Skip to main content

"The Simpsons" Reaches 400th Episode Milestone

I'll admit that I've kind of tuned out The Simpsons in recent years, as its once witty humor has turned predictable and tired. What was once the most well crafted, intelligent series on television has buckled under the weight of 400 episodes, each with zany plotlines and characters that steadfastly refuse to change or age.

So imagine my surprise when I tuned in to catch the series' 399th and 400th episodes and discovered that The Simpsons, while nowhere near the standard it set for itself years before, can still manage to tickle my funny bone. The 399th episode, "24 Minutes" brought the audience a parody of fellow FOX series 24, in which Lisa and Bart work for CTU, the Counter Truancy Unit, and must work together to defuse a terrorist situation involving a bully-made stink bomb and a school bake sale. (It's all the more funny for the fact that it's more amusing and engaging than the current season of 24 (which wraps its sixth season tonight) has consistently been this year.

What worked so well about the episode is the way that it appropriated those old 24 tropes--split screens, Kiefer Sutherland narration, moles within CTU--and turned them on their head. Plus, kudos to Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub for mocking themselves (or at least their bombastic characters, Jack and Chloe). Loved the dumpster gag, as well, in which Homer and Milhouse (don't ask) take a dumpster for a spin around town. It might not reach the heights of some of my favorite episodes like "Das Bus" or "The Old Man and the Lisa," but it's a funny 24 minutes, if a little dated, nonetheless.

Following "24 Minutes," The Simpsons crew manages to commandeer some of the imagery of Good Night and Good Luck for the landmark 400th episode, "You Kent Always Say What You Want" that has local news anchor Kent Brockman lose his job after uttering a swearword on the air when Homer Simpson, local buffoon and 1 millionth ice cream cone purchaser, spills coffee on his crotch. It touches upon the demons of the anti-indecency campaign in America, in which people increasingly look to find something indecent about nearly every television show that doesn't meet their rigid views of morality and decency. (Off topic: there's a fascinating recent Entertainment Weekly article here that talks with four network standards and practices execs.)

My favorite bits: the opening title sequence that takes us back twenty years to five squiggly, poorly drawn yellow characters (looking rather like they did back on the old Tracy Ullman Show) attempting to arrange a family picture; a cigarette-smoking Kent Brockman delivering a savage Edward R. Murrow-style indictment in classy black and white (Lisa even taps his knee with a pencil when they go live on the air); and the headshot "wall of fame" in the Simpsons house that recounts past visitors who have moved into the home, from Apu and Sideshow Bob to Gil and Stampy the elephant.

It's a wink to the series' longevity and its (dare I say it?) continuity and make me a bit wistful for the good old days. In any event, however, making it to 400 episodes in an age where new series get yanked off the air after three episodes is quite a feat and it's a testament to the cast and crew of The Simpsons that this little series has become such a part of the global zeitgeist.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I haven't been a fan of the last few seasons of The Simpsons but these two episodes were great. The 24 spoof was fun but I especially enjoyed the Kent Brockman episode which was as timely as it was humorous. It actually reminded me a lot of some of the earlier, stronger seasons which were always zany but intelligent and topical as well. Lately, I just feel like they're zany without any real direction. I'm hoping that these two eps. bode well for The Simpsons movie this summer!

Popular posts from this blog

Katie Lee Packs Her Knives: Breaking News from Bravo's "Top Chef"

The android has left the building. Or the test kitchen, anyway. Top Chef 's robotic host Katie Lee Joel, the veritable "Uptown Girl" herself (pictured at left), will NOT be sticking around for a second course of Bravo's hit culinary competition. According to a well-placed insider, Joel will "not be returning" to the show. No reason for her departure was cited. Unfortunately, the perfect replacement for Joel, Top Chef judge and professional chef Tom Colicchio, will not be taking over as the reality series' host (damn!). Instead, the show's producers are currently scouring to find a replacement for Joel. Top Chef 's second season was announced by Bravo last month, but no return date has been set for the series' ten-episode sophomore season. Stay tuned as this story develops. UPDATE (6/27): Bravo has now confirmed the above story .

BuzzFeed: Meet The TV Successor To "Serial"

HBO's stranger-than-fiction true crime documentary The Jinx   — about real estate heir Robert Durst — brings the chills and thrills missing since Serial   wrapped up its first season. Serial   obsessives: HBO's latest documentary series is exactly what you've been waiting for.   The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst , like Sarah Koenig's beloved podcast, sifts through old documents, finds new leads from fresh interviews, and seeks to determine just what happened on a fateful day in which the most foul murder was committed. And, also like  Serial  before it,  The Jinx may also hold no ultimate answer to innocence or guilt. But that seems almost beside the point; such investigations often remain murky and unclear, and guilt is not so easy a thing to be judged. Instead, this upcoming six-part tantalizing murder mystery, from director Andrew Jarecki ( Capturing the Friedmans ), is a gripping true crime story that unfolds with all of the speed of a page-turner; it

BuzzFeed: "The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now"

The CBS legal drama, now in its sixth season, continually shakes up its narrative foundations and proves itself fearless in the process. Spoilers ahead, if you’re not up to date on the show. At BuzzFeed, you can read my latest feature, " The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now," in which I praise CBS' The Good Wife and, well, hail it as the best show currently on television. (Yes, you read that right.) There is no need to be delicate here: If you’re not watching The Good Wife, you are missing out on the best show on television. I won’t qualify that statement in the least — I’m not talking about the best show currently airing on broadcast television or outside of cable or on premium or however you want to sandbox this remarkable show. No, the legal drama is the best thing currently airing on any channel on television. That The Good Wife is this perfect in its sixth season is reason to truly celebrate. Few shows embrace complexity and risk-taking in t