How do you remember the reception of the show throughout the decade? Did it change slowly or dramatically? Around when did it switch from being a "dangerous" countercultural show to an acclaimed comedy?

I rarely watched The Simpsons. In the early 90s(1990 to 1992) I was more into the WB cartoons like Tiny Toon Adventures.

I use to think The Simpsons were boring.  :P

I rarely watched The Simpsons. In the early 90s(1990 to 1992)

I use to think The Simpsons were boring.  :P
I was the same, probably the last one I saw was the 'Michael Jackson' episode.

I did find movie more entertaining than I originally expected.

I never paid much attention to it. Is it still on?

I never paid much attention to it. Is it still on?
I believe so.

I rarely watched The Simpsons. In the early 90s(1990 to 1992) I was more into the WB cartoons like Tiny Toon Adventures.

I use to think The Simpsons were boring.  :P

Simpsons was funny a long time ago.

I never paid much attention to it. Is it still on?


31 years.

I was 30+ when the show began, never thought of it as "dangerous" countercultural, just a silly and funny comedy. I laughed at how stupid Homer was. Some of the episodes were quite funny

My parents on the other hand hated the show because they believed you shouldnt make fun of a father figure and make him that stupid (this is the same 2 that loved "All in the family", a show with a stupid father figure).

I was 30+ when the show began, never thought of it as "dangerous" countercultural, just a silly and funny comedy. I laughed at how stupid Homer was. Some of the episodes were quite funny

My parents on the other hand hated the show because they believed you shouldnt make fun of a father figure and make him that stupid (this is the same 2 that loved "All in the family", a show with a stupid father figure).


Correct! Simpsons was never countercultural (WHAT counterculture in the 90s?) OR dangerous. It was just satirical.

"All In The  Family", on the other hand, ABSOLUTELY caused a major cultural shift in television.  Part of it's brilliance was that Archie said all kinds of racist, sexist, homophobic things but NEVER won an argument anytime, anyway, anyhow. The objects of his derision----the black neighbors, the gay friend, the hippie son-in-law, the long suffering wife----all always got the best of him.

Correct! Simpsons was never countercultural (WHAT counterculture in the 90s?) OR dangerous. It was just satirical.

"All In The  Family", on the other hand, ABSOLUTELY caused a major cultural shift in television.  Part of it's brilliance was that Archie said all kinds of racist, sexist, homophobic things but NEVER won an argument anytime, anyway, anyhow. The objects of his derision----the black neighbors, the gay friend, the hippie son-in-law, the long suffering wife----all always got the best of him.

I hear so often how "All in the family" wouldn't work today because (and I hate this name) snowflakes would be so upset and couldn't handle it.
They missed out on the whole  point of the show, to show how wrong and stupid Archie was and the show was funny because we were laughing at him. 

I hear so often how "All in the family" wouldn't work today because (and I hate this name) snowflakes would be so upset and couldn't handle it.
They missed out on the whole  point of the show, to show how wrong and stupid Archie was and the show was funny because we were laughing at him.


I'm still trying to figure out HOW it got this way. HOW the "snowflakes" lost all sense of knowing that a show like "All In the Family" was a strong social statement. An anti-racist, anti-war, anti-homophobic, etc statement created by one of Hollywood's (or anybody's) most liberal people, Norman Lear.  How did they lose all common sense and not notice? ALL they see now is "an old white man saying racist things". Yeah, TO SERVE A HIGHER PURPOSE. Why does this even need to be explained? When did people lose the gene that knows that?

I was 30+ when the show began, never thought of it as "dangerous" countercultural, just a silly and funny comedy.


So the moral panic about Bart was overbown?

I remember around 1989, 1990 when everyone wore a Bart Simpson T-shirt...haha lol. Except me! That was around the time people use to iron their designs on T-Shirts. It was so tacky! But fun.

So the moral panic about Bart was overbown?


I don't recall that there was any moral panic about The Simpsons. You may possibly be thinking of the "Satanic Ritual Abuse" panic of the 90s which all turned out to be absolute baloney.

I just read on Wikipedia that The Simpsons first appeared in 1987. Look how crude and awful the animation was! Then later they changed them up a little. I don't know. I didn't get all the hype about them back then. I still don't.

https://i.ibb.co/cFq0QPK/hqdefault.jpg

I'm still trying to figure out HOW it got this way. HOW the "snowflakes" lost all sense of knowing that a show like "All In the Family" was a strong social statement. An anti-racist, anti-war, anti-homophobic, etc statement created by one of Hollywood's (or anybody's) most liberal people, Norman Lear.  How did they lose all common sense and not notice? ALL they see now is "an old white man saying racist things". Yeah, TO SERVE A HIGHER PURPOSE. Why does this even need to be explained? When did people lose the gene that knows that?


2 words, zero tolerance. It’s pure laziness. No effort to consider the context of anything. Even if what you’re saying or doing agrees with what’s right in the world.

As far as the simpsons, I think they started on fox. I didn’t get fox up north until several years later, late 1992. So I never really watched them. I’ve seen little snippets which were funny (Homer), but part of me feels like I walked in mid conversation. And I don’t have the desire to watch it all from the beginning.

As far as the simpsons, I think they started on fox. I didn’t get fox up north until several years later, late 1992. So I never really watched them. I’ve seen little snippets which were funny (Homer), but part of me feels like I walked in mid conversation. And I don’t have the desire to watch it all from the beginning.


If I recall, the Simpsons started on the Tracy Ullman show as little short bits. There was nothing particularly controversial about it. There was a lot of marketing. T Shirts, action figures, etc, etc. It generated a lot of income.

the Simpsons *did* face a moral panic. "Itchy, Scratchy and Marge" parodied it.

I was 30+ when the show began, never thought of it as "dangerous" countercultural, just a silly and funny comedy. I laughed at how stupid Homer was. Some of the episodes were quite funny

My parents on the other hand hated the show because they believed you shouldnt make fun of a father figure and make him that stupid (this is the same 2 that loved "All in the family", a show with a stupid father figure).

There were times when Homer was stupid or when Homer started choking out Bart by wringing his neck almost all the time.

If I recall, the Simpsons started on the Tracy Ullman show as little short bits. There was nothing particularly controversial about it. There was a lot of marketing. T Shirts, action figures, etc, etc. It generated a lot of income.

And after that The Simpsons became a thing.

Correct! Simpsons was never countercultural (WHAT counterculture in the 90s?) OR dangerous. It was just satirical.

"All In The  Family", on the other hand, ABSOLUTELY caused a major cultural shift in television.  Part of it's brilliance was that Archie said all kinds of racist, sexist, homophobic things but NEVER won an argument anytime, anyway, anyhow. The objects of his derision----the black neighbors, the gay friend, the hippie son-in-law, the long suffering wife----all always got the best of him.


Grunge, the gothic counterculture, Clubs Kids scene, Rave culture, Hacker culture

So the moral panic about Bart was overbown?


Not among my friends around my age, but for my parents who were born 100 years ago, possibly. They were more concerned that a father figure was portrayed too stupidly (Homer) than concerns with a brat like Bart.

I don't understand what the story was of Homer liking donuts all the time?

Johnny Depp may be an arse but put it right when you compare how adults saw this show as in 1990 with how they view it now - “people who don’t believe in you will in later years claim that they met you”.

I don't understand what the story was of Homer liking donuts all the time?


I don't either. But, I can relate cause donuts are good. ;D

The Simpsons were awesome! My favorite episode was "Marge vs. the Monorail" (still a classic!) I always wanted to be Lisa.

The WB cartoons were great too.

Was Nelson always a bully?