On "NWT", I was fairly pleased with the portrayal of modern Angeleno Judaism. There were just as many 'positive' stereotypes as "negative" ones (i.e. his father to his mother) and even the presumed harpies got 3-Dimensionalized in the full season. As a current dater, there wasn't anything off about the level of "general knowledge from th…
On "NWT", I was fairly pleased with the portrayal of modern Angeleno Judaism. There were just as many 'positive' stereotypes as "negative" ones (i.e. his father to his mother) and even the presumed harpies got 3-Dimensionalized in the full season. As a current dater, there wasn't anything off about the level of "general knowledge from the zeitgeist" that shiksas have (and this is in L.A., in the entertainment industry! Not 'everyone; knows about your (our) own cultural and religious customs, and believing that they do or should is very myopic.)
RE The Simpsons, which I admit I've cherished for 38 years, the only 2 notes I'd add are that:
1) while your "previous Series Finale conceptuals" idea is fun, the major missed facet of that episode that I haven't seen ANYONE make yet is that this episode was the first one in all 36 seasons to have been ACTUALLY CONCEIVED AND PRODUCED as a SEASON PREMIERE. They have literally never cared to produce a 'season premiere' before. The SERIES premiere was selected as such because the real 'debut episode' needed to be entirely re-animated. Every single other season premiere has been chosen as such because it has been the *production series holdover* out of a bunch (seven, for the last 20+ seasons) that they and the network feel is the "most-promotion-friendly", due to a guest star or a 'big, landmark' plot. This one was truly planned by Selman to BE a/the Season Premiere, with ruminations on the show's longevity & adjustments themselves, and it was a brilliant "first" for the show, dressed up deceivingly as a "last".
2) That Scully-period drop-off having a signature "Jerk Ass Homer" feature was always an overblown ruse. Homer had already had the "irrational angry drive" mode inherent to his personality in the early. bedrock "When Flanders Failed", and it was really honed and explored first in - well, whaddaya know? - the Conan O'Brien-penned "Homer Goes To College". He wasn't overwhelmingly "angry" over the Scully period, and we still see it in episodes since just as much in the latter Al seasons. No, the only real 'boring, repetitive' Scully issues that marked his time was an over-reliance on "surprise/twist" endings, which became depressingly routine and sitcom-my, and a weird navel-gazing obsession with 'show-biz' related & motivated plots, which made the shows far more sour that sweet.
On "NWT", I was fairly pleased with the portrayal of modern Angeleno Judaism. There were just as many 'positive' stereotypes as "negative" ones (i.e. his father to his mother) and even the presumed harpies got 3-Dimensionalized in the full season. As a current dater, there wasn't anything off about the level of "general knowledge from the zeitgeist" that shiksas have (and this is in L.A., in the entertainment industry! Not 'everyone; knows about your (our) own cultural and religious customs, and believing that they do or should is very myopic.)
RE The Simpsons, which I admit I've cherished for 38 years, the only 2 notes I'd add are that:
1) while your "previous Series Finale conceptuals" idea is fun, the major missed facet of that episode that I haven't seen ANYONE make yet is that this episode was the first one in all 36 seasons to have been ACTUALLY CONCEIVED AND PRODUCED as a SEASON PREMIERE. They have literally never cared to produce a 'season premiere' before. The SERIES premiere was selected as such because the real 'debut episode' needed to be entirely re-animated. Every single other season premiere has been chosen as such because it has been the *production series holdover* out of a bunch (seven, for the last 20+ seasons) that they and the network feel is the "most-promotion-friendly", due to a guest star or a 'big, landmark' plot. This one was truly planned by Selman to BE a/the Season Premiere, with ruminations on the show's longevity & adjustments themselves, and it was a brilliant "first" for the show, dressed up deceivingly as a "last".
2) That Scully-period drop-off having a signature "Jerk Ass Homer" feature was always an overblown ruse. Homer had already had the "irrational angry drive" mode inherent to his personality in the early. bedrock "When Flanders Failed", and it was really honed and explored first in - well, whaddaya know? - the Conan O'Brien-penned "Homer Goes To College". He wasn't overwhelmingly "angry" over the Scully period, and we still see it in episodes since just as much in the latter Al seasons. No, the only real 'boring, repetitive' Scully issues that marked his time was an over-reliance on "surprise/twist" endings, which became depressingly routine and sitcom-my, and a weird navel-gazing obsession with 'show-biz' related & motivated plots, which made the shows far more sour that sweet.