The Simpsons: 20th Season – DVD Review

The Film:

Since the television became known to be in every family’s living room, there have been very few sitcoms that have become intertwined with our everyday lives like The Simpsons have. Since its debut on December 17, 1989, the animated sitcom has made its way into living rooms and has become a powerhouse on TV. Still to this day, The Simpsons is the most accomplished sitcom among the animated competition that has come and go. In addition to the 20 plus seasons that have reached millions of fans (21^st season began airing on September 27^th, 2009), The Simpsons series has also released a feature-length film (Aired in Summer 2007) in addition to the many awards and recognitions. The 20^th Season DVD of the legendary sitcom attempts to prove that The Simpsons have and will continue to withstand the test of time and still manage to be relevant to two decades of loyal fans.

With nine new episodes, the first question of whether or not the sitcom could produce fresh, new, and entertaining material that hasn’t already been done by the longest running American sitcom was  answered. The episodes themselves weren’t full of fresh creativity, but there definitely were some levels of entertainment there. Without becoming awed at the longevity of the legendary sitcom, there were very watch-worthy twists to the topics in the new episodes. Of course it is always a plus to see that the voices of the characters haven’t changed and messed up the flow of things. The one thing that comes to mind when attempting to evaluate a long running series is not only if they stuck to the successful formula, but also if it was able to mix the very new with the old to make a better product. For the most part there was a success in that category. There isn’t much that could be done to the show itself that needed to be fixed and hasn’t already been addressed in previous years. However, all was not well with the DVD. I was more than a little shocked and disappointed that there were no deleted scenes or commentary in the special features portion. It was especially surprising due to the fact that so many of the previous season’s DVD’s had plenty extras, but that is where this DVD lacked. I do believe that this absence of commentaries by Matt Groening or any additional features will prove to be a major let down for fans and also be one to leave a bad taste in the loyal fans’ mouths.

Conclusion:

The show continues to be entertaining two decades from its debut, but there is still a problem of creativity that is inevitable after 20 seasons. Also the lack of special features will leave the fans very with a bad taste and unfulfilled.

Special Features:

The feature that is available is a short piece; “The 20^th Anniversary Special Sneak Peek by Morgan Spurlock.” Spurlock explores the influence and outreach that The Simpsons have put on the millions of people around the world.

The Film: Rating:

The DVD: Rating: