Blu-Ray Review: Disappointing ‘The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season’

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CHICAGO – I never thought I’d be disappointed by a season release of “The Simpsons”. