Entertainment – Page 5 – The Western Howl

Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor

I recently had the opportunity to view the Matt Walsh documentary “Am I Racist?” which has seen recent controversy and mixed reviews.

I had no clue what to expect before starting this film. Streaming exclusively on DailyWire+, a well-known conservative news outlet and streaming service, I knew there would be commentary about Walsh’s personal views throughout the film. What I didn’t expect was Walsh to be open-minded and willing to try and understand the subjects he was researching.

The description for the movie on DailyWire+ says, “Matt Walsh goes deep undercover as a DEI expert, hilariously skewering race hustlers and grifters.” However, I do not quite believe that that was Walsh’s true intention.

Throughout the documentary, he actively attends Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — DEI — workshops and reads anti-racist literature, such as “White Fragility” by author Robin DiAngelo. While there are jokes made at the expense of these workshops and books, Walsh gains insight into a topic he knows little about.

In one of the first scenes of the documentary, Walsh, under the guise of a fake name, attends a privilege support group, where attendees are meant to confront the privileges they have in their lives. While Walsh doesn’t take the workshop as seriously as one would hope, he is open to listening and hearing what others in attendance have to say. Eventually, he takes a moment to leave the room, but when he returns, the other members of the support group have discovered his true identity.

Walsh is asked to leave with the accusation that he is not truly taking the support group seriously. Though he tells them he is, out of respect for their wishes and their fears for their safety, he leaves, but not before the members of the support group call the police on him.

After this experience, Walsh knows that he is too recognizable to be able to participate in these spaces, so he alters his appearance to be able to have the opportunity to learn more about these topics.

Perhaps the biggest turning point in the documentary is when Walsh goes to the American South and interacts with patrons at a biker bar and random passersby on the street. While interacting with these people, Walsh purposefully tries to draw an unsavory response from the patrons, asking questions and using phrases to try and get what he wants. The responses he gets, however, are actually positive.

Their responses are not shown to be rooted in a certain ideology or belief system, but rather their personal experiences. At all ages, from the streets of New Orleans to little backwater burgs, every response Walsh receives is some variation of judging people by their character, not their race, gender or appearance. To them, if one is a kind person and shows respect, then that person will receive kindness and respect back. They do not believe that friendship and fair treatment are dependent on physical characteristics or belief systems, but rather the content of a person’s soul.

Throughout the 1 hour, 40-minute documentary, Walsh uses these different research methods to challenge his beliefs but also the beliefs of others.

Reviews for the film are polarized, with viewers either completely loving or hating it. On IMDb, user @gijoe-48397 gave it a one-star rating and said, “The movie tries to be ‘Borat’ but is not funny enough. The mockumentary is obsessed with how DEI impacts white people and ‘white guilt.’ The ending was terrible. Uncle Frank is ostracized for a joke he made 20 years ago. Uncle Frank is portrayed as a victim and the DEI expert eventually sees his side of things. This feels like a self-righteous fantasy. Uncle Frank should consider that maybe his family stopped talking to him because he is unpleasant to talk to. The entire movie feels like the fantasy of that hateful uncle at Thanksgiving that got uninvited for always talking trash. Overall the movie is self-obsessed and not funny.”

Other viewers who did not like the film shared similar sentiments, calling the movie “unfunny, self-absorbed and one-sided.”

Meanwhile, fans who enjoyed the movie raved about how the movie exceeded their expectations and found themselves enjoying every minute.

“This movie is excellent. My wife and I saw it over the weekend, and we haven’t laughed this much in a long time at the theatre. We both thought it was hilarious. On top of that, it is also enlightening and gives you a glimpse inside the world of DEI and systemic racism along with those who profit from it. Eye-opening. I feel like everyone should watch this movie. It’s also great to watch it in theatres because watching it with a crowd just enhances the experience. Everyone was laughing the whole time. I don’t want to give any spoilers at all because it’s worth it to see it all unspoiled. Many of the situations that Matt Walsh finds himself in have to be seen to be believed. Fantastic watch and well worth the price of admission, and I’m far happier to spend my hard-earned money on a movie like this than many other movies coming out of Hollywood these days,” said IMDb user @rutledgech.

