It took me a long time before I finally started to watch The Simpsons, mainly because I didn’t get FOX when it first started to air.  The show had been on for maybe twelve years when I finally started watching, and I’ve been watching ever since.  I just finished watching The Simpsons - Season 14.

The members of the Simpson family first turned up in some rather crudely drawn shorts that appeared between segments on The Tracey Ullman Show.  I did see some of those shorts years ago when The Tracey Ullman Show was airing in syndication on one of the cable channels I get.  The animation was very rough and the characters don’t exactly look the same, though it is clear who they are.  From what I remember, only the main members of the Simpsons family were shown in those shorts.  The characters became popular and the decision was made to give them their own half hour show, The Simpsons, that began airing in 1999.  The Simpsons Movie came out in 2007, and the series is still currently airing.  Matt Groening, the man who created the show, also created another animated show, Futurama.  

The Simpsons has a fairly large cast of characters, though the members of the Simpson family receive the most attention and are the main focus of the show.  Sometimes, one of the minor characters is the main focus of an episode.  Mrs. Krabappel. Principal Skinner, Mo, Krusty the Clown, and Ned Flanders all receive more attention.  Edna and Principal Skinner have some relationship problems that they deal with.  Krusty runs for a political office, and Moe shows a different side when he rescues Maggie.  It is nice when some of the other characters are focused on.  Like has happened in previous seasons, at least one member of the Simpson family still ends up involved when other characters get more attention.  Sideshow Bob returns for one episode, this time attempting to help Homer instead of kill Bart.  I always like when Sideshow Bob is back.

None of the plots for the fourteenth season are complicated.  A character, more often than not a Simpson, has a problem to deal with or ends up in an odd situation.  With some episodes, it seems like the plot will be about one thing before it goes off in a different direction.  Homer tends to end up in more of the bizarre situations.  He ends up being featured a bit more in general.  Bart also frequently receives a lot of attention.  Marge and Lisa have a few episodes focused on them, though they don’t seem to receive as much attention as Homer and Bart.  Grandpa and Marge’s sisters are around every so often, though none of them do that much this season.

I think there is a decent amount of humor in the episodes in season fourteen.  There is a lot of silliness, but that mostly works for the show and the characters.  Homer is still bumbling around, but I think that works for the character.  Some of the episodes may not be as strong as some from earlier seasons, but I still think this season is worth watching.  I find the show entertaining and enjoyable.  Once in a while, an episode will have at least a moment or two that is sort of serious.  There are one or two of those in this season, but that doesn’t make the season serious overall.  The Halloween episode is the first one of the season, featuring three spooky stories.  I really enjoy the Halloween episodes.  Valentine’s Day is briefly mentioned in one episode without the holiday being the main focus.  There really isn’t a Christmas episode even though it is referred to in an episode.  

Since the show has such a large group of characters, not all of them are featured equally.  Some of them only turn up once in a while.  Most of the characters are decently developed by this point in the series, though none are developed as much as the members of the Simpson family.  Moe sort of shows a different side, while remaining still sort of creepy.  The same main group of voice actors still does the voices, with most of them doing voices for multiple characters.

DVD Information

The Simpsons - Season 14 has twenty-two episodes on four discs.  One of the alines, Kang or Kodos, is on the front cover of the case.  I can’t tell those two apart.  For several years, there have been two versions of the cases for these DVD releases.  One is normal, and the second has been shaped like a character’s head or had something that stuck out from the cover in the shape of the character.  I have the normal case, though I did see the second option in a store.  I prefer the normal cases.  

Unfortunately, the same horrible case that has been used for the last few DVD sets is used again.  I really hate this case design.  The only good thing about it is the wonderful artwork on both sides of the unfolding cardboard thing that is inside the box like outer cover.  The discs are held in some sort of pocket like spots and it is hard for me to get the discs out.  The discs are held securely in the pockets, but it is difficult to get them out.  I keep worrying I’ll damage the disc getting it out.  The illustrations on the side of the holder where the discs are features many of the characters attending some kind of spooky dinner party.  The other side shows when they all arrived for the party.  The spooky dinner party theme is carried into the little booklet that is made to look like an invitation from Kang and Kodos.   The booklet has a message from Matt Groening and information about every episode, including brief summaries.  

The main menu on each disc shows the episodes for the disc.  There is the option to select them one at a time or to play all.  The same spooky dinner theme is used for the animation on the menus as well.  Each disc has a different one, showing different characters sitting at a table for the dinner.  If the menu is left on long enough, some things play out before a shorter bit starts to loop.  I like the animated things on the menus.  The extras include commentaries, sketch galleries and deleted scenes.  The first disc has something called In The Beginning that shows the openings to the first thirteen Halloween episodes.  Disc three has something called The Halloween Classics that shows brief clips from the Halloween episodes.  Foolish Earthlings, on the fourth disc, shows clips of the characters interacting with Kang and Kodos.  

The Simpsons - Season 14 is another entertaining season of the animated show.  Fans of the series may like this set, though I know some feel the quality of the show had started to go down by this point.

Simpsons Related 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 13 ~ The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season ~ The Simpsons Movie ~ The Simpsons Clue ~

Futurama
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