The Simpsons has been on for more than ten years. That’s a long time for any show to be on prime time, especially an animated one. Predictably, fans are split over whether the show is still as cutting edge as it used to be, or if it’s nothing more than a recycled version of its once-glorious self.
     I’m not concerned with such arguments, and believe me, if you’re with the right people, a discussion on The Simpsons can last well past the point when you’ve stopped caring. Even if the show isn’t what it used to be, it’s still one of the best shows on television. The Simpsons is my reward for putting up with an entire day of Sunday television; a refreshing glass of water at the end of the boredom marathon.
     I’ve watched the show since its early days as filler material on The Tracey Ullman Show, and I’ve noticed one aspect of the show that hasn’t changed: despite its blemishes, The Simpsons still handles pop cultural references better than any program ever made.
     I can’t say where it began, but somewhere along the way it became hip to make arcane references. Someone decided to tap into the Trivial Pursuit mindset of our time and ditch broad, general humor for something more intimate. Dennis Miller was probably the first to bring it into the mainstream, but since then it has developed a life of its own and become bigger than the individuals who perpetuated it.
     My first experience with this new approach to humor was Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show that also suffered through a series of noticeable changes, much like The Simpsons. MST3K’s shtick was built on pop culture references, and it found a rabid cult following by being able to pick out the one person in the room who knew what The Second Hundred Years was. As show veteran Frank Coniff said in Time, “It’s great to make a really good show that only a few people watch — instead of a really crappy show that a lot of people watch.”
     Coniff was referring to the fact that MST3K was a cult show in every sense of the word. When a show fills itself with that many obscure references, it’s safe to say that not everyone is going to get it. It will always be remembered as a remarkable show, but where MST3K simply used its characters as a mouthpiece for zany references, The Simpsons have integrated those same types of references into their shows with such sophistication that you often don’t notice them during the first viewing. Rather than being jokes in and of themselves, the references are used to compliment the story. You may notice that the scene in which Smithers feeds Mr. Burns in bed is lifted from A Clockwork Orange, but the scene still works whether you’ve seen A Clockwork Orange or not. This is just one example out of thousands (the old folks trying to get through the doors of the Springfield Mall a la Dawn of the Dead being another personal favorite). With The Simpsons, it’s not the number of times they’ve done it, it’s the method by which it’s done.
     The problem that develops, however, is that other creative minds have seen how well this approach works and have made their own attempts to impress the audience with their vast, media-saturated knowledge. This is most evident in another of Fox’s animated shows, Family Guy, recently back after a yearlong hiatus.
     Many blamed Family Guy for trying to be a Simpsons knock-off. Being a fan of both programs, I really don’t see many significant similarities. If they meant that Family Guy is copying The Simpsons by riding the same “pop cultural references” bandwagon, I still don’t buy it. Both shows do it, but comparing their individual approaches to the subject is like saying ballroom dancing is the same as basketball because they’re both done on hardwood floors. Family Guy is about TV culture, and its humor reflects that. The Simpsons, by contrast, simply has a wider scope.
     The references on Family Guy come out of nowhere and are often done in flashback, such as the time Brian (the family dog) recalls trying to psyche out Toucan Sam while auditioning for the lead roll in a Froot Loops commercial. It’s funny, sure, but it comes awfully close to grabbing you by the lapels and screaming, “We are making a pop cultural reference, now! Please pay attention!” Family Guy breaks in this way because it wants you to get the joke. The Simpsons, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to care one way or another, which is one of many reasons the show has garnered the respect it has. It may not be the show it used to be, but if this knack of sampling from the cultural grab bag becomes a respected art form, then The Simpsons will be remembered as a show that did it with more dignity and class than anyone; an overwhelming tribute to the power of understatement.