SIMPSONS, THE (TV SERIES) - DVD review

Season twelve of the legendary animated series "The Simpsons" was released onto video on August of 2009. The show has been averaging just over one season released onto video a year and fans were probably figuring it would take at least a half dozen years until the twenty year anniversary season would see light of day on home video. The show has been anything but typical and nobody would ever have expected it to become the longest running sitcom of all time. A typical show doesn't need to follow typical thinking for video releases and Fox has decided to throw a curveball to the show's fans and the 20th season is now being released out of order so that fans may enjoy the recent episodes now. Those waiting to watch the teenage years of the show will have to wait longer.

Some could argue that "The Simpsons" are no longer relevant and that the writing has become stale over the past countless years for Matt Groening's creation. There is a reason that this season tied "Gunsmoke" as the longest running primetime television show and that is simply because "The Simpsons" are still fun and there is still plenty to poke fun at for Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa and Maggie. In twenty years, nobody has aged an ounce in Springfield and while I once thought they could extend the show by letting everybody grow up a little, there is still plenty of life left in these characters that have become part of the national lexicon. I haven't followed the show religiously as I do "Lost," but I found a few of these episodes to be just as good as shows from days when I was still in high school.

Season twenty is the first season where the show was released in high definition and it is the first season released onto Blu-ray and the first season where the voice talent is all under new contract. The transition didn't occur till the season's midway point, but "The Simpsons" are at least evolving behind-the-scenes. There is guaranteed to be a twenty second season and the twenty first season is now long underway. The show garnered five Primetime Emmy Awards and Dan Castellaneta won for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for the episode "Father Knows Worst." This twentieth season is also the first where the voice of Homer Simpson is now given credit for being a consulting producer on the show. While the cast and general theme of "The Simpsons" hasn't changed, Groening and crew are taking steps to guarantee the show has many years ahead of it.

"The Simpsons" have always found success in poking fun at current social topics and parody the latest and greatest in pop culture. Season Twenty is no exception and the season spoofed "Transformers" in the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode and made light of the presidential voting when Homer was forced to vote for John McCain thanks to a rigged voting machine. The world's financial woes are echoed in "No Loan Again, Naturally" and the economic crisis is again covered in "Coming to Homerica." Internet dating is a topic of one episode where meeting somebody online doesn't always deliver what is promised. Films are often inspiration and "The Da Vinci Code" is the basis for the episode "Gone Maggie Gone." The "Great Pumpkin" even makes an appearance in the nineteenth Halloween special.

Guest stars have always been a strength of "The Simpsons." The show has had a large number of movie stars, musical acts and other personalities appear in animated form on the show. Sports figures Joe Montana, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Marv Albert appeared in episodes. Actress Emily Blunt and band Fall Out Boy appeared in the episode "Lisa the Drama Queen." Anne Hathaway and Ellen Page are other actresses who took time out to provide voice talent to the twentieth season. Former "Cheers" and "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer provided the voice of Sideshow Bob again during this season. The season's first episode, "Sex, Pies and Idiot Scraps" featured Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Robert Forster and Joe Mantegna. Other familiar voices can be heard, but the biggest name to appear in this season was Jodie Foster in a female take of Ayn Rand's novel "The Fountainhead."

The following is the full list of episodes in "The Simpsons: 20 Years: The Complete Twentieth Season":

•Sex, Pies and Idiot Scraps
•Lost Verizon
•Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
•Treehouse of Horror XIX
•Dangerous Curves
•Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words
•Mypods and Broomsticks
•The Burns and the Bees
•Lisa the Drama Queen
•Take My Life, Please
•How the Test Was Won
•No Loan Again, Naturally
•Gone Maggie Gone
•In the Name of the Grandfather
•Wedding for Disaster
•Eeny Teeny Maya Moe
•The Good, the Sad and the Drugly
•Father Knows Worst
•Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D'oh
•Four Great Women and a Manicure
•Coming to Homerica

I enjoyed revisiting the twentieth season and catching up on episodes that I had missed when they were originally televised. For me, Sunday nights is often a football night and I'm not much of a television person to begin with. I do enjoy Groening's creation, but I typically do not watch it on the night the show is broadcast. The annual "Treehouse of Horror" is an exception and when I have nothing else to do I will watch the show. I do look forward to the releases on video and was excited to dig into these episodes. I feel a little ashamed that I do not try to watch "The Simpsons," because I do place the show as one of those I actually do like. It is such a refreshing break from the fecal matter we call "Reality Television" and for a show that continues to entertain millions of people, I should be one of them.

