SummaryOriginally created by cartoonist Matt Groening, "Our Favorite Family," has graced the small screen in one form or another for over 20 years. The Simpson family first appeared on television as the subjects of interstitial "shorts" on The Tracey Ullman Show in April of 1987. The Simpsons remained a staple on The Tracey Ullman Show for thre...
SummaryOriginally created by cartoonist Matt Groening, "Our Favorite Family," has graced the small screen in one form or another for over 20 years. The Simpson family first appeared on television as the subjects of interstitial "shorts" on The Tracey Ullman Show in April of 1987. The Simpsons remained a staple on The Tracey Ullman Show for thre...
The greatest season of the show's entire run.
Most older Simpsons fans or fans of the earlier seasons will tell you that the show began to decline in quality after Season 8 and had completely jumped the shark by the time the eleventh show aired. While everyone has different tastes and is entitled to their own opinions, I could not disagree more and I often wonder if these fans watch the same exact season as me or have actually seen any of these episodes that have aired in Season 11.
While I agree that the Simpsons isn't as good as it once was, but I completely disagree with what most "fans" consider to be the golden age of the show. Seasons 3-8 (1991-1997) were NOT the golden age of the show. Seasons 10-16 (1998-2005) were and I don't think the show didn't finally hit it's stride until the Late 90's. But Season 11 marks the point the where The Simpsons was no longer just a popular adult animated sitcom from the 1990's, but an iconic staple among Pop Culture and a cultural institution. It was at this point where the Simpsons could do no wrong.
The eleventh season of the Simpsons gives us some of the most hilariously laugh out loud moments and sharpest and most brilliantly written comedy of the show's entire history. This is the season that gave us hit after hit with one classic joke after another. I mean name me another season of this show where Homer goes on to become a food critic, curses at an ambulance, becomes a missionary, tries to help Ned Flanders find a new soulmate and his whole family goes to a Springfield NASCAR race. Name another season of the show where the Simpsons go to Florida, we get to see the whole future of the whole entire family and Springfield as well, Britney Spears appears as a guest star on the show and even Barney goes sober for awhile!
You can't go wrong with this classic season of television history and every episode is definitely worth a watch.
By the time The Simpsons eleventh season was completed it became clear the writers were beginning to run short of ideas. The intelligent social commentary and satire of pop culture was gradually being replaced by episodes in which the family found themselves involved in increasingly bizarre antics.
Episodes such as E-I-E-I (Annoyed Grunt) and Saddlesore Galactica certainly had their funny moments but lacked that special something the show previously delivered in every single episode. There are still signs of what it is capable of in Beyond Blunderdome, Behind the Laughter and Treehouse of Horrors X (possibly my favourite of all the Halloween specials) but there very few episodes that could be considered amongst the best The Simpsons has offered.
Although quite humorous from time to time, season 11 is not a very satisfying one. It contains some pure bad episodes- Take my Wife Sleaze, Saddlescore Galactica, Missionary Impossible and Kill the Alligator and Run are atrocious in my opinion. Season 11 confirmed any suspicions the fans had about the decline of quality and bad jokes from season 10. I dont really have a favourite episodes from this season. Many of them have great potential at first - like The Mansion Family, Guess who's Coming to Criticize Dinner, Eight MIsbehaving, Little Big Mom- but end up being very dissapointing. Little Big Mom features one of my favourite Homer quotes : ''AHH! Stupid sexy Flanders!!''