And you can tell because they have five fingers on their hands.
55
Milnoc6 days ago
+22
For the one time that AI needs to get it wrong...
22
Luciferdoolan6 days ago
+24
Five fingers? Ew. Freak show.
24
Wonderful_Adagio93466 days ago
+1
I was one of the viewers who noticed the five fingers on various citizens of Gravity Falls, and then the six-finger hand on the journals.
I was hoping it would be revealed, but I think the creators' plans were spoiled, so they dropped the idea
1
MVRKHNTR6 days ago
+3
You hoped what would be revealed?
3
Apart-Link-84496 days ago
+6
Hank Azaria will just find work as a colombian crossdressing housekeeper, he'll land on his feet
6
HateJobLoveManU5 days ago
+2
F*** the shrimp!
2
AlienDelarge6 days ago
+43
And even making jokes about it for years like when they did clip shows.
43
jonnythefoxx6 days ago
+18
They've got 30 seasons of data. You just know there is a team of executives at fox champing at the bit to replace literally everyone on that show with AI.
18
crossedstaves6 days ago
+18
Just the thought of resurrecting Ms Krabapple with AI is making me feel sick, but someone out there I'm sure would think it's brilliant and I hate that person.
18
safarifriendliness6 days ago
+76
I saw the showrunner speak live and he actually talked for a bit about how almost every scene is drawn from scratch so they’re not restricted on angles they can show. If you’ll notice the Simpsons does a lot more “camera changes” than other cartoon sitcoms
76
crossedstaves6 days ago
+39
One of the defining aspects of the Simpsons early on was the backgrounds were drawn the same way as the animation cells, unlike many other shows which would have more detailed paintings for the background so you could always tell for example if there was a funny colored rock or bush it was going to move.
That meant the Simpsons had more freedom for the camera and the framing at the cost of less detail and a smaller color palette for the backgrounds.
That mattered less when they switched to an all digital workflow, but by then they of course had baked in the aesthetic.
39
APiousCultist6 days ago
+10
I do miss how 'messy' and pastel early simpsons backgrounds were. I don't know how much the stiff modern animation is down to digital animation being more restrictive (given it's done with drawing tablets), and how much is an insistence on technical perfection making from less interesting results... but I'd happily burn the new stuff at a pyre if we got some of the messy but creative and fluid results of the 80s and 90s.
10
crossedstaves6 days ago
+4
Part of it is almost certainly the fact that the messy aspects would often not be particularly visible in standard definition on a CRT screen. When you're producing for higher definition without the soft blurring of a CRT they stand out more.
Part of it is probably just having more tools and options to clean up the animation all the way through the process, as well as a lack of palette limitations. With the traditional cel animation they had to be very selective about things like dark shadowy scenes that require mixing additional colors and added additional complications.
4
TheNavidsonLP6 days ago
+100
They reused couch gags 30+ years ago.
100
crossedstaves6 days ago
+8
Yeah, but they can't reuse the good ones from before the HD switch in season 20.
8
sarcasticbaldguy6 days ago
+10
The Hanna-Barbera treatment incoming.
10
Milnoc6 days ago
+6
Followed by the Filmation treatment.
6
Jaccount6 days ago
+2
Simpsons, Simpsons, Rock the Simpsons...
2
JBN2337C6 days ago
+223
I recently started watching a lot more network TV after putting in an antenna. Opening theme songs seem to have all but disappeared, with only a 5-10 second musical cue, along w/ the title card after a cold open. They’ll run the actor credits during the next scene after commercial. Growing up on all the great themes as a kid, it’s sure noticeably lacking today!
Totally see how it’s for cramming in more ads…
223
Magneto886 days ago
+173
As a Brit one of the most jarring experiences when going to the US for the first time was watching something on tv and there being a commercial break right after the opening theme song and title card. Wtf is that about? Takes you right out of it.
173
JBN2337C6 days ago
+39
That’s always been the case here… commercial after theme. Conversely, British shows were always aired on PBS growing up (Are You Being Served? Allo Allo. Red Dwarf. Benny Hill. Etc.) and had zero commercials!
39
StuxAlpha6 days ago
+23
The BBC sitcoms would all be about 28 minutes long, so yeah no room in a half hour s***!
Airing on BBC that extra 2 minutes between shows would just be trails for other upcoming shows
23
Kyvalmaezar6 days ago
+26
Runtime isnt an issue. PBS doesn't run ads because it is a non-profit. It doesnt run traditional ads during any of their shows. Conversely, BBC America runs ads all the time.
