I made the terrible mistake of randomly trying to watch the Netflix Original Paradise P.D. which, from the random splash image they used of it, looked as though it'd be "kinda Family Guy at a police station" but actually turned out to be the most horrendous, gross-out, offensive thing I've seen given a green-light and a budget. All the worst, shock-value parts of Family Guy with none of the almost-clever satirical elements.
On the plus side, it made me return to older seasons of The Simpsons (to remind myself of when prime-time cartoons were decent). Having a blast. I've got Seasons Six through Ten on DVD and, to me, that's the show's golden age. Truly timeless stuff.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger I always preferred the earlier seasons of the Simpson mainly season 1 to 5 after that I don't know I just couldn't get into them. I do know that was around the time Conan O'Brien left as writer and because a late night talk show host. So maybe that had something to do with it because some of his episodes are among my favorite
RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.
@Tasuki That's cool; I guess it comes down to what you grew up with. I agree that there are some classics before Season Six, but the early-early stuff you highlight didn't have the same quick pace and were a little too "normal" for me personally. I quite like a little bit of zany, which is what they started to introduce before Season Eleven, but then they started to heap it on and that's where the noticable dip in quality begins across the board.
Favourite episode will probably always be "You Only Move Twice" followed closely by "Who Shot Mr. Burns, Parts I and II" (and anything else featuring Monty Burns in a primary role, too).
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger My favorite Burns episode is the one with the Teddy Bear followed by the one where Burns selects Bart as his heir.
While season six through 10 isn't bad I just don't find to many I enjoy as much as the first 5 seasons, granted I will take 6 through 10 before anything afterwards. But yeah maybe it has to do with when I grew up but I just always found the eailer seasons better.
RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.
@Tasuki@RogerRoger Not watched The Simpsons properly for ages. My fave episodes are the Cape Fear parody with sideshow Bob, and when Selma (or the other sister) dates Principal Skinner.
Speaking of animated TV shows, have any of you given Bojack Horseman a shot? I started it recently and I've been really enjoying it. About halfway through season 4 right now. Very well written show with a fantastic voice cast.
@Tasuki Good picks. And I think, broadly speaking, your view on the seasons is shared by many. Over here in merry ol' England, it took a little longer for The Simpsons to catch on and become the playground impressionist's mainstay. By the time it became must-see TV, we were up to "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" which was the Season Six cliffhanger (although the BBC didn't break them up into seasons, because we were a good year or two behind, so it's difficult to estimate exactly what happened and when). But that's certainly gonna have an impact on the nostalgia factor for many.
@JohnnyShoulder Ah, the Sideshow Bob episodes... so good. Got me into Frasier in later life, too!
@Thrillho It's amazing how many iconic films, television shows and moments in history I haven't seen or been a part of, yet still totally understand thanks to The Simpsons.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@JohnnyShoulder No, seeing those early 'primitive' (as you say) character designs was always incredibly jarring to me. Definitely didn't grow up with them, but I do remember the episode you're talking about and think it's quite an early one (must've been a repeat).
@Gremio108 I just watched that episode yesterday; incredible when you think it was first aired 24 years ago, and yet manages to be so relevant to one of the most pressing issues of the past twelve months.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger Yeah, if anything it's more relevant now than it was then. Which is a sorry state of affairs, but there you go.
I've definitely gained extra appreciation for certain episodes as I've grown older. The one where Marge joins the country club (can't remember the name...) didn't really resonate with me when I was a teenager, but having seen my wife in similar situations, I've realised they were spot on.
I've had some PTA experience too, and I can say that the episode 'The PTA Disbands!' could be a documentary.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Gremio108 Indeed; the secondary commentary on the media's manipulation of facts to suit a better narrative or agenda was also particularly effective. It's a scary episode in many ways!
Many of the jokes I used to quote ad nauseam at school are the most obvious or funny because of a certain vocal delivery; the reason I'm still watching the show today is because of those layers. It's got dumb stuff for the kids to laugh at, but clever satire, spoofs or moral messages for the adults. Probably why I lament more modern animated shows like Family Guy, because they replace the latter with gross-out humour, shock value one-liners or celebrity digs to win ratings.
"In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!"
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger I've had the Simpsons vs Family Guy debate countless times. Don't get me wrong, it has its moments and there's room in the world for them both. But when someone says "Family Guy is better than The Simpsons", I die a little inside.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Gremio108@RogerRoger Just watched the episode. I think I remember seeing it years ago, but forgot pretty much everything about it. And thanks for the recommendation, great one indeed.
And I just can't make it through a Family Guy episode. There's nothing more to it than a series of jokes that only land a small amount of the time.
I do think South Park is as good if not better than The Simpsons, though.
@Gremio108 I try not to directly compare too many things because, as you say, this world is plenty big enough for everything to have its fans, but I know which I personally prefer, for sure.
Unfortunately, I tend to react to South Park in roughly the same way you react to Family Guy but, again, that's probably just my personal taste. I find it a little too dark and unsettling at times, or rather I should say "found" it to be that way when I tried watching it at its peak, but I do keep hearing about some of the more famous / infamous episodes and often think I should give the show another try.
Anywhere recommendations as to where I should perhaps start, if not "at the beginning"...?
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger The series has changed a lot over the years, but I wouldn't say it has gotten less dark. The series has less 'fart jokes' and the lot, but traded them for politics. And they ridicule pretty much both sides to any issue.
Anyway, if you want to give it another try, I think start with 18. It's the season that introduced continuity to the series, so it's easier different from the peak time episodes you watched.
You could start with "Freemium isn't free", which satirizes f2p games. You'll miss some references to earlier in the season, but it's nothing too bad I think (Cartman identifies as non-binary is probably the most important)
Other really good episodes are Black Friday (spoofing Game of Thrones) and Franchise Prequel (about the Marvel superhero films).
If you like that you could watch season 19 which is my personal favorite of the recent ones - it has a lot of very memorable episodes.
But, like I said, the series can still be pretty dark at times.
Out of all of the 'adult' animation shows, I'd say South Park is the only one that remained consistent in the quality of it's writing. Even Archer dropped off, and that's a difficult one to start on anyway.
Anyone seen Final Space? I thought that was great.
PSN: KALofKRYPTON (so you can see how often I don't play anything!)
Twitter: @KALofKRYPTON (at your own risk, I don't care if you're offended)
"Fate: Protects fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise." - Cmdr William T. Riker
@Kidfried@KALofKRYPTON Thanks both for the advice and pointers; I think the idea of watching some of the core send-ups of modern social trends might be the best approach, so I'll look into Season Eighteen and beyond (although glancing at some of the episode titles on that linked list makes me wanna wait to be in the right head-space before doing so). I'll let you know if / when I give it another shot.
Oddly enough, Archer is my "exception-to-the-rule" show in that it's full of shock-value, incredibly adult material and yet some weird, twisted part of me that I'm always desperately trying to repress laughed. As @KALofKRYPTON rightly notes, however, it's become really awful in recent years (once they started the whole "every season is gonna have a different premise and half of them will be coma dreams" nonsense). The first three or four seasons, however, are my guilty pleasures.
No idea what Final Space is, though, sorry!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
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