Soda Jerk Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 On 07/06/2017 at 10:39 PM, ca_gere said: 1) I've been watching the Simpsons off and on recently. Gotten up to about season 23. Came across this video the other day that really annoyed me There's no question the early episodes were a lot more clever and original but to get so dramatic about it and suggest that there's nothing good after season 8 is a little much. The Lady Gaga episode aside (which was one of the worst episodes of any TV show ever), almost every episode still has a whole bunch of really well-written jokes/lines. Far more than most other TV shows anyway. I understand there's only so many storylines you can have the SImpsons play out but to suggest the writers ran out of ideas at that Skinner episode is just dumb. It's not like every single episode prior was ground-breaking. Yes, it's not as good as it was but it's still pretty good. 2) Also been watching Trailer Park Boys. I watched it years ago but not since the Netflix takeover. Up to season 10 now. On the whole I've really enjoyed it but... HOLY SHIT the Snoop Dogg/Doug Benson episodes! Possibly the biggest shark jump i've ever seen. There's no effort to even bother writing them into the show, they literally just turn up out of nowhere. Got to be one of the laziest bits of writing imaginable. My issue with 'newer' Simpsons is the amount of guest voices they cram in to an episode which kind of forces it to be based around that person(s). The better and more watchable episodes in Season 20-somethings are the ones where they stick to the basics. They still tell good stories and jokes when they're not trying to shoehorn guests in. There are a lot of good episodes that they don't really get credit for, because of the widespread opinion that Post-S8 is terrible, but the ratio of bad to good episodes in S20 onwards is in favour of bad, and that ratio gets larger with each passing season. They still put in some pretty cringey jokes too though. Like when they just decided the Rich Texan was going to be obsessive compulsive. What's that about? Awful joke that they keep bringing back. That's just one I can think of off the top of my head. There are others. And Lisa. Lisa episodes are always terrible, apart from the Jedidiah Springfield/Hans Spungfeld episode, though she's not the reason that episode is good, but she manages to be bearable. She seems to have become the main character in S20 onwards. When they make Lisa sing, with that voice, it has to get switched off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsum_Fantastic Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 43 minutes ago, Soda Jerk said: My issue with 'newer' Simpsons is the amount of guest voices they cram in to an episode which kind of forces it to be based around that person(s). The better and more watchable episodes in Season 20-somethings are the ones where they stick to the basics. They still tell good stories and jokes when they're not trying to shoehorn guests in. There are a lot of good episodes that they don't really get credit for, because of the widespread opinion that Post-S8 is terrible, but the ratio of bad to good episodes in S20 onwards is in favour of bad, and that ratio gets larger with each passing season. They still put in some pretty cringey jokes too though. Like when they just decided the Rich Texan was going to be obsessive compulsive. What's that about? Awful joke that they keep bringing back. That's just one I can think of off the top of my head. There are others. And Lisa. Lisa episodes are always terrible, apart from the Jedidiah Springfield/Hans Spungfeld episode, though she's not the reason that episode is good, but she manages to be bearable. She seems to have become the main character in S20 onwards. When they make Lisa sing, with that voice, it has to get switched off. There are some good LIsa episodes and you know it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 1 hour ago, Gypsum_Fantastic said: There are some good LIsa episodes and you know it! Are they good because of her, or despite her? I struggle to think of one where she is the lead that is a great episode, apart from the one above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsum_Fantastic Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 7 minutes ago, Soda Jerk said: Are they good because of her, or despite her? I struggle to think of one where she is the lead that is a great episode, apart from the one above. I liked the Dustin Hoffman one. It was good but also one of those ace Simpson episodes that hits you in the feels as the kids say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsum_Fantastic Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 Don't agree with all of these: http://uproxx.com/tv/the-15-lisa-simpson-episodes-every-simpsons-fan-should-like/ But do agree with "Moaning Lisa” “Homer Vs. Lisa And The 8th Commandment” “Lisa’s Substitute” “Lisa’s First Word” “I Love Lisa” “Lisa Vs. Malibu Stacy” “Lisa The Iconoclast” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 Lisa The Iconoclast is the best of the lot. I like the majority of those episodes, but it's still despite Lisa. Most probably because I peg Yeardley Smith as the worst voice actor on the show. Everything is delivered the same, in that nasal voice. They paint her as the liberal voice of reason, but she often ends up being a whiny poseur who sometimes sells herself out. I don't know if that's intentional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsum_Fantastic Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 25 minutes ago, Soda Jerk said: Lisa The Iconoclast is the best of the lot. I like the majority of those episodes, but it's still despite Lisa. Most probably because I peg Yeardley Smith as the worst voice actor on the show. Everything is delivered the same, in that nasal voice. They paint her as the liberal voice of reason, but she often ends up being a whiny poseur who sometimes sells herself out. I don't know if that's intentional. I think it is intentional. Or maybe it was