History YMMV / TheSimpsons

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]] and [[TheSociopath Sideshow Bob]], the two central antagonists, are considered to be very entertaining to watch -- the former for being LaughablyEvil and the latter for being EvilIsCool.
** [[ApatheticTeacher Ms. Hoover]], [[ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife Helen Lovejoy]], and [[EvilOldFolks Agnes Skinner]], on the other hand, are considered to be the most dislikable characters in the series for having no such stand-out qualities.
** A reason Lisa is a BaseBreakingCharacter often falls into this with her need to be better than everyone she meets to the point of outright sabotaging her betters either directly or indirectly. She is at her worst in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS14E3BartVsLisaVsTheThirdGrade Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade]]". After spending the entire episode resenting Bart for getting higher grades, disregarding his advice, and demeaning him behind his back, she had the gall to say that it was Bart's job to protect her.

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]] and [[TheSociopath Sideshow Bob]], the two central antagonists, are considered to be very entertaining to watch -- the former for being LaughablyEvil and the latter for being EvilIsCool. [[ApatheticTeacher Ms. Hoover]], [[ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife Helen Lovejoy]], and [[EvilOldFolks Agnes Skinner]], on the other hand, are considered to be the most dislikable characters in the series for having no such stand-out qualities.

** Ask people what Sideshow Bob episodes are about, and they'll usually say "Bob trying to murder Bart." Of the various Bob episodes in the first eight seasons, only one ("Cape Feare") had Bob's primary scheme being to kill Bart; in all the others, it's at most a side scheme, and several have him not caring about Bart at all. If anything, [[NeverRecycleYourSchemes they almost made a point to avoid him repeating schemes]]. After "Cape Feare", the first episode where Bob's primary motive is trying to murder Bart is "Funeral for a Fiend", which happens in the ''nineteenth'' season. By later seasons, that motive actually ''does'' become the focus of several of his episodes, usually while trying to lampshade that Bob has schemed to kill Bart countless times.

** Homer is legendary for [[NewJobsAsThePlotDemands being continually fired or quitting his job at the Nuclear Plant to take on random new professions.]] Except, throughout the Classic Era, Homer only actually is fired fired once, in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E3HomersOdyssey Homer's Odessey]]", the third episode of the series (and first written), and he never quits outside of a flashback story [[note:]]He's laid off in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E11BurnsVerkaufenDerKraftwerk Burns Verkaufen Der Kraftwerk]]" after the plant comes under new management, but never gets a new job before he is rehired.[[/note]]. The majority of NewJobPlot's are either implicitly or explicitly side-hustles he is doing atop his regular job at the plant ([[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E20ColonelHomer acting as Lurleen Lumpkin's manager]], [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E9MrPlow running a snow plow business]], [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E15HomieTheClown Krusty impersonator]]) or are related directly to Burns' business in some manner ([[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E10Springfield working as a dealer at the casino Burns runs]], [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E17HomerTheSmithers filling in for Smithers as Burns' assistant on the former's request]], [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E2YouOnlyMoveTwice being given a better offer at a rival company]]). It's only in the DenserAndWackier Scully era that Homer's propensity for new occupations becomes a series fixture.