26
StuxAlpha6 days ago
+5
Sure, but I assume it affects which networks are interested in picking up BBC shows?
You either have to edit out like 7 minutes to get it to a 'normal' network run time, or put it in some weird ~40 minute s***
Having said that: I've remembered that major networks probably wouldn't be interested in shows that have a total of like 18 to 24 episodes anyway haha
5
AnonymousFriend806 days ago
+7
Network television wouldn't be airing foreign shows like that. PBS and cable networks would, though.
7
Kyvalmaezar6 days ago
+3
Not really. Most just add extra commericals to pad out the total runtime. Most American made 1 hour timeslot shows are only 40-45 minutes of actual show anyway. 15-20 minutes of commercials is the norm. Dr. Who was a 1 hour timeslot on BBC America with close to 20 mins of commericals. With reruns, it's common to edit out stuff or play it back slightly faster to cram in even more commericals. Ironically, the Simpsons have done this for well over 30 years.
3
grandoz0396 days ago
+2
That's the point of what they are saying though. Normally you have shows 22 mins and 45 mins, planned for commercials to last 30min and 1hour, perfectly fitting regular s***. If you have 28min show, 2 minutes of ads are too little but 32 minutes of ads are obvious overkill, thus only reasonable variant would be something like 40min s***, which does not fit programming.
2
[deleted]6 days ago
+2
[deleted]
2
Pool_Shark6 days ago
+6
It used to be opening act, theme, commercial. But then there was an awful trend where it was theme straight into commercial with no content. South Park comes to mind as an example, Comedy Central really milking their last revenue driver
6
weirdhoney2166 days ago
+4
Drives me mad. Immediately after the opening theme song someone suddenly starts singing about a prescription drug
4
bezrodnyigor6 days ago
+15
Wait, what?
How do people watch it like that?
15
Quixotic_Seal6 days ago
+26
You don’t. You record what you’re interested in, and you fast forward. Half the time there’s an option to skip commercials specifically anyway.
The ad-based streaming tiers are significantly worse than cable has been since the 90s/very early 00s given there’s no way you can possibly skip the ads. The same three or four ads are jammed down your throat no matter what.
I swear to god, for some reason it feels like no one on the internet remembers DVRs were invented and like no one has to deal with the ad based streaming tiers. I’d chalk it up to an age thing if I didn’t see plenty of people my own age also seemingly forgetting that DVRs existed.
I almost want to spin a whole conspiracy theory around streamers spending money online to ensure we forget what the cable experience is actually like ever since TiVo was invented.
26
Dcoco18906 days ago
+13
It was all downhill after tivo, that was humanity's peak.
13
sumadeumas6 days ago
+4
PlayOn is an interesting option for DVR for streaming. A bit obnoxious in business practices but functional.
4
greenslam6 days ago
+8
Depends on the show and the broadcaster. I remember getting into 'the 100' when it aired next day on Netflix commercial free. The Cw put soo many f****** ad overlays while the show was on that were not present on the netflix version. I immediately canceled my series recording and would watch on Netflix instead.
A lot of shows don't put the ad overlay while the show is in broadcast.
8
Indigocell6 days ago
+2
That doesn't work for everything. You're overlooking how a lot of people watch. Even if you allow your tv to buffer, you're still going to catch up eventually as you fast forward. If you switch channels, it's back to live tv, where you will be forced to sit through the commercials again unless you allow it to buffer for another hour. Not everyone schedules their viewing ahead of time like you suggest. Sure it works for the big shows but for daily use, it's not helpful.
2
Pool_Shark6 days ago
+5
Used to time bathroom breaks or snack trips for commercial breaks
5
core-x-bit6 days ago
+6
Once they started that shit I cut out cable tv and never looked back.
6
OK_Soda6 days ago
+2
I think it's actually about attention span. Watch any show on streaming and you have the option to skip the intro and I bet most people do. It's 30 seconds to a minute but unless the intro is an absolute banger I'm almost always skipping.
2
sundayfundaybmx6 days ago
+5
The only intro I don't skip in the last 10+ years has been Peacemaker, lol. It's so dumb but I'm a huge sucker for both season 1 and eventually season 2 grew on me as well. The music and choreography just kills me everytime!