Whatever lens one watches this film through, the main takeaway from this film is to respect and learn about others’ viewpoints, no matter what.

Throughout the film, Walsh genuinely wants to learn and understand the culture behind others’ beliefs, as well as wanting to understand just what their beliefs are. He listens respectfully to them and asks questions that even stir their thought process on the subject.

And while Walsh is a controversial figure in the media, I think that his most recent documentary is a good example for others to follow — to respect their fellow humans and at least try and understand their viewpoints.

8/10.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

“Wicked” on Broadway

Written by: Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief

Content warning: this article contains spoilers

“Wicked” is a musical on Broadway following the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz,” the beloved classic from 1939, before Dorothy ever made it out of Kansas. Displaying in Portland, Oregon, from Oct. 16 to Nov. 3 at the Keller Auditorium, “Wicked” was filled with bright color, magical sets, beautiful voices and many shades of green.

“Wicked” does not require previous knowledge or recent viewing of “The Wizard of Oz” to be a spectacular experience, although references are common throughout the show. In fact, “Wicked” takes the story of “The Wizard of Oz” and twists it into something else entirely: a show surrounding different facets of love, friendships, social expectations, justice and of course, wickedness.

The play heavily focuses on friendship — or, rather, what turned into friendship. The play begins with Glinda during “The Wizard of Oz,” when the Wicked Witch of the West has been defeated, and she comes down in a bubble — a heavy circular mechanism that lifts and moves with Glinda’s actress, Austen Danielle Bohmer, standing on it, her royal dress beyond sparkly — to inform the people of the eradication of “wickedness.” She admits, however, that she knew Elphaba — and the play swings into motion with the two characters back in the past, students at Shiz University.

A description for “Wicked” summarizes: “Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin—smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships … until the world decides to call one ‘good,’ and the other one ‘wicked.’”

The concept of “good” versus “wicked” is reiterated and twisted throughout the play. It is obvious that from the beginning, Glinda — known as Galinda throughout the first half of the show — is described as good and pure, yet is the one to bully and harass Elphaba when they are roommates in school. It is because of Glinda that Elphaba is ridiculed at the mercy of their peers due to her green skin and “wickedness.” Eventually, however, they bond as Glinda expresses empathy at last.

And Elphaba, being so “wicked,” is the one to campaign for the rights of the talking animals in their world and act bravely despite her fear. At one point, another character describes Elphaba as feigning confidence, despite her desire to be loved and accepted to the point of no return.

Particularly dazzling was Galinda and Elphaba’s venture into Emerald City, sparkling on stage in various shades of bright green. This is the first time in the show that Elphaba feels comfortable, as up until now, her character has been mocked and teased. She has been called to meet the Wizard — the one of great magic — only to find and uncover corruption at his hands in Oz. Elphaba refuses to indulge in his evil cause, despite Glinda’s allowance for the Wizard’s actions as she seeks the Wizard’s approval — another play on good and wickedness. Is goodness just seeking acceptance? Is it still good if nobody agrees?

In order to make Elphaba “wicked,” the show pins her for the mutilation and near-eradication of the animals in Oz, which was the Wizard’s doing all along. Because of this, Elphaba must flee.

“Defying Gravity,” the most anticipated song of the night and by far one of the most well-known, was shiveringly beautiful and performed by Lauren Samuels. The first half of the song, Glinda and Elphaba circle one another, with the colors growing increasingly bright as they lean into singing in unison.

Elphaba darts off stage, leaving Galinda to sing solo, until she reappears behind her — in the air with her broom, dangling above the stage as it covers in fog and lights that follow her that replicate the look of stained glass, spilling onto the stage and crowd. Elphaba’s actress delivered an exceptional performance, receiving an outstanding ovation afterward as the play took its intermission.

