There's, like, a billion characters!
May 14, 2015 9:10 PM Subscribe
Not Lenny!
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 9:19 PM on May 14, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 9:19 PM on May 14, 2015 [5 favorites]
I love Rick & Morty. July 26th for the new season!
posted by sbutler at 9:20 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by sbutler at 9:20 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
YOU'RE A REAL JULIUS CAESAR JERRY.
posted by erratic meatsack at 9:24 PM on May 14, 2015
posted by erratic meatsack at 9:24 PM on May 14, 2015
I heard this morning that Harry Shearer was leaving the Simpsons, and my first reaction was some variation of "wait, the Simpsons is still on the air?"
posted by DoctorFedora at 9:26 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 9:26 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
In hindsight, since Rick & Morty feels like what would happen if all of the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes were actually treated as series canon, I suppose that this was inevitable. But even still, this came way out of left field for me. What's the story on this? Are the Simpsons producers big R&M fans? Is there a creative-staff connection between shows?
I do find it somewhat delightful that a show that has slowly evolved from a counter-culture phenomenon to a venerable network TV comfort-viewing institution still has enough of the old piss and vinegar (at first it was just vinegar) to give an in-show high-five to something as fundamentally weird and misanthropic as R&M.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:33 PM on May 14, 2015 [10 favorites]
I do find it somewhat delightful that a show that has slowly evolved from a counter-culture phenomenon to a venerable network TV comfort-viewing institution still has enough of the old piss and vinegar (at first it was just vinegar) to give an in-show high-five to something as fundamentally weird and misanthropic as R&M.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:33 PM on May 14, 2015 [10 favorites]
slowly evolved from a counter-culture phenomenon to a venerable network TV comfort-viewing institution
The Simpsons is now the TV version of the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" being used to promote an operating system.
posted by DoctorFedora at 9:36 PM on May 14, 2015 [41 favorites]
The Simpsons is now the TV version of the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" being used to promote an operating system.
posted by DoctorFedora at 9:36 PM on May 14, 2015 [41 favorites]
I seem to recall Matt Groening did a commentary track on the R&M Season 1 DVD so there's got to be some kind of friendly relationship between the creative staffs of the two shows.
My first reaction watching this was along the lines of, "Is this even legal?"
posted by town of cats at 9:37 PM on May 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
My first reaction watching this was along the lines of, "Is this even legal?"
posted by town of cats at 9:37 PM on May 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Simpsons is now the TV version of the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" being used to promote an operating system.
This took me a while, but it's a frighteningly accurate and succinct description.
posted by heathkit at 9:49 PM on May 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
This took me a while, but it's a frighteningly accurate and succinct description.
posted by heathkit at 9:49 PM on May 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
What a fate: turned into horrible mutants with only a slim likeness to their former selves. But enough about the past 15 seasons, it's time to watch the clip in the FPP!
posted by codacorolla at 10:02 PM on May 14, 2015 [29 favorites]
posted by codacorolla at 10:02 PM on May 14, 2015 [29 favorites]
DoctorFedora: The Simpsons is now the TV version of the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" being used to promote an operating system.
Something all the adults are talking about but I don't know why?
posted by traveler_ at 10:05 PM on May 14, 2015 [5 favorites]
Something all the adults are talking about but I don't know why?
posted by traveler_ at 10:05 PM on May 14, 2015 [5 favorites]
Creeps me out seeing them in hi-def.
The clip is fantastic though.
posted by wotsac at 10:07 PM on May 14, 2015
The clip is fantastic though.
posted by wotsac at 10:07 PM on May 14, 2015
This is totally surprising considering where the characters of Rick and Morty come from. The very NSFW "The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti".
But the Rick and Morty first season is excellent and slightly mind bending.
posted by Catblack at 10:21 PM on May 14, 2015 [8 favorites]
But the Rick and Morty first season is excellent and slightly mind bending.
posted by Catblack at 10:21 PM on May 14, 2015 [8 favorites]
The reason I hate the Simpsons is Ned Flanders.
Now, it's not because Flanders is an unfair caricature of Christianity, nor am I upset about what TVTropes calls "Flanderization", where one trait of a character comes to edge out all the others. What I'm upset about is pretty much the opposite of that.
See, Ned Flanders is, aside from a few early appearances, depicted as a man of faith, a sincere faith that dictates much of his life. Take, for example, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" It's the episode that features the return of Danny Devito's Herb Powell, Homer's long-lost half-brother, who was an auto executive before he met the Simpsons, and a penniless bum after. Herb decides to seek out his estranged family, but he gets the address wrong and ends up at the Flanders'(eses) door. The Flanders family, without the least hesitation, immediately bathe and feed him, and clothe him in one of Ned's suits, and offer him the master bedroom to sleep in. Why? Because that's what Jesus says to do. Because it's the right thing to do, and that's that.
So along comes season 14, episode 13, "A Star is Born Again". It's been a few years since Maude Flanders died, and Ned meets somebody new that he's attracted to. They date, they go out, they... sleep together. Now, this wouldn't be a problem if the episode was well-written. It'd be out of character for Ned, but doing out-of-character things is part of how characters are developed, if that out of character action is acknowledged by the character or the narrative as being out-of-character. In a well-written narrative, Ned would suffer cognitive dissonance due to the contradiction between his beliefs (which as depicted previously absolutely regard extramarital sex as wrong) and his actions (having extramarital sex). He'd have to resolve that dissonance by either deciding that what he'd done was wrong, repenting, and going forth and sinning no more, or by deciding that he'd been wrong in his beliefs and modifying or discarding them accordingly. This is not a well-written narrative, though- instead, Ned is flippant about it, telling his paramour that she only gets one and has to get married to get more. This comes completely out of left field and makes no goddamned sense at all.
