Season Review: The Simpsons – Season 26

Spoilers Below:

Almost there.

That’s probably the best summary of season 26 of The Simpsons. It was almost there. Of course the message here is clear: The Simpsons didn’t quite make it “there” this past season. But where is “there”? Is it perfection? Is it adequacy? Is it classic storytelling? Is it the old level of humor?

Well, in a way, it’s all of these things. Let me explain.

In the prime of The Simpsons, there were long stretches of perfection. Was every episode a ‘10’? Of course not. There were definitely some 9.5s and maybe even the occasional 9 sprinkled in, but most of the episodes between seasons two and ten were perfection, and even a few years after that range there were a healthy group of near misses. Nowadays perfection is unheard of, but The Simpsons still churns out some high quality episodes from time to time.

Last year we had “Brick Like Me,” the LEGO episode, which I scored highly, and have appreciated even more in repeat viewings. This year we had one as well: “Simpsorama.” This was the Futurama crossover, and it contained everything fans love from both shows, combined lovingly into one little package.

Aside from that one, there were a few strong episodes that had the perfect mix of story and humor, but simply not at optimum levels. The first three episodes, “Clown in the Dumps,” “The Wreck of the Relationship,” and “Super Franchise Me” all fell into this category, as did both holiday shows, “Treehouse of Horror XXV” and “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas.”

On the other end of the spectrum, there were some real stinkers as well. “Covercraft” and “Sky Police” were both bores as far as plots and laughs go, despite having what I saw as a ton of potential. “Let’s Go Fly a Coot” was simply DOA. (Not DUI.)

All the others fell somewhere in between, in the land of mediocrity and averageness. The usual culprit was a re-hashed story, which was the case with “Walking Big & Tall,” another episode dealing with Homer’s weight and his & Marge’s marriage woes without much creativity. “Waiting for Duffman,” was basically a “Pygmoelian” reboot with Homer as the star instead of Moe.

But a re-hashed story isn’t automatically a bad thing. Let’s be realistic, after 26 years of shows, there aren’t going to be a lot of totally unique ideas. I understand that, and all die-hard fans of the show should as well. The show is definitely written in a large part for us, but it’s also supposed to be open for casual and new viewers, most of which wouldn’t recognize a repeat idea. Still, with the right twist or change, a talented writer can pull off a familiar idea. Case in point: Al Jean, Simpsons executive producer and showrunner, wrote this year’s Christmas episode. In the past, holiday shows have been completely hit or miss, so wading into these waters has become dangerous. Al nailed it. He nailed the concept again, alongside show legend David Mirkin, on the following episode, “The Man Who Came to Be Dinner.” It wasn’t a homerun, but for a non-Halloween episode starring Kang & Kodos, it was surprisingly solid.

“The Wreck of the Relationship,” as I previously stated, was a success, even though it was another Bart & Homer relationship episode. The season finale, “Mathlete’s Feat,” was another installment about Springfield Elementary’s money woes, but it worked.

The best boost for any episode? Funny dialogue. I hate to be that shallow when reviewing an episode, but this a comedy show after all. “Peeping Mom” and “The Kids Are All Fight” weren’t especially strong story-wise, but they had an awful lot of not-awful jokes that saved the day. Episodes like “Bart’s New Friend,” “My Fare Lady,” “The Princess Guide,” “Blazed and Confused,” “Opposites A-Frack,” and “Bull-E” all floated around with either a lame plot and good laughs, or vice-versa in a few cases.

It’s worth mentioning that humor alone can’t heal all the problems, so that’s not the reason why we don’t have as many perfect or high quality episodes as we used to. Because I must say, they might not be quite as funny as the classic ones, but I always find myself surprised at how much I laugh each week. I honestly believe that when people speak of the possible decline in Simpsons episodes over the years, it’s the episode as a whole or the story that has gotten worse, not simply the laughs.

In the end, the comparison of The Simpsons to itself might leave something to be desired, but compared to the rest of the shows on TV, it’s still one of the best bets.