Simpsons or Futurama?

[Reply #40 on:]

 

Originally posted by Nixorbo:


  You sure you got that the right way around?

No.  Futurama's seasons are all great for sure, but season 3 is when it went from being a pure gag show to the action/cartoon/scifi/comedy/drama the Adult Swim ads describe.  Arguments about whether season one is good aside, and a few episodes within that season where characters haven't been quite developed aside, Simpsons started out as a comedy/drama/satire/etc to begin with, while Futurama developed into its current greatness through time.

[Reply #41 on:]

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
... though even Futurama didn't get REALLY good til season 3, while Simpsons started at its peak to begin with.

I bought the Simpsons Season 1 Box and decided after watching it that I won't buy the Season 2 Box...

Also, IMO there is no real character development in Simpsons, because the episodes have no realtion to each other. So there is nothing to build on...

[Reply #42 on:]

 

Originally posted by Gocad:

Also, IMO there is no real character development in Simpsons, because the episodes have no realtion to each other. So there is nothing to build on...

Well, sometimes they do...but other then that, what's wrong with just telling a good story in 30 minutes?  You don't need a story to continue into other episodes for it to be good.  There's lots of great Simpsons episodes about Marge and Homer's relationship, or Homer and Lisa's, or Bart and Marge's, etc....are Futurama greats like "War is the "H" Word" and "Luck of the Fryrish" bad because they don't neccasarily continue into other episodes?

[Reply #43 on:]

No. But unlike the Simpsons, Futurama does have a continuing storyline ...

Also, I like to watch characters "grow". But where is the point, if certain developments are not addressed in future episodes?

[Reply #44 on:]

And that's certainly not a bad thing.  But they're two different things, and each show just has a different style.  Neither is bad.  They each develop their characters in their own ways.

[Reply #45 on:]

I like the fact that in Futurama the series carries on a bit more and previous episodes actually matter in relation to others (as we can see at the moment with Leela and Fry), but in the Simpsons the episodes aren't really related at all.

[Reply #46 on:]

::beats dtbartman with Futurama season 1 boxset::

Simpsosn didn't get really good until season 3, and even still, their best years were 5-8.  Seasons 1&2 of Futurama blew Simpsons 1&2 out of the water.  Name one Simpsons 1/2 episode better than A Flight to Remember.

[Reply #47 on:]

Simple.  I will buy each Futurama DVD day and date of release.  I have not bought a Simpsons DVD set, nor do I really plan to.

That's not to say I don't like the Simpsons. I've probably seen 70% of their episodes, either initial broadcast or via syndication, and will normally watch it if I'm flipping channels and come across it.

The difference to me is that I laugh at every episode of Futurama, even after multiple viewings.  I love the characters.  Each member of Futurama's core cast has things I truly like about them.  I'm not really a shipper, but I do enjoy the Fry/Leela relationship.  Whenever Farnsworth or Zoidberg pop up on screen, I know a laugh is coming.  Bender is Bender. Zapp, Kif, Hermes and Amy always add to the fun.

Maybe the Simpson universe got to big or maybe I suffered from "media hype" burnout in their first few years - but on the Simpsons I don't care if a particualr character dissapears for a while, and there are some I wish would.  I know it's just a factor of being around so long (there is a *reason* the average TV show goes away after 7 seasons or so), but very little they do has surprised or really even really entertaind me that much in a long time.

If we had recently seen the 300th episode of Futurama, I'm sure my indifference to the series would be the same.  In a way, the cancellation is a bit of a blessing since we are left with 72, mostly golden episodes.  Even the "bad" Futuramas are really, really good.  Yeah - in a perfect world they would have been allowed to squeeze out another season or two of Futurama, but the reality is the series ran two seasons more than FOX  really wanted it to, so we could have just as easily missed the magic of series 3 and 4.

So - to answer your question.  Hand pick the best 72 episodes the Simpsons have ever done and I will watch and enjoy them - but my heart (and DVD dollars) will always be in the 31st century.