Well, no, that's a lie. It makes perfect goddamned sense because at that point Flanders, like every other character on the show, has been hollowed out and made into a skeleton upon which jokes can be hung. You can watch a person move around and interact with people, and jokes will come out of their traits and flaws and virtues. But a Simpsons character after about Season 10 or so? They're just a skeleton, and the jokes have to be hung upon them like clothing draped over a skeleton, because there's nothing inside them for jokes or emotions to come from.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:27 PM on May 14, 2015 [82 favorites]
Now, it's not because Flanders is an unfair caricature of Christianity, nor am I upset about what TVTropes calls "Flanderization", where one trait of a character comes to edge out all the others. What I'm upset about is pretty much the opposite of that.
See, Ned Flanders is, aside from a few early appearances, depicted as a man of faith, a sincere faith that dictates much of his life. Take, for example, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" It's the episode that features the return of Danny Devito's Herb Powell, Homer's long-lost half-brother, who was an auto executive before he met the Simpsons, and a penniless bum after. Herb decides to seek out his estranged family, but he gets the address wrong and ends up at the Flanders'(eses) door. The Flanders family, without the least hesitation, immediately bathe and feed him, and clothe him in one of Ned's suits, and offer him the master bedroom to sleep in. Why? Because that's what Jesus says to do. Because it's the right thing to do, and that's that.
So along comes season 14, episode 13, "A Star is Born Again". It's been a few years since Maude Flanders died, and Ned meets somebody new that he's attracted to. They date, they go out, they... sleep together. Now, this wouldn't be a problem if the episode was well-written. It'd be out of character for Ned, but doing out-of-character things is part of how characters are developed, if that out of character action is acknowledged by the character or the narrative as being out-of-character. In a well-written narrative, Ned would suffer cognitive dissonance due to the contradiction between his beliefs (which as depicted previously absolutely regard extramarital sex as wrong) and his actions (having extramarital sex). He'd have to resolve that dissonance by either deciding that what he'd done was wrong, repenting, and going forth and sinning no more, or by deciding that he'd been wrong in his beliefs and modifying or discarding them accordingly. This is not a well-written narrative, though- instead, Ned is flippant about it, telling his paramour that she only gets one and has to get married to get more. This comes completely out of left field and makes no goddamned sense at all.
Well, no, that's a lie. It makes perfect goddamned sense because at that point Flanders, like every other character on the show, has been hollowed out and made into a skeleton upon which jokes can be hung. You can watch a person move around and interact with people, and jokes will come out of their traits and flaws and virtues. But a Simpsons character after about Season 10 or so? They're just a skeleton, and the jokes have to be hung upon them like clothing draped over a skeleton, because there's nothing inside them for jokes or emotions to come from.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:27 PM on May 14, 2015 [82 favorites]
so pretty much like Family Guy after, say, the first few minutes, or maybe just the intro song, then
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:30 PM on May 14, 2015 [17 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:30 PM on May 14, 2015 [17 favorites]
ps mallory ortberg's simpsons pieces are great go read them
posted by NoraReed at 10:57 PM on May 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by NoraReed at 10:57 PM on May 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
The Most Important Thing I Learned from The Simpsons: That once you resent every new episode that shows up on the DVR because it means you'll have to expend the effort required to delete it unwatched, it's probably time to stop recording the show.
posted by Lazlo Nibble at 11:08 PM on May 14, 2015 [12 favorites]
posted by Lazlo Nibble at 11:08 PM on May 14, 2015 [12 favorites]
What does the old Simpsons/new Simpsons debate have to do with the FPP? Flanders is in the clip for about four seconds, but gets a four paragraph unrelated reply.
I'll say something related though; this collaboration wouldn't have happened with the old Simpsons.
posted by adept256 at 11:16 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'll say something related though; this collaboration wouldn't have happened with the old Simpsons.
posted by adept256 at 11:16 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
"Don't clean DNA vials with your spit" seems like proper sound advice.
posted by three blind mice at 11:21 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by three blind mice at 11:21 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
Does this qualify as a triple-crossover? What with the Slurm vending machine cameo
posted by Start with Dessert at 11:24 PM on May 14, 2015 [13 favorites]
posted by Start with Dessert at 11:24 PM on May 14, 2015 [13 favorites]
I don't think that kind of cameo is enough to make something count as a full-on crossover with wherever that cameo is from, mainly because if I do think about that I have to figure out exactly how all of Firefly exists in the Battlestar Galactica timeline because of that one time they snuck Serenity into a fleet shot.
posted by NoraReed at 11:29 PM on May 14, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by NoraReed at 11:29 PM on May 14, 2015 [8 favorites]
Start with Dessert: Does this qualify as a triple-crossover? What with the Slurm vending machine cameo
In the related reddit thread people have also spotted the Planet Express ship flying by and a guy with a brain slug on his head.
posted by traveler_ at 11:32 PM on May 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
In the related reddit thread people have also spotted the Planet Express ship flying by and a guy with a brain slug on his head.
posted by traveler_ at 11:32 PM on May 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Or how one of the dinosaurs from that show Dinosaurs also costarred with Whoopi Goldberg in Theodore Rex.