The episodes contained on these discs are not quite as good as the second and third years of "The Simpsons" and I will always consider those the golden years. The first year they were trying to figure everything out, but now that "The Simpsons" is a polished experience, the show is one of the better made products on television. The writing is still very good and Homer is just as lovable twenty years later. It has come to a point where it would almost seem wrong to know that "The Simpsons" are not on television and the day the show comes to a close will be a sad day in the world. Watching these episodes without the nuisance of commercials reminded me of just how good this show is and while the truly great years of "The Simpsons" are long behind it, the show is clearly still in its ‘good years.'

Is "The Simpsons" starting to run out of fresh ideas and feel like rehashed episodes with roughly 450 episodes now finished? I don't think so. I was once one that felt the show needed a new direction and maybe a couple years added to the family. Let Bart go to college. Let Lisa reach the dating age. Let Maggie become Lisa's age. Now, I see that would be a travesty and as long as the writers and actors are having fun making this show there will always be hot social topics and other things to parody and "The Simpsons" can continue to entertain audiences and tickle our funny bones for years to come. It's a wonderful cartoon comedy that manages to teach us little lessons about ourselves in a way that these lessons aren't even noticed. "The Simpsons" are pertinent and continue to be so after twenty years. Nobody would have thought back in December, 1989 that this little comedy would succeed and I know nobody expected the show to continue long enough to see a "Twentieth Season" box set.

Video:

"Take My Life, Please" was the first episode broadcast in 720p high definition widescreen. The show had been previously broadcast in 480i. Nine episodes are in 1.33:1, while twelve are in 1.78:1 widescreen. "The Simpsons Movie" allowed the world of Springfield to be expanded, but this is easily the best looking year for the series and it is quite easy to spot the difference between the shows shown after February 15, 2009 and the standard definition episodes from earlier. It will be interesting to see how these look on Blu-ray as this review covers the DVD release. Colors and detail are both strong, but "The Simpsons" palette has not evolved since the series debuted and the older episodes look dated. Compared to the film, a few "Doh!" comments could be made. This is still a colorful and clean release and in the newer episodes, the yellow skin of "The Simpsons" has never looked better.

Audio:

An English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround mix is the primary audio track for the disc. Spanish, Portuguese and French Dolby Digital 2.0 matrixed surround tracks are also included and English, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The Danny Elfman opening theme sounds good and dialogue is very good. "The Simpsons" sound design has always been fun and there are some nice, if not over-emphasized, sound effects throughout the show. However, this is still an animated television show and it is a front heavy mix that matches its decades old visual presentation. While the technology has changed, "The Simpsons" doesn't sound much better now than it did when it debuted. This isn't a bad thing as you can't blame the show for not wanting to sound bombastic during every scene. There are a few good sounding moments, but it isn't a blockbuster experience.

Extras:

I was very disappointed in the DVD release of "The Simpsons: 20 Years" box set. First of all, the packaging is poor. This has always been a complaint with the DVD releases with their vacuum formed molds and whatnot, but the double slip case, accordion-styled cardboard holder is subpar. The four discs are not easy getting out to view and the release is generally a chore to get out to play. Each disc contains a number of episodes and the menus are provided in 480i widescreen. Each episode allows you to play directly or you can select another icon beside an episode with "Play Episode," "Language Selection" and "Scene Selections." There is also a play all. The only bonus features is the very brief The 20th Anniversary Special Sneak Peak by Morgan Spurlock (3:32). This is just a quick introduction by the "Super Size Me" filmmaker about his involvement and I was upset to see the special was not included on the disc.

Closing:

I'm not an avid fan of the historic Fox Television Network's prime time show "The Simpsons." Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy the show and look forward to watch it on television. It's just that the commercials and concept of a scheduled time keep me from watching it on my own time and terms. DVD is great for the show and I can watch the episodes when I want and without commercial. It's hard to believe the show has been around for more than twenty years and the episodes are funny. This DVD includes the first widescreen episodes as Bart writes "HDTV IS WORTH EVERY CENT" on the chalkboard during the show's redone intro. There aren't many bonus features and "The Simpsons" looks dated when compared to "Family Guy," but for anybody collection the show, this is a must have release. I just wish there was some bonus materials to enjoy as well.