Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Simpsons season 36, episode 18, “Estranger Things”
Although The Simpsons season 37’s arrival looms, it is fair to say that the current incarnation of the series doesn’t look or sound much like the earliest episodes that aired in 1989.
Not only was Homer a far angrier, sadder character in these early seasons, but the show’s tone was also much more grounded. The humor was more cynical and the cartoony nature of the series was dialed way down, resulting in a show that often felt as poignant as it was funny. In contrast, season 36 finale jumped decades into the future, featured scenes set in Heaven, and culminated in a daring car chase and rescue mission through a rest-stop bathroom ceiling. Suffice it to say, The Simpsons has verifiably gotten zanier.
Lisa Is Embarrassed By Bart’s Iconic Catchphrase In The Simpsons Season 36 Finale
Lisa Found Bart’s “Underachiever and Proud of It” Motto Dated
As The Simpsons changed, so too did its characters. The earliest versions of Marge and Homer are almost unrecognizable compared to their current incarnations, and even Bart and Lisa’s personalities were altered over the decades. When he was the show’s main focus alongside Homer in seasons 1-3, Bart was much more of a classic rebel than he is now. In contemporary episodes, Bart is a lovable dimwit as much as he is a merry prankster, but this is a noteworthy divergence from his original characterization.
While rooting through the family’s attic decades into the future, the episode’s grown version of Lisa came across a t-shirt emblazoned with Bart’s old motto “Underachiever and Proud of It.”
Although The Simpsons has mocked its current writing style plenty of times, the show took aim at its old characterization of Bart in season 36, episode 18, “Estranger Things.” While rooting through the family’s attic decades into the future, the episode’s grown version of Lisa came across a t-shirt emblazoned with Bart’s old motto “Underachiever and Proud of It.” Lisa balked, wondering how Bart wasn’t embarrassed by this outdated motto, and this wasn’t even the first time The Simpsons made fun of the phrase.
The Simpsons Mocked Bart’s Old Catchphrase Before
Bart Is Mortified By The Line In Season 12 Episode 8
The Simpsons has mocked Bart’s old catchphrase twice now, with season 12, episode 8, “Skinner’s Sense of Snow,” featuring a similar scene some 25 years ago. In that Yuletide classic, the kids are trapped in Springfield Elementary at Christmas when a blizzard sees them snowed in. When the children rebel and overpower Principal Skinner, they look through their permanent records and Bart reads aloud from his.
Bart is right to note that his depiction has changed a lot since the series began.
Encountering the phrase “Underachiever and Proud of It,” Bart demands to know “How old is this thing?” Although Bob’s Burgers borrowed The Simpsons’ focus on its younger characters with the show’s many kid-centric plots, Bart is right to note that his depiction has changed a lot since the series began.
Bart’s Catchphrase Highlights How Much The Simpsons Has Changed
Bart’s Hellraising Rebel Personality Is Much More Subdued Now
In classic episodes like season 3, episode 4, “Bart the Murderer,” season 3, episode 13, “Radio Bart,” season 4, episode 6, “Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie,” and season 5, episode 12, “Bart Gets Famous,” Bart’s bad behavior, pranks, and appetite for trouble are his defining characteristics. As the show continued, that changed.
The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 17 Completely Changed A Character Who’s Been Around For 34 Years
The Simpsons season 36 episode 17 fundamentally changes a character who has been around for 34 years now, but these alterations may be a good thing.
Bart is not defined as a rebel anywhere near as much after season 10, and in later seasons, his sweet but dim-witted personality becomes his defining trait. While The Simpsons is proudly inconsistent with its canon, it would be fair to say later seasons depict Bart more like a younger Homer, reckless but well-meaning, and less like the sly, sharp, and deviously inventive prankster of the early seasons. The Simpsons clearly acknowledges this in the series, as the show has highlighted and mocked the same outdated definition of the character twice now.
Enjoy ScreenRant's primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for our weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check "Network TV" in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.
The Simpsons
- Release Date
- December 17, 1989
- Network
- FOX
- Showrunner
- Al Jean
Cast
Tress MacNeille
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- David Silverman, Jim Reardon, Mark Kirkland
- Writers
- Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Sam Simon
- Franchise(s)
- The Simpsons
Your comment has not been saved