Or how one of the little mammals Earl Sinclair tried to get Robbie to eat was one of Marge the Trash Heap's acolytes in Fraggle Rock.
posted by Space Coyote at 11:53 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
Or how one of the little mammals Earl Sinclair tried to get Robbie to eat was one of Marge the Trash Heap's acolytes in Fraggle Rock.
posted by Space Coyote at 11:53 PM on May 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
Do you guys have a wall of television screenshots connected via a web of pushpins and string to back up these claims?
posted by buriednexttoyou at 12:19 AM on May 15, 2015 [17 favorites]
posted by buriednexttoyou at 12:19 AM on May 15, 2015 [17 favorites]
You don't?
posted by Space Coyote at 12:20 AM on May 15, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by Space Coyote at 12:20 AM on May 15, 2015 [14 favorites]
Do you guys have a wall of television screenshots connected via a web of pushpins and string to back up these claims?
Related
posted by chavenet at 12:24 AM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
Related
posted by chavenet at 12:24 AM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
I feel compelled to stick up for the Simpsons, but that's the most new footage I've watched in close to nine years.
posted by EatTheWeek at 2:16 AM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by EatTheWeek at 2:16 AM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
...because the world is full of idiots that don't understand what's important. And they'll tear us apart, Morty!posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:34 AM on May 15, 2015 [10 favorites]
But if you stick with me, I'm gonna accomplish great things, Morty, and you're gonna be part of 'em.
And together we're gonna run around, Morty, we're gonna do all kinds of wonderful things, Morty. Just you and me, Morty. The outside world is our enemy, Morty. We're the only friends we've got, Morty! It's just Rick and Morty. Rick and Morty and their adventures, Morty. Rick and Morty forever and forever a hundred years! Rick and Morty... some...things... Me and Rick and Morty runnin' around and... Rick and Morty time... a- all day long forever! All a - A hundred days Rick and Morty! Forever a hundred times... over and over Rick and Morty adventures dot com. W W W dot at Rick and Morty dot com W W W Rick and Morty adventures... a hundred years! Every minute Rick and Morty dot com! W W W a hundred times Rick and Morty dot com!
Does The Simpsons really want to invite comparison with a fresher, better animated series?
posted by dhens at 3:34 AM on May 15, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by dhens at 3:34 AM on May 15, 2015 [9 favorites]
Never heard of Rick & Morty but this was good. It's no Don Hertzfeldt, but it's good.
At this point the Simpsons should probably just consist of guest animators doing the couch gag and no actual show.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:59 AM on May 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
At this point the Simpsons should probably just consist of guest animators doing the couch gag and no actual show.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:59 AM on May 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
Okay, now I have to go rewatch season one of Rick and Morty, AND kick back into motion the Fanfare rewatch that stalled after the first episode.
I haven't watched the Simpsons in quite a while and I'm curious as to what point in time will it be that more episodes have aired that I haven't seen than I have seen. I like to think one day I will sit down and watch those episodes and enjoy them on some level. Hopefully.
Not only was the Slurm Machine there, but so was the alien race that the Slurm Soda mascot came from.
Rick and Morty was a show I watched after I got it on bluray. It was a purchase made in faith that I loved Dan Harmon's comedy and had heard good things about it. It completely paid off.
posted by Atreides at 6:30 AM on May 15, 2015
I haven't watched the Simpsons in quite a while and I'm curious as to what point in time will it be that more episodes have aired that I haven't seen than I have seen. I like to think one day I will sit down and watch those episodes and enjoy them on some level. Hopefully.
Not only was the Slurm Machine there, but so was the alien race that the Slurm Soda mascot came from.
Rick and Morty was a show I watched after I got it on bluray. It was a purchase made in faith that I loved Dan Harmon's comedy and had heard good things about it. It completely paid off.
posted by Atreides at 6:30 AM on May 15, 2015
Also, an interesting thing I've observed : twentysomethings as a group could give a fuck about the Simpsons. But Futurama? Apparently still hip.
My personal theory : the Simpsons derived much of its currency from being boundary-pushing. However, it's long been eclipsed in that category by South Park, Family Guy, and most recently, Rick and Morty. Rick and Morty is boundary-pushing in an entirely new way. It's shocking at times, but what really makes it edgy is that you actually give a shit about the characters. Like, imagine how tragic the Simpsons, South Park, and Family guy would be if you thought of the characters as real people? So, in a sense, I'd say this collaboration is a conscious passing-of-the-torch, one that I wholeheartedly approve of.
In contrast to the Simpsons, Futurama is still relevant (and probably will be for years to come) because it doesn't derive its humor from being shocking. Instead, it lampoons scifi tropes that are very much a part of pop culture and will continue to be as long as scifi is still a thing. I wouldn't count out an eighth season.
posted by evil otto at 7:12 AM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
My personal theory : the Simpsons derived much of its currency from being boundary-pushing. However, it's long been eclipsed in that category by South Park, Family Guy, and most recently, Rick and Morty. Rick and Morty is boundary-pushing in an entirely new way. It's shocking at times, but what really makes it edgy is that you actually give a shit about the characters. Like, imagine how tragic the Simpsons, South Park, and Family guy would be if you thought of the characters as real people? So, in a sense, I'd say this collaboration is a conscious passing-of-the-torch, one that I wholeheartedly approve of.
In contrast to the Simpsons, Futurama is still relevant (and probably will be for years to come) because it doesn't derive its humor from being shocking. Instead, it lampoons scifi tropes that are very much a part of pop culture and will continue to be as long as scifi is still a thing. I wouldn't count out an eighth season.
posted by evil otto at 7:12 AM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
Thanks for this, I just watched the first two episodes of Rick and Morty and it's laugh out loud funny.
posted by lordrunningclam at 7:12 AM on May 15, 2015
posted by lordrunningclam at 7:12 AM on May 15, 2015
Why does the kid in the spacecraft sound like Lemongrab?
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 7:20 AM on May 15, 2015
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 7:20 AM on May 15, 2015
I haven't watched the Simpsons in years and years, but that was awesome.
posted by Nevin at 7:41 AM on May 15, 2015
posted by Nevin at 7:41 AM on May 15, 2015
Also: Kang and Kodos are hanging out at the copy shop.
posted by wormwood23 at 7:48 AM on May 15, 2015
posted by wormwood23 at 7:48 AM on May 15, 2015
Like, imagine how tragic the Simpsons, South Park, and Family guy would be if you thought of the characters as real people?
Not Chef?
posted by Nevin at 8:32 AM on May 15, 2015
Not Chef?
posted by Nevin at 8:32 AM on May 15, 2015
evil otto: "twentysomethings as a group could give a fuck about the Simpsons"
I recently felt like an old person (well, more like an old person) when I realized that there are real-life grown-ups walking around that are younger than The Simpsons. The CEO of Snapchat is 24 years old, born in 1990, one year after The Simpsons debuted. For people like him, not only has The Simpsons been on the air for as long as they've been alive, as far as they know (probably), it's always been kind of mediocre. "Marge vs. the Monorail" aired when he was 3, "King-Size Homer" when he was 5, and Phil Hartman died when was 8. It's entirely possible for a twenty-something to have never have seen non-Zombie Simpsons.
posted by mhum at 8:44 AM on May 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
I recently felt like an old person (well, more like an old person) when I realized that there are real-life grown-ups walking around that are younger than The Simpsons. The CEO of Snapchat is 24 years old, born in 1990, one year after The Simpsons debuted. For people like him, not only has The Simpsons been on the air for as long as they've been alive, as far as they know (probably), it's always been kind of mediocre. "Marge vs. the Monorail" aired when he was 3, "King-Size Homer" when he was 5, and Phil Hartman died when was 8. It's entirely possible for a twenty-something to have never have seen non-Zombie Simpsons.
posted by mhum at 8:44 AM on May 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
Non-Zombie Simpsons is good but probably hasn't aged as well as you think. I grew up with late 90s NZS and the earlier reruns and enjoyed it a lot as a kid, but haven't really thought about it much. I grew up with Futurama, too, but that's been much more memorable despite no one really caring about it when it was contemporary. Futurama holds up much better because the characters have more humanity and the overall writing is quite a bit better; most episodes have decent plots and the humor doesn't rely as heavily on shock or pop culture references.
One way non-Zombies Simpsons has aged weirdly is in how much homophobia and transphobia there is. It's kind of a great cultural artifact for how openly homophobic US culture was in the 90s, because a lot of the jokes don't actually cross over into mean-spirited or hurtful. The punchline is pretty much just, "Gay people! LOL" or "Trans women are icky dudes! LOL" But it happens again and again. It's a consistent thread throughout the show in the 90s.
Also this is good and so is the Don Hertzfeldt one. At this point, the best thing The Simpsons could do is just completely hand over the show to the weirdest animators they can find. People who will just wreck it and turn it into a glorious, gibbering greatness. People who would use "Stygian" to describe their intentions for the show. There are a lot of animators out there right now who would fit the bill. Please, someone just slip them the keys.
posted by byanyothername at 9:20 AM on May 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
One way non-Zombies Simpsons has aged weirdly is in how much homophobia and transphobia there is. It's kind of a great cultural artifact for how openly homophobic US culture was in the 90s, because a lot of the jokes don't actually cross over into mean-spirited or hurtful. The punchline is pretty much just, "Gay people! LOL" or "Trans women are icky dudes! LOL" But it happens again and again. It's a consistent thread throughout the show in the 90s.
Also this is good and so is the Don Hertzfeldt one. At this point, the best thing The Simpsons could do is just completely hand over the show to the weirdest animators they can find. People who will just wreck it and turn it into a glorious, gibbering greatness. People who would use "Stygian" to describe their intentions for the show. There are a lot of animators out there right now who would fit the bill. Please, someone just slip them the keys.
posted by byanyothername at 9:20 AM on May 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
non-Zombies....transphobia...The punchline is pretty much just, "Gay people! LOL"
Only one scene in that video is before season 9. Also worth noting that the first scene was rewritten post animation. Look at their mouths/expressions compared to what they're saying, horribly de-synced. It's likely that dialogue was given very little care and thrown in at the last minute. Hardly representative of the entire show.