5
aj93936 days ago
+4
I know I'll get hate for this, but that's one of many reasons why I can't get into anime, because it's the opposite. It's like, every episode starts with a 5 minute musical interlude, and same with the end credits. Turns a 30 minute episode into 20, before you carve out even more for commercials and the previous episodes recap, you're basically left with like 10 minutes of actual content.
Edit: Yes yes, I understand the times I listed are not accurate, obviously I was hyperbolizing. And yes I'm aware that various streaming services allow you to skip, but I also mentioned that it's *one of many* reasons why I can't get into it.
People like anime, that's cool. I don't, and a dozen comments telling me that the intro is only 90 seconds isn't going to magically make me fall in love with it.
4
PITCHFORKEORIUM6 days ago
+4
Wait, how are you watching them? Coz Crunchyroll does intro skip, recap skip, and credits skip to next ep if there isn't something during or after credits. Even the atrociously bad Amazon Prime Video app does most (if not all) of that too. And piracy includes a helpful 16x FF, chapter skip, and intro skip etc.
4
SurprisedJerboa6 days ago
+4
Intro is usually 90 seconds, sometimes a recap. More recent anime can have actual bands / producers creating the music, Japan has been intertwining those industries together to boost interest.
Some services can auto-skip intro and outros
4
AnonymousFriend806 days ago
+4
Stream them. Either the apps already has a scip function or figure out exactly how long the intro is and manual skip.
4
N-Bizzle6 days ago
+2
Yup most the intros are exactly like 90 seconds, easy to do
2
bezzaboyo6 days ago
+3
Anime has standardised 90 second intros and outros, and almost universally the apps that let you stream them have a "skip intro/recap" button. I think it's totally fine to just not be interested in anime, but the vast vast majority of shows are 22 minutes long of content (again, tv standard) and the few that don't usually are aimed at little kids or include a skippable end-of-episode short that mostly just exists to add flavor or brushed over parts of source material for more intrigued viewers. There was a time where you had to do a little math to perfectly skip ahead with one click when the intro started, but that time is largely over now as you can just let the players do it for you.
3
SheepWolves6 days ago
+25
Yep, if you look at the episode run times on disney plus, the early seasons episodes are around 23mins 45 seconds with the intro and couch gag but jumping to the latest season they've been cut down to 22mins 30 seconds. So at some point in the later seasons they've cut the intro and couch gag to make way for ads.
25
morfraen6 days ago
+19
Big Bang theory got as low as 18 min near the end, including intro and credits.
19
crossedstaves6 days ago
+5
The old days at least they had three different intros to pick from depending on length.
They even on rare occasion needed to pad out an episode, okay only one occasion that I know of, the little "Everyone Loves Ned Flanders" skit at the end of "The Front". Though ultimately that inspired them to make one of the most iconic episodes "22 Short Films About Springfield" the beloved home of steamed hams.
5
FoofieLeGoogoo6 days ago
+3
“When the podcast host suggested that in this streaming age of “skip intro” it makes sense that the couch and chalkboard gags have been largely cut from The Simpsons, Selman responded, “If I had infinite money, I would put a couch gag in every episode that would just pop up on streaming, and you’d be surprised by it, but we have to put our money into what’s in the main product first.”
You are correct.
3
TyposIncoming6 days ago
+824
Reminds me of when Survivor tried to phase out the opening theme song and player montage. Fans were not happy
824
Morgan-Moonscar6 days ago
+290
Reminds me of when Stargate SG1 mocked television networks [for removing opening theme songs too](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I2ufspV3K0).
290
gerbegerger6 days ago
+122
SG1!? Do you mean WORMHOLE X-TREME
122
JoeDawson86 days ago
+49
It’s what I DO.
49
Betelgeusetimes36 days ago
+28
You know it actually doesn’t say Major on my uniform
28
Kichigai6 days ago
+4
Read my lips: BIG-GER.
4
geek_of_nature6 days ago
+33
I love a good opening title sequence too. I hate just a bland title card.
33
Jaomi6 days ago
+33
I love a title card that isn’t bland, like the live action One Piece where it changes every time to better reflect whichever pirate that episode is about.
Proper opening sequences are so good though. Yellowjackets has an incredible one that I never skip.
33
NoNefariousness21446 days ago
+20
Also shout-out to Invincible for always having some fun (and sometimes very corny) title card drops.
20
Gestrid6 days ago
+6
Don't you mean—
6
Anonymous_Clone_6 days ago
+4
The Umbrella Academy did this really well too. They had some super fun transitions to the title card.
4
flcinusa6 days ago
+5
Ms Marvel had a good different title card for each episode also
5
Kichigai6 days ago
+2
*Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* did that. The title card would change to reflect the new phase the show had entered.
2
NATHAN4U0076 days ago
+16
Mr Robot had a unique title sequence for every episode.
16
HouseOfTheDaemon6 days ago
+10
That was perfect because the title card drop was always fairly short to allow for maximum runtime. You’d never want to skip it any point. But each one was also unique and often paid homage to movies etc.
10
FoxInDaBox6 days ago
+9
They were mocking their own network as well. Season 9 opening got cut down but eventually was restored after fan backlash.
9
Morgan-Moonscar6 days ago
+6
Not nearly as bad as when they randomly reused the opening from the pilot for two seasons.
6
Crimsonfoxy6 days ago
+3
We're re-watching through at the moment and the big Ra head opening was an interesting choice.
3
Kichigai6 days ago
+3
Yeah, but when they did that they knew the show was cancelled. That's why they slipped in the **Virginia Dialogues**, fully expecting it to be cut by the suits, but the network wasn't even looking at scripts by that point and it stayed in.
3
Nedimar6 days ago
+12
Then the first season of SGU basically did everything that episode mocked about modern shows.
12
The_Northern_Light6 days ago
+9
There’s a reason a good bit of fans just didn’t bother with that show
9
Kichigai6 days ago
+3
Well it wasn't the title card that killed my interest in the show.
3
Telandria5 days ago
+2
Yuuup. I watch like.. maybe a half dozen episodes and was just like “This is not the campy scifi Stargate I grew up loving, it’s just tv drama trash.”
2
TheGardenBlinked6 days ago
+30
In the UK, children’s BBC got complaints when they cut off the end credits and theme to Round The Twist. The complaints were justified, [because it’s a banger](https://youtu.be/5-Cmf8wkrw4).
30
Number2246 days ago
+13
At least when they started to, they still made a version available online. Then eventually, they stopped doing that. Now the episodes are longer and they are back, so it probably helps editing fill out an episode to fit the 90 min time s***.
13
Pork_Chompk6 days ago
+10
That drove me insane. You think I remember what happened a *week* ago, Jeff?! The first 10 minutes of the episode was always my wife and I trying to hash out what happened and who went home.
So glad they brought it back.
10
MajorFuckingDick6 days ago
+15
I dislike the remix this season cause that theme song is iconic and probably the best part of any episode where jeff doesnt personally put a target or shit on a player for something. Bro has the best out of pocket commentary during challenges or tribal
15
Calm_Memories6 days ago
+5
If I got on Survivor and didn't get a bad ass intro, I'd be big mad.
5
zeyore6 days ago
+1415
I would have also accepted the answer, "we ran out of good couch gag ideas at least ten episodes ago"
they did sooo many. soap opera numbers really.
1415
Rylonian6 days ago
+271
More like ten seasons ago
271
dukenny6 days ago
+61
Twenty
61
corobo6 days ago
+28
FIFTY!!!
Wait did I do too many
28
OldWrangler90336 days ago
+12
Give it time...
12
AndHerSailsInRags6 days ago
+6
Have no fears, we've got stories for years.
6
FictionFantom6 days ago
+12
Actually some of the most unique couch gags have come out during modern Simpsons. They’ve collaborated with lots of cool artists.
12
Head_Bread_34316 days ago
+4
Listnook loves to shit on simpsons past like season 8 but I recently did a watch through of the whole show with my kids and I was super surprised the show is still very high quality the whole way through. Yeah it definitely goes through changes. They couldn’t sustain the same vibe of the early stuff which is really great of course. But it’s still a good show. It’s almost as if long running shows have to evolve lol
4
TKInstinct6 days ago
+24
At that point you could have begun recycling couch gags, who's going to remember most of them from nearly 40 years ago.
24
renegadecanuck6 days ago
+30
The internet would.
30
ImperfectRegulator6 days ago
+10
I believe they did, either that or i watched enough reruns on tv to get them mixed up
10
rayword456 days ago
+7
[The first couch gag rerun was literally the 8th ever episode](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/The_Telltale_Head/Gags)
7
crossedstaves6 days ago
+6
They can't reuse the ones from before season 20, the aspect ratio changed and the visuals would be noticably different
6
TKInstinct6 days ago
+7
I meant reuse the scene. If they already have the concept of the couch gag already then they can easily bang out a new animation.
7
Flicksterea6 days ago
+3
My neurodivergent sister would like a word.
