In other parts of the world like Latin America, the UK, Australia etc. The Simpsons are absolutely huge and cultural icons
In America however, people seem to be “meh” about The Simpsons, it’s just seen as “that adult animated sitcom” and that’s it, but it’s not something Americans obsess over or quote in their daily lives like other countries
What’s the reason for this?, why do other countries absolutely adore the show but in America it’s just a thing that exist but people don’t really get invested in?
Comments
Hello OP. “Obsess” has a specific meaning in American English. This has proven to be a distraction in getting useful replies.
Americans: OP knows this now. Any further commentary about their usage of “obsess” is off-topic and will result in removal of the comment and a five-day temporary ban.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
A show doesn’t survive for 36 seasons if we don’t like it. Your premise is flawed.
You think The Simpsons has been on the air for more than thirty years because we don’t like it?
We must have spent the last 30 years around different Americans.
It was big… 30 years ago.
My take, it’s been on forever. I’m just bored of it. The show premiered days after I was born. I’m 35. I have literally seen it my entire life.
It used to be massive. We moved on to new and better things.
Americans do like the show. But mainly the earlier seasons. It has dropped in quality for the past decades and has become less culturally relevant lately.
Because the Simpsons hasn’t been great for decades. It was extraordinarily popular in the 90s and 2000s but it’s quality began falling around season 10.
It was extremely popular literally 30 years ago. Like the most talked about media in the country at the time.
What in the world are you talking about? People literally have Disney Plus subscriptions just for The Simpsons.
Um…what alternate reality are you from to think that Americans don’t like the Simpsons? However, many of us have had decades of it and it’s gotten a little stale over time.
In the US the Simpsons have been big since the 90s. Its not some new phenomenon for us.
But in the 2020s, the Simpsons have a lot more competition and their quality has declined greatly. A lot of voice actors have died or retired (and some of them probably should retire).
Some aspects of The Simpsons, like Apu, have also not aged well.
Its still a very successful show all things considered, its not at risk of cancellation, and the larger media franchise can still sell. But a lot of people grew up with the show in its prime. This isn’t a “oh back in my day” type of thing. The Simpsons just isn’t the place for biting social commentary or to revolutionize the TV format. Other shows are doing what they were doing in the 90s, but better.
Uh… we don’t? We have a whole amusement park dedicated to the Simpsons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-td0LdJFUQ
Just to be clear, the first several seasons of the show are widely recognized here as some of the greatest television ever.
But as it dipped in quality, the past couple decades of it have a poor reputation.
Americans don’t like The Simpsons? Who said that?
I think Americans like The Simpsons, it’s just not the most popular show on air. It’s still an iconic show and is the reason why so many adult animated family sitcoms exist.
That show is almost as old as I am and I have grandkids now. If it wasn’t popular it would have been canceled like so many other animated shows.
Wut
I was a freshman in college when it debuted. We gathered to watch it in the dorm TV room.
That and Bulls games were can’t-miss TV.
If you are less than 30 years old (and older than 10), you grew up watching the “meh” years of the Simpsons. It just isn’t as funny now and isn’t as consistent.
That said, The Simpsons are still liked by many many people.
I grew up on the Simpsons. Massive part of my youth, I feel like around 2002 is when it started becoming kind of a badly written show
I love The Simpsons and watch it nearly every day.
It’s a very old show that has been surpassed in the area at which it once excelled. American culture celebrates novelty and popularity in entertainment.
In the 90s, the Simpsons was producing very high quality shows and was pushing the envelope for trenchant social commentary and moderately taboo subjects.
But today other animated shows do both better, as do live action shows, while the Simpsons has been limping along producing mediocre tv. If you look at the episode ratings chart, you can see the dramatic decline in quality: https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/17d1py9/a_cool_guide_for_the_quality_imdb_rating_of/
It’s ancient and cringe.
Why don’t other countries like outdated caricatures and milquetoast punch lines?
The show has been running for like 40 years and has been wildly popular at different parts of its run, but for Americans, the show probably feels dated. Even the next generation of adult animation in the US (like Family Guy) is nearly 30 years old.
But to be clear, the Simpsons absolutely were HUGE cultural icons, just not as much currently
The Simpsons was huge here, like… 25 years ago. You couldn’t escape them.
You don’t see people wearing Ghostbusters or “Frankie Say Relax” t-shirts or quoting Chandler from Friends or making Soup Nazi jokes or listening to Britney Spears as much as they used to, either.
I was raised on the Simpsons. My father and I communicate exclusively through Simpsons quotes. I’m not even joking.
I stopped watching though after they got rid of Apu.
People just like to complain about the Simpsons.
Who said we didn’t? It’s often culturally referenced and I know friends and family do it all the time. I think most people just don’t pay attention to the new seasons but we love everything pre season 9.
Huh? That is news to me. I mean, it hasn’t been good in many years, but I still regard the golden era of the Simpsons (90s) to be some of the greatest television ever made, and know many others who feel the same. I quote it all the time
Maybe you were talking to young people who were born after the golden era? Idk
Not sure about the premise of this question. The Simpsons has had a massive cultural impact in the U.S., and there are many references and memes about the show. But it’s also been around for nearly 40 years, so many people have favorite eras or times of their life when they were more into the show. It definitely is not as prominent as it once was, but it was massive when I was growing up in the 90s.
