Is ‘The Simpsons’ Good Again? How The Show Went From ‘Zombie’ to ‘Renaissance’

• Fans and critics say that The Simpsons declined in quality from Season 8.
• The show’s 30th season has the long-running TV classic’s lowest IMDb score.
• Now fans and critics are arguing that there’s been a resurgence in quality through recent seasons.
• This ‘renaissance’ has been attributed, in part, to primary showrunner Matt Selman.

If you’re anything like me, you remember a time when The Simpsons was the biggest thing on television. In my formative years, The Simpsons was my favourite TV show, and I’d spend hours watching (and rewatching) the series almost every weekend. It ruled my pre-internet childhood.

Even as a kid, though, I could tell that there were two eras of the show. There were the older episodes, where Homer was a dim-witted but loving father struggling to support his family, Bart was a naughty but well-meaning kid unable to fit in, etc. These episodes regularly explored what it meant to be part of a dysfunctional family.

Then there are the newer episodes, where Homer seems happy to recklessly put his family in danger, Bart is whatever he’s needed to be for a joke to land, and individual episodes are about anything and everything. 

I’d never thought too deeply about this divide, but I’ve come to learn that these two eras of the show actually have names: ‘The Golden Age’ and ‘Zombie Simpsons’. The latter is epitomised by characters on the show being reduced to brainless, cheap knock-off versions of themselves for easy gags.

In recent years, however, there’ve been murmurs that a new age may be upon us. A renaissance in which the series’ long-dormant heart has begun to show signs of new life. 

When Was The Golden Age Of ‘The Simpsons’?

Starting out as an animated short on sketch comedy show The Tracey Ullman Show, The Simpsons made the jump to 30-minute episodes in 1989. While its first season struggles a bit out of the gate, the family at the heart of it arrived fully formed. 

Homer’s a buffoon, but is doing his best to keep a roof over his family’s heads by working a thankless job he dislikes. Marge has unrealised dreams and potential, but stays by Homer’s side because she can see the sweet, loving father underneath. Bart’s a quick-witted kid who can’t help but find himself on the wrong side of authority, while Lisa’s a model student (though rigid and overly optimistic). The family is rounded out by baby Maggie and Homer’s father Abe, a World War II-vet who can’t quite keep up in the new, fast-paced world. 

The Simpsons were a satirical reflection of what contemporary families actually looked like in the early ’90s. The solid and incisive writing in the show’s first eight seasons put it on the map. In its heyday, The Simpsons went deep into the lives of Springfield residents while also offering biting critiques of ’90s society and culture.

When Was The “Downfall” Of ‘The Simpsons’?

And then something changed. Season eight is where many fans began to notice a drastic change of tone. Rather than focusing on relatable tales, or satirising other popular media around it, The Simpsons began adding in more outlandish plots. A good example? That one episode where David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson appeared as The X-Files’ Mulder and Scully, seeking out a glowing alien-like Mr. Burns.

The Simpsons’ cast of characters became malleable; anything could be changed about them to make sense for an episode, but those changes were temporary enough that Springfield life could continue as it always had. Season nine’s ‘The Principal and the Pauper’ is perhaps the most glaring example of this, with Principal Skinner being exposed as an imposter who has lied to the entire town for 20-odd years, only for the episode to end with everything reverting to the status quo.

The show pretty quickly lost its heart. This approach allowed writers to take the characters in wacky new directions, but it also meant they were no longer relatable. Celebrities stopped voicing interesting characters that made sense (like Danny DeVito voicing Homer’s brother Herb) and instead voiced themselves in one-off instances where they’re only in Springfield for a moment. Reviews of these later seasons reflects this, with the series hitting a slump with Season 30 getting the lowest average review score.

So, Is ‘The Simpsons’ Actually Good Again?

And then something changed, again.

Around season 33 (2021), long-time writer Matt Selman became the series’ primary showrunner, and slowly but surely, the writing team’s approach changed. Instead of writing episodes designed to deliver rapid-fire jokes to keep its social-media-addicted audience engaged, Selman gave writers the freedom to explore new approaches, new narratives, and to feel comfortable pitching really ‘out there’ ideas.

As a result, the show started taking risks again. Not every episode of these newer seasons are incredible but there have been enough standouts for the audience to notice. In fact, the series’ latest season (37) currently has the highest average review score of any season released in the past 15 years. 

Does that mean The Simpsons is good again? Well, whether you find the show funny is up to you, but it is more creative than it has been in years, and is undoubtedly a more interesting show than it has been for most of my adult life. 

8 Best New Episodes Of ‘The Simpsons’ To Watch

‘A Serious Flanders’, S33 E6 & 7

A two-part parody of prestige television that exists outside of the series’ continuity, ‘A Serious Flanders’ puts Springfield’s perennially pious neighbour, Ned Flanders, in increasingly immoral situations after he finds himself targeted by a deadly debt collector. And, after Homer is kidnapped in Ned’s place, he’ll need to decide what he is capable of doing in order to save his fellow man.

‘Pixelated and Afraid’, S33 E12 

Homer and Marge go on a romantic getaway to attempt to bring a bit of spice back into their marriage, but after crashing their car deep in the wilderness the pair find themselves trapped alone, naked, and afraid in the deep woods. And, to make matters worse, a deadly wolverine is stalking them.

‘Lisa the Boy Scout’, S34 E3

During a regularly scheduled episode of The Simpsons, an ‘anonymous’-like hacker group takes control and begins broadcasting controversial scenes cut from previous episodes in an attempt to shock the audience, such as Lenny having been a figment of Carl’s imagination, and Martin Prince actually being an adult working undercover at Springfield elementary. It gets wild.

‘Carl Carlson Rides Again’, S34 E14

Speaking of Carl, how much do you really know about him? Well, he doesn’t know much about himself, as it turns out, and this episode details his quest to learn more about his family’s history in an effort to better understand who he is.

‘Bartless’, S34 E15

After questioning whether they actually ‘like’ their son, Homer and Marge wake up in a world without Bart – and get to see what Springfield would be without El Barto on the loose. Despite all the difficulties he causes, it turns out the Simpsons’ lives would be pretty different without the spikey-haired devil we all love.

‘The Simpsons’ Top 10 Rated Episodes

‘The Simpsons’ Seasons’ Average IMDb Score

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