at first when the show still had its heart and perfectly balanced humour and feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 I feel like Lisa is constantly joining clubs and cliques. How many episodes have there been where she gets accepted to a different school or invited to a camp/club/program or enlists in some cause? That trope is really tiring. Bart doesn't seem to have the same repetitious storylines. Perfect example of lazy writing in the last episode I watched. Homer wins $5000 from getting burning hot onion rings tossed in his face, decides completely out of the blue to invest the cash in an online poker site. Lisa gets addicted to gambling, loses her money, bart reveals he took the money and offers to give it back to her, money gets confiscated because they're too young to play online poker. In the old days that storyline would play out somewhat naturalistically. In this episode they literally say all the plot points out loud. like the ending is almost word for word 'I was playing as sideshow bob, I have all your money... but they confiscated it because miners can't play poker online. I did it because I kinda like you' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 22 hours ago, Soda Jerk said: They paint her as the liberal voice of reason, but she often ends up being a whiny poseur who sometimes sells herself out. I don't know if that's intentional. I kind of feel like Brian from Family Guy was created (or at least changed) to make fun of characters like Lisa. But then again, Family Guy isn't exactly held up as a standard in excellence. Are there any long running cartoons that are still actually good? I liked the last couple of seasons of South Park. I know a lot of people didn't, but at least they're trying something new with the story telling. Simpsons/Family Guy seem to have been in a rut and instead of doing something to climb out, they just dug deeper and deeper. Makes me think of that "definition of insanity" quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 I'm not big in to Family Guy but I do like how they've made Brian a total douchebag. I don't think he was originally, but it's definitely very obvious in later seasons. It works because I don't think you're not really supposed to like Brian as a total poseur, where as I don't think that is the case with Lisa. Brian/Stewie episodes are generally very good, but I can do without the rest. American Dad has aged well. It's generally gotten a lot better as they moved away from the very rigid original premise. They took that as far as it could go, and now it's just anything-goes whilst not really being about what it used to be about. Characters who were very unlikeable have been developed and made very good, Steve especially. It's significantly better than Family Guy. Bobs Burgers is great too. No noticeable dip in quality yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 12 minutes ago, Soda Jerk said: I'm not big in to Family Guy but I do like how they've made Brian a total douchebag. I don't think he was originally, but it's definitely very obvious in later seasons. It works because I don't think you're not really supposed to like Brian as a total poseur, where as I don't think that is the case with Lisa. Brian/Stewie episodes are generally very good, but I can do without the rest. American Dad has aged well. It's generally gotten a lot better as they moved away from the very rigid original premise. They took that as far as it could go, and now it's just anything-goes whilst not really being about what it used to be about. Characters who were very unlikeable have been developed and made very good, Steve especially. It's significantly better than Family Guy. Bobs Burgers is great too. No noticeable dip in quality yet. yeah, the first couple of seasons of Family Guy have a completely different set of characters to be honest. I haven't actually seen any new American Dad, but I do agree once it found its footing it surpassed it. Bob's Burgers is great. But that hasn't been on as long as American Dad/Family Guy/Simpsons, so I didn't count it. I mean I also love Archer. But that too hasn't been around as long. A lot of Archer Fans say the series could never be as good as the original 4 seasons were, but the newest season really was a return to form. I think the idea of completely changing the structure for every season has worked in their favour. And if it weren't for that Adam Reed would probably have been burnt out and stopped writing it a while ago. I mean, it's went from Spy Agency for S1-4. 80's drug dealer for S5. Spies again (with certain aspects changed) for S6. 70's Private Eye for S7. Then Noir 20's(?) Private Eye for S8. It's really kept it fresh. You don't get repetitive storylines. Also the episode orders have went down as production costs have went up. So it never overstays its welcome. Why have 24 episodes of middle of the road cartoons (simpsons/fg) when you can have 8-10 episodes of well crafted cartoons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 Have any cartoons been on as long as Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park? I consider 5+ Seasons reasonably long-running as far as comedy and cartoons go, so Bobs Burgers makes the cut. 7 seasons of solid consistency with no wild changes in character development is pretty good going. Aqua Teen Hunger Force was great right until the end. The Regular Show is still good too. Might be hard to find, but Space Ghost Coast to Coast was excellent. I got them all from torrents a few years ago. It took months because nobody was ever seeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skubbs Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 Archer I think, isnt that on 7? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 23 hours ago, Scubby said: Archer I think, isnt that on 7? 