You don’t have to have blind devotion to something to be a fan of it. I don’t like new Pokémon but still am a fan of the first 3 generations. I’m a fan of the office but I don’t watch after season 7.
Curiously "cake" apparently comes from old Norse "kaka", which in many languages is the word for poo-poo, but is more probably related to roundness in this instance.
For the time being you will have to live with implying blind devotion when using the word "fan" to describe something other than an air circulation tool, since it was recently used in that fashion and sometimes still is. So even if you prefer the descriptive approach to linguistics this meaning is still relevant.
Side note, purely descriptive linguistics strike me as madness. I mean if the purpose of language is communication then constantly changing the definitions is kind of antithetical to that. Texts would become illegible in decades rather than centuries.
It evolved through the years. The actual fanatics who don't accept any criticism for their favorite show/movie/actor/singer/whatever tend to be labeled as stans. At least IME.
IME that meaning of "stan" is way younger than I am. I remember it just being a name. And I remember "fan" being used in the way "stan" is now, so I sometimes still use it like that.
Lost was good for a season and a half or so. If they would have kept the story moving instead of filling in fluff just for episodes and longevity, it could have had the same impact.
I like it. The whole thing is a tragedy about bickering over petty human power-struggles while eventually being overtaken by the problem you should have been working together against. Bring Peter Dinklage back in to narrate something to that effect over the scenes of the whitewalkers rampaging. Series sort of salvaged.
There's a fan edit called Game of Thrones Redeemed. Apparently it fixes that trainwreck into something reasonably satisfying, although I've not seen it yet.
I have friends who utterly refuse to acknowledge the last episode of Farscape. If it never happens for them, they can assume the adventures go on indefinitely.
I salute the Simpsons for its longevity, but I haven't watched it in years. If it ever ends in my lifetime, you can be sure I'll be watching the finale.
Speaking of fall in quality, Westworld had so much promise! I didn't even know if there's a season 4 because I stopped following anything about it in the news 2 episodes into season 3. I think I could rewatch the first 2 again. But that's going to have to wait until after DS9 I started a couple days ago.
I’ll actually come in and defend seasons 3&4 of Westworld.
If you were primarily watching it for the Western setting, then yeah - fair enough they won’t be for you as they are set within the ‘real world’.
But if you were enjoying the meta-narrative of human self-destruction via AI - then those last two seasons are truly on-point, even more-so now than when they first screened.
I only ever saw the first season. Maybe I'll get around to season 2 one day, but sounds like I can just skip the rest! Seems to happen to most shows nowadays.
Yes, and it was animated by a studio that assisted with the actual Death Note anime. Western shows parodying anime always have an ugly, super off style, but they went the extra mile and it looks like the real thing! Highly recommend it to any fan of anime in general. It's Treehouse of Horror XXXIII and the segment is called Death Tome.
Actually, that's almost exactly right. The writers consider the Golden Age as ending on season 9, episode 2, The Principal and the Pauper. That would basically mean only 8 seasons of Golden Age episodes. Out of 36 seasons, the Golden Age makes up only 22% of the show, leaving 78% of it unwatchable.
If the latest, most consistent form of a Simpsons meme came from the movie then it's likely most people are fans of the roughly first ten seasons. That said some of the episodes in the last six seasons have been getting much better even if they stray from comedy to some dramatic or darker tones.
That’s generous. Me, I’m ruthless. I’ll give you 1-8, with selected episodes of 9 or 10. After that, if you like one there will be an inquiry. Failure to prove hilarious genius will result in swift and permanent disbarment.
I remember at our weekly watch party when Lisa started singing “Jazz Man” and there was mass panic and a stampede of screaming confusion leaving only overturned chips and guac and spilled beverages as we ran out into the humid dark of night . . .
I agree on season 1 but have you looked at season 2 recently? I thought I was the same (start at 3) but for Halloween we watched through episodes of Tree House of Horror and Season 2 has some classic bits. The Raven was done quite well, Season 2 also has Marge vs Itchy and Scratchy, and Homer's half brother Herb.
Oh totally, there are some good ones in season 2. You could tell they were starting to hit their stride and the voices were getting to where they should be and the animation was massively better, but it still irks me hearing the "old voices". By season 3 that was all gone.
