James L. Brooks

Always thought Sandler was the asshole in his movies, then turning sweet in the last fifteen minutes. Turns out the sweet is him and the asshole is the acting. This is a winning romantic comedy with wonderful performances all around, and Cloris Leachman steals every scene she's in. Another winner from James Brooks.

The series begins to solidify the characters and smooth out much of the rough animation that was present in the first season. The episodes remain generally focused on the core family, but the universe is beginning to expand as secondary characters that are closely connected to the core family are developed, most notably Skinner and Mr. Burns. While the show generally remains grounded in reality, some cartoonish and fantastic elements are present. Homer's ability to sustain immense injury show more being the most obvious. What becomes clear in the first full season is the emotional element that grounds the strongest episodes, none being more prominent than "Lisa's Substitute." While Homer and Bart remain the focus, Lisa is the most developed character from her presentation in the first season, as her morality and intelligence become her defining characteristics. The season features the first flashback episode, and sets the standard for some of the stronger episodes in the golden years as well as introducing the annual Treehouse of Horror. As "The Raven" segment evidences, the early seasons of the show were marked by their more refined references to literature and film, show less

If you take a step back from it, this is a preposterous love story about two characters who should never get together, burdened the the story of a sick child and a troubled neighbor. But the cast pulls it all off and you can't help but being caught up in it and enjoy it all the way through. But will this marriage last?

The seventh season follows the strength of the sixth, as it begins where the previous season concluded. The comedy central episodes are on point, and slightly more grounded than the previous season. The series balances a primary focus on the core family and exploring the world and side character that give the show so much vitality. No episode epitomizes this better than the classic "22 Short Films About Springfield," where an "ordinary: day featured that somehow feels completely natural. All show more of the core family have their own moments, but no character has a more significant growth than Lisa, as she becomes a vegetarian. Outside the core family, the exploration of Grandpa Simpson's past allowing him for once to play outside senile fool or bad father character. Perhaps one of the most prescient episodes in the season, "Much Apu About Nothing" focusing on immigration and anticipating attitudes that remain in the current day. The increasingly self-referential humor is taken to subversive levels in "The Day the Violence Died," Other standout episodes include "Two Bad Neighbors," "King Sized Homer," "Bart on the Road," and the strongest holiday episode "Marge Be Not Proud." show less