Something to note is the way “Wicked” shades the stage in regards to Glinda and Elphaba’s signature colors. Glinda is mostly baby blue in the performances, despite her affinity for pink in the original. When the two are singing on stage, often the backdrop resembles the look of twilight, fading from emerald to blue.

The Wizard, being Blake Hammond in this performance, often hides in a mechanical box with a face — the Oz Head — that rears, moves and shouts horrifically. The movement is smooth and flawless, with lights flashing red across the stage when he expresses fury. “The head is supposed to be terrifying,” explained a designer. It drips smoke across the stage and invokes a sense of discomfort and fear as it moves.

One complicated part of creating a prequel is to line the character up, especially if the protagonist is to be the villain, with the original storyline. Elphaba would not be a loveable character if not good; but she cannot be good, or else “The Wizard of Oz” is invalid. “Wicked” was able to twist the concept of wicked so well that Elphaba is both wicked and good — claiming wickedness as an identity, understanding that she will never be or look like Glinda, nor like anyone else — but still can make the right choices. It is evident that Glinda does what is easy rather than what is right, as Elphaba makes difficult decisions, condemning herself, in order to do what is good.

Later on, Elphaba sings the following in “No Good Deed”: “Was I really seeking good, or just seeking attention? Is that all good deeds are when looked at with an ice-cold eye? … So be it then, let all Oz be agreed, I am wicked through and through.”

“Wicked” is a fantastic demonstration of the complexity and duality of people, as well as how hard it can be to stand alone in the face of adversity and injustice. Both Elphaba and Glinda look past their differences to make a bond nobody expected, usurping expectations and changing the world for the better.

9/10.

Contact the author at howleditorinchief@mail.wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

Romance + fantasy = romantasy

Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor

Content warning: this article contains spoilers for “Crescent City” by Sarah J. Maas

Though it is unclear how long the term “romantasy” — a blend of the words romance and fantasy — has been around, the genre has now become rather common in most book social circles.

The idea behind the genre is that the plot has two defining features: romance and fantasy. If a book has too much romance and not enough fantasy, especially if the love interest is a high fae or another fantasy race, the plot cannot survive.

The books typically contain smut — sexually explicit content, also sometimes called “spice” online — though it is not a requirement of the genre. Many romantasy books fade-to-black or have behind-closed-doors moments — scenes where the explicit content is implied but never stated — and the romance is kept clean for readers.

The fade-to-black scenes are typically best for the young adult genre, as it means that underage readers are not consuming sexually explicit content not intended for their age demographic. For example, the book “From Blood and Ash” by Jennifer L. Armentrout is considered one of the spiciest books currently on the market. As this book is one of my current reads, I can safely say that this is true; the book is roughly 20% actual plot and 80% smut and is not suitable for young adult readers, which is why fade-to-black scenes are so important.

Within the last few years, the genre has seen an uptick in readers and number of books sold. Sarah J. Maas, the author of “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” “Throne of Glass” and the “Crescent City” series, has sold over 40 million copies of her books. Maas is currently the biggest name in romantasy, and some would say she created the current blueprint for the genre, as well as for the love interests. It seems that Maas has cracked the code behind the romantasy genre.

One theory to explain the popularity of romantasy is that readers can see themselves in the female main character, also known as FMC in bookish communities. Generally, FMCs are ordinary women, usually in their early to mid-twenties, who are thrust into a world that they are not used to and are not meant for.

These women are also outspoken and don’t always take “no” for an answer, as well as possess some sort of supernatural power, either when they are first introduced or as their stories progress. They are angry, typically traumatized women, but begin to soften and let people in again as their stories progress.