Ach. Well I understand. It’s because the rebellious, insolent, outrageous magic of those shows were largely outshone by the subsequent worldwide fame, fortune, and permanent installation.
Not that they haven’t held up, because they have - just that they became so standardized if you weren’t there during the days when if you didn’t see it live it was gone - it’s harder to appreciate. As those years rolled up everyone either knew what they were seeing or were just hearing about it (or, hilariously, were pointing it out to be anti-American flag-wavery, a lá Babs Bush). At a certain point they were undeniable. Season 3 sounds right.
even the early FAMILY guy, one episode was joking how 20-30+yo find simpsons still funny. its the one when stewie took over the world after killing lois.
You don’t have to have blind devotion to something to be a fan of it. I don’t like new Pokémon but still am a fan of the first 3 generations. I’m a fan of the office but I don’t watch after season 7.
Fan was originally short for fanatic, so it does actually imply blind devotion. Etymologically at least.
You know I will.
Curiously "cake" apparently comes from old Norse "kaka", which in many languages is the word for poo-poo, but is more probably related to roundness in this instance.
Thank god language evolves so that now a fan is someone interested in a thing
For the time being you will have to live with implying blind devotion when using the word "fan" to describe something other than an air circulation tool, since it was recently used in that fashion and sometimes still is. So even if you prefer the descriptive approach to linguistics this meaning is still relevant.
Side note, purely descriptive linguistics strike me as madness. I mean if the purpose of language is communication then constantly changing the definitions is kind of antithetical to that. Texts would become illegible in decades rather than centuries.
It evolved through the years. The actual fanatics who don't accept any criticism for their favorite show/movie/actor/singer/whatever tend to be labeled as stans. At least IME.
IME that meaning of "stan" is way younger than I am. I remember it just being a name. And I remember "fan" being used in the way "stan" is now, so I sometimes still use it like that.
> OldManYellingAtClouds.jpg
Recently I was wondering if I could apply that reasoning to Game of Thrones. I haven't watched it since that trainwreck of an ending.
One of the few endings that was so utterly awful it retroactively tainted my perception of the first solid 4-5 seasons.
Probably also the reason the book series will never get finished now :>
It's such a shame, because it was so fun for a while. It was culturally dominant in a way no fantasy TV show has ever been.
And died so cataclysmically like no other media I've ever seen.
Lost was good for a season and a half or so. If they would have kept the story moving instead of filling in fluff just for episodes and longevity, it could have had the same impact.
For me that show ends when the wall falls. The white walkers win, humanity is over.
I like it. The whole thing is a tragedy about bickering over petty human power-struggles while eventually being overtaken by the problem you should have been working together against. Bring Peter Dinklage back in to narrate something to that effect over the scenes of the whitewalkers rampaging. Series sort of salvaged.
Summer is coming.
There's a fan edit called Game of Thrones Redeemed. Apparently it fixes that trainwreck into something reasonably satisfying, although I've not seen it yet.
I have friends who utterly refuse to acknowledge the last episode of Farscape. If it never happens for them, they can assume the adventures go on indefinitely.
Did they watch The Peacekeeper Wars after finishing the show? Because it does help.
That still gives you more episodes to work with than, say, a Firefly fan.
Bruh. Too soon.
Gorram it
Only a true fan could hate most of something.
Yep. It means you've probably been around the longest.
Or you're Comic Book Guy.
I suppose I am. 2Simpsons4Me.
If the new stuff was any good, wouldn't there be meme of it?
How about the meme with Homer looking thin and having tons of skin on the back.
While I agree with you, there are just soooo much new Simpson stills that some do happen to make good memes.
And remember, those are from the episodes released so far…
Do The Bartman? At this time of year, at this time of day, playing repeatedly in your kitchen?
I didn’t do it
I’m in this post and I don’t like it
I'm not. I'm only 38
I was saying boo-urns
I'm 30, or 40 years old, and I don't need this.
I salute the Simpsons for its longevity, but I haven't watched it in years. If it ever ends in my lifetime, you can be sure I'll be watching the finale.
I salute Henrietta Lacks for her longevity.
Excuse me one second.
