Heading D’oh-wnhill

Back in 2009, The Simpsons aired “Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D’oh”. Nestled within the episode’s now traditional 20 minutes of pointless montages and humourlessness was one, entirely forgettable scene. This scene, used as the official promotional image, featured Lisa meeting the teen pop sensation Alaska Nebraska. Apparently what the show’s writers believed passed as a parody, Alaska was, for some reason, voiced by Oscar nominee Ellen Page. She appeared only in this scene and had all of two lines.
No matter how weak and pointless this parody was, though, it was at least a parody. Miley Cyrus did not guest star. But in just three years, the show has sunk even lower in its attempt to reverse its terminal ratings decline. In the last series’ finale, Lady Gaga came to Springfield after a psychic force told her Lisa was depressed. This year, Justin Bieber will be appearing as himself. That a show that once so mercilessly understood and mocked the trappings of fame, now trots out the latest young, internet-aware stars is just plain sad.
The show used to feature guest stars sparingly and always in ways relevant to the episode’s plot. Bieber’s cameo appears to be a meaningless, executive-required tack-on, which has no relevance to anything. According to the show’s executive producer Al Jean, Bieber “tries to get into a talent show that Bart is playing piano in and they won’t admit him. Draw your own conclusion.”
On the face of it, this sounds promising. Guest appearances on the show used to be largely self-deprecatory. Think of Leonard Nimoy in the classic ‘Marge vs. the Monorail’. But whatever its content, putting somebody like Bieber on the show is the television equivalent of holding up a white flag. He isn’t there to improve the episode. He’s there to boost ratings.
Shoehorning in Bieber is a plaster over an already gangrenous wound. The average total viewing figure for the show’s 23rd season was 6.9 million people, while last year’s penultimate episode scored just 4 million viewers, the show’s lowest rated episode ever. Some British teatime game shows have achieved higher ratings than that.
Now, of course, all TV audiences have declined with the rise of on-demand and internet content, and The Simpsons reportedly does well here. But, certainly as far as networks and advertisers are concerned, ratings are still key. Look at the Jason Isaacs drama Awake: its first series received critical acclaim, but low ratings ensured its cancelation. Indeed, twelve series with higher overall ratings than The Simpsons were cancelled last year. The UK ratings have remained solid, with the Sky1 premiere of the show’s 500th securing a respectable 603,000 viewers.
The Simpsons came close to cancelation last year before the cast and crew accepted substantial pay cuts, which saw the series renewed to an unprecedented 25th year. This was amid rumblings that Fox believed that they could make more money from the show – via syndication rights – with it off air than on. However, a USA Today article from 2009 stated that the show made over $300 million from advertising in re-runs alone. The broader franchise is still generating colossal sums of money each year, suggesting that no matter how unpopular the show is, Fox’s income is not drying up.
Yet quotes from Jean about Bieber’s cameos suggest, beneath a joking exterior, that TV’s most invincible show may be looking over its shoulder. “All of his fans should watch every minute of the show,” Jean told Entertainment Weekly, “before and after he’s on.” Similarly uncharacteristically overt pleads for viewers accompanied the 500th episode and Gaga’s appearance.
The Simpsons is the most successful show ever, in virtually every way, so it is totally understandable that it has persisted despite its decline in viewership and acclaim. It is especially understandable for the writers. TV is a hard business to work in. Why would they want to abandon a secure job? Many staffers, Jean included, have left the show, largely failed to find independent success, and returned to where they started.
But this doesn’t alter the fact that scripted TV shows are not meant to last this long. After over 20 years with the same characters, in the same setting and so forth, you’ve basically done everything. It’s no wonder it isn’t funny anymore. It’s no wonder so few people are watching.
The Simpsons enjoy global fame and cultural ubiquity. As characters they will never cease to exist in some form. I think it is realistic to see them as being akin to Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny in terms of immortality and universality. The show has lost its spark, but the characters and the wider franchise are alive. This summer, a short-film starring Maggie Simpson was played in front of screenings of Ice Age 4. This piece, The Longest Daycare, was easily the most acclaimed thing done by the yellow family in years.
If Bieber is an indication that the show is now akin to the overthrown dictator, kneeling at his usurpers feet, pleading for his existence, The Longest Daycare suggests the kind of new, more relevant avenues for the characters themselves in the future.