For example, Bryce Quinlan of Maas’ “Crescent City” trilogy is a half-human, half-fae woman who doesn’t want to get caught up in the mess of the Vanir — the immortal, non-human members of her world — but ultimately accepts being thrust into the role of her world’s savior. As the trilogy progresses, readers come to realize that Bryce possesses the Starborne abilities of her fae heritage, abilities that include manipulating starlight and absorbing energy from others. Bryce’s character is best known for her general disdain for Vanir hierarchy and hot pink tennis shoes, which draws readers in because of her relatable nature.

Another theory is that the male main characters, or MMCs, are incredibly hot. They tend to be opposite of their FMC counterparts in the sense that they have experience in their worlds — often hundreds of years older than the women — and eventually become the steady guiding hand in teaching the world’s magic system to her, after they hate each other first, of course. Unlike their counterpart, the MMCs are typically level-headed and calm, only releasing their true rage when someone close to them is in danger. They also start in a position of power over the FMC, although they end up becoming equals as they fall in love.

Bryce’s counterpart and love interest in the “Crescent City” trilogy is Hunt Athalar, a 233-year-old fallen angel, who just so happens to be called the Umbra Mortis, or the Angel of Death. Hunt is part of the triarii, the archangel legion that guards Lunathion, and butts heads often with Bryce as he works on protecting her from forces in the city that are coming after her. They eventually fall in love and learn to work together to save their city.

Fans often give these MMC love interests nicknames like “Shadow Daddy,” alluding to the fact that most of these love interests are tall, dark and handsome, possess the ability to manipulate shadows and yes, are insanely good in bed.

That leads into the third — and least favorite in the bookish community — theory of romantasy’s popularity: the smut. A theory common on the internet, it accuses the women-dominated fanbase of being, essentially, porn addicts. While a lot of romantasy books do contain smut and many fans do enjoy it, a lot of times the actual smut content is only around 30% of the actual novel. And while some readers will not read a book unless it has smut, the amount of content in these books is usually the same as an R-rated movie.

Whatever the reason, these books have united communities across the globe on social media and discussion forums. Profiles dedicated to fanart and other content relating to these works have taken TikTok and Instagram by storm, while also connecting fans.

Events themed to romantasy books have also gained popularity, with the traveling Starfall Ball being the most well-known. Themed as the Night Court from Maas’ “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series, attendees have the opportunity to cosplay as characters from their favorite series and meet people with similar interests.

In the next few months, the romantasy genre has titles soon to hit shelves with fans foaming at the mouth to get their hands on, with the third book in the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros releasing Jan. 21, 2025 being the most anticipated.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

Playlist for running cinematically

Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor

“That’s So True” — Gracie Abrams

“Run” — OneRepublic

“Run Boy Run” — Woodkid

“t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l” — WILLOW feat. Travis Barker

“Plowed” — Sponge

“Smooth Criminal” — Alien Ant Farm

“get him back!” — Olivia Rodrigo

“Dog Days Are Over” — Florence + the Machine

“La La La” — Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith

“Young Blood” — The Naked and Famous

“The Nights” — Avicii

“Times Like These” — Foo Fighters

“Speed Drive” — Charli XCX

“Running Up That Hill” — MEG MYERS

“She’s So Gone” — Naomi Scott

“Could Have Been Me” — The Struts

“Hayloft” — Mother Mother

“Black Betty” — Ram Jam

“Boys Wanna Be Her” — Peaches

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

The chapter two remix

Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor

Crip Walking, a transforming Snoop Dogg and Chapter 2’s original map all hit Fortnite this last Friday, remixing perhaps the most fan-favorite chapter of the game.

Starting with Festival content, where popular singers perform while the game finishes its final updates, Snoop Dogg and Ice Spice hit the stage, with the live performance in New York City streaming to players’ screens. Both performers have been added in-game as both skins and on-map bosses, with Snoop Dogg’s skin currently available in the Fortnite item shop and Ice Spice’s skin dropping Nov. 14. Eminem also makes his second appearance in the popular video game, with a skin in the item shop and a controlled area dropping Nov. 7.