* TheScrappy: Everyone in this show is a BaseBreakingCharacter in some way, but these are the characters just about everyone hates.
** Marvin Monroe is hated by almost everyone, mostly because of his annoying raspy voice, but also for his judgmental stance. His voice actor, Creator/HarryShearer wanted the character removed from the show because voicing him actually damaged Shearer himself. And even Creator/MattGroening [[CreatorsPest hated his annoying voice]], which is why he was removed from the show.
** The Crazy Cat Lady gets a lot of heat for having one joke [[FlatCharacter (it's in the name)]] that keeps getting used long after it stopped being funny.
** Rich Texan as well, for the same reason -- his one joke is that he's a tired Texan cowboy stereotype.
** The Yes Guy is a similar one-joke character. His entire shtick consists of an exaggerated "Yeeeeeeeees" pronunciation in a parody of radio/TV comedian Frank Nelson. He was introduced in Season 10 and his (admittedly infrequent) appearances quickly lost their humor.
** While Ned is a fan-favorite and some people [[FanonDiscontinuity really hated the episode where his wife Maude was killed off]], few people like their sons, Rod and Todd Flanders, since they are little more than a boring, overly sheltered pair of goody-two-shoes, whose life is always PlayedForLaughs, leaving little development or depth to either of them.
** Miss Hoover is generally disliked for being an extreme case of an ApatheticTeacher with no sense of humor. Plenty of fans call her the most boring character in the show.
** Gil Gunderson. He was introduced in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E9RealtyBites Realty Bites]]" as a parody of Creator/JackLemmon in ''Film/GlengarryGlenRoss'', but soon became a recurring character. While occasionally amusing, Gil's never developed beyond being a StrawLoser despite receiving several [[ADayInTheLimelight focus episodes]] and is often depicted as a moocher (especially in "Kill Gil"). It doesn't help that he occasionally works as an incompetent attorney, which led many to label him a ReplacementScrappy for [[Creator/PhilHartman Lionel Hutz]] (which itself is not helped by the fact that Gil's first appearance also happened to be Hutz's final appearance before he got DemotedToExtra).
** [[https://www.nohomers.net/showthread.php?115410-Jenda-Does-she-need-any-improvement Jenda]], Bart's future wife, many fans find her a flat, pretty boring and disappointing character. Worse, still, the Jean-era episodes canonize her as Bart's future wife when the role could have gone to almost anyone else and it would have been more interesting like Jessica, Sherri or Terri. Most of Bart's other love interests (particularly Mary Spuckler in her later appearances) are also often derided for being too vindictive of him.
** Mike Wegman, for being an [[LoonyFan annoying, obnoxious fan]] of Homer with a habit of [[HairTriggerTemper easily lashing out at anyone]], especially Bart, who insults his idol, and having no likable traits. It doesn't help that he has made recurring appearances.
** The Spuckler family, for being a one-note family of redneck stereotypes whose jokes consist largely of either jokes about Cletus and Brandine's incestuous relationship or their impossibly large number of children. It doesn't help that they became seriously overexposed over Jean's tenure as showrunner, to the point of getting ADayInTheLimelight nearly OnceASeason in the 2010s, and still never developing past their initial traits.
** Hubert Wong is often disliked by fans for being a one-note rival to Lisa, and a blatant SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for [[EnsembleDarkhorse Alison]]. It doesn't help that one of his few significant appearances depicted him as a slimy CorruptCorporateExecutive and RomanticFalseLead, making him very difficult to root for or sympathise with.

