The Simpsons has been part of the TV landscape for over 20 years. Sprung from characters created for The Tracey Ullman Show, the series is currently in its 21st season. The show has won numerous awards, made all types of record lists over its long run, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know about at least a few of the antics of Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and the many characters who populate Springfield.
There are some out there who have given up on The Simpsons, claiming its best years are behind it, but like any long-running show there are ups and downs. I will admit though that the annual Halloween “Treehouse of Horror” episode hasn’t been funny for awhile and that maybe it’s time to retire that portion of the series.
That being said, there are some great episodes included in the 20th season, like "How the Test Was Won," where Homer forgets to mail in the insurance payment and must keep himself accident free until 3pm. It is quite a task considering how accident prone Homer tends to be. There is also a parody of the Saw movies and more flashbacks of Homer and Marge when they were just starting out, which allows for plenty of nostalgic pop culture references.
There are some episodes that fail to work in this set, the Da Vinci Code parody for one. However, that doesn't dampen my overall enthusiasm for the series, which has somehow also managed to instill itself in the mind of my three-year-old.
As always, The Simpsons still attracts many celebrities to do guest spots. Season 20's celebrities include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Denis Leary, Ed Begley, Jr., Anne Hathaway, Jodie Foster, and more.
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Article comments
1 - Sahar
It does feel sometimes that the Simpsons try too hard, but I still love them :) Perhaps if they would stop trying to better everyone else and focus on bettering their own selves, The Simpsons could go back to its roots and we'd have a couple more glory days ;)