Other new content not originally from Chapter 2, which makes this season the remix, includes low rider skins for vehicles with hydraulics now on all vehicles, a Crip Walking emote that has the opening of “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg playing in the background and mashup skins. The popular Midas skin now has its counterpart “Meowdas,” which is essentially Midas turned into a cat. This skin is available on the second-highest tier of the battle pass.

The only new addition to the original map is “The Doggpound,” where Snoop Dogg waits for players to engage in a boss battle. Once defeated, Snoop will become a non-playable character who aids the player in the battle royale. Once Ice Spice and Eminem are added to the game, they will act in the same fashion as Snoop, but without their own themed compounds.

The rest of the map has stayed the same, with only the bosses changing within their compounds. Midas no longer controls his yacht, his new counterpart Meowdas does, with Ice Spice and Eminem taking over the Grotto and Shark Island respectively.

Weapons and explosives from Chapter 2 have returned, good news for players who use the “snipe and hide” offensive. The Heavy Sniper Rifle and Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle have both returned, meaning in-game snipers will now be much more lethal.

The return of explosives like stink bombs, clingers and remote explosives gives players a certain edge when working with area-of-effect items since they can now blind and stick to opposing players.

On the final night of the season, Fortnite will also pay tribute to Juice WRLD, with a live event honoring the late rapper’s legacy and love of the game. All players who log in between 1 a.m. Nov. 30 and 1 a.m. Dec. 1 will receive a cel-shaded Juice WRLD skin. More details about this event will be released as the season progresses.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

9-1-1, what’s your emergency?

Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor

“The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.” These are the opening lines of the 1951 radio show “Dragnet,” a program that followed the Los Angeles Police Department — LAPD — Detective Joe Friday and his partners as they conducted police work and solved crimes in the greater Los Angeles area. The show’s name was derived from the police term “dragnet,” which are measures used for apprehending criminals and suspects.

“Dragnet” is considered to be the first police drama on any broadcasting format, and eventually evolved into a TV show. Other shows, like “Hawaii Five-O” and “Columbo,” soon came after and became more popular and iconic than their predecessor.

“Hawaii Five-O” and “Columbo” occasionally resorted to outlandish premises and many fans have said that the acting and production were hardly ever on par, especially when compared to today’s shows, but the nostalgia factor is usually what brings people back to watch them again and again. After all, many people grew up watching reruns with their parents or grandparents and watched the remakes when they were released.

The series “Blue Bloods” gained popularity in 2010, following a family involved in different aspects of law enforcement. This series introduced more personal storylines into the world of crime dramas, especially with family members working alongside each other in a dangerous line of work.

Of course, the world of police and first responder dramas has evolved since the days of Detective Friday, with shows like “9-1-1” and “The Rookie” being two of the more popular modern shows.

In 2023, broadcasting companies NBC and ABC had a combined number of seven first responder dramas on their channels, playing both reruns and new episodes.

The most popular of these seven shows is the “One Chicago” franchise on NBC, which includes “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med” and “Chicago P.D.” In 2023 alone they amassed a combined total of 50 million viewers.

“Growing up we’d watch them back-to-back-to-back when a new episode came out,” said Michael Hager, a former Western student. “My dad would usually record them so we could watch them all at once.”

Medical dramas are usually at the forefront of fan favorites, like “Grey’s Anatomy,” which has racked up 24 seasons since it first debuted in 2005 and has led to the spin-off show, “Station 19,” following the Seattle Fire Department. Police and first responder shows have become equally as popular, especially in recent years. So what makes these shows so entertaining?

For one, they typically focus on an “emergency of the week” type of storyline, which offers thrills meant to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. S3E02 of “9-1-1,” for example, follows the LAPD and the Los Angeles Fire Department — LAFD — as they respond to a tsunami hitting Santa Monica Pier, and the stakes are elevated when one of the LAFD’s own becomes caught in the disaster while off duty.

