9 and 10) being absolutely hilarious and timeless because of the fact they don't rely on pop culture references or cheap, current humor for laughs. I'll be devastated when South Park ends, but seeing The Simpsons be cancelled leaves me with a void that I never expected. The show is as old as I am, and that's saying something.

Fox should eternally show reruns of this and Married, With Children out of loyalty for the two shows that helped make it as a major network.

Married with Children reruns or a reunion would be sweet. this was good stuff as a kid, seems so long ago now.

I have no idea how it has lasted this long, it just stopped being good a long time ago or I grew out of it. I haven't watched it in so long. South Park is still good but I just can't say Simpsons has been worth watching.

[Damian WayLNKe]

I wish that some of the episodes were on Netflix. I remember as a kid, I had seen all of the episodes to date. I'll have to figure out where I left off and start catching up.