DVD Review – The Simpsons (Season 18)

Reviews, TV Shows

What The Simpsons means to you depends a lot on your age, I think. For some people it was the cartoon from The Tracy Ullman Show that managed to become the reason to watch a sketch comedy offering from a British comedienne. For some it was the first cartoon show in prime time that they watched. For others it’s been an institution and they can’t remember a time when the show wasn’t on.

For a show nearing it’s 30th season that’s fairly remarkable as The Simpsons has become a staple of American television and one of the more enduring shows in US history. For a show not expected to last a season it’s amazing to see it and South Park outlast many of the more significant television shows in American history. Both did it the same way, too.

By having to be so much better because animation was primarily for geeks and children.

The problem is that The Simpsons has managed to stay on the airwaves far past its prime years and now has, for a decade or so, has kind of been treading the glories of the past. The show’s peak was arguably around season 12 to season 14 and every season since then has been a slide into a sort of mediocrity that has sustained itself. The Simpsons has become a staple of Sunday nights on Fox to the point where it gets great ratings almost by default.

Season 18 is where the show was fully in its slide into mediocrity and hasn’t really come up for air since.

There isn’t a genuinely memorable episode of this season, even the annual “Treehouse of Horror” episode, and as such this is a pretty passable season to watch. If you can find season 18 on FXX’s “Every Simpsons Episode” gimmick that’s probably a better investment than picking up the DVD series unless one is a diehard fan who has to have it.

There’s commentary tracks on every episode.

A handful of EPK pieces are included as well.

20th Century Fox presents The Simpsons (Season 18). Created by: Matt Groening. Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria, and more. Running time: 482 min. on four discs Released on 12.5.17