But the other reason shows like this have become so popular in the media is the way they offer insight into the lives of firefighters, police officers and 9-1-1 operators. Fans watch on-screen romances bloom, see rivalries become born of pure spite and even have to say goodbye to their favorite characters when they are written or killed off.

One interesting thing of note is that first responder dramas are not simply limited to firefighters, cops and emergency services, they extend to shows like “Baywatch,” “NCIS” and “Bones,” which are shows that don’t fit the traditional sense of a first responder or medical drama. Even the popular children’s cartoon “Paw Patrol” is considered a first responder drama, seeing as it has cartoon dogs responding to local emergencies.

Movies are even included on lists that are a majority of TV shows. “Mission: Impossible,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and the “Kingsman” franchise are considered to be among some of the best first responder shows, even if they are mostly situated within the crime drama genre. In the ’60s and ’70s “Mission: Impossible” and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” started as TV shows, and it wasn’t until their movie counterparts were released in the 2010s that they gained a resurgence in popularity. After all, Tom Cruise is pretty cool as Ethan Hunt in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.

Most of these shows follow the idealized representation of the police force and other first responders and often utilize the “Rule of Cool” trope, which is the principle that allows for implausible or unrealistic elements to be included in the show if they are considered cool or interesting.

For example, in “The Rookie,” two of the most common events to happen are the kidnapping or assault of LAPD officers and detectives. This occurs at least once or twice a season among the main cast of characters and is also common in other first responder and crime shows.

However, the FBI reported that in 2023, 60 officers were either assaulted or killed in the line of duty nationwide. While this does not account for the frequency of the kidnapping trope, it does show that the trope of officers being assaulted in the line of duty is not as common as these shows might suggest.

For as often as these shows use the “Rule of Cool,” they do exhibit diverse stories. The main character in “The Rookie” is John Nolan, played by Nathan Fillion, who joins the LAPD as a rookie in his 40s. One of the main characters in “9-1-1” is Henrietta ‘Hen’ Wilson, an African American lesbian who has a foster child and attends medical school when she is not at the fire station. These shows do not write these characters for the sake of inclusivity, but rather to showcase how truly diverse police forces, fire stations and public safety answering points are. They are simply just people.

Perhaps that is why modern crime and first responder shows have become so popular. The diverse stories they share help viewers see themselves as everyday heroes, and just maybe they will decide to enter the line of duty themselves.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

“The Simpsons” place in pop culture

Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor

When the Simpson family first appeared as an animated short in 1987, nobody could have predicted the series’s influence on pop culture.

Created by cartoonist Matt Groening, “The Simpsons” originally started as a 30-second short on “The Tracey Ullman Show” — a variety program akin to “Robot Chicken” — airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company. Eventually, it expanded to half an hour and aired Dec. 17, 1989, as a Christmas special titled “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.” The rest of season one began airing regularly in January 1990.

Oregon-born Groening partnered with seasoned producer-director James L. Brooks as the show’s executive producer with Sam Simon attached as a writer. Brooks is best known for “Mary Tyler Moore” and “As Good As It Gets,” while Simon is known for “Friends” and “Cheers.”

The show centers on a family with all the dysfunctions of the modern world but with the demographics of the 1950s: two married parents, two preteen children, an infant and plenty of living extended family. Springfield — named after Springfield, Oregon — is filled with all kinds of strange residents, ones that often fulfill stereotypical roles seen on television. An endless rollout of walk-on guest stars eventually joined the show and were voiced by their real-life counterparts — former President George Bush and astrophysicist Stephen Hawking were among these guest stars.

In the ’90s, the show’s popularity skyrocketed and was so successful in its first two years that the term “Simpsonmania” was coined and used to describe the show’s rise to fame. In 1990, as many as one million Bart Simpson shirts were sold in a day, and Simpson merchandise generated $2 billion in revenue for the series. “The Simpsons” was Fox Network’s first television series to rank among the top 30 highest-rated shows in 1990.