* BrokenBase:
** Were the first two or three seasons part of the show's classic era or just so rife with EarlyInstallmentWeirdness (and the first season's [[OffModel horrid art and bizarre animation]]) that it's hard to watch them again and take them seriously, considering how much the show has changed?
** Latin American viewers are divided in regards about the dubbed version, which changed almost completely in the sixteenth season. Some consider the voices, while nowhere as good as the originals, aren't ''that'' important, while others [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks consider this ruined the series beyond repair]].
** In the same vein, should the show keep making new episodes? Many fans who don't like the new seasons still don't want to see it go off the air, and some of the people who do like them would rather see FOX or Matt Groening MercyKill the series before it stops being good. Also, there are some people [[JustHereForGodzilla who just stay for]] the ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes and/or the occasional obscure cultural references.
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E23HomersEnemy Homer's Enemy]]" (the episode with Frank Grimes): Brilliant deconstruction of the show's absurdity, or painfully and humorlessly dark? The only thing fans agree on is that the episode is only accessible to long-time viewers.
** Which season is the last classic-era season? Seasons 8, 9, or 10?
*** Season 8 is felt to be better than Seasons 9-24 but worse than Seasons 1-7, whether it's SeasonalRot or flawed but still fun is debatable. Seasons 9 and 10 are either considered flawed but better than later seasons, or the moment the show went downhill. The only thing fans seem to agree on is that Season 9 is probably where the series should have ended.
*** Seasons 11-onward are generally agreed to be worse than Seasons 1 through 10, but beyond that, there's little consensus on how they compare to each other.
** Who was the better showrunner? For the classic era: Is it Al Jean & Mike Reiss, David Mirkin, or Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein? For the post-classic era: Is it Al Jean or Mike Scully? For Jean's episodes as showrunner, which were better: Seasons 13-16 when he tried to emulate Seasons 1-8, or Seasons 17-present when the show has turned into a watered-down ''Family Guy'' and ''South Park''?
*** Mirkin may have an advantage here, as his showrunnership took place in Seasons 5-6, bang in the middle of what is generally considered to be the classic era. Those two seasons probably receive less criticism than any of the others.
*** One reason Season 9 (1997-98) is so divisive among Simpsons fans is that besides then-showrunner Mike Scully, his predecessors also produced episodes throughout this season. Al Jean & Mike Reiss (Seasons 3 and 4) oversaw "Lisa's Sax" and "Simpson Tide", David Mirkin (Seasons 5 and 6) oversaw "All Singing, All Dancing" and "The Joy Of Sect", and outgoing showrunners Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein (Seasons 7 and 8) had "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson", "Lisa The Simpson", and the infamous "The Principal And The Pauper", with Scully overseeing the rest of the season. Thus, the season can come across as a hodgepodge of all the showrunners' philosophies up to that point in the series.
** Over "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E13SaddlesoreGalactica Saddlesore Galactica]]". Many fans hate this episode and call it one of the worst ever, but a fair number enjoy it because it spoofs the {{Flanderization}} and [[DenserAndWackier absurd plots]] that started to crop up in Season 9. The other "meta" episodes, like "Behind the Laughter", are also divisive--some fans think self-referential humor is just obnoxious and dull (and thus a FranchiseOriginalSin), while others like that the show has a sense of humor about itself, but none of them are as controversial as "Galactica".
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E14TheItchyAndScratchyAndPoochieShow The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show]]", a focus group asks kids if they'd prefer Itchy and Scratchy to have more down-to-earth plotlines like people have every day or wacky, far out adventures with robots and magic powers. The kids answer enthusiastically to both options. The writers commented that at the time they felt stuck between these two avenues of the fanbase, with half the fans wanting the show to stay grounded in reality, others wanting it to get crazier and crazier.
