The Simpsons: 12 Things You Missed If You Stopped Watching in 2000

5. The Show Got Back To Telling Stories With Values

Here's an important one, and it's hard to pinpoint when, but it's very clear that the show has returned to its roots and started telling stories with values again. Values? In The Simpsons? It's more likely than you think. See, in the early days, despite what the elder President Bush may have claimed, the Simpsons was probably one of the more moral shows on TV. Sure, it wasn't the Cosby Show, but what was? The Simpsons still had stories about loving your sister, learning to accept people for who they are, loving your family, supporting one another, etc. "The War of the Simpsons," "A Streetcar Named Marge," "Bart After Dark," and so on - believe it or not there are real-life lessons you can take from episodes like these. That seemed to go away while the show was in its mid to late teens. The franchise wanted to stay edgy, and Family Guy was the new kid on the block. It tried to go the random humour route, and in the opinion of many fans, it failed. Once the show got to around season twenty, or so, it had something of a second renaissance. Was it the classic era all over again? No, but seasons 20-26 have been a lot better than seasons 13-19. You have better storytelling to thank for that. "Lisa Simpson, This Isn't Your Life," "The D'oh-cial Network," "The Book Job," "500 Keys," "Gorgeous Grandpa," "Hardly Kirk-ing," and so forth - you're getting back to tales where characters consider actual values and principles.