History YMMV / TheSimpsons

** And [[GentlemanThief the Springfield Cat Burglar]], from "Homer The Vigilante," though a one-shot character, arguably qualifies too. He manages to steal from several homes very sneakily, (the in-story newspaper states that he struck at least 15 homes) and is implied to have done so without waking up any of their occupants; he also distracts the pets with food. He leaves a CallingCard, too, and yet this doesn't lead back to him. [[spoiler:His identity is revealed when Abe Simpson finds a suspiciously large gem on Malloy's coffee table, but [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation that he would even think to look could probably be attributable to "mistaking" Malloy coming into his room for the cat burglar coming into his room earlier on]]. Also, once caught, he [[AffablyEvil returns the items he stole and speaks very kindly about the rest of Springfield]]. He gets put in jail anyway, and tells the police that he buried millions of dollars' worth of money under a big T. [[WhatAnIdiot Idiotically enough]], the police as well as the whole town rush to the site, not bothering to leave anyone behind to supervise his cell. As such, when they get to the big T, instead of finding the money, they find a letter [[BatmanGambit stating that the money isn't really there and that he's used this time to escape from jail.]]
* MemeticMutation: Oh so many, it now has its [[Memes/TheSimpsons own section]].]]

* MemeticMutation: Oh so many, it now has its [[Memes/TheSimpsons own section]].

* CharacterAlignment: Well, [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/align5_9583.jpg this chart]] represents at least one interpretation of Simpsons character alignments.
** LawfulGood: Ned Flanders is both one of the kindest and one of the most genuinely obedient characters in Springfield.
** NeutralGood: Though not very rebellious, Lisa has on many occasions objected to (and in some cases broken) rules she considers unjust.
** ChaoticGood: It's implied that Mona Simpson [[spoiler:was on the run from the law for [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight helping wreck Burns' biological warfare lab]].]]
** LawfulNeutral: Skinner is portrayed as valuing adherence to established rules above all else, even to the point of [[spoiler:punishing Bart for skipping school even after Bart gave witness testimony to the court that he would not have seen had he not skipped school.]]
** TrueNeutral: Homer Simpson isn't portrayed as being as moral as Ned, Lisa, or Mona
** ChaoticNeutral: Bart Simpson is a long-time prankster and a VERY rebellious kid.
** LawfulEvil: Though not ENTIRELY lawful, it's a major theme with Burns more so than other Simpsons villians that he takes advantage of loopholes in the law that allow his evil schemes, and Burns happens to have the law on his side much more often than other major Simpsons villains.
** NeutralEvil: Fat Tony (and apparently, Springfield's organized crime community as a whole) clearly doesn't bother with the rules as much as Burns does, but still has a sense of planning and pragmatism to crime that makes it seem ALMOST orderly.
** ChaoticEvil: Snake Jailbird is probably the most unapologetically lawless Simpsons villain of all, and does not seem to have moments of pragmatism or planning comparable to those of Springfield's organized crime community.
%% If some other troper is aware of moments that DO qualify, please replace or reword my description. I have not watched all Simpsons episodes and am aware that when I claim something is not there I could be wrong.

** One of the worst cases of Character Derailment was the entire population of Springfield in the episode "[[SoBadItsHorrible The Boys of Bummer]]." In the other episodes, the people of Springfield are at best [[CloudCuckoolander amusing weirdos]] and at worst [[RalphWiggum morons]]. But this episode borderline portrayed them as ChaoticEvil {{Complete Monster}}s. May also overlap with DudeNotFunny below.

* FanDumb: Been around so long that even ''professional'' reviewers get away with outstandingly negative reviews over the most trivial crap. Amusingly put into the series itself with the Comic Book Guy.

** TrueNeutral: Homer Simpson isn't portrayed as being as moral as Ned, Lisa, or Mona, but nonetheless does help save the day in some episodes.
** ChaoticNeutral: Bart Simpson is a long-time prankster and a VERY rebellious kid, but that doesn't stop him from doing the right thing on occasion.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Slideshow Bob. Originally he was going to be a one-shot villan, but has kept coming back. He has been voted the 66th greatest villan of all time.

* CharacterAlignment: Well, [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/align5_9583.jpg this chart]] represents [[YourMileageMayVary at least one]] interpretation of Simpsons character alignments.

* TheWesley: [[YourMileageMayVary Some would say]] Lisa after her CharacterDerailment.
** Don't forget Ned Flanders after he turned into religious fanaticism given form.