** What was the last "classic episode"? While most would agree that the quality of the series declined in Season 9, with 10 being the last classic season, there are still episodes beyond them deemed "classic" and thus essential viewing. Contenders include: Season 11's "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E22BehindTheLaughter Behind the Laughter]]" and Season 12's "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E18TrilogyOfError Trilogy of Error]]". Whether any episode from these post-classic and HD era can reach up to the heights the classics achieved is another debate.
** With the departure and subsequent replacement of long time series composer Alf Clausen with Music/HansZimmer and his company Bleeding Fingers Music in Season 29. Fans are split as to whether the music is as good as the previous seasons, or if it's marginally worse in comparison.
** The switch over to computer animation. While some believe that the show looks more polished, others find the original, hand-drawn animation style to be much more charming.
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E1StarkRavingDad Stark Raving Dad]]" becoming a MissingEpisode as of 2019. While allegations of child molestation, one resulting in a court trial that ended in a not guilty verdict, had been leveled by multiple parties against Music/MichaelJackson from 1993 onward, the 2019 documentary ''Leaving Neverland'' (focusing on two of the alleged victims' detailed stories of abuse and manipulation) was the tipping point for the ''Simpsons'' producers, who now feel that Jackson's motives for appearing on the show were not what they believed them to be. Especially after the show's streaming move to Creator/DisneyPlus, which was how many people first found out that the episode was no longer available anywhere aside from the Season 3 DVD set, there is a debate between fans who feel that the producers have a right to choose to drop the episode, and those who feel Jackson's presence was/is no worse than that of other controversial guest stars (i.e. Creator/MelGibson, Music/TedNugent, etc.) and/or do not believe the documentary in the first place and feel a classic episode is being unnecessarily locked up.
** Was the "Viva Ned Flanders" episode good or bad? Some people think the plot of Homer and Ned going to Vegas was funny, but others think it was too nonsensical the revelation that Ned is sixty.
*** Hell, even Ned's age in general. He looks like he's in his 30s but apparently went to school with Krusty, who is older than the now-39-year-old Homer (in ''Treehouse of Horror VIII'', Ned is 35--''way'' past the life expectancy in colonial Salem, but the episode is of course non-canon).
** Is "Brick Like Me" the writers' love letter to the LEGO franchise or is it a forced 25-minute advertisement to the recently-launched LEGO Simpsons range? The fact that LEGO is referred directly and not as [[ProductDisplacement a parody brand]] borders on the later part, and the CGI animation used heavily throughout the episode arguably does not help.
** The much longer couch gags that have become increasingly prevalent since the show moved to being produced in HD, sometimes eating up well over a minute of the episode. Some fans consider them to be pure {{padding}}, but others regard them (especially the ones produced by guest animators) as actually more entertaining and creative than most of the actual episodes themselves.
** "The Principal and the Pauper" is a big one. Many, if not most, viewers (and some of the production people) hate it for the revelation that Skinner was an impostor, but a few people defend the episode and like it for its comedy, claiming the haters are irrational and just don't like change. There are even base-breaking moments ''within'' the episode: some people feel that the jokes about Skinner saying out-of-character things (e.g. the famous line "Up yours, children!") are the only redeeming quality of the episode, whereas other people think they're just lazy writing. And the ending, where the "real Skinner" is rounded out of town and the citizens pretend he never existed-- is that a good parody of StatusQuoIsGod, or is it overly mean-spirited and/or the writers belatedly realising that they made a bad choice? Another thing fans argue about with this episode is whether or not it's canon: Lisa calls Skinner, "Principal Tamzarian" in "I (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", but another episode has Skinner in utero, and when Matt Groening complained about the episode, he claimed that it can be dismissed as non-canon.
** "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" has few people who find it ''great'' but there is a conflict between those who hate it and those who think it's just okay. A common point of conflict is whether the BlackComedy jokes were truly funny, or if they were just tasteless.
** In 2020, it was announced that the show's non-white characters (including Dr. Hibbert, Bumblebee Man, Dr. Nick, Carl, Lou, and Cookie Kwan) would no longer be voiced by white actors. Fans are split about whether this was a good way to address the show's ValuesDissonance or if the GrandfatherClause should have stayed in effect.
*** Similarly, the show retiring Apu for good in 2023 is quite contested amongst fans. Some approve of it, seeing him as a ''very'' [[OvershadowedByControversy controversial]] EthnicScrappy who has done enough damage to people of South Asian descent, while others wish that he had just been recasted by a South Asian actor, seeing him as far [[BreakoutCharacter too iconic of a character]] to just throw away. And then there are those who just want Creator/HankAzaria back, [[CantUnhearIt being unable to hear anyone else but him]] as the voice of Apu. Obviously, these debates can get rather heated.