Also the simpsons won a GLAAD award for Homer's Phobia, which is a great episode.
posted by laptolain at 9:54 AM on May 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
Only one scene in that video is before season 9. Also worth noting that the first scene was rewritten post animation. Look at their mouths/expressions compared to what they're saying, horribly de-synced. It's likely that dialogue was given very little care and thrown in at the last minute. Hardly representative of the entire show.
Also the simpsons won a GLAAD award for Homer's Phobia, which is a great episode.
posted by laptolain at 9:54 AM on May 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
(WARNING, RICK & MORTY SPOILERS AHEAD)
Like, one of my favorite scenes from Rick and Morty is where Morty tries to comfort Summer by saying something to the effect of, "Look, every night I go to sleep 30 feet away from my own dead, decomposing body." That is something that would just never happen on the Simpsons, South Park or Family Guy. Not only because those shows generally eschew continuity, but because even when they do make a feint at continuity, it's usually a one-off reference to support a gag. Using an actually-rather-tragic event from a previous episode to underscore a highly emotional, character building moment? Could you see any of those other shows doing that? Maybe Futurama, maybe, but Rick & Morty puts the emotional stuff front-and-center in a way that we're not used to expecting from animated television.
posted by evil otto at 10:01 AM on May 15, 2015 [6 favorites]
Like, one of my favorite scenes from Rick and Morty is where Morty tries to comfort Summer by saying something to the effect of, "Look, every night I go to sleep 30 feet away from my own dead, decomposing body." That is something that would just never happen on the Simpsons, South Park or Family Guy. Not only because those shows generally eschew continuity, but because even when they do make a feint at continuity, it's usually a one-off reference to support a gag. Using an actually-rather-tragic event from a previous episode to underscore a highly emotional, character building moment? Could you see any of those other shows doing that? Maybe Futurama, maybe, but Rick & Morty puts the emotional stuff front-and-center in a way that we're not used to expecting from animated television.
posted by evil otto at 10:01 AM on May 15, 2015 [6 favorites]
Thanks for this, I just watched the first two episodes of Rick and Morty and it's laugh out loud funny.
They only get funnier along the way. Wait until you get to episodes 5 (Meseeks and Destroy) 6 (Rick Potion #9) and 10 (Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind).
posted by cazoo at 10:01 AM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
They only get funnier along the way. Wait until you get to episodes 5 (Meseeks and Destroy) 6 (Rick Potion #9) and 10 (Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind).
posted by cazoo at 10:01 AM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
And as far as twentysomethings not giving a fuck about the simpsons, go in any random reddit thread (though I wouldn't recommend it) and you'll find old simpsons quotes as the top comment very often.
Rick and Morty is a great show though, first animated comedy I've been really excited about in years.
posted by laptolain at 10:02 AM on May 15, 2015
Rick and Morty is a great show though, first animated comedy I've been really excited about in years.
posted by laptolain at 10:02 AM on May 15, 2015
"Rick & Morty is pretty great, mostly. Harmon should drop all work on Community immediately and focus on Rick and Morty."
I think you're giving him too much credit. If you've ever seen the artist's older work, so much of it's humor was already laid down years ago in crappy flash animations. Seriously, if you like R&M, check out "the house of Cosbys." It's really great and you can see a lot of the same sense of humour and themes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWUBnrIaphQ
posted by GoblinHoney at 10:35 AM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
I think you're giving him too much credit. If you've ever seen the artist's older work, so much of it's humor was already laid down years ago in crappy flash animations. Seriously, if you like R&M, check out "the house of Cosbys." It's really great and you can see a lot of the same sense of humour and themes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWUBnrIaphQ
posted by GoblinHoney at 10:35 AM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
Nobody exists on purpose,
nobody belongs anywhere,
everybody's gonna die.
Come watch TV.?
posted by Auden at 11:08 AM on May 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
nobody belongs anywhere,
everybody's gonna die.
Come watch TV.?
posted by Auden at 11:08 AM on May 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
What about the reality where Hitler cured cancer, Morty?! The answer is don't think about it! It's not like we can do this every week anyways, we get three or four more of these, tops. Now pick up your dead self and come on.
posted by signal at 11:09 AM on May 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by signal at 11:09 AM on May 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
It's kind of a great cultural artifact for how openly homophobic US culture was in the 90s, because a lot of the jokes don't actually cross over into mean-spirited or hurtful. The punchline is pretty much just, "Gay people! LOL" or "Trans women are icky dudes! LOL" But it happens again and again. It's a consistent thread throughout the show in the 90s.
I could be wrong, and yes this is a slight derail, but that consistent thread you speak of could be applied to almost any TV show or movie from the 1990s. Michael Bay and Wayans Brothers movies are full of "gay and trans people, LOL!" Friends is swimming with uncomfortable gay/trans jokes and microaggressions -- far more so than The Simpsons. With 1990s Simpsons, the first thing that pops into my head is not "Yeah, so much anti-gay material."
posted by blucevalo at 11:25 AM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
I could be wrong, and yes this is a slight derail, but that consistent thread you speak of could be applied to almost any TV show or movie from the 1990s. Michael Bay and Wayans Brothers movies are full of "gay and trans people, LOL!" Friends is swimming with uncomfortable gay/trans jokes and microaggressions -- far more so than The Simpsons. With 1990s Simpsons, the first thing that pops into my head is not "Yeah, so much anti-gay material."
posted by blucevalo at 11:25 AM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
There's, like, a billion characters!