That's still like 13 years worth of episodes you actually like
Simpsons fans 🤝 Weezer fans
Have they jumped the shark? Sure. Do I still enjoy watching the occasional new episode? Sure.
Make some memes of gags from the current episodes.
Challenge level: Impossible.
I forgot to watch the treehouse episodes on Halloween :(
No loss. The last good one was in 2022 with the Death Note and Westworld parodies. One of their best episodes ever, even compared to the golden years.
Speaking of fall in quality, Westworld had so much promise! I didn't even know if there's a season 4 because I stopped following anything about it in the news 2 episodes into season 3. I think I could rewatch the first 2 again. But that's going to have to wait until after DS9 I started a couple days ago.
I’ll actually come in and defend seasons 3&4 of Westworld.
If you were primarily watching it for the Western setting, then yeah - fair enough they won’t be for you as they are set within the ‘real world’.
But if you were enjoying the meta-narrative of human self-destruction via AI - then those last two seasons are truly on-point, even more-so now than when they first screened.
Fair. I think I was just into the setting, although I would've loved some more of that samurai setting. Maybe I'll give it a second shot.
I only ever saw the first season. Maybe I'll get around to season 2 one day, but sounds like I can just skip the rest! Seems to happen to most shows nowadays.
Holy shit they made a Death Note one??? Righteous
Yes, and it was animated by a studio that assisted with the actual Death Note anime. Western shows parodying anime always have an ugly, super off style, but they went the extra mile and it looks like the real thing! Highly recommend it to any fan of anime in general. It's Treehouse of Horror XXXIII and the segment is called Death Tome.
A guilty pleasure, sure
Just the new stuff. ...
/s
King of the Hill is the better show.
valid, a debate worth having.
Family Guy on the other hand....
Surely it’s more like 80% now? No idea though.
Actually, that's almost exactly right. The writers consider the Golden Age as ending on season 9, episode 2, The Principal and the Pauper. That would basically mean only 8 seasons of Golden Age episodes. Out of 36 seasons, the Golden Age makes up only 22% of the show, leaving 78% of it unwatchable.
Yes!
No!
But in other words: Yes!
It's called seasons 1-9.
If the latest, most consistent form of a Simpsons meme came from the movie then it's likely most people are fans of the roughly first ten seasons. That said some of the episodes in the last six seasons have been getting much better even if they stray from comedy to some dramatic or darker tones.
Yeah, it's 11 or 12 usually the cut off for a lot of people?
That’s generous. Me, I’m ruthless. I’ll give you 1-8, with selected episodes of 9 or 10. After that, if you like one there will be an inquiry. Failure to prove hilarious genius will result in swift and permanent disbarment.
I remember at our weekly watch party when Lisa started singing “Jazz Man” and there was mass panic and a stampede of screaming confusion leaving only overturned chips and guac and spilled beverages as we ran out into the humid dark of night . . .
I think we've all been there
Really? I'm the opposite. I straight up can't watch the first season. The second isn't as bad but I'd prefer to skip to 3 when it was more polished.
I agree on season 1 but have you looked at season 2 recently? I thought I was the same (start at 3) but for Halloween we watched through episodes of Tree House of Horror and Season 2 has some classic bits. The Raven was done quite well, Season 2 also has Marge vs Itchy and Scratchy, and Homer's half brother Herb.
Oh totally, there are some good ones in season 2. You could tell they were starting to hit their stride and the voices were getting to where they should be and the animation was massively better, but it still irks me hearing the "old voices". By season 3 that was all gone.
Ach. Well I understand. It’s because the rebellious, insolent, outrageous magic of those shows were largely outshone by the subsequent worldwide fame, fortune, and permanent installation.
Not that they haven’t held up, because they have - just that they became so standardized if you weren’t there during the days when if you didn’t see it live it was gone - it’s harder to appreciate. As those years rolled up everyone either knew what they were seeing or were just hearing about it (or, hilariously, were pointing it out to be anti-American flag-wavery, a lá Babs Bush). At a certain point they were undeniable. Season 3 sounds right.
even the early FAMILY guy, one episode was joking how 20-30+yo find simpsons still funny. its the one when stewie took over the world after killing lois.