ĭarren Franich of PopWatch explains that "The '90s-era Simpsons episodes weren't funny because of the references - they were funny because the writing was snappy, the characters were fully-realized, and the individual episode plots were structured so well. In that sense, this cartoon is the most humanistic show on television. In the world of The Simpsons, everyone has a purpose everything exists to make a point. What began has become one of most dependable entertainments, a cartoon that transcended cartoonishness a long time ago.
During the show's fourth season, he said "in its constant acknowledgment of history, current events, and forms of art and entertainment other than television, The Simpsons is probably the most realistically surreal cartoon series ever the show is always striving not only to be funnier but also tighter, more precise in its sarcasm, and (in its own brusquely unsentimental way) more moving." During the show's eighth season, he said "There is a constant sense of surprise - a wily exuberance - about that still hasn't abated after eight seasons: This is one of the sharpest, most purely pleasurable television series ever. It's this neat paradox that makes millions of people turn away from the three big networks on Sunday nights to concentrate on The Simpsons". In 1990, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly said, in response to a Fox press release saying the show "represent the American family at its wildest!", that " The Simpsons are the American family at its most complicated, drawn as simple cartoons. Jim Schembri of The Sydney Morning Herald called the show "a cultural touchstone for at least two-possibly three-generations of couch potatoes". A writer for Indiwire said that throughout The Simpsons ' golden era, it was "a show largely seen as one of the freshest, insightful and widely accessible pop culture achievement". Main article: History of The Simpsons The Simpsons golden era Ĭritics' reviews of early Simpsons episodes praised the show for its wit, realism, and intelligence.