The Simpsons had been airing for eleven or twelve years before I started watching the show.  I knew who the main characters were and I had heard a lot about the show.  Once I finally started watching it, I quickly got hooked on the show and have been watching it ever since.  I've also been adding the DVD sets to my collection as they have been released.  I just finished watching The Simpsons - Season 13.

The Simpsons were first created by Matt Groening to appear in shorts between segments on The Tracy Ullman Show.  At that time, only the core members of the family were shown.  The animation was very rough at that point, but the basis for the characters was there.  Since the segments with the Simpsons were so popular, the decision was made for the characters to get their own half hour animated show.  The Simpsons began airing in 1999 and it quickly became a very popular show.  In the summer of 2007 a full length movie, The Simpsons Movie, was released.  Groening also created another animated show, Futurama, that also aired on FOX.  

The series is mostly focused on the members of the Simpson family, though a large cast of supporting and minor character turn up as well.  Every so often, one of the more minor characters is the main focus instead of just turning up in a supporting role.  In season thirteen, Mr. Burns, Grandpa, and Apu each have episodes that are focused on them and their love lives.  Mr. Burns and Grandpa start dating in their episodes and Apu is having some marriage problems in his.  I like it when the more minor characters receive more attention.  Even in the episodes about other characters, the members of the Simpson family end up involved in what is happening in some way.  

All the plots for the episodes in season thirteen are fairly simple.  Most of the episodes deal with a member of the family and some issue they have or a bizarre situation they end up in.  With some of them, it starts off seeming like the episode will be focused on one thing and then it spins off in a different direction.  Homer usually ends up in the more odd situations.  Bart also receives a lot of attention.  Marge and Lisa are almost always around, though they don't seem to receive as much attention as Homer or Bart.  Grandpa, Homer's father, as well as Marge's sisters Patty and Selma turn up every so often.  I do like it when the other members of the family are featured more.  

A lot of what happens is silly, but that doesn't bother me.  I think the silliness works and helps keep the show entertaining.  I know a lot of people think the quality of the show has declined over the years.  While some episodes aren't as strong, I still enjoyed them all overall and think the series is still worth watching.  The things that happen are entertaining and I do think there is a good amount of humor to what is going on.  Homer is frequently bumbling through things, and that does cause some of the humor.  I get that some people find Homer more annoying than anything.  I just think he's funny.

In every season since the second season, there has been a Halloween episode featuring spooky stories.  For this season, the Halloween episode is the first episode of the season.  The three stories are entertaining, with my favorite being Wiz Kids.  That one is a version of Harry Potter with Lisa and Bart going to a magic school.  Christmas comes up in She of Little Faith, but I don't really consider it to be a Christmas episode.  Tales From the Public Domain has versions of three well known stories with Simpsons characters filling in for the characters.  The show has done other episodes sort of like this before.  The plots for every episode can stand alone since nothing really builds on what happened previously.  People could start watching with this season, but I do think it would be better to start with the first seasons.  Things about the characters will make more sense if they are watched in order.

Really none of the characters in The Simpsons are normal.  Some of them may seem normal on the surface, but there is something a bit off about them.  The main characters and even many of the supporting characters have been developed fairly well by this point.  Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa have received the most attention overall and are the most developed characters overall.  There really isn't anything new added for them in this season.  I still find the characters entertaining and interesting.  A few new things come out about Mr. Burns and Apu since there are episodes focused on them.  Seeing Mr. Burns date and try to romance a woman is somewhat disturbing.  One of my favorite characters is Sideshow Bob, but he isn't in any of the episodes this season.

The same group of voice actors is back to provide voices for characters.  Most of the voice actors do voices for multiple characters.  Yeardly Smith only does the voice for Lisa, making her the only regular cast member to only voice one character.  Julie Kavner does the voices for Patty and Selma when they turn up.  For the majority of episodes, she only does the voice of Marge.  Some of the actors who provide voices fairly regularly are listed as guest actors even though they are featured in most of the episodes.  Guest stars provide voices in several episodes, something that has been done in every season.

DVD Information

The Simpsons - Season 13 has twenty-two episodes on four discs.  For several years, there have been two versions of the case for the DVD sets.  One has been more normal and the other has been shaped like the head of a character or had a front that sticks out more in the shape of the character's head.  I have only seen the normal looking case for this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is another version with the shape thing as well.  The last few years, some of the supporting characters have been featured.  For season thirteen, Ralph is on the cover.  The same extremely crappy case that has been used for the last few seasons is used again.  I really hate this type of case.  The unfolding cardboard part has wonderful illustrations on both sides.  On the side where the discs slide in, the members of the Simpsons family are shown playing arcade video games.  The arcade theme carries through on the other side.  The discs are held securely in the case, but I do have some difficulty in getting them out.  I still think this is the worst case ever.

The booklet with the DVD set also carries on the theme of the characters being in an arcade.  There is a short note from Matt Groening in which he mentions a few things about the season.  Each episode has a separate page that shares information about the episode in question, including a short summary.  There are icons on the pages that indicate the type of extras for each episode.  The guest stars are listed on the pages as well.  There are audio commentaries for every episode that I haven't listened to.  Several episodes have deleted scenes.  There are a few animation showcases that are interesting.  There are a few other short featurettes and things that share information about different things tied to this season of the show.  A couple of the things are more focused on Ralph.  

I really enjoy the episodes in The Simpsons - Season 13 and am glad I decided to add it to my DVD collection even though I hate the case.  I know that some people that enjoyed the earlier seasons of the show think that the quality has gone down by this point.  Fans of the show may find something to like about the set.

Simpsons Reviews
The Simpsons - The Complete First Season ~ The Simpsons - The Complete Second Season ~ The Simpsons - The Complete Third Season ~ The Simpsons - The Complete Fourth Season ~ The Simpsons - Season 5 ~ The Simpsons - Season 6 ~ The Simpsons - Season 7 ~ The Simpsons - Season 8 ~The Simpsons - Season 9 ~ The Simpsons - Season 10 ~ The Simpsons - Season 11 ~ The Simpsons - Season 12 ~ The Simpsons - Season 14 ~ The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season ~ The Simpsons Movie ~ The Simpsons Clue ~

Futurama Reviews
Futurama - Volume 1 ~ Futurama - Volume 2 ~ Futurama - Volume 3 ~ Futurama - Volume 4 ~ Futurama: Bender's Big Score ~ Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs ~ Futurama: Bender's Game ~ Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD