Should 'The Simpsons' Be Canceled?

Fans have voiced reasons why The Simpsons should be put out of its misery.

The Jump the Shark web site has almost 200 votes saying The Simpsons "jumped the shark" when Homer got "really, really stupid." But when was that? Other top votes indicate the show hit its bottom when Maude Flanders died, or during the 1999 season.

A fan going by the username comicbookguy posted at Ubersite a sentiment that is felt by lots of fans. This person posted, "It has become less intelligent, more crude, and the jokes are less subtle. It is being dumbed down to appeal to a bonehead mass audience and it makes me want to puke."

In May, 2004 even cast member Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders) slammed The Simpsons. According to IrishExaminer.com, Shearer says, "It makes me sad. They used to have whole scenes. Season four looks very good to me now. I'd rather not be there right now. Fortunately I'm doing a lot of other things."

Well, as long is The Simpsons is raking in big bucks and big ratings, which it is, Fox will not cancel the show. In fact The Simpsons is enjoying some of its highest ratings in years.

Not only are ratings high, more and more merchandise from The Simpsons is shipped to stores year after year. The very successful Playmates line of action figures and playsets are very profitable. Holiday merchandise for Halloween and Christmas gets fans to open their wallets every year.

The show's popularity is evidenced in its audience. A KABC-TV poll on TV moms revealed Marge Simpson was the third favorite, behind Claire Huxtable and Mrs. Cunningham, first and second respectively. Homer Simpson's emphatic exclamation "Doh!" topped a British poll of favorite TV comedy catchphrases, easily beating an array of home-grown classics.

Even scholars and clergymen are analyzing The Simpsons. Recent books The Gospel According to The Simpsons and The Simpsons and Philosophy prove there may be more than meets the eye in Springfield.

Obviously The Simpsons isn't waning in popularity, finding new fans every season.

As of May, 2004 the cast of The Simpsons ended a strike over their salaries. After more than a month of the strike, the two sides announced a deal that will take The Simpsons into 2008.

As reported at E! Online, 20th Century Fox TV said in a statement, "We couldn't be happier to have reached a multi-year deal with the enormously talented cast of The Simpsons."

As for The Simpsons movie, it grossed almost $200 million and received generally good reviews. Frankly, the movie was better than most episodes, thanks to the original creative team of the show working on The Simpsons Movie.

Fans used to worry the premiere of a feature film would herald the end of the series, but not so. The Simpsons is still the longest-running comedy in TV history.