The State of the Series After 26 Seasons: A Rant

A note: I almost threw this into my review of the Season 26 finale, Mathlete's Feat, but decided to make it a post on its own.  Please note that there are points in the rant which refer to an unspecified episode, the episode in question is Mathlete's Feat.  If you want to read it, do so after the jump unless you already are, in which case I guarantee nothing!

I don't know if you've heard, but Harry Shearer, who voices multiple characters (no Simpson family characters, mind you), won't be returning for the next two seasons.  Other than a few episodes into next season which were held over from this one, there will be a point where Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, and many others will sound slightly different.  I bring this up now, because you take a look at this episode, the last few episodes, hell, most of this season, and ask, "is it any wonder he's not coming back"?  He can cite schedule and all that, but with how this season turned out, I can't blame him for not coming back.  This show is an absolute mess right now, and this episode is a very good example of what's wrong with it.  Overly long couch gags promoting other shows, using that and time at the end as pointless filler, throwback references for no apparent reason, a plot that doesn't make a lot of sense, poor characterisation of everyone involved, and - of course - really crappy jokes.  That was this episode.  That was this season, mostly.  That is modern, "zombie HD" Simpsons.

Something will have to give.  The show just can't keep pulling millions of viewers in somehow and keep its awful, awful status quo with its leadership and writing "talent".  Many of the writers plaguing the show now have been around since Season 13, which the show first started to fall apart, and they've somehow been there for over half of the series.  Over half of the series has been in the reins of these people, these reference-spouting, unfunny people.  The show has been greenlit for two more years, and there is zero hope the staff of this show will change any.  Shearer is gone, how long will it before the other VAs, the millions of people that still watch, stay?

Season 26 ended by completely collapsing upon itself, yet its staff will see this as some kind of victory, so sheltered in their little hugbox congratulating only each other, congratulated by only one another, thinking everything is good because it still outdraws many other shows and multiple sporting events.  With a disaster of a season this was, where its best episode was a desperate crossover with a show that knew when to end, it can't continue to outdraw most things.  Not for much longer.  Someone at FOX, someone in this staff, needs to wake up and realize, first, hey this show isn't funny.  Second, people keep saying the show's been awful for 14 years, and oh look we've had the same people in charge, the same people writing for 14 years.  Third, clearly Matt Groening, Al Jean, and the other "elder" executives of the show stopped caring, maybe its time we institute someone who does.  If that takes the show into weird directions, completely foreign territory, then so be it.  Millions of people continue to watch this slop, I'm sure millions will be willing to watch something different as well.

I don't even know why I'm writing all of this, aware that probably only a handful of people will ever read this, but if you do, and you believe what I just said was somewhat coherent (and I'm not sure if it is!), then pass it on, share it on your preferred social media platform.  Surely, you must be sick of this status quo as well.  For the most part, the people upset, angry, saddened with what the show has become are not considered part of the "majority" of Simpson fans, in fact I'd say the people who openly go up and say "the show is still funny, you're just blinding by nostalgia, I still laugh as much with the new episodes as I did the old episodes" are still quite numerous if only because there are a lot of people who are fine with having low standards on things (see: most ios free to play games).  However, if there's shift of majority opinion, backed by social media presence and, most importantly, a significant drop in ratings, then there must be change.  Whether its for the better or it hastens the show's death (or maybe one leads to the other), so be it.  Anything, anything is better than this status quo of complete, lethargic, worthless effort that is modern Simpsons.