Template:About2 The Simpsons is an American adult animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Journalist John Ortved, who wrote The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History, considers it one of our most powerful cultural forces in television. In this take on 2001: A Space Odyssey, Homer heads to the cosmos after being selected as an average-Joe astronaut to give NASA better ratings. “The Shining,” which is the segment that’s most well-remembered, sees the family get hired by Mr. Burns to take care of his mansion. The show’s absurdist streak is in evidence throughout; the episode revels in the surreal-yet-somehow-grounded humor that fueled the series’s best seasons. The images of him have quickly gone viral, but so has an image of a Simpsons characters who looks very, very similar to him, which has made many think that, once again, The Simpsons predicted the future. From the Simpsons family all being geniuses, to Homer being in a coma for decades, hardcore fans have been reading between the lines of each episode to try and see if … Having run for over 30 years and 649 episodes, The Simpsons has had its fair share of Christmas specials. The Mysterious Voyage of Homer certainly contains surreal moments although most of it is Homer hallucinating. Here are ten of the most memorable of the show’s episodes according to those who have studied the iconic show over its run, focusing primarily on its acclaimed first 15 years. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. In order to win a softball game, Mr. Burns hires major league baseball stars to staff up the company’s team. “It’s still got some of my favorite single lines in the show,” Turner says, and Richmond concurs that he’s still got a soft spot for the episode. 4chan users have suggested keeping the town in some sort of continuum ‘allows it to be much bigger than the space it takes up…as well as shift its location as needed’. This Citizen Kane homage gets into the backstory of Mr. Burns, recalling his beloved childhood teddy bear, Bobo, that he discarded in exchange for ascension to a life of wealth — and his lifelong quest to recover the treasured object. Round 2 for surreal Simpsons promos! I really wouldn't bracket any of these as SImpsons classics, having seen maybe 200 episodes. In the Simpsons version, Homer and his family are terrorized by Homer’s nemesis Sideshow Bob, voiced by actor Kelsey Grammer; they end up entering the witness protection program and relocating to a new town and a houseboat to try to escape. There are extensive historical references as Bobo’s journey is traced from Mr. Burns through the hands of Adolf Hitler and an expedition to the North Pole before miraculously ending up in the arms of Maggie, Homer’s daughter — leading, of course, to a Homer vs. Mr. Burns showdown. The Simpsons fans have suggested that the show successfully predicted Kamala Harris’s inauguration outfit. ... there is a dark tone to it all that is best exemplified in the most surreal moment – Homer strangles Bart, only for the boy’s neck to … This soul is into Dream Theater, Rush, Anathema, Prog, Surreal/Art films, Surrealism, Bohemianism, Holland National Football Team, Arsenal, Ajax, Sony, Audi, Coke. That’s three “D’oh-” and donut-filled decades of Homer’s mishaps alongside Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie as they scheme through the years in Springfield in brilliant cartoon color. “It’s highly watchable, the songs are good, the pacing is great, and it has these wonderful moments that explore the tension between kids and adults,” he says. Unfortunately, it was paired with a very forgettable opening segment in which giant advertising statues come to life. This week, The Simpsons celebrates its 30th anniversary of being on air. Written by Conan O’Brien, it’s a fast-paced, joke-filled episode that turns The Simpsons from a quirky sitcom into a surreal social critique. According to some punters, the lovable, but unlucky, character is actualy part of a large group of Hans Moleman clones and every one we see is ever so slightly different. The People v. O.J. The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters worldwide on July 26 and 27, 2007 and grossed US$526.2 million worldwide. To top it off, there’s voice acting from the Ramones (yes, the rock star Ramones), adding an official layer of punk rock cool to the show. The best Simpsons episodes are usually from the same couple of seasons, and there's a reason for that. Other times, it has been a wry reflection of present and past. We do it most days, anyway. ... Surreal British comedy in which Vince Noir and Howard Moon have adventures filled with oddball characters while working as Zoo Keepers, before pursuing a musical career and running a second-hand shop. The latest stems from Chief Wiggum not being Ralph’s biological dad. "Treehouse of Horror IV" 1F04 The rather grim theory floating around suggests that there is an unaired episode out there titled Dead Bart, in