3
lkmk6 days ago
+4
You knew they were getting stale when they started becoming shorts made by other animators.
4
wildcatofthehills6 days ago
+19
I actually found that super cool, why the hate?
19
lkmk6 days ago
+5
I don’t dislike them, but I feel like they miss the point of the couch gag: to be a weird little snippet before the “created by” credit.
5
Cranyx6 days ago
+828
Saying that it's because there isn't enough time in the episode seems weird to me. I know recently they've gotten in the habit of doing these elaborate set pieces, but for the longest time they just a quick gag that took like 2-5 seconds.
828
GenGaara256 days ago
+679
IIRC the couch gag was specifically designed to take up as much time as the episode required.
If the finished episode was a minute short, they'd pair it with a minute long couch gag. If the episode was pushing the maximum runtime, they'd do just the title card and skip most of the intro altogether.
679
Heisenberg_8156 days ago
+167
You can tell an episode ran short if it played the entire intro and used the circus couch gag. I think The Front from season 4 is an example of this. Conversely, I think Sideshow Bob Roberts from season 6 doesn’t even have the intro sequence and goes right from the opening clouds to the TV credits.
167
crossedstaves6 days ago
+28
The Front even pads for time at the end with a Ned Flanders skit.
28
Dangerous_Return4606 days ago
+9
A full minute for a half-joke, peak Simpsons
9
PM_ME_UR_ANKLES6 days ago
+15
I remember I would get upset when my dad would say, "Oh, its a short episode today!" for the circus intros
15
JamUpGuy19895 days ago
+5
If you listen to the commentary you can hear their process of why Sideshow Bob hits the rakes so many times in Cape Feare. It's because, despite using every writing trick in the book, the initial cut was 20secs short. So, they just extended the already long sequence of the rakes hit to a comedic degree.
5
popupsforever5 days ago
+2
The Front also has a fair few gags that just reuse the animation from a previous scene, there must be like 5 full minutes of filler in that episode
2
NoNefariousness21446 days ago
+193
It’s wild I’ve watched hundreds of episodes of The Simpsons and never once thought about this lol
It certainly felt jarring when a couch gag was super lengthy, although sometimes it felt natural if it was a special event like the Rick and Morty one.
193
batti036 days ago
+58
I'd recommend watching some of them again with the commentary, it's really illuminating. And you get to watch more Simpsons.
58
Few-Attorney-97226 days ago
+34
This is why Family Guy has so many cut away jokes or long drawn out jokes like the knee one. The stories are too short
34
PiousMage6 days ago
+12
Or the absolute GOAT the Don Hertzfeld one.
12
GasmaskGelfling6 days ago
+2
My favourite thing about Disney buying Fox was when he tweeted "Well, Disney owns this now..." And linked to his couch gag.
2
SmugFrog5 days ago
+2
I am Simpson!
2
Highly_Edumacated6 days ago
+7
The longest one before they started doing the guest artists was [the circus intro](https://youtu.be/J7RU7ZkeCu8?si=V_KJtSTMiPFXDmtG) that they used all the time when the episode was too short.
7
ThePizzaNoid6 days ago
+16
I wish they had done more of those incredibly weird quick little end of episode sketch bits like The Adventures of Ned Flanders instead of couch gags to fill out time requirements for episodes.
16
HilariousScreenname6 days ago
+5
Everyone who counts love Neeeeed Flanders!
5
jrr6415sun6 days ago
+3
not just the couch gag, they can edit any of the intro to be shorter or longer
3
NATHAN4U0076 days ago
+85
Yeah the show is taking too much time away from the ads. What a joke.
I swear the ads are going to be longer than the actual episodes in less than a decade.
85
sparkax6 days ago
+20
YouTube will play entire 30+ minute long videos as "Advertisements" during the hours long compilation videos it has all its major channels making and streaming. And then you start to think about how many of those long videos are being described as "Videos you can sleep to" and then you have to wonder just how many 30+ minute long Prager U "ads" are you listening to in your sleep against your own will???
20
Irregular4755 days ago
+2
The only upside is that we don't retain knowledge in our sleep like that, so no brainwashing from that angle at least.
2
HMpugh6 days ago
+15
>I swear the ads are going to be longer than the actual episodes in less than a decade.
Did I miss when that the show was moved to an hour time s***? Or are the episodes no longer 22mins in length like they've been for decades.
15
DoodleBuggering6 days ago
+12
It's just an excuse. The real reason is either more time to run ads, or they cut costs not making unique animation for couch gags anymore, or something along those lines.
