That '90s Show

I admit this episode contradicted the Simpsons history, but come on, the show is set in a floating timeline, you don't seriously believe that Bart would still be 10 years old, when the show started in 1989?

OK, maybe the writers should have scrapped this idea, but in my opinion, the episode turned out pretty well. Their was some hilarious references and parodies (such as Homer's parody of 'Nirvana - Rape Me', with a song called 'Shave Me', which Weird Al parodied in the episode), the Back To The Future reference with Marvin Cobain, a parody of Marvin Berry.

This was criticized an awful lot by fans and critics alike, I am a passionate fan of The Simpsons, I have watched nearly every episode, and I can honestly say I enjoyed this episode, it wasn't great, but it was a lot of fun.

8/10.

I wonder if those that detest this episode were meant to take it seriously. I really didn't take it seriously, we know Bart is 10 in 1989 and is 10 in 2008. The entire city of Springfield has been stuck in a rift in the Matrix, where the space-time continuum is stuck in a loop.

This episode is merely a throwback to the 90s, I can't see how anyone that has watched more than a dozen episodes would assume this is part of the history of Simpsons. Every season has an episode or two that have no relevance on the history, ie, Simpson Bible Stories, and Tales from the Public Domain.

Relax people, the episode was far from great, though it had moments, but it hardly caused the series to "jump the shark."

This episode is clear evidence that The Simpsons - once the very best show on television - has way overstayed its welcome. Everything about it was awful. The gags fell flat; Homer as a grunge rocker (with a far bushier mop on his head than he ever had in the 1960s or 1970s) was mind-numbingly unfunny; the band Sadgasm was a stupid "spoof" of grunge; the use of the Verve's Bittersweet Symphony puts the action in 1997, a year when some of the best Simpsons episodes were actually made; the character Professor August adds nothing to the show and the subplot involving Marge attending university was pointless. Clearly, The Simpsons has been on television too long. Either it needs to go off the air or it needs fresh writers who can bring back the show's edgy 90s humor. Watching this episode reminds me of the bad old days when we were subjected to some of those later Happy Days episodes or reruns of Archie Bunker's Place or the final season of The Love Boat. Some critics were upset by the fact that "That 90's Show" more or less subverted the entire Simpson family history time line. For example, the episode invalidates just about all of the flashback episodes, including the classic "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," which was set in 1985 and showed Bart as a little kid. But this is not what offended me about the episode. It was tired. It lacked creativity. It didn't even have as much edge as your typical Suite Life of Zack and Cody episode. What a sad assessment of a show that in its heyday used to excite TV viewers so much with its splendid subversive humor.

Yes, the "older" fans or long-time fans hate it because the episode itself doesn't necessarily hold on to the past seasons.

But I think they're missing the point of this episode and episodes like it. The Simpsons was never meant to be a show with a linear timeline or even an overall plot.

It was made to display individual stories. Like a modern equivalent of the newspapers comic strip - using set characters to try to make a joke or story come across to the audience made to leave any and all consequences behind.

That '90's Show was a terrible episode. I'm halfway through Season 19, and this season has been lots of ups and downs. There are some really bad episodes, but then there are some really good episodes. For now. I would give Season 19 a 6.1 out of 10. Now, let talk about this episode. This episode shouldn't even exist. The past if Homer and Marge has been revealed in many other episodes. Basically in this episode the Simpsons are saying that Artie Ziff isn't a real person, that Homer never sang in the Be Sharps, and that Homer and Marge gone to college. In other episodes this is clearly proven wrong. I just don't understand why they even made this. This just lacks heart and comedy. The best part about it was obviously Weird Al. This isn't the worst Season 19 episode, but it is one of the worst. In all, I give this a 4.5 out of 10. It just barely rounds up to 5.