...a-becoming quite different. One of the advantages of a long running television series is having the time to fully explore and develop the characters. One of the disadvantages of a popular long running television series is that it always passes its peak. Actually, that's a subjective call on my part and that of vocal fans. Objectively, a long running show
changes.
The
generally agreed point at which
The Simpsons faltered lies between Seasons 9 and 10 (roughly 1998). By that measure the show, now in its twenty-second season, has been poorly-written for over half its existence. The common argument against criticism of the latter seasons is that viewers have become overly-familiar with the early episodes through heavy syndication/repeats. As the "bad" now outnumber the golden age ones, that can no longer be true. They can still put out what are good episodes, but they're thin on the ground. The decline must be borne from a change within the writing staff as it is the tone of the episodes that together define the series. In particular, certain writers may not have been
familiar with the tone or the show at all.
