Although it is now in its 20-somethingth season, at one point The Simpsons seemed like a miracle of longevity by virtue of having 8 seasons of very high quality television and still appearing to be going strong. In some ways the strain of that does appear to be showing a little bit in this season. This is not all a bad thing because I did enjoy some elements of the in- joking about this, however it is in the plotting where it has a slightly negative impact on the show. Some of the plots here are smaller character driven things, but mostly it is bigger wider things that drive the stories. The examples run from the start to the end of the season: Homer working for a Bond villain; Homer becoming a boxer; long-lost sons and quite a few others in the same ilk.
Of course such plots have always been part of the show, but here I thought they did it too much, with the more 'sitcom' fare pushed to back rather than being something subverted and expanded upon. It is still funny though but I found that it was happening for me in the side plots and smaller characters rather than in the main plots – plus, with them being crazier, they tended to fill more time rather than acting as the spine down the middle of a strong episode. The second half of the season produces some stronger episodes, and better narratives. As a result of this some of the in-jokes about trying to keep things fresh (one of them an entire episode) don't land quite as well as intended. The regular cast are good as ever, and the guest voices are mostly good and well used – although a couple feel forced in for the sake of it.
Another enjoyable season overall, however the plots do feel like the show is occasionally reaching for ideas – making it look a bit less effortless and hurting some of those in-jokes in the meantime.
Of course such plots have always been part of the show, but here I thought they did it too much, with the more 'sitcom' fare pushed to back rather than being something subverted and expanded upon. It is still funny though but I found that it was happening for me in the side plots and smaller characters rather than in the main plots – plus, with them being crazier, they tended to fill more time rather than acting as the spine down the middle of a strong episode. The second half of the season produces some stronger episodes, and better narratives. As a result of this some of the in-jokes about trying to keep things fresh (one of them an entire episode) don't land quite as well as intended. The regular cast are good as ever, and the guest voices are mostly good and well used – although a couple feel forced in for the sake of it.
Another enjoyable season overall, however the plots do feel like the show is occasionally reaching for ideas – making it look a bit less effortless and hurting some of those in-jokes in the meantime.