Dear Matt Groening,
There are too many Simpsons characters these days. Please eliminate three. I am not a crackpot.
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 11:57 AM on May 15, 2015 [9 favorites]
Dear Matt Groening,
There are too many Simpsons characters these days. Please eliminate three. I am not a crackpot.
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 11:57 AM on May 15, 2015 [9 favorites]
Rick and Morty is a great show though, first animated comedy I've been really excited about in years.
(Sits in a corner wearing a button reading "Ask Me About Steven Universe.")
I watched the first episode of R&M last night. I'm going to have to sit and watch these.
posted by JHarris at 1:46 PM on May 15, 2015
(Sits in a corner wearing a button reading "Ask Me About Steven Universe.")
I watched the first episode of R&M last night. I'm going to have to sit and watch these.
posted by JHarris at 1:46 PM on May 15, 2015
Here's another Rick and Morty crossover with the Disney Channel show Gravity Falls.
I have no idea how someone caught this but it's pretty incredible.
posted by coolxcool=rad at 1:54 PM on May 15, 2015 [9 favorites]
I have no idea how someone caught this but it's pretty incredible.
posted by coolxcool=rad at 1:54 PM on May 15, 2015 [9 favorites]
I could be wrong, and yes this is a slight derail, but that consistent thread you speak of could be applied to almost any TV show or movie from the 1990s. Michael Bay and Wayans Brothers movies are full of "gay and trans people, LOL!"
It's kind of amazing that popular perception has turned around so fast on that stuff. I'm used to people looking askance on things from the 50s, not the 90s. Maybe, as a species, we are improving....
posted by JHarris at 2:08 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's kind of amazing that popular perception has turned around so fast on that stuff. I'm used to people looking askance on things from the 50s, not the 90s. Maybe, as a species, we are improving....
posted by JHarris at 2:08 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
So the canon of contemporary western animation is:
1. Steven Universe
2. Rick and Morty
3. Adventure Time
4. The Amazing World of Gumball
5. Bee and Puppycat
6. My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic
7. The Regular Show
8. Bravest Warriors
We all agree on this, right?
posted by signal at 2:33 PM on May 15, 2015 [9 favorites]
1. Steven Universe
2. Rick and Morty
3. Adventure Time
4. The Amazing World of Gumball
5. Bee and Puppycat
6. My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic
7. The Regular Show
8. Bravest Warriors
We all agree on this, right?
posted by signal at 2:33 PM on May 15, 2015 [9 favorites]
I've heard great things about Over The Garden Wall, should maybe be added.
posted by JHarris at 2:53 PM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 2:53 PM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
go in any random reddit thread (though I wouldn't recommend it) and you'll find old simpsons quotes as the top comment very often.
The thing is they're old Simpsons quotes.
posted by tommasz at 3:58 PM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
The thing is they're old Simpsons quotes.
posted by tommasz at 3:58 PM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
My friends are obsessed with Rick & Morty, but this clip grossed me out. I'm not sure I want to see more of it, but I'm also oddly fascinated, and there's so much positive buzz that I'll probably check it out.
Didn't the Simpsons used to inspire those reactions?
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 5:26 PM on May 15, 2015
Didn't the Simpsons used to inspire those reactions?
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 5:26 PM on May 15, 2015
The thing is they're old Simpsons quotes.
Which is exactly the way it should be. The simpsons pre-season 9 is some of the best comedy ever shown on tv.
posted by laptolain at 5:40 PM on May 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
Which is exactly the way it should be. The simpsons pre-season 9 is some of the best comedy ever shown on tv.
posted by laptolain at 5:40 PM on May 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
We all agree on this, right?
only if 9. The Venture Bros.
posted by rifflesby at 7:20 PM on May 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
only if 9. The Venture Bros.
posted by rifflesby at 7:20 PM on May 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
R&M are fantastic. I had that Booty Bass song from ep 11 as a ring tone for a while.
And yeah, the Simpsons really fell off after Season 9. On the other hand, glove slap.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:57 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
And yeah, the Simpsons really fell off after Season 9. On the other hand, glove slap.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:57 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
No, we do NOT agree on that list. Gravity Falls belongs on there, right below R&M.
posted by papercake at 8:45 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by papercake at 8:45 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Ack, I missed suggesting Gravity Falls. Just goes to show, there are a lot of good cartoon shows right now!
posted by JHarris at 9:53 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 9:53 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
And what, they're supposed to be in order? Why do they have to be ranked?
posted by JHarris at 9:53 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 9:53 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Huh, I totally forgot Gravity Falls, which should be way up there, probably because of its 'creative' approach to scheduling I don't really register it as current.
posted by signal at 5:35 AM on May 16, 2015
posted by signal at 5:35 AM on May 16, 2015
I've now watched half of the first season of Rick and Morty and it entirely deserves to be on the list.
posted by JHarris at 2:36 PM on May 16, 2015
posted by JHarris at 2:36 PM on May 16, 2015
I would say Bob's Burgers belongs in there, as does Bojack Horseman.
posted by codacorolla at 2:57 PM on May 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by codacorolla at 2:57 PM on May 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
ABSOLUTELY Bojack Horseman and Bob's Burgers. The one is the funniest show you'll ever watch that's about depression, and the other is a show about a relatable everyman in a loving marriage with two daughters and a son who deals with situations that are a little silly but isn't literally the most important person in the world
MAYBE YOU CAN SEE WHERE I AM GOING WITH THIS
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:39 PM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
MAYBE YOU CAN SEE WHERE I AM GOING WITH THIS
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:39 PM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Bojack Horseman deserves praise if for no other reason than one episode including a minirant about people starting sentences with "Here's the thing".