8th season just finished airing in the states. The setting and goal in the season has continuously changed since season 4. But Season 8 completely changed things up. Spoilers: Archer: Dreamland. This is Archer's coma dream after the events at the end of Season 7. Archer is a P.I. trying to figure out who killed his partner, Woodhouse. Len Trexler is a mob boss, who's second in command is Dutch (barry). Malory is another mob boss called Mother. Cyril is a cop. Poovey is a male cop. Lana is a singer in Mother's club. Kreiger is an ex-nazi scientist working the bar at Mother's but secretly working on cyborgs, as usual. Cheryl/Carol/Crystal/Cherlene is a rich woman from a quasi-incestious family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 Simpsons, futurama and early family guy aside I used to hate 'adult' cartoons but since streaming services have become the norm and you can just tear through them as opposed to buying them season by season I've totally come around. Not really sure why that's the case. Maybe I notice each episode less and it kinda merges into one. Ive watched everything Netflix and Hulu has of American Dad, family guy and Bobs burgers. If there was a dip in any of them I didn't notice. I think I'm a lot more tolerant of them because it's pretty much ALL to do with the writing which doesn't vary too much season to season. It's not like a live action show where there are way more variables season to season (actors quitting, people aging, budget cuts, etc). Tried F is for family and Archer recently but didn't stick them out for long. Everyone seems to rate archer so il go back to it I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroopy121 Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 I tried to rewatch Family Guy and just thought it was fucking garbage. I used to absolutely love it, too. F is for Family I didn't rate - I like Bill Burr's standup but nothing in Family season 1 made me laugh so I'm not gonna bother with season 2. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 F is for Family is a weird one. There's some great lines here and there, but overall it's not great. It has a pretty crummy animation style too, which doesn't make it aesthetically pleasing. I hammered through S2 of it just after binging on all of Rick & Morty, which is an ill-advised order to do that, as everything about Rick & Morty is significantly better. There's some better stories in S2, which seemed to be lacking in S1, so it is better, but it's a 6 out of 10 show at best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 I loved season 2 of F is for Family. A lot better than the first. I was laughing constantly and I'm not even a big Bill Burr fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teabags Posted June 14, 2017 Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 I'm a huge Bill burr fan, but the first episod eof F is for Family completely put me off attempting to watch any more of it. Shite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted June 17, 2017 Report Share Posted June 17, 2017 On 6/14/2017 at 2:32 PM, Teabags said: I'm a huge Bill burr fan, but the first episod eof F is for Family completely put me off attempting to watch any more of it. Shite. I didn't like it when I first watched it. I try to never judge a show by it's first episode though. More often than not it's just the pilot and things inevitably change. Hell, even stuff like Community has a shaky first episode. The Office US has a shaky first season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 17, 2017 Report Share Posted June 17, 2017 4 hours ago, Jaaakkkeee said: I didn't like it when I first watched it. I try to never judge a show by it's first episode though. More often than not it's just the pilot and things inevitably change. Hell, even stuff like Community has a shaky first episode. The Office US has a shaky first season. Agree on the Office. Parks & Rec 1st season is awful too. Leslie is just Michael Scott in the first few episodes. They seemed to have a "hang on, this is shit, let's do it totally different" moment around the start of S2. However, I think Community gets off to a solid start, and does it better than most sitcoms. Definitely one of my favourite 1st episodes, along with Scrubs. Solid pilots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted June 18, 2017 Report Share Posted June 18, 2017 On 6/17/2017 at 3:37 PM, Soda Jerk said: Agree on the Office. Parks & Rec 1st season is awful too. Leslie is just Michael Scott in the first few episodes. They seemed to have a "hang on, this is shit, let's do it totally different" moment around the start of S2. However, I think Community gets off to a solid start, and does it better than most sitcoms. Definitely one of my favourite 1st episodes, along with Scrubs. Solid pilots. It just seemed too generic, especially compared to the rest of the series. Which I understand, with a program like Community you've got to have a bit of bait and switch going on. Can't be bunging in full episodes dedicated to D&D from the off. But on rewatch I do tend to skip the pilot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 19, 2017 Report Share Posted June 19, 2017 15 hours ago, Jaaakkkeee said: It just seemed too generic, especially compared to the rest of the series. Which I understand, with a program like Community you've got to have a bit of bait and switch going on. Can't be bunging in full episodes dedicated to D&D from the off. But on rewatch I do tend to skip the pilot. True. It was a standard "this is all the characters" script, but still better than most. Especially as none of the characters dramatically changed after 6 episodes, like a lot of sitcoms. They jump right into the weirdness in Episode 2. The Jeff/Pierce montage in Spanish class is probably in my top 5 favourite bits from the whole show. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVB Posted June 20, 2017 Report Share Posted June 20, 2017 any one else secretly love RuPauls Drag Race? yeah, nah.. me either 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroopy121 Posted June 20, 2017 Report Share Posted June 20, 2017 Secretly? I think it's fucking awesome! xx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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