As time went on, “The Simpsons” began to pass other shows in terms of series longevity. “The Simpsons” surpassed “The Flintstones” as the longest-running prime-time animated series in the United States Feb. 9, 1997. In 2004, the series surpassed “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” which ran from 1952 to 1966, as the longest-running sitcom — animated or live-action — in the United States. “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” was also originally the leader in number of episodes — a whopping 453 — but in the spring of 2009, “The Simpsons” surpassed it.

“The Simpsons” and “Scooby-Doo” battled it out in October of 2004 for American animated show with the highest number of episodes, but when network executives canceled “Scooby-Doo” again the following year, “The Simpsons” reclaimed it with 378 episodes at the end of season 17. By season 18, the series had 400 episodes. It is now recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s longest-running sitcom.

“The Simpsons Movie” was released July 27, 2007, and grossed $536.4 million worldwide, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2007, the second-highest-grossing traditionally animated film — second only to Disney’s “The Lion King” — as well as the highest-grossing film based on an animated television series and the highest grossing adult animated movie of all time. The film was nominated for numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.

The movie, much like the series, includes celebrity cameos, with Tom Hanks and the members of Green Day playing themselves.

However, by the time “The Simpsons Movie” was released to theaters, critics began calling the show “tired” and fans were becoming disillusioned with the series. Jim Schembri of The Morning Herald believed the show’s decline was due to an abandonment of character-driven storylines and overused celebrity cameos and references to popular culture.

“The central tragedy of ‘The Simpsons’ is that it has gone from commanding attention to merely being attention-seeking. It began by proving that cartoon characters don’t have to be caricatures; they can be invested with real emotions. Now the show has in essence fermented into a limp parody of itself. Memorable story arcs have been sacrificed for the sake of celebrity walk-ons and punchline-hungry dialogue,” Schembri said.

Many fans and critics say the show’s golden era was in its first ten seasons and claim that when showrunners Mike Scully and Al Jean were added to the roster, then began the show’s true decline.

Groening was quick to defend the show, as well as his showrunners, saying: “I honestly don’t see any end in sight. I think it’s possible that the show will become too financially cumbersome but right now, the show is creatively, I think, as good or better than it’s ever been. The animation is incredibly detailed and imaginative, and the stories do things that we haven’t done before. So creatively there’s no reason to quit.”

Currently, viewership of “The Simpsons” has been on the decline since season 21, which first aired in September 2009. While season one had an average viewership of 13.4 million viewers, season 21 had a dismal average of 7.2 million viewers. The first two episodes of season 36 have even worse numbers — episode two did not even break a million viewers, currently stagnant at 886,000.

Although, even as the show’s viewership declines, fans still come together to share their love of “The Simpsons,” especially the first ten seasons. Instagram accounts such as @bortposting, @the_simpsons_man and @bortofdarkness regularly post memes about the show’s golden era and all three accounts have a combined following of 281,200. r/Simpsons on Reddit has 43,000 members and is among the top three percent of Reddit pages.

Critics and fans alike do have hope for season 36. The season’s premiere began with a fake series finale and featured altered clips from classic episodes that were given tragic outcomes. On X (formerly Twitter), user @tonygoldmark shared their theory that the show’s recent quality could be because “the show is now being run by people who grew up watching it, and precisely understand the memetic impact it’s had.” Many fans also attributed this increase in episode quality to Matt Selman taking over as the primary showrunner starting in season 33. And although the season premiere was very standalone, its references reminded viewers that it is still the same show they loved watching years ago.

Episode three of season 36 aired on Fox Oct. 20 and is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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The Matt Walsh question

“Wicked” on Broadway

Romance + fantasy = romantasy

Playlist for running cinematically

The chapter two remix

9-1-1, what’s your emergency?

“The Simpsons” place in pop culture

Tools

Resources