"The Simpsons" [Groening, 1989] Season 20 [Sep. '08- May '09] [TV-PG]

It would appear that in my previous review (of SpongeBob) I spoke too soon: we have another well-esteemed, enduring animated comedy that has both taken a turn for the (extraordinarily of course) unfunny and acquired a new, glossy sheen, both visually and aesthetically: ladies and gentlemen, please welcome... a show of no less ineffable fame than... the longest-running sitcom and animated TV show in America... The Simpsons! Now having stayed almost exactly within the confines of its now nearly-20-years-old mold (you know, topic-wise), it merely strives for humor (and of course fails, coming off as a not-really-all-that-consistent failure, as a matter of fact, which then evens out into the final grade), where the previous, classic seasons actually created legitimate comic gold. A tremendous disappointment in of one of the best, smartest, comedy writers of my generation, Matt Groening. Grade: C PLUS