But also what DoctorFedora said.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 5:47 PM on May 16, 2015
But also what DoctorFedora said.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 5:47 PM on May 16, 2015
>only if 9. The Venture Bros.
I find it weird that not more people know about Venture Bros. It occupies pinnacle of animated series.
posted by Nevin at 7:58 PM on May 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
I find it weird that not more people know about Venture Bros. It occupies pinnacle of animated series.
posted by Nevin at 7:58 PM on May 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
Yeah, I think my top 5 animated shows, of the moment if not of all time, definitely include Rick and Morty, Bojack Horseman, and The Venture Brothers (and probably Adventure Time, too, but I'm a little more mixed-feelingy about that one, for reasons I haven't quite figured out). Looking forward with great anticipation to new seasons of all of them.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:16 PM on May 16, 2015
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:16 PM on May 16, 2015
So, Metafilter's list of beloved cartoons, in alphabetical order, looks like this:
Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, Bee and Puppycat, Bob's Burgers, Bojack Horseman, Bravest Warriors, Gravity Falls, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Over The Garden Wall, Regular Show, Rick & Morty, Steven Universe, The Venture Brothers
People might quibble over one or other, but there is a certain basic level of quality there, and some are amazing. There are other shows that might could add, but we'll need people to vouch for them. Anyone seen Star vs. The Forces Of Evil?
posted by JHarris at 10:00 PM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, Bee and Puppycat, Bob's Burgers, Bojack Horseman, Bravest Warriors, Gravity Falls, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Over The Garden Wall, Regular Show, Rick & Morty, Steven Universe, The Venture Brothers
People might quibble over one or other, but there is a certain basic level of quality there, and some are amazing. There are other shows that might could add, but we'll need people to vouch for them. Anyone seen Star vs. The Forces Of Evil?
posted by JHarris at 10:00 PM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Where's Teen Titans Go! ?
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 1:30 AM on May 17, 2015
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 1:30 AM on May 17, 2015
I've seen more than one place where those would be fighting words. Particularly, Teen Titans Go is regarded as something akin to objective evil on the Steven Universe subreddit.
The word is that it tops its ratings category every week, which may have something to do with it.
posted by JHarris at 2:06 AM on May 17, 2015
The word is that it tops its ratings category every week, which may have something to do with it.
posted by JHarris at 2:06 AM on May 17, 2015
You know, I loved The Venture Bros, but they really lost me with that one season where Brock left and Sgt. Hatred became a regular. Man do I hate Sgt. Hatred. He's so not funny and gets so much screen time. It's like they went, "Oh here's a character that sucks and isn't funny. Well, we could just cut our losses and kill him off... nah, let's make him a main character and REALLY run the show into the ground!" On top of that, they wrote out Brock, who's like one of my favorite characters!
Have they made a new season since then? Have they diminished the role of Sgt. Hatred? Has Brock come back yet? Trying to figure out if I should tune back in or not.
posted by evil otto at 2:18 PM on May 17, 2015
Have they made a new season since then? Have they diminished the role of Sgt. Hatred? Has Brock come back yet? Trying to figure out if I should tune back in or not.
posted by evil otto at 2:18 PM on May 17, 2015
Rick and Morty's dance of alcohol and unrequited romance definitely opens the door to Archer joining the list of MeFi beloved animations.
posted by Atreides at 2:18 PM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 2:18 PM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
JHarris: " Anyone seen Star vs. The Forces Of Evil?"
I just watched the first double-episode. Looks pretty good. Puppies that shoot laser beams out of their eyes and stuff.
posted by signal at 3:09 PM on May 17, 2015
I just watched the first double-episode. Looks pretty good. Puppies that shoot laser beams out of their eyes and stuff.
posted by signal at 3:09 PM on May 17, 2015
I'd never heard of Rick and Morty before this Simpsons episode. So I should start watching it, eh?
posted by Splunge at 12:57 PM on May 18, 2015
posted by Splunge at 12:57 PM on May 18, 2015
One way non-Zombies Simpsons has aged weirdly is in how much homophobia and transphobia there is. It's kind of a great cultural artifact for how openly homophobic US culture was in the 90s, because a lot of the jokes don't actually cross over into mean-spirited or hurtful. The punchline is pretty much just, "Gay people! LOL" or "Trans women are icky dudes! LOL" But it happens again and again. It's a consistent thread throughout the show in the 90s.
Only the first of those clips is from non-Zombie Simpsons; the rest are from seasons 10+. The marked rise in lazy gay & trans "humour" (in quotes, because Al Jean's writers' room couldn't create anything funny if their lives depended on it) is one of the symptoms of Zombie Simpsons. There's certainly humour derived from gay stuff in the earlier seasons (Smithers, "Flaming Homers/Moes," etc.), but the usual target is the obliviousness and heteronormativity of straight people. There's not a lot of "wait---what???" until season 10.
That said...
Also the simpsons won a GLAAD award for Homer's Phobia, which is a great episode.