which the eldest Simpson kid was killed after being sucked from an airplane. In their gradual attempts to take over the world they are taking up jobs one by one in Springfield. Memorably, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and rock star James Taylor make voice cameos. Notably, the Simpsons team managed to get the actual celebrities themselves to voice act their characters, from Roger Clemens to Ken Griffey Jr. “It’s amazing in retrospect that they managed to get these celebrity athletes,” explains Turner. Especially as they get more and more surreal as the series goes on. I really wouldn't bracket any of these as SImpsons classics, having seen maybe 200 episodes. It seems that one has been well and truly myth-busted, seeing as Ralph and Chief Wiggum’s father and son relationship wasn’t established until season four, which perhaps explains why the pair don’t look like each other. “On some level The Simpsons is a kind of punk rock TV show, or certainly was,” Ortved says. The unusual visuals in the animations make it particularly memorable in the show’s run. The Simpsons writers predicted Donald Trump would become president back in 2000. One long-held example of people leaving Springfield and all of a sudden ageing is The Italian Mob, when we catch up with Sideshow Bob after a certain period of time. Some of these are fictional - such as KBBL Radio. Most episodes of The Simpsons center on a member of the titular family — foolish Homer, optimistic Marge, troublemaker Bart, or conscientious Lisa. For instance, there’s a point at which Lisa, as president, has access to the teacher’s lounge. Sorry folks. (This one is frequently used as the opening couch gag on syndicated versions of Simpsons episodes from seasons one to five.) 2 Cars In Every Garage is probably the best, marking the first appearance of a 3-eyed fish (a great insight into the surreal humour of the show's authors). In 2001 episode HOMR, Homer also shows off he has a brain after all after a crayon which was lodged in it as a child is removed. Even though Homer wakes up at the end of the episode and all is well, one theory suggests that all episodes that have happened after are merely scenes conjured by Homer’s unconscious mind and don’t actually exist. The episode was placed eighth on AskMen.com's "Top 10: Simpsons Episodes" list, and in his book Planet Simpson, Chris Turner named the episode as being one of his five favorites, although he found the ending too sentimental. While on his metaphysical journey, strange things happen; he shatters the sun, for instance. And sure enough, when Lisa peeks in on the teachers, she discovers Willie the groundskeeper making fun of the students — a cutting commentary on the cruelty of adults, as explored by a child. With Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis. browser that video. I won’t commit. “It’s as perfect an episode of television as I’ve ever seen,” Ortved says. And as for the jokes? An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. I was extremely excited to bring back a version of the 'drinking bird' from Season 7! To celebrate and consider the show’s hefty legacy, TIME spoke to three Simpsons scholars and experts who have written extensively about the show over the years, particularly about its lauded first decade. But when Grimes is stuck with Homer, he is driven to madness and, ultimately, death. In typical Homer fashion, he manages to mess up the navigational instruments with a smuggled bag of chips and unleashes an ant farm upon the shuttle, which he erroneously ends up believing are giant, alien ants. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. Instead, fans are convinced that Ralph is the child of Clancy’s fellow Springfield police department colleague, Eddie, after he had an affair with Sarah Wiggum. To stream some of the best episodes of The Simpsons included here, FXX kicks off a 15-day long marathon of 661 episodes of The Simpsons from the first 30 seasons starting Tuesday. For Ray Richmond, critic and co-author of The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family, it’s one of the classics. Some have pointed out that Ralph bears no resemblance to that of his supposed father, who has blue hair and an upturned nose. Bernie Sanders Mittens Memes Take Over Social Media. The show has also picked up a collective 34 Primetime Emmy Awards over its expansive run, making it a critical hit too. One Redditor theorised the family has demonstrated their various mental abilities at some point, including Grandpa’s flashbacks of him playing piano and flying fighter planes (not at the same time). Jimmy G. says: October 1, 2014 at 3:21 am Chris, That irreverence has only enabled its long life. “I’d put The Simpsons right up there — I think it’s as or more powerful than Saturday Night Live,” he told TIME. WandaVision Deserves the Hype. 25 Episodes 1995 - 1996. Naturally. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web Updated: December 16, 2019 9:48 AM ET | Originally published: December 10, 2019 5:26 PM EST. You can unsubscribe at any time. While The Simpsons has seemingly forecasted many an event in the future, which we’ve mentioned quite a lot over the years, what about the wild fan theories within the show? Please attempt to sign up again. There are extensive historical references as Bobo’s journey is traced from Mr. Burns through the hands of Adolf Hitler and an expedit… One fan theorises on Reddit: ‘The crayon was briefly removed he becomes a genius, doing such things as proving God doesn’t exist, but he put it back in order to avoid ostracism from his friends and community. Despite the longevity of the series, none of the citizens of the Simpsons world have aged a day. It was surreal and beautiful and weird and memorable—and it had Poltergeist references. It’s not exactly a fan theory that Donald Trump will become president, after it was ‘predicted’ in a previous episode of the long-running Fox series, but the theory that Bart Simpsons actually created the whole premise of the show? In a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strive to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another. “There’s no single episode after that that holds up as well,” Ortved says. Luckily though, Homer’s shenanigans kills them off as fast as they can come to the surface.’, MORE : Someone built an exact replica of The Simpsons’ house and raffled it off, MORE : The Simpsons writer really doesn’t want this prediction to come true, ‘Super-spreader’ fears after Heathrow rammed with people rushing back to UK, Experts still not sure mutant strain is more deadly despite Boris’ dire warnings, Prince Harry calls social media ‘threat to democracy’ after deadly Capitol riots, ‘I sold sex in four countries – now I help other women escape’, Health minister who drank ‘sorcerer’s anti-Covid potion’ tests positive, Chief Wiggum not being Ralph’s biological dad, long-held fan theory of how the show will end, Someone built an exact replica of The Simpsons’ house and raffled it off, The Simpsons writer really doesn’t want this prediction to come true. With Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner. But their comedy has grown up around us and become an indelible part of the American cultural landscape. • Where there was once 22 minutes of tightly-packed top-notch humour, now we have endless streams of "hit and miss" jokes, with lots of waiting inbetween. However, he walks into Moe’s, gets drunk and forgets the whole reason of his new existence. “It becomes kind of repetitive and tedious, but by the seventh or eighth time it’s funny. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our. While the segment has a fair bit of slapstick and a number of witty verbal gags, there is a dark tone to it all that is best exe… This one is an absolute doozy and makes complete sense seeing as Matt Groening has said he based the famous family off his own. “It’s both prescient and really critical.” Turner agrees: “It’s a satire of the show itself in a lot of ways. He also encounters a coyote spirit guide, voiced by country icon Johnny Cash. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes bring the scares every year – and have done now for three decades. “It’s a really careful and smart satire and tribute to a musical, a great exploration of Lisa,” Ortved explains, “and it gets into a character’s weakness and darker sides — and her hunger for power.” Beyond that, the episode is full of small jokes and gags that keep it memorable, including a cameo from filmmaker Michael Moore as himself. The episode, ‘Bart To The Future’, envisions the futures of Bart and Lisa Simpson. We told you it was grim. There has to date been a grand total of 615 full episodes of The Simpsons. Which does make sense when you take into account the theories below about the time loop and the series ending where it began…. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. The series is a satirical depiction of working-class life epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. 10 Best Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror Episodes. But it still claims respect. Simpson: American Crime Story, there’s a scene, or series of scenes, … “The Simpsons has always been good about tracing their own line, and commenting on their own success and their own failures,” Ortved notes. According to this theory, every member of the Simpsons family is a smarty pants – not just Lisa. Created by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon. Created by Seth MacFarlane, David Zuckerman. The Simpsons run in and find an identical Simpsons family on the couch. 