For the record, (unlike with “SpongeBob”) I have not seen every episode of “The Simpsons”. I’ve watch a good amount from the first 15 seasons or so (including most of the “classic” episodes). But I have seen every new episode since 2005. Many diehard fans believe the quality of “The Simpsons” began to fall-off once we hit the 21st Century. Others think the drop began following the release of the highly-praised “The Simpsons Movie” in 2007.
This show has been one of my clear favorites for the past decade. Granted, there was a back-and-forth, hit-and-miss pattern for several years: one week’s episode would be tremendous and the next not so good. That trend changed a few seasons ago, when there was only two or three disappointments out of the batch of 22.
And now I’m here to boldly proclaim that this current, 27th Season, of “The Simpsons” is the best in my lifetime.
Not a single episode that’s aired this year has been sub-par. I’ve laughed-out-loud a lot during all of them. The writing, which, from the start, is what has set this series apart from all other animated TV shows, has been consistently smart, sharp, sarcastic and satirical.
The season kicked-off with the continuation of the buzz that began online over the summer: the pending Homer and Marge separation, which delivered on the hype. Other highlights have included:
– “Halloween of Horror”: a memorable Halloween-themed episode that aired a week before the annual “Treehouse of Horror”. And on the 26th edition of “TOH”, Sideshow Bob finally killed Bart!
– Movie parodies galore, including “Barthood” – a very funny and spot-on take on Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood”, “The Marge-ian Chronicles” – a parody of “The Martian” that aired just five months after the film’s release, and an opening short called “Fat”, with Santa’s Little Helper spoofing Disney’s Oscar-winning animated short “Feast”, about a food-obsessed pup.
– Lisa got to play her sax on the NYC stage and visit the entertainment-filled Capitol City with Marge; both storylines featured plenty of riffs on Broadway shows.
– Maggie had her own, humorous, animal rescue adventure in “Puffless”.
– “The Girl Code” analyzed the consequences of posting comments on social media.
– “The Burns Cage” attracted the most headlines as Homer tried to find a male romantic partner for Mr. Burns’s assistant, Smithers.
– The Simpsons took trips to The Grand Canyon and Paris, featuring a couch gag of The Simpsons as Disney characters, and a guest appearance by Jay Leno, respectively.
The passings of co-creator Sam Simon and David Kavner, father of Julie Kavner, who voices Marge, were also nicely acknowledged.
Season 27 of “The Simpsons” has two episodes to go: the finale, on May 22, is a take on “Orange is the New Black”. And this Sunday night, “The Simpsons” will be making history once again. During the final three minutes of stand-up-comedy-themed episode “Simprovised”: Homer will be LIVE. Using motion-capture technology, voice actor Dan Castellaneta, as Homer, will answer viewer questions about current events in on the air. Another TV first.
Speculation on when “The Simpsons” run will end persists (the most recent talk says the show will stay around for at least three more years). But, in my mind, FOX’s most iconic franchise shows no signs of slowing-down in the creativity department. And that calls for a “Woo-hoo!”