Why The Simpsons are still relevant…

I have to admit that once a show has hit more than 20 seasons, it’s probably time to call it quits.  But as much as I feel that way, whenever I see a newer episode of the show, the one thing I can’t  help but notice is it’s relevance.  Shows like Family Guy have become a bit hit or miss even though no end seems to be in sight for that, simply because Family Guy at first seemed to fit into a cultural niche, that allowed us to initially see it as The Simpsons for the new century, but it devolved all too quickly into completely random cutaways that have very little to do with the show on the whole. I mean that chicken fighting bit?  That never made me laugh, but I don’t find fault with you if you did laugh at it, we are all different.  But let’s just say I grew up with America’s favorite yellow family, and watched as they evolved, in so many ways, the humor that changed with the times, the dropping of or adoption of new catch phrases, the onset of the internet age, and the changes that came with that.  The show will exist forever in my consciousness as something that partially shaped or influenced my world view, my sense of humor, and help educated me about the deeper world.  While going completely off the deep end at times, and the very non-realisitic events, Homer and co. always find themselves in, at it’s very center, it focuses so strongly on the importance of family, and the fact that new material is still coming out, it is a mark of mastery from the show creators that they can write over two decades worth of material with characters that never age.  What is up with that?  Entire classes could be taken on the social evolution shown through the long run of this show that means so much to me and many others.