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains:
** [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]] and [[TheSociopath Sideshow Bob]], the two central antagonists, are considered to be very entertaining to watch -- the former for being LaughablyEvil and the latter for being EvilIsCool.
** [[ApatheticTeacher Ms. Hoover]], [[ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife Helen Lovejoy]], and [[EvilOldFolks Agnes Skinner]], on the other hand, are considered to be the most dislikable characters in the series for having no such stand-out qualities.

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]] and [[TheSociopath Sideshow Bob]], the two central antagonists, are considered to be very entertaining to watch -- the former for being LaughablyEvil and the latter for being EvilIsCool.

** Lisa is why she's a BaseBreakingCharacter with some episodes painting her as an EntitledBastard especially in one episode where she and Bart in third grade and Lisa treats him like crap and expects him to be there since he is her brother.

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns]] and [[TheSociopath Sideshow Bob]], the two central antagonists, are considered to be very entertaining to watch -- the former for being LaughablyEvil and the latter for being EvilIsCool. [[ApatheticTeacher Ms. Hoover]], [[ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife Helen Lovejoy]], and [[EvilOldFolks Agnes Skinner]], on the other hand, are considered to be the most dislikable characters in the series for having no such stand-out qualities.

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E5TheCartridgeFamily The Cartridge Family]]", the episode where Homer buys a gun, he brings it into the Kwik-E-Mart, which causes Apu to believe that he is going to rob him. He denies this, but then fantasizes what life would be like if he did rob the store, which ''somehow'' leads him to become a State senator (sitting in a rocking chair and sporting a monocle, no less) and for Marge to be a go-go dancer as a 60s-inspired jaunty tune nonsensically plays.
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E16HomerLovesFlanders Homer Loves Flanders]]" has Homer being conned out of some money by Bart who deceived him into believing he had tickets to a football game. He was instead given a wig coupon, which then leads to an ImagineSpot featuring him wearing a "Marge" wig, imitating her voice and muttering to himself, "I don't need her at all anymore." [[note]]Although in the final episode of that same season, "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E22SecretsOfASuccessfulMarriage Secrets of a Successful Marriage]]", we see that, yes, he does need her and would essentially ''die'' if he didn't have her to take care of him since he is unable to properly care for himself.[[/note]]