[Reply #48 on:]

i like simpsons better but i hate the new episodes they suck. all the futurama episodes are good. so if i had to pick what i was gonna watch a new episode of futurama or the simpsons id pick futurama but the simpsons old episodes kick ass

[Reply #49 on:]

I'd say the Simpsons best were four through seven actually. And I also disagree that the Simpsons started out great. Futurama did, but the first season of the Simpsons was way to preachy. The only great episode was Call of the Simpsons. Two and three were much better, but I think it hit its stride at four. Meanwhile Futurama started with that momentum from the simpsons and never lost it.

And I still aren't affected by the emotion in the Simpsons the way I am with Futurama. The only tear jerker moment I have had with the Simpsons was "my tattered rags are caught in your coffee table". Gets me every time.

[Reply #50 on:]

Futurama.
I have always loved the Simpsons, and I always will. It is a true landmark in TV history and popular culture, an icon of the 20th century if you will. But Futurama is all of those things and more (atleast it would have been if Fox had given it the chance).

Ignoring the incredible commercial  success of the Simpsons and just judging the two as TV shows, Futurama is the winner, just. Futurama has all the wit, charm, and originality of The Simpsons, as well as that unique X factor (+ a .0 nickel impurity). Making it truely unique, and enabaling it to reach a level of sophistication that no other show can even dream of.
I also think it needs to be said that people should stop bashing The Simpsons, just because they love Futurama more. It is posble to love both shows, you don't have to love one and hate the other.
Anyway I'm going for Futurama.
But The Simpsons is also brilliant.

Oh and in response to Shadow Fox, the best tear jerking moment of The Simpsons is in Lisa's Substitute, when she's saying good bye to Mr Bergstrom at the station.

But Futurama beats that with the end sequence for Jurassic Bark. God, they shouldn't be allowed to toy with our emotion like that!

[Reply #51 on:]

 

Originally posted by Nixorbo:
::beats dtbartman with Futurama season 1 boxset::

Simpsosn didn't get really good until season 3, and even still, their best years were 5-8.  Seasons 1&2 of Futurama blew Simpsons 1&2 out of the water.  Name one Simpsons 1/2 episode better than A Flight to Remember.

Though the Fry and Leela stuff in Flight to Remember was a nice move toward the depth of later episodes (Parasites Lost is the true turning point in my book in the series), that episode itself isn't a favorite of mine, though I do like it alot.  But to name a few episodes of Simpsons seasons 1 and 2 that are better:

Bart the General
Moaning Lisa
Life on the Fast Lane
Krusty Gets Busted
and, well, most of season 2, but here are some specifics...
Lisa's Substitute
One Fish, Two Fish, Blue Fish, Blowfish
Brush With Greatness
Three Men and a Comic Book
Treehouse of Horror
Two Cars in Every Garage, Three Eyes on Every Fish
Itchy and Scratchy and Marge
To name a few...

Don't get me wrong either.  I still love every episode of seasons 1 and 2 of Futurama to some extent, I just like Simpsons a little better, and think Futurama got REALLY good in season 3.  Its more a complement to 3ACV and 4ACV then a put down of the others I think.  Though, I guess it should be noted that even Simpsons didn't stay entirely consistant during that 1-8 run.  For instance, I actually found 5 to a fairly significant decline from 1-4, with 6 and 7 picking up from it, and 8 being another slight decline before Mike Scully stepped in and ruined the show.

[Reply #52 on:]

Your right. Forgot about that one, considering Fox never seemed to show it.

And to be fair to Mike Scully, the decline isn't just his fault. Its interesting how a lot of the brilliant Simpsons minds went to Futurama and the Simpsons declined. Back to Mike, I doubt he called for all of those changes. The biggest factor was probably running out of ideas. He has written some great episodes though.

And to be even more fair, Al Jean hasn't helped things too much IMO. There is a noticable improvement, but the new episodes still pale in comparison to pre-Season 11. Shows like Large Marge and changes like replacing Judge Snider with Constance Harm make me wish they would just cancel it.

