Conventional wisdom is that after Season 9 or so The Simpsons went drastically downhill. Well, we're not ones for conventional wisdom. For starters, it was really the teen, especially mid to late teen, years in which the show really struggled creatively, although the twelfth season was particularly bad. While there were signs early on (N'SYNC showing up in season 12, for starters) that the franchise was in a slump, the show still managed to produce its fair share of laughs. Season 13 alone gave us "Homer the Moe" ("After Chernobyl, my penis is falling off" "And "penis" is Russian for...?), The Parent Rap (Judge Constance Harm and "the clown is down"), "Brawl in the Family" (Homer and Ned's Vegas wives return), "Weekend at Burnsies" (Homer the pothead), I Am Furious (Yellow), and others. That's a heck of a bounce-back season really. Later on, while The Simpsons certainly stagnated in terms of comedy, it wasn't from lack of trying. Keeping a property fresh for over twenty years is a momentousness task, and despite the complaints from those who insist they don't watch the show anymore ("I haven't watched since season seven." "Well I haven't watched since Tracey Ullman!")about how what they aren't watching supposedly isn't as good as their nostalgia-prone memories, the show is funny more often than not. Plenty has changed in Springfield, however, especially during the second half of the show's run. If you're a diehard fan, you probably are well aware of these developments, but for those who may not be, here's a look at twelve things you missed if you stopped watching in 2000.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