12
thrillhoMcFly6 days ago
+12
I think its more that the network is forcing more ad time and they are getting it back in the story by cutting out the intro and couch gag.
12
WontArnett6 days ago
+53
It’s not The Simpsons without the couch gag at the beginning
53
FixedFun16 days ago
+4
It's because they're still on cable but at the same time is because on streaming people skip everything all together.
4
Hope_Dealer036 days ago
+21
On one hand I’m upset that the long standing gag has come to its conclusion. On the other hand I haven’t watched a new episode of the Simpsons in 10 years so I didn’t notice so do I have the right to be upset? Probably not
21
timelessblur6 days ago
+142
He said it. Straight up cost. It is to cut some cost and redirect it to the show.
Don’t blame them for it as they have limited resources but straight up have higher priorities as I keep expecting they are reducing the Simpson budget every year.
I keep expecting they will end the show at some point. I wonder if they are targeting a good round number to end on like season 40 or 45, that or making it to 1000 episodes and calling it.
142
waitingtodiesoon6 days ago
+25
Back in 2011, the show was getting too expensive for Fox to produce and had the 6 principal actors and executive producers all take a pay cut to continue the show at the time. At the time the voice actors pay cut was accepting only $300,000 per episode which was a 30% cut from their $440,000 per episode fee at the time.
https://variety.com/2011/tv/news/the-simpsons-producers-accepted-pay-cuts-1118044015/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/simpsons-pay-disputes-246835/
25
filenotfounderror6 days ago
+17
300K per episode seems like actual insanity to pay a VA TBH. and the fact they accepted a 30% pay cut rather than upset the gravy train kind of points to the fact that they know it.
17
matthieuC6 days ago
+7
I wonder how long it takes to voice an episode. each character must have a few minutes of dialogue. Can they do it in a day?
7
p-Star_075 days ago
+3
Typically one session is about 4 hours from what I hear.
3
p-Star_075 days ago
+4
Not on a show as big as this one. Its world famous.
4
FixedFun16 days ago
+11
FOX is super greedy. They had a cash cow and still decided to cut everything. Always hated them, also Rupert Murdoch used Simpsons money to start FOX News.
IIRC they are renewed through season 40. There was a megadeal thing just recently where Disney/FOX renewed a bunch of shows for 4 seasons (I think The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad and Bobs Burgers for 4 seasons each). They cancelled The Great North and are making at least 3 more seasons of King of the Hill as well.
But part of the reason they're willing to fund all these shows is that animation is relatively c****. The Simpsons is probably the most pricy because of the voice actors. If you lose even one of them the show would not feel the same anymore unless you can get dead on replacements, but then you'd probably have to cast a dozen people to replace Castellenata or Azaria or Shearer.
3
Cranyx6 days ago
+23
Couch gags don't have to cost a lot. They can be a 5 second thing.
23
b2thec6 days ago
+46
5 seconds of unique animation still costs a lot over a season's worth of a show. If an episode costs upwards of 5 million to make, each minute costs around $217,000. So roughly $3600 a second. Or $65000 a season.
With all that said, Disney, you make billions off your shitty live action remake movies. Can we have our couch gags still?
46
thestereo3006 days ago
+20
65k is peanuts.
20
b2thec6 days ago
+8
Someone mentioned my math was wrong. Here's the breakdown:
5 million divided by 23.
That amount gives the per minute amount.
Divided that by 60 to get per second amount.
There are upwards of 18 episodes per season.
Where did I go wrong? I'm not sure
8
Zeus_Wayne6 days ago
+9
Isn’t part of the cost per episode paying the voice actors? You don’t typically have actors for the couch gags - even if you did, I’d expect it to be series regulars and I don’t think they get paid by the hour.
9
Endiaron6 days ago
+2
Last season only had 15 episodes, just letting you know
2
Dunge6 days ago
+2
Compared to making these animations during the rest of the show with more unique scenes that require more work? That makes no sense.
2
Tourgott6 days ago
+12
Boy, I really hope someone got fired for that blunder.
12
JamUpGuy19896 days ago
+44
This show has been around so long they’re getting rid of the one consistently GOOD thing.
44
LadyJane176 days ago
+33
They did what?! I haven't watched in years but the couch gag is iconic.
33
RealJohnGillman6 days ago
+20
They didn’t completely get rid of them: it’s just that there’s only a handful per season now. Before streaming services, I just thought the channel I was watching it on was simply cutting them for time.
