History YMMV / TheSimpsons

** In 2020, it was announced that the show's non-white characters (including Dr. Hibbert, Bumblebee Man, Dr. Nick, Apu, Carl, Lou the cop, Manjula, 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.

* CreatorWorship: Matt Groening gets little of the blame for the series' decline (having only a "Creative Consultant" credit for most seasons) while James L. Brooks gets none (likewise having no real involvement in the series for most of its run, having an "Executive Creative Consultant" credit for the entire series).

** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS27E9Barthood Barthood]]" is this for Homer, Marge (though to a lesser extent) and Lisa. For the parents, it is how they continuously pit Bart and Lisa against each other (which is one of the more subtle but particularly odious forms of bad parenting/child abuse) through their blatant ParentalFavoritism of the latter and their refusal to give the former [[TheUnfavourite any form of positive reinforcement]], as well as the fact that their JerkJustifications are essentially GrowingUpSucks. For Lisa, it is the fact that as much as she benefits and takes advantage of her favoritism, she pretends it doesn’t happen, as well as the fact that Bart was only able to succeed after cutting her out of his life. Given that Lisa being the catalyst for Bart’s failed attempts at bettering himself (intentionally or not) is a YoYoPlotPoint that has been heavily flanderized throughout the years. It cemented in people’s minds that she is the reason he always ends up a FutureLoser.

** Ned's overprotective treatment of his sons and their sheltered behaviour gives the lesson that kids ''need'' experience away from their parents from time to time in order to grow as people and learn hard lessons in wisdom for their adulthood. As flawed as Homer and Marge are, Bart, Lisa, and eventually Maggie will grow into well-adjusted, if not, reasonably flawed adults themselves. While Rod and Todd have warped views of the world and are vastly unprepared for adulthood due to their naivety and religious fundamentalism. Being overprotective can be just as damaging as being negligent.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Helen Lovejoy was initially hated by fans for being a whiny MoralGuardian who gossips about everyone. However, two factors caused her character to be re-examined: first, with Maude Flanders KilledOffForReal, Helen Lovejoy became Maggie Roswell's most prominent voice role once she returned to the show, allowing the writers to do a lot more with her and showcase a few HiddenDepths (such as her surprisingly-sweet relationship with her husband Timothy and her secret love of {{Goth}} fashion); and second, the ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife archetype (which Helen is an example of) became a lot more prominent in the latter half of TheNewTens, with many people having encountered at least one of them in their life. Nowadays, she's more of a LoveToHate character, and even has several genuine fans who love her catty and sassy personality.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Helen Lovejoy was initially hated by fans for being a whiny MoralGuardian who gossips about everyone. However, two factors caused her character to be re-examined: first, with Maude Flanders KilledOffForReal, Helen Lovejoy became Maggie Roswell's most prominent voice role once she returned to the show, allowing the writers to do a lot more with her and showcase a few HiddenDepths (such as her surprisingly-sweet relationship with her husband Timothy and her secret love of {{Goth}} fashion); and second, the ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife archetype (which Helen is an example of) became a lot more prominent in the latter half of TheNewTens, with many people having encountered at least one of them in their life. Nowadays, she's more of a LoveToHate character, and even has several genuine fans who love her catty "mean-girl-all-grown-up" personality.

* EvilIsSexy: Sideshow Bob has amassed a fair number of fangirls through the years, mostly due to [[Creator/KelseyGrammer his voice]]. The fact that he's a reasonably young man with a lot of charisma and acting talent doesn't hurt.

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

* FountainOfMemes: Principal Skinner. He spawned [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/principal-skinners-pathetic the “Pathetic” meme]], the ever-applicable [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/am-i-so-out-of-touch “Am I so out of touch? No, it’s the children who are wrong.”]], and, of course, [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/steamed-hams Steamed Hams]].

** 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 wasn’t 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]].

** Manjula and the octuplets. While she was seen (at first) as being HappilyMarried to Apu and the babies are impossibly cute (and possibly seen as [[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".

** 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 lead 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".

** 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 wasn’t created to be Comic Book Guy’s love interest, as Comic Book Guy is a very divisive character and [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim a lot of people don’t understand how someone could find him attractive]].

** With Kumiko (Comic Book Guy’s wife, introduced in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS25E10MarriedToTheBlob Married to the Blob]]", you have 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 wasn’t created to be Comic Book Guy’s love interest, as Comic Book Guy is a very divisive character and [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim a lot of people don’t understand how someone could find him attractive]].

* WinBackTheCrowd: Season 33 saw a noticeable uptick in both critical and fan interest in ''The Simpsons''. This season saw the well-liked long-time writer Matt Sellman take over most of the showrunning duties, who many fans credit with the shift in the show's direction. Points of praise include an uptick in the number of heartwarming character-driven episodes while still balancing the satire, a much greater willingness to experiment with episode formats and presentations, a better incorporation of the show's always-modern setting while still paying full homage to its past, and a more positive relationship with the show's fandom.

** Homer. Is he a funny oaf or a sociopathic monster who constantly physically abuses his son, is only ever two steps away from cheating on Marge, and is emotionally neglectful to everyone in his life?

** The first season often garners this reaction nowadays. It's generally considered superior to anything after Season 10 and most fans will include it as part of the show's GoldenAge, but it also has OffModel animation, slower pacing, and general EarlyInstallmentWeirdness that make it a little bit less popular than Seasons 2-8.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: The Scully era (namely Season 11-12 with the episodes "Saddlesore Galactica" and "A Tale of Two Springfields") got routinely scathing reviews and a good amount of a BrokenBase, but it has gotten praise by some as a brilliant surrealist, experimental take on all the cliches ''The Simpsons'' was dishing out. Some art critics have even called it a genuinely good work of post-modernism.

** 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 thoses 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.

** [[EnfantTerrible Jessica Lovejoy]] has a massive fanbase for someone who [[OneEpisodeWonder only had a speaking role in one episode]], thanks to her FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon demeanour and attractive design. She is the most outright evil of Bart's {{love interest}}s, and one of the most popular among fans.

** Parodied in Creator/DonHertzfeldt's CouchGag, which depicts the characters in the year 10,535 as hideous, incoherent mutants capable only of voicing {{Catch Phrase}}s, demands that you buy merchandise, and the occasional bit of SurrealHorror.

** Principal Skinner is commonly interpreted as autistic by fans, due to his fixation on education and all of its mediocrities (right down to the school’s ''hearing tests''), his love of routine, his difficulty understanding innuendos, his stilted and formal way of speaking, and the fact that [[MyBelovedSmother his mother Agnes smothers him and treats him like he’s still a little kid]] (which is sadly TruthInTelevision for many autistic people).

*** One reason season 9 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.

* Principal Skinner is commonly interpreted as autistic by fans, due to his fixation on education and all of its mediocrities (right down to the school’s ''hearing tests''), his love of routine, his difficulty understanding innuendos, his stilted and formal way of speaking, and the fact that [[MyBelovedSmother his mother Agnes smothers him and treats him like he’s still a little kid]] (which is sadly TruthInTelevision for many autistic people).