This is my first post in this forum, and though i may come around as a wiseguy who doesn't even speak proper English: in my humble opinion, the Simpsons are dead since season 13. Afaik, that was the time Matt Groening left the Simpsons to work on Futurama. The stories instantly became halfhearted excuses for mostly mediocre jokes, and though i can watch some episodes from later seasons, it just got worse. Movie- and pop-cultural references alone can't replace solid story structure.