20
Competitive-Desk75066 days ago
+9
Tbf couch gags entire reasoning was to be some filler to fill up any remaining episode space that is left bc not all episodes match up to the full run time
9
Neil_Salmon6 days ago
+73
Feel like this is being presented as a bigger deal than it is. It's very common for shows to use a shorter intro for longer episodes - The Simpsons used to do it in the classic era too; they sometimes used a shorter intro without all of the driving sequences etc.
As an aside, I recently started watching some of the newer seasons and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. There was a period where the show was unwatchably bad. Now it's very decent again.
73
RexBanner18866 days ago
+47
>*There was a period where the show was unwatchably bad.*
It's surreal that when you're talking about The Simpsons this could literally refer to something like two decades.
47
Neil_Salmon6 days ago
+10
Completely true. I didn't watch everything but I dipped in from time to time, especially when there was some kind of event (the Lego episode, the Futurama crossover, Treehouse of Horror etc.) and it was always disappointing, for about 20 years. I kind of wish it had been cancelled and that these newer, better, episodes were some kind of decades-later revival.
10
RealJohnGillman6 days ago
+8
Ever since they changed up how episodes were written, over the pandemic (giving individual episodes to specific writers instead of having a writing team overlook them all), I have found there have been more good episodes in succession.
8
RexBanner18866 days ago
+9
If it had ended around 2000 its legacy would be far better. Look at the ten seasons of 'Friends', which has now, through streaming, been rediscovered and binged by multiple younger generations.
'The Simpsons' has just lumbered on, and almost 75% of it is the shite, bloodless facsimile of its former self.
9
Quixotic_Seal6 days ago
+6
I’m not about to dispute it’s lingered too long, but it’s so funny to me what people’s cut-off dates are for it.
I know a lot of people, especially like a decade ago, considered the “good seasons” to mean like just the first seven.
You apparently put it at around 2000, so that’d be a solid 5 seasons or so later.
Personally, as a casual fan I don’t remember it getting particularly bad until sometime shortly after the movie and switch to HD….but according to the wikipedia article on the reception of the Simpsons(apparently that’s a thing, lol) many view those early post-Movie seasons as a return to form(which hey, Rednecks and Boomsticks is a favorite of mine so maybe I should revisit those seasons someday).
I increasingly suspect the Simpsons is like SNL, and everyone can agree the current era sucks but no one can agree on when it started to suck.
6
RexBanner18866 days ago
+9
>*I increasingly suspect the Simpsons is like SNL, and everyone can agree the current era sucks but no one can agree on when it started to suck.*
"This is a case where we'll just have to agree to agree -"
"I don't agree to that!"
Nah, I think there's a pretty general consensus that The Simpsons' golden age definitely ended somewhere in 9 & 10, with Seasons 11 and 12 being consistently entertaining and very funny while still clearly past their best. That would have been a supremely respectable place to stop.
I've never seen serious arguments that anything past 13 was worth keeping the thing going. Any time a 'new' episode (that is, from 2004 onwards) has generated buzz as being particularly good or well done I've found it totally mediocre.
The movie, 'Eternal Moonshine', 'Holidays of Future Passed', etc. - none of these begin to approach a random five minutes of literally any episode between Season 3 and Season 9.
9
TomBradysStatue6 days ago
+5
it's always been funny enough. I mean that conan era shit was pure classic that lives in my brain forever. That stuff was so good it gave the show an instant renewal ticket for decades to come. But everytime I pop in for a new Simpsons, there's usually a chuckle in there. No matter how good something is, people get sick of whatever eventually. Only to give it a break and come back to it and rediscover why they liked it to begin with.
5
Neil_Salmon6 days ago
+2
Yes, I don't have a solid cut off date for it really. But I do think Behind The Laughter would have been an excellent finale. So even if that season itself wasn't great, that's a good episode to end it on, had it ended.
2
TheNavidsonLP6 days ago
+14
Yeah, I believe there was a distinct rise in quality a few years ago.
14
FatalPissShivers6 days ago
+9
It just seems odd to remove it now, 37 seasons in, with just a few more on the horizon.
9
Soberdonkey696 days ago
+8
Put this out of its misery, please.
8
KrookedDoesStuff6 days ago
+13
The Simpsons and Futurama are both never skips. I watch the intro every time, for the gags
13
insomniasureshot6 days ago
+19
Shit I wouldn’t have even known they got rid of em
19
RealJohnGillman6 days ago
+13
There are still [some, just less](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/List_of_couch_gags).