2 Cars In Every Garage is probably the best, marking the first appearance of a 3-eyed fish (a great insight into the surreal humour of the show's authors). Menu. While it might not be as big a job … We can believe this one on some levels, seeing as everyone has remained the same age over the 30+ years of the series. By Nerti U. Qatja, @VOP_Today The cartoon foretold a Trump presidency in a surreal episode Dark humour is most prevalent in first segment ‘Hex and the City’, which sees Homer be cursed by a gypsy. The old episodes used to (and still do) make me and my friends laugh out loud for 22 minutes solid, whereas the new episodes rarely make us smirk. The Simpsons didn't necessarily go worse; it just changed, focussing more on the surreal than previously. ... but without falling into the surreal … It was surreal and beautiful and weird and memorable—and it had Poltergeist references. The Simpsons season 32 has been offering consistently satisfying episodes of straight and subversive humor. These latter classic years were almost indistinguishable from seasons 2–4, apart from tending towards being slightly more surreal and less emotional. Sometimes, the show has seemed to tell the future. Marge makes Homer promise he won’t drink any beer at a chili festival, but he eats a pepper that’s so hot, he needs to grab the nearest beverage and pour it down his throat. This depressing theory centres around Homer after he was plunged into a coma in the 1993 episode So It’s Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show, after a vending machine falls on him. This thread is archived. 15 of the best Simpsons episodes to stream now on Disney+. Bill Oakley, a former co-writer on The Simpsons, is taking issue with how internet trolls are perverting one of the episodes he helped co-wrote. The moment (for me, at least) whereby this change occurs is at the end of "Mom and Pop Art", a so-so episode in which Homer floods the town as a work of art. The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History, We Asked Experts for 10 of Their Most Memorable. Ultimately, Homer’s quest leads him to question his relationship with Marge — but by the end of the episode, he has seen the light and re-confirmed Marge as his soulmate, a touching moment of romance in a show not always best known for its sensitivity to love. ET, also noting that The Simpsons has been a … To a degree, you can see what would eventually bring The Simpsons back to mere mortal status throughout this episode. Richmond says the Halloween episodes are “always a great highlight,” but this one stands out for the specificity of its homages — and the quality of the animation, for which The Simpsons doesn’t always get a lot of credit, but which improved by the time this episode came around. Seeing as poor Moleman is often getting into many a sticky situation that would probably kill any other – from car crashes to being kicked into oblivion by robots – this could have legs. Most critics accept that the second half of the show’s run hasn’t hit its early subversive highs. Turner agrees, calling the 3D animation a “huge deal at the time.” Besides its play on The Shining, there’s also an homage to the musical Sweeney Todd involving the students in the school cafeteria that delights in the macabre. “It’s as perfect an episode of television as I’ve ever seen,” Ortved says. "Rosebud" 1F01 86 October 28, 1993 The Simpsons are zombies who break through the floor and groan as they sit on the couch. Homer has been at the heart of some of The Simpsons’ funniest episodes. 25 Episodes 1995 - 1996. I can’t think of one. ... Disney announces it has reached a deal to acquire 21st Century Fox, as predicted by a Simpsons episode … Ultimately, he chooses to replace the crayon in order to go back to his happier, simpler life.’, In fact, the whole family chooses happiness over genius, apart from Lisa.The theory suggests that Bart shuns his natural genius after seeing Homer happier without intelligence, and chooses to live the Bart way (or, as Ruttiger, in one appropriate episode…). (“It’s one of the few old-school cartoon things they did in the show,” Turner recalls.) To celebrate, the Esquire team decided to pull together a formal, official, sanctioned list of the best The Simpsons episodes of all-time. Simpson Is a Surreal, ... Six episodes into The People v. O.J. While Marge chose to stay at home, despite her success at school and promising feminist activism, even Maggie is thought to be a genius, saving her family members, while also showing off talents behind her family’s back. Awed by her power, the other students suggest the teachers must make fun of the kids in their private chamber. A number of different forms of media exist in the The Simpsons. God then says: ‘You can’t wait six months?’