I have watched every episode. Seasons 2 through 12 are the best which I’ve seen multiple times. Season 12 I think aired in 2002. It’s popular here but someone under the age of 30 never saw it’s best years.
>but it’s not something Americans obsess over or quote in their daily lives
It absolutely is. Especially from episodes from the 90s.
We did, 30 years ago
Where’d you get that info from? Stop getting info from that.
As others said, 30+ years because it isn’t liked? They spend a lot of money on it it is popular here. Not like 30 years ago but still big.
Because it’s long since past its prime and not as culturally relevant as it was back then. It might have the occasional good or even great episode but, most of them are just “Okay” now. It’s a show that just needs to finally end.
>other parts of the world like Latin America, the UK, Australia
I feel pretty confident saying that we’ve had people from those places ask why we like it and think it’s funny. So go figure.
We do, otherwise it wouldn’t have survived this long. But it has been surpassed in terms of cultural relevance by shows like South Park and Family Guy.
The vocie actors…should have probably retired 10 years ago
They jumped the shark a while ago.
I watched it growing up and stopped when I went to college in 2001. It’s just not that interesting anymore.
What are you basing this off of? The Simpsons has been one of the most popular television shows in America for over 30 years. The show started to grow worse in quality around 20 years ago, but it’s still good compared to most of what else is on network television.
Who told you that? We looooovvvveee The Simpsons! 😃
The quality of modern day Simpsons isn’t what it was in the 90’s or even early 00’s.
Modern episodes are good enough to get the show a new season, but not good enough to be memorable.
> but it’s not something Americans obsess over or quote in their daily lives like other countries
You’ve clearly never been around me, my family, or friends.
we love it but it’s been around so long it’s just become part of the scenery
Huh? Which Americans are you talking to? It’s been on the air for over 30 years. People here still like it. lol
Not quotable by us? Really?
It’s not as popular as it once was, but some of the most durable quotes come from the Simpsons.
“I’m in danger.”
“I, for one, welcome our new ____ overlords.”
“We’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas!”
“Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.”
“You tried your best and failed miserably.”
the Nelson laugh
“cromulent”
I think a lot of people wouldn’t even know where some of those come from because they’ve just lived with us for so long. I for one welcome our new overlords is something I hear a LOT. Also, I’m in danger in the Ralph Wiggum voice. It’s just a part of my life that I don’t think about anymore, but it’s not because I don’t like it. It’s because I’ve seen it so often that it would feel like obsessing over I Love Lucy. Sure, some people do, but most people appreciate it, will watch some old reruns if they come across it and move on. They know all the bits, so they just bring a smile rather than a belly laugh anymore.
We do…and/or did. I’d say the heyday of the Simpsons was the 90s and into the early part of the 2000s. It was hugely popular and culturally relevant. Eventually everything becomes stale. Then add in that Americans have been cutting the cord for quite some time now and mostly stream and to my knowledge, The Simpsons still airs on network television which means you would either have to have an antennae or satellite or cable. I don’t have any friends IRL who still have cable or satellite and my wife and I are one of the few that we know who use an antennae for over the air programming, but we never think to tune into the Simpsons…that was our jam when we were in our mid 20s, not so much at 50.
What the fuck are you talking about? It’s one of the most iconic shows of all time.
You do not understand the media sensation and controversy that the Simpsons was back in the 1990’s. It was huge.
There is an entire section of the amusement park at Universal Studios Orlando that is dedicated to the Simpsons. A theme park – for a show you think isn’t popular here? What?
It was like that in the 90’s but after 36 years, it’s no longer edgy or new. American Dad and Family guy, as well as South Park are better.
Au contraire, mon frere.
We love the Simpsons. Not everyone watches every single episode, but many people have seen at least one or two and their holiday specials have become yearly traditions. There is a major core fan base that has followed them from Day 1.
It might seem like we don’t care. We do. We just have a lot more people with a wider variety of interests.
Simpsons seasons 1-10 are amazing. Most of the rest is terrible in comparison. It absolutely shaped my sense of humor when I was young. I don’t reference it these days because I don’t expect the average person to get a reference from a show whose heyday was 3 decades ago. But if someone makes a reference from those seasons I definitely get it
Your premise is absolutely incorrect, the Simpsons are iconic and adored.
I grew up on The Simpsons in the 90s and 00s and will make Simpsons references every chance I get. I don’t know where this idea comes from.
The show’s been on the air for 35 years and the quality has fallen off… the first 10-12 years were great, but since then it’s not as good
People like it but weirdo fans on the internet like to talk about how it isnt good anymore even though its still fine.
>America however, people seem to be “meh” about The Simpsons, it’s just seen as “that adult animated sitcom” and that’s it
I am currently sitting in my living room where we have the June 28, 1990 edition of Rolling Stone magazine on display – the one that introduces The Simpsons – I have to sincerely disagree with this.
The Simpsons is one of the most iconic American TV shows. even people who aren’t big fans know this about the show. its international reception is not really something we consider or care too much about.
“We said ‘meh’. M – E – H. Meh.” – Lisa Simpson
The Simpsons is one of the most popular TV shows at all times. It’s it is simply untrue that it is unpopular.
It isn’t as popular as it was in the 1990s because so much of it has been played out. Peak Simpsons was unbelievably amazing.