13
DeftCoast6 days ago
+12
Fewer
12
NBD_Pearen6 days ago
+17
> I wish we could have the time for a funny couch gag every episode, but I’m not going to cut the storytelling short to do so. I want to tell the best story we can, and to do that, we’re going to need twenty minutes and forty seconds.
My brother in Christ the show has had a couch gag since the dawn of time and the show has also been telling the future since the beginning. The show has always succeeded narratively with the couch gag, this a lazy, corporate greed, cop out.
17
AVeryHeavyBurtation6 days ago
+9
I feel like a part of me just died.
I feel like they've changed what "it" was, now what I'm with isn't "it".
9
VengeanceKnight6 days ago
+4
*It happened to **you.***
4
tmango12156 days ago
+8
Just sticking to the first 10 seasons of the Simpsons is a perfectly cromulent way to watch
8
Tylersbaddream6 days ago
+4
They never ended the couch gag. There are only 10 seasons of the Simpsons!
4
MylastAccountBroke6 days ago
+3
I thought the point of the Couch gag was to add and subtract around 30 seconds of content depending on what the episode requires. Hell, [The longest couch gag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-gAP137Te0) is over 2 minutes long while the average is usually around 30 seconds.
3
AvatarofBro5 days ago
+4
Please, please just let the show die with whatever shreds of dignity it has left.
4
cowboi6 days ago
+3
I would have guessed they saw the number of people pressing skip intro on streaming ..
3
MarioMan12132457656 days ago
+3
I hope they still do those unique artistic ones every few episodes or so.
3
Poesvliegtuig6 days ago
+3
Please stop sharing websites with nightmare cookie walls that don't even allow you to deny all at once.
3
CMG306 days ago
+3
I faithfully watched the Simpsons for more than a decade. There's now more Simpsons that I haven't seen than I have...
3
Filmexec216 days ago
+3
I have not watched *The Simpsons* in 15 years, as the show's quality was becoming garbage, but the fact that the showrunner even got rid of *The Simpsons* staple couch gag continues to justify why this show has completely lost its way.
3
Sliver805 days ago
+3
The couch gags have been the best part of the modern seasons tho....
3
tylertrey6 days ago
+4
They ran out of stories decades ago. Now they've run out of couch gags.
4
rebelweezeralliance6 days ago
+2
It sounds like they’ve reduced the budget for the show and that was the animation cut they decided to make
2
PlayedUOonBaja6 days ago
+2
I think of The Simpsons as my retirement entertainment nest egg. I've got well over a decade of episodes (and counting) to catch up on.
2
Underwater_Karma6 days ago
+3
me too. I haven't watched an episode in at least 25 years, but it makes me happy that it's still on.
3
xboxhaxorz6 days ago
+2
Lame excuse, he cant just tell the truth, they told the story in the past fine with the gags
If he wasnt so focused on trying to tell a clever lie he could have just said that people skip it so there really isnt a point, but he wanted to go into such a detailed lie instead
2
TokiStark5 days ago
+2
You're the showrunner for The Simpsons. You do have infinite money when it comes to the show.
2
KipBong-un5 days ago
+2
Let's all just decide that [Don Hertzfeldt's couch gag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m78gYyTrG7Y) is the canonical final couch gag.
2
CarlosFer22015 days ago
+2
Haven't seen the show in so long I had no idea
2
billyhatcher3124 days ago
+2
im so glad i stopped watching the show ages ago
2
Ladzofinsurrect6 days ago
+5
Really wish this show ended in 2007 with the Simpsons Movie, and then continued only through movies from that date on. We could've been at a fourth or fifth Simpsons movie by now.
5
buddascrayon5 days ago
+3
>If you’ve been an astute viewer of The Simpsons the past few seasons...
I haven't watched an episode of the show since 2006.
3
kopecs6 days ago
+8
They could bring it out of retirement for JD Vance
8
billskionce6 days ago
+3
Anybody still even watch The Simpsons? The first 10-12 seasons were awesome. I tried to check out a recent one and it was painfully unfunny.
3
Tourgott6 days ago
+3
Some really good episodes lately like A Serious Flanders, though.
3
reinking6 days ago
+4
There have been a few good ones the last couple if seasons. Most of the hate is coming from people that admit they have not watched it in years. I will watch it until the day it is cancelled and then watch the reruns.
197 Comments