* BaseBreakingCharacter:
** Marge is this, mostly due to her constant meddling and interfering in things that aren't her business (even using emotional warfare) and rarely learning from her mistakes, despite almost every other character on the show rarely learning from their mistakes. On the other hand, some people think she makes up for this by being an amazing mother and the only thing stopping Homer and Bart from crossing into pure sociopathy, while her few negative qualities only make her funnier. Her self-righteousness was strongest on the earliest seasons (wrecking Homer's chances of succeeding a number of times because she considered it immoral, although it's easy to see that many of Homer's actions were immoral). Her character being associated with several aspects of the "Karen" stereotype in the late 2010s/early 2020s only made things more divisive.
** Lisa. She's either loved for being a smart, sensitive, progressive-thinking young girl or hated for being a preachy, occasional AuthorAvatar in Matt Groening's various [[TheWarOnStraw Wars on Straw]] who gets everything benefiting her regardless of her words or deeds.
** Bart seems to have become this as he became flanderized into a full-blown sociopath. He's either considered an unlikable brat or a JerkassWoobie.
** Homer. Is he a funny oaf or a sociopathic monster who constantly physically abuses his son, and is emotionally neglectful to everyone in his life?
** Comic Book Guy, after {{Flanderization}} turned him into a StrawFan. The debate is over whether or not he's actually ''funny'' as one.
** Sideshow Bob. While many still enjoy his suave and EvilIsCool moments, others have grown tired of him and think he's outstayed his welcome. It doesn't help matters that the show giving him such a detailed life and extended family has led to some fans not finding him mysterious or threatening anymore. His severe MotiveDecay and subsequent {{Flanderization}} haven't helped in this regard either. However, he was genuinely scary in ''Treehouse of Horror XXVI'' and the beginning of "Cape Feare".
** Apu has become an extremely divisive character over the years, especially among Indian-Americans. Some say he's an enjoyable character whose stereotypical traits are no worse than any of the other stereotyped characters on the show, while others think he's a full-blown EthnicScrappy who doesn't even remotely resemble a real Indian person, a criticism that has also been applied to the show's other non-white characters such as Judge Roy Snyder or Dr. Nick Riviera.
** Manjula and the octuplets. While she was seen (at first) as being HappilyMarried to Apu and the babies as impossibly cute (and possibly [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter wasted characters]]), they also get dislike due to always appearing nagging and complaining, and eventually due to their presence turning Apu from a quirky and lovable character into a miserable sad-sack whose only schtick now is "complain about my family".
** Herb Powell. Some love him for being the CoolUncle to his nephew and nieces and for being voiced by Creator/DannyDeVito. Others dislike him due to him blaming Homer for ruining his company, [[NeverMyFault refusing to acknowledge the fact his company was already falling apart because of his own fault]]. Those not fond of Herb view his later reconciliation with Homer in "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" as undeserved, and his subsequently becoming broke again as LaserGuidedKarma.
** Sideshow Mel. Some like him for being the show's biggest LargeHam and sympathize with him due to the [[ButtMonkey constant mistreatment he endures]] from Krusty. However, others just find his LargeHam tendencies to be annoying and unfunny and think of him as a completely FlatCharacter who should have been written off the show a long time ago.
** Francesca and Gino Terwilliger, Sideshow Bob's wife and son. Some people find the idea of Bob [[RetiredMonster settling down and having a family]] with no hidden secret alternative is extremely [[OutOfCharacterMoment out of character for him]] and made him less threatening as a result, and consider their debut episode, "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS17E8TheItalianBob The Italian Bob]]", the start of Sideshow Bob's VillainDecay. Others find the idea of Sideshow Bob finding love to be [[OneTruePairing adorable]], and feel that him having a family [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes doesn't get in the way of his evil nature]], especially considering Francesca and Gino are shown to be [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether just as murderous as Bob]]. Francesca is also popular as an OCStandIn for those in Sideshow Bob's sizable EstrogenBrigade. Currently, they haven't made an appearance after "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS19E8FuneralForAFiend Funeral for a Fiend]]", which some decry as a case of TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter and others consider a sign that even the writers regret making them.
** Kumiko, Comic Book Guy's LoveInterest who was introduced in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS25E10MarriedToTheBlob Married to the Blob]]". Fan opinions on her can be divided into three camps. Some love her for being an absolute sweetheart who perfectly contrasts her grump of a husband and who finally put an end to his [[NerdsAreVirgins years of loneliness]]. Others dislike her for being a cliché ManicPixieDreamGirl and for being too much of a stereotype of Japanese women (as she's a {{Kawaiiko}} who [[MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow falls head-over-heels in love with a white guy]]). Yet others love Kumiko as an individual character, but wish she hadn't been created to be Comic Book Guy's wife, as Comic Book Guy is a very divisive character and [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim a lot of people don't understand how someone could find him attractive]].

*** Homer did not intentionally attempt to jump Springfield Gorge. While he ''threatened'' to do so in a desperate attempt to dissuade Bart, the actual jump was an accident resulting from Homer thoughtlessly standing on Bart's skateboard while lecturing him, causing him to unwittingly roll down the slope. This is not helped by future CallBacks making it sound like Homer ''did'' attempt the jump on-purpose.

** Contrary to popular belief, the second time Homer fell down Springfield Gorge after falling out of the ambulance was never shown the first time the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E8BartTheDaredevil Bart The Daredevil]]" aired, nor was it the writers' intention to do so. That footage was created exclusively for "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E18SoItsComeToThisASimpsonsClipShow So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show]]".

** Apu has become an extremely divisive character over the years, especially among Indian-Americans. Some say he's an enjoyable character whose stereotypical traits are no worse than any of the other stereotyped characters on the show, while others think he's a full-blown EthnicScrappy who doesn't even remotely resemble a real Indian person, a criticism that has also been applied to the show's other non-white characters such as Judge Ron Snyder or Dr. Nick Riviera.

** The reason Maude Flanders was KilledOffForReal in "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" wasn't because of [[ActorLeavesCharacterDies the pay dispute with Maggie Roswell]] as is often claimed, [[TheOtherDarrin because she (along with Roswell's other characters) had been voiced by Marcia Mitzman Gaven after Roswell left]]. None of the other characters Roswell voiced were killed off and she later [[TheOriginalDarrin returned to the roles]]. Then-showrunner Mike Scully explained that this was actually done to open up new storylines for Ned.