* CompleteMonster: Burns is a potential candidate for this, since his KickTheDog moments are much more frequent than those of other Simpsons villains. The few excuses he is given seem so disconnected from his evil, he is hated throughout Springfield, (Who Shot Mr. Burns has even Snake Jailbird apologizing for not being around to shoot him) and he is implied within the show, by Lisa Simpson, to be irredeemable. YourMileageMayVary on whether or not his evil deeds are heinous enough to be completely monstrous, though.
** On the other hand, Mr. Burns only seems to be a CompleteMonster [[DesignatedVillain when the story needs him to be]]. If anything, his penchant for evil seems to [[DependingOnTheWriter come and go with the seasons]], and in some episodes he can even be ActuallyPrettyFunny, or toned down to little more than a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
*** Regardless of the writer, though, this JerkWithAHeartOfGold is still the same character who tortures dogs, sends attack dogs after hungry children who try to steal food he would otherwise dispose of, and has attempted murder on a child at least once. You would think the writers would keep that in mind.

** It is perhaps worth noting that Homer was already portrayed as a rather mean spirited character in his debut in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' produced shorts, generally acting as a one note angry parent that constantly snapped at his children (and sometimes even his wife) for infractions that ranged from justifiable to very mild. Like the other characters, his sadism was toned down when the series itself was made, but became even worse when the show reverted back to wackier characterizations similar to the shorts.

** It is perhaps worth noting that Homer was already portrayed as a rather mean spirited character in his debut in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' produced shorts, generally acting as a one note angry parent that constantly snapped at his children (and sometimes even his wife) for occasionally rather mild infractions. Like the other characters, his sadism was toned down when the series itself was made, but became even worse when the show reverted back to wackier characterizations similar to the shorts.

** LawfulEvil: Though not ENTIRELY lawful (he has on occasion resorted to {{blackmail}} and bribery) it is a common theme with Burns, more so than with other Simpsons villians, that he takes advantage of loopholes in the law that allow his evil schemes, and Burns happens to have the law on his side much more often than other major Simpsons villains.

*** That implies inconsistent characterization, though. Regardless of the writer, this JerkWithAHeartOfGold is the same character who tortures dogs, sends attack dogs after hungry children who try to steal food he would otherwise dispose of, and has attempted murder on a child at least once. You would think the writers would keep that in mind.

*** That implies inconsistent characterization, though. Regardless of the writer, this JerkWithAHeartOfGold is the same character who tortures dogs, sends attack dogs after hungry children who try to steal food he would otherwise, and has attempted murder on a child at least once. You would think the writers would keep that in mind.

*** That implies inconsistent characterization, though. Regardless of the writer, this JerkWithAHeartOfGold is the same character who tortures dogs, applies the SadisticChoice, sends attack dogs after hungry children who try to steal food he would otherwise, and has attempted murder on a child at least once. You would think the writers would keep that in mind.

** ChaoticEvil: Snake Jailbird is probably the most unapologetically lawless Simpsons villain of all, and does not seem to have moments of pragmatism or planning comparable to the organized crime community.

** On the other hand, Mr. Burns only seems to be a CompleteMonster [[DesignatedVillain when the story needs him to be]]. If anything, his penchant for evil seems to [[DependingOnTheWriter come and go with the seasons]], and in some episodes he can even be ActuallyPrettyFunny.

** LawfulEvil: Though not ENTIRELY lawful (he has on occasion resorted to {{blackmail}} and bribery) it is a common theme with Burns, more so than with other Simpsons villians, that he takes advantage of loopholes in the law that allow his evil schemes. He seems to be the only major Simpsons villain to usually have the law on his side.
** NeutralEvil: Fat Tony (and apparently, Springfield's organized crime community as a whole) clearly doesn't bother with the rules as much as Burns does, but still has a sense of orderliness to crime.
** ChaoticEvil: Snake Jailbird is a much less orderly villain than other Simpsons villains tend to be.

** LawfulEvil: Though not ENTIRELY lawful (he has on occasion resorted to {{blackmail}} and bribery) it is a common theme with Burns, more so than with other Simpsons villians, that he takes advantage of loopholes in the law that allow his evil schemes.

*** But for some viewers, his very presence tends to bring his KickTheDog moments to mind even when he is not engaging in further evil deeds. On a sidenote, it's sort of [[FunWithAcronyms interesting]] that his name can be (and in the show has been) written as [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cm_burns_3108.jpg C. M. Burns.]]

* SeasonalRot: There is some varying opinions on exactly when it started, but most old-shcool Simpsons fans agrees that the quality of the series started to deteriorate somewhere between the begining of Season 9 and the end of Season 11.

** Don't forget Ned Flanders after he turned into religious fanaticism given form.
*** Flanders is not being used as an AuthorAvatar, though. That is a major (though not entirely required) component of the trope.