. Should the characters be ageing Bart would be well into his 40s now. Predictably, mayhem and near-death mishaps ensue, although Homer is safely returned to earth. “It was one of those things where they were almost testing the theory that anything repeated enough becomes funny,” Turner says. 80% Upvoted. While characters on the show rarely die (apart from Maude Flanders, we should add), one early episode from the series sees Bart bite the dust, according to some intense fandom chatter. I don’t know. Chris Turner, another journalist and author of Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation, agrees. "Treehouse of Horror IV" 1F04 Ahoy! While The Simpsons are all the same, Bart’s enemy is now the mayor of a small Italian village, and has a wife and child with a proclivity for vendetta. The Simpsons (season 5) The Simpsons' fifth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 30, 1993 and May 19, 1994. Could Amsterdam's New Economic Theory Replace Capitalism? It’s a comedic exercise.” And it worked. hide. That same segment featured the first-ever live-action sequence in Simpsons history at the end of the episode. In this self-skewering episode, a popular kids’ show in the Simpsons’s universe — The Itchy & Scratchy Show — decides to make an attempt to inject fresh energy into its world with the addition of a new character, Poochie, to keep the attention of the audience. What also made the theory so eerie was episode Homer The Heretic, which has the following exchange between Homer and God where our protagonist asks what the meaing of life is. Have we been watching one continuous loop this whole time? Favorite Simpsons episode. The Simpsons was outrageous and surreal, and like nothing else on TV. The writers had to make their reaction to something this big make sense, which is a tribute to them.” From the musical numbers to a cameo from the legendary Leonard Nimoy (who plays himself, but with his role referencing Mr. Spock) to the comic spin on dangerous group psychology, it’s an eminently thoughtful episode that has stood up over time. Is that what Flanders sees and therefore he’s projecting that onto the viewer, despite the family actually being quite normal? The episode follows the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, led by Homer, having a winning season and making the championship game. “It’s quite dark,” admits Ortved, “but you and I laugh so hard, because you realize everyone in the Simpsons world has become so inured to Homer’s stupidity, gluttony and downright parasitic laziness. The Simpsons run in and find an identical Simpsons family on the couch. Donald Trump's bid for the White House and ascendancy in the polls has surprised many - but The Simpsons called it 15 years ago. Surreal 'dome fountain' of lava bubbles up in Hawaii. And you realize that these people have become not only OK with it, but charmed by it — and so have you.” Ortved calls it the “Hannah Arendt episode” for its wry portrayal of the banality of evil — a timeless term originally coined by the German-American theorist following the Holocaust. Season 7 kicked off with the thrilling conclusion to The Simpsons’ first and, so far, only two-parter, … Surreal memes are (usually humorous) memes that are in a surreal style or contain surreal content. ‘You’ll find out when you die,’ God replies, as Homer then says he ‘can’t wait that long’. While some may simply put it down to the fact each episode exists on its own and doesn’t follow a strict linear chronology, we’d love there to be more behind Matt Groening’s decision. “It will never go out.”. Simpsons traveling episodes are usually hit or miss, but when the family ventured to the Jurassic Park/Disneyland hybrid Itchy and Scratchy land, not even axe wielding robots could stop the hilarity. ... Posted by 3 years ago. 10 Homer’s Barbershop Quartet (Season 5, Episode 1) The fifth-season premiere of The Simpsons is a tribute to the Beatles. "Homer at the Bat" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons' third season. If there was a decision behind it. “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet” begins with Bart and Lisa finding their dad on an album cover at a rummage sale. Here is a video where I argue passionately about Simpsons Memes. We’re over 600 episodes into The Simpsons, which means you’ve probably seen hundreds of those surreal opening sequences where the characters end up sitting in front of the living room TV. Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com. With some mind-bogglingly surreal animation and a guest turn by Johnny Cash in the role of a space coyote, “El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer” is a different kind of Simpsons episode. Clever, precocious Lisa becomes student body president of Fairfield Elementary School in this episode that parodies the opera Evita, with Lisa even singing a spin on “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina” as she goes on to rule the school. Others are not - inhabitants of Springfield appear to receive all major television networks, with the show's parody of Fox News possibly the most memorable inclusion. But it’s also been debunked by some as a simple Creepypasta story gone rogue, while showrunners also named an episode Bart’s Not Dead, seemingly in a nod to the hardcore theory. Extremely high quality of 10 best Simpsons episodes are usually from the same couple of seasons, and 's... You take into account the theories below about the time loop and series! 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