The recent seasons are . . . fine. They're not terrible. I'm not a big fan of changing the voices out but obviously Fox (or Disney, now) will never let it die so we'll have Simpsons for the rest of time.

HOWEVER. What it is now, is a pale shadow of it's groundbreaking, culture-changing self that broke into mass consciousness with such wit and charm that fans can, and do, engage in entire conversations based solely on the show's quotes and contexts.

Those first few years were stunning in the quality of humor they provided. The fact that it kept going - for years afterwards - was no less amazing. When it began to falter, people were not just annoyed or bored with it - they were alarmed.

Of course that in itself was a long time ago. All that's over now. It's just a glow in the rearview mirror for most of us, but I say unto thee - in all seriousness - it's the cultural equivalent of Shakespeare and will be taught for generations.

The first 8 or so seasons, anyway. It's not Batman.