I actually really, really hate that episode. I get that the message is "don't be homophobic," but I really don't like that they made Homer the homophobic one, not to mention all his friends. Flanders, maybe, or some other external villain, but not Homer. We're supposed to like Homer. He's an idiot, but he's a good idiot. You can't like him in that episode, though. It's just twenty minutes of WHAT THE FUCK HOMER with a tacked-on happy ending, part of which is the "relief" that Bart isn't gay after all. Like, seriously, what the fuck. And John Waters' character? We already have that character; he's called Smithers. But you need a gay guest star to make a splash in the ratings, I guess, and to sign off on all the lazy stereotypes, and to never, ever recur.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:35 PM on May 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Only the first of those clips is from non-Zombie Simpsons; the rest are from seasons 10+. The marked rise in lazy gay & trans "humour" (in quotes, because Al Jean's writers' room couldn't create anything funny if their lives depended on it) is one of the symptoms of Zombie Simpsons. There's certainly humour derived from gay stuff in the earlier seasons (Smithers, "Flaming Homers/Moes," etc.), but the usual target is the obliviousness and heteronormativity of straight people. There's not a lot of "wait---what???" until season 10.
That said...
Also the simpsons won a GLAAD award for Homer's Phobia, which is a great episode.
I actually really, really hate that episode. I get that the message is "don't be homophobic," but I really don't like that they made Homer the homophobic one, not to mention all his friends. Flanders, maybe, or some other external villain, but not Homer. We're supposed to like Homer. He's an idiot, but he's a good idiot. You can't like him in that episode, though. It's just twenty minutes of WHAT THE FUCK HOMER with a tacked-on happy ending, part of which is the "relief" that Bart isn't gay after all. Like, seriously, what the fuck. And John Waters' character? We already have that character; he's called Smithers. But you need a gay guest star to make a splash in the ratings, I guess, and to sign off on all the lazy stereotypes, and to never, ever recur.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:35 PM on May 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
There are other shows that might could add, but we'll need people to vouch for them.
I've seen Metafilter vouch for Duckman, Avatar, Dexter's Lab, Batman: TAS, Recess, Daria, Animaniacs. And I'm pretty sure along with those you'd find strong defenders of Powerpuff Girls, Foster's Home, Doug, Justice League, Tiny Toons, and Freakazoid. Maybe even Inspector Gadget.
If we're including internet, then Homestar Runner has to be in there too.
posted by FJT at 5:19 PM on May 18, 2015
I've seen Metafilter vouch for Duckman, Avatar, Dexter's Lab, Batman: TAS, Recess, Daria, Animaniacs. And I'm pretty sure along with those you'd find strong defenders of Powerpuff Girls, Foster's Home, Doug, Justice League, Tiny Toons, and Freakazoid. Maybe even Inspector Gadget.
If we're including internet, then Homestar Runner has to be in there too.
posted by FJT at 5:19 PM on May 18, 2015
We're having a good discussion about the cartoon list over on MetaTalk, it's gotten a bit derail-ey here. Only problem with many of those, FJT, is that they're not current series, which is something about all the cartoons in signal's list.
posted by JHarris at 5:56 PM on May 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 5:56 PM on May 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Okay, now I have to go rewatch season one of Rick and Morty, AND kick back into motion the Fanfare rewatch that stalled after the first episode.
*cough* *guilty look* Yeah, that's on me, sorry. If someone else wants to grab the reins on posting them it won't hurt my feelings one bit; I seriously underestimated the amount of brain bandwidth that creating the posts would take me vs my usual chittering comments. Not a week has gone by since the first one I missed where I didn't think "man, I need to watch the next episode and gather some links & text" ... and then failed to do so.
posted by phearlez at 6:01 PM on May 18, 2015
*cough* *guilty look* Yeah, that's on me, sorry. If someone else wants to grab the reins on posting them it won't hurt my feelings one bit; I seriously underestimated the amount of brain bandwidth that creating the posts would take me vs my usual chittering comments. Not a week has gone by since the first one I missed where I didn't think "man, I need to watch the next episode and gather some links & text" ... and then failed to do so.
posted by phearlez at 6:01 PM on May 18, 2015
And Episode Two: Lawnmower Dog is up on Fanfare for discussion! (Here's episode 1 if you missed it!)
posted by Atreides at 11:22 AM on May 26, 2015
posted by Atreides at 11:22 AM on May 26, 2015
evil otto: "Also, an interesting thing I've observed : twentysomethings as a group could give a fuck about the Simpsons. But Futurama? Apparently still hip.
This is totally true, based on exactly one data point I have (but it's a good one!). I recently went to see a talk featuring Matt Groening, in Brooklyn, no less. He was, rather pointlessly but I suppose necessarily, introduced as the creator of the Simpsons and Futurama. To my shock, the latter received more applause than the former! My niece (who had just graduated college) and I looked at one another, both of us quite surprised. But so it was: 20-something Brooklyn hipsters care more about Futurama than the Simpsons!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 7:56 PM on June 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
This is totally true, based on exactly one data point I have (but it's a good one!). I recently went to see a talk featuring Matt Groening, in Brooklyn, no less. He was, rather pointlessly but I suppose necessarily, introduced as the creator of the Simpsons and Futurama. To my shock, the latter received more applause than the former! My niece (who had just graduated college) and I looked at one another, both of us quite surprised. But so it was: 20-something Brooklyn hipsters care more about Futurama than the Simpsons!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 7:56 PM on June 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
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