Just a note, if we were to compare the best episodes, I'd say things are equal. My personal favorite Simpsons is Last Exit to Springfield. I'd say it is on par with my favorite Futurma episode, which is Roswell that Ends Well. Both are truely amazing examples of writing. (IMO)

[Reply #53 on:]

Originally posted by M Jackson:
----------------------------------------------
Oh and in response to Shadow Fox, the best tear jerking moment of The Simpsons is in Lisa's Substitute, when she's saying good bye to Mr Bergstrom at the station.
-------------------------------------
Actually I thought the real tearjearker part in that episode was when Homer was trying to cheer Lisa up. You know, with the musicbox playing in the background??

[Reply #54 on:]

I love 'em both, but like others I've lost a lot of interest in the Simpsons over the last 2-3 seasons.  If there's a new episode of the Simpsons on I'll watch it if I remember.  If there is a "new" Futurama, I'll set two VCRs just to make sure I get to watch it.  I just get much more excited about Futurama.

I'd like to buy most of the Simpsons seasons on DVD, but I'll probably be 100 before they get them all out.  Thankfully they haven't been taking that long to get the Futurama DVDs out.

[Reply #55 on:]

@DTBartman: Don't get me wrong, I still think Simpsons seasons 5-8 were the best three years of television.  If you asked me to choose between Cape Feare (my favorite Simpsons episode) and Luck of the Fryrish (my favorite Futurama), well, I'd probably go for Cape Feare (never mind the fact that I haven't seen it in ages).  I'm just saying that I don't think the first 3 seasons of the Simpsons were all that great, and how dare someone on the internet have a different opinion than me.

[Reply #56 on:]

I've noticed this past season (14) on The Simpsons, that they've tried to tap back into continuity, with little references here and there. The problem is, they seem to have a talent for tapping into the episodes which are least liked by the fans, such as the elephant one.

And what made it even more ghastly is when they started tapping into post-decent Simpsons, such as in the Social-Worker-episode-which-has-been-on-about-80-times-in-the-last-three-months one.

Putting Simpsons Seasons 3 through 7 up against Futurama 1 through 4 would be a tough contest. The humour matches much moreso than latter seasons. Futurama would win simply because they developed the characters more in those four years than The Simpsons have in 14.

[Reply #57 on:]

Ive already said I would go for Futurama, but if you are going to actaully compare the two shows it's only fair to compare Futurama to the first four seasons of the Simpsons otherwise the Simpsons wins purely by volume!
Futurama hasn't had the chance to develop over 14 seasons.

[Reply #58 on:]

Very hard question..    I love them both for different reasons.. way too hard to answer.

[Reply #59 on:]

Futurama is the one and only

[Reply #60 on:]

Lamest SPAM ever

[Reply #61 on:]

Wait a minute.... that doesn't have anything to do with Futurama.......

[Reply #62 on:]

The Simpsons has just been horrible lately, whereas Futurama has always been great through all 5 seasons. Just my opinion anyway.

[Reply #63 on:]

I like them both, i haven't seen the latest simpsons because they haven't aired here yet.

[Reply #64 on:]

i agree with grim, the new simpsons are pretty dreadful. i think the thing that made the simpsons so good was that they did things that could actually happen and still be funny- just seeing a day in the life of homer was funny now they always try and do stupid crap like 'Bart Gets new blank'
I think Futurama is probably better because of episodes like 'Jurassic bark'and 'luck of the Fryrish'as they show that they can have funny stupid characters that u actually care about.
But the simpsons probably makes better storys out of nothing just ordinary life whereas futurama can always fall back on the fact they can go to some other planet etc. Also simpsons appeals to a bigger ordiance and its still going whereas Futurama isnt (gutted)

[Reply #65 on:]

I like them both (though,i like futurama better  ) but if i liked simpsons more than futurama......i really wouldnt be here..... 

[Reply #66 on:]

Let's put this is mathematical terms shall we...