** Homer's encounter with the giant spider in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E16Duffless Duffless]]".

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames:
** With few exceptions, most ''Simpsons'' games are terrible, or at the very least, [[NintendoHard very difficult]]. The arcade game and ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsHitAndRun'', however, are regarded as classics, ''Bart's Nightmare'' is fairly decent, and the 2007 multi-platform game, despite camera issues, has some genuinely hilarious moments.
** Also averted with the pinball machine ''Pinball/TheSimpsonsPinballParty'', which pinball fans commonly regard as one of the 21st century's best.

* UnexpectedCharacter: [[spoiler:"'''''[[Characters/GravityFallsBillCipher BUY CRYPTO, SUCKERS!]]'''''"[[note]]Yes, Bill was just a cameo, but still.[[/note]]]]

** The death of Frank Grimes.

** Bart/Laura Powers is very beloved due to the chemistry between the two's rebellous prankster personalities, and hearing Laura's promise of how she'd date Bart once he grew up a bit more in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E8NewKidOnTheBlock New Kid on the Block]]" was icing on the cake. Even ''Bartkira'', a 2014 fanwork combining the story of ''{{Manga/Akira}}'' with the aesthetics of The Simpsons, was more than happy to pair Bart/Laura together as the main duo. In addition to this, several of Bart's future love interests are considered [[FlatCharacter uninteresting and bland]], adding even more support to the pairing.
** Milhouse/Samantha Stankey. Much in the vein of Bart/Laura, Milhouse/Samantha is especially adored due to the love the two shared in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E23BartsFriendFallsInLove Bart's Friend Falls in Love]]", and out of spite in regards to future seasons forcibly portraying him as a hopeless loser by having him go after TheOneThatGotAway and [[ThrowTheDogABone winning her back against all odds]].

* OlderThanTheyThink: Many of the commonly cited examples of how "''The Simpsons'' predicted" various things are actually cases of the show simply doing then-topical jokes about things that still happen to be relevant today. Autocorrect had been a common word processing feature for a while when the "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E8LisaOnIce Eat Up Martha]]" gag was written, and it was specifically a swipe at the infamously lousy handwriting recognition function on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Newton Apple Newton]].[[note]]''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'' similarly satirized the Newton [[https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1993/08/27 about a year before]] ''The Simpsons''[[/note]] The gag about Creator/DonaldTrump becoming President in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E17BartToTheFuture Bart to the Future]]" was a reference to his short-lived campaign for the Reform Party nomination in 2000.

*** One reason season 9 (1997-98) is so divisive among Simpsons fans is that besides then-showrunner Mike Scully, his predecessors also produced episodes throughout this season. Al Jean & Mike Reiss (seasons 3 and 4) oversaw "Lisa's Sax" and "Simpson Tide", David Mirkin (seasons 5 and 6) oversaw "All Singing, All Dancing" and "The Joy Of Sect", and outgoing showrunners Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein (seasons 7 and 8) had "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson", "Lisa The Simpson", and the infamous "The Principal And The Pauper", with Scully overseeing the rest of the season. Thus, the season can come across as a hodgepodge of all the showrunners' philosophies up to that point in the series.

* CantUnhearIt: Go ahead, read [[ComicBook/TheSimpsons the comics]] (or some ''Simpsons'' fanfiction) without hearing the voices of each of the characters or even try to stop yourself from doing impressions of them. Best of luck.

** Many neurodivergent viewers view Bart Simpson as having hyperactive-impulsive type ADHD. This reading primarily focuses on his impulsive nature and his struggles in academia, which are shown to be independent of traditional laziness and actively impede his attempts to do better even when he tries his hardest (as shown in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E1BartGetsAnF "Bart Gets an F"]]).