James L. Brooks

The seventh season follows the strength of the sixth, as it begins where the previous season concluded. The comedy central episodes are on point, and slightly more grounded than the previous season. The series balances a primary focus on the core family and exploring the world and side character that give the show so much vitality. No episode epitomizes this better than the classic "22 Short Films About Springfield," where an "ordinary: day featured that somehow feels completely natural. All of the core family have their own moments, but no character has a more significant growth than Lisa, as she becomes a vegetarian. Outside the core family, the exploration of Grandpa Simpson's past allowing him for once to play outside senile fool or bad father character. Perhaps one of the most prescient episodes in the season, "Much Apu About Nothing" focusing on immigration and anticipating attitudes that remain in the current day. The increasingly self-referential humor is taken to subversive levels in "The Day the Violence Died," Other standout episodes include "Two Bad Neighbors," "King Sized Homer," "Bart on the Road," and the strongest holiday episode "Marge Be Not Proud."… (altro)

While there are there are still some small refinements made in subsequent seasons, the third season shows the writers have solidified the characters and environment and give them freedom to develop secondary characters and play with the established conventions. The secondary characters and the town itself is fleshed out now that the family is set. Ned, Edna and Milhouse are featured and developed in ways that were previously reserved for the core family. Other secondary character and features of Springfield are featured, such as Otto or the Springfield Mafia and the nuclear power plant that allow the setting to be as dynamic a character as the Simpson family. Guest stars become more prominent, but do not feel as disruptive. Michael Jackson is the most prominent, but the players featured in "Homer at the Bat" are the best integrated into the environment of Springfield. The importance of physical media is emphasized, as Michael Jackson's deviance has lead to :Stark Raving Dad: being excluded from Disney+. The featured Halloween, flashback and the first reappearance of Sideshow Bob build off the strength from the previous seasons. While the cartoonish aspects are prominent in several of the more comedy-centered episodes, the emotional depth is present and elevates the series beyond an ephemeral laugh.… (altro)

The series begins to solidify the characters and smooth out much of the rough animation that was present in the first season. The episodes remain generally focused on the core family, but the universe is beginning to expand as secondary characters that are closely connected to the core family are developed, most notably Skinner and Mr. Burns. While the show generally remains grounded in reality, some cartoonish and fantastic elements are present. Homer's ability to sustain immense injury being the most obvious. What becomes clear in the first full season is the emotional element that grounds the strongest episodes, none being more prominent than "Lisa's Substitute." While Homer and Bart remain the focus, Lisa is the most developed character from her presentation in the first season, as her morality and intelligence become her defining characteristics. The season features the first flashback episode, and sets the standard for some of the stronger episodes in the golden years as well as introducing the annual Treehouse of Horror. As "The Raven" segment evidences, the early seasons of the show were marked by their more refined references to literature and film,… (altro)