Seasons 1-8 of The Simpsons > Futurama

Futurama > Seasons 9+ Simpsons

[Reply #67 on:]

Futurama......no competition !!!

[Reply #68 on:]

We are on a futurama message board so i think everyone will vote for futurama.(don't you notice it seems to be only really new commers posting in here!) me being a kinda new person as well

[Reply #69 on:]

Why does everyone keep saying people will say Futurama is better because we are on a Futurama message board? For all you know we all might also be on the simpsons board or Dawsons creek............no seriously im not

[Reply #70 on:]

Aren't we forgetting family guy? Why not a threeway battle?

[Reply #71 on:]

Old simpson rules, new sucks.

Futurama has always been good never going down hill like the Simpsons.

[Reply #72 on:]

The Simpsons and Futurama are quite different  so theres no real point to this thread.
but i like the continuos story and developing charaters.

[Reply #73 on:]

I hardly bother watching the Simpsons anymore, Futurama is far better, that is why I bought the DVDs 

[Reply #74 on:]

I like both shows. I cannot say I like either one any better than the other. I don't like the first 2 seasons of the Simpsons. They were all about Bart. But after each year other cast members started to become more involved.

[Reply #75 on:]

Futurama, wihtout a doubt.  I started out on The Simpsons and it will always have  avery special place, but Futurama is just... better.  Where The Simpsons is limited by being a family sitcom/drama, Futurama has a more dynamic and varied main cast.  Where The Simpsons is limited to tired old clichés about family life, Futurama can cover just about anything...

Matt Groening originally specified that The Simpsons should never do anything that wasn't possible in real life.  It went downhill when they stopped following that idea, around season 9ish.  That's the problem with The SImpsons now.  There's no idea of cause and effect anymore.  There's no consequences for actions, like Homer having his guts ripped out by a racoon and then getting better just one scene later.  In futurama they still have that even though they don't actually need it... and the writing feels consistently better too.  The Simpsons never made me cry.  Futurama did.  Twice!

Oh yeah, heehee... hi everyone. 

[Reply #76 on:]

The Simpsons is just awful now, I haven't laughed at a new simpsons episode in ages. So Futurama gets my vote.

[Reply #77 on:]

Agreed

[Reply #78 on:]

 

Originally posted by Oompa Loompa:
Aren't we forgetting family guy? Why not a threeway battle?

I liked Family Guy a lot, but it loses to both Futurama and Simpsons, easily.  Whereas Simpsons(seasons 1-8) and Futurama(3+, maybe parts of seasons 1 and 2 for good measure) are very complex shows with lots of creative concepts, empathetical characters, scating social commentary, etc, Family Guy is more or less just a "just for laughs" sitcom that relies almost solely on random and crazy humor.  Again, I liked it a lot, but it just isn't comparable.  Futurama and Simpsons have more in common with each other then either has in common with Family Guy.

and Sd72667: I'd strongly reccomend watching seasons 1 and 2 more closely.  I guess season one had more Bart percentage wise then other seasons, but on my last count there were actually more HOMER episodes then Bart ones in that season, and in season 2 in particular everything was more balanced out, with Homer still probably having more storylines then anyone else.  Bart was certainly the breakout star with the public, and sold all the shirts, but it was by no means "the Bart Simpson show".  If nothing else I think they were already overdoing Homer just a tad, and seasons 9-12 are where Homer essentially became the entire show, with little room for other characters.

[Reply #79 on:]

I have watched the simpsons since their beginnings on the Tracy ulman show, I also waited for and watched futurama and its horribly erattic scheduling on sky. The super saturation of the simpsons compared with the almost underground following of Futurama ( over here anyway ) is enough for me. Couple that with the better writing, animation etc. and the commentaries on the dvds that make me feel like the entire crew is part of the family and Futurama isn't just a tv show anymore. To cut a long story short, I dont watch the Simpsons anymore and I have to play one of the season 1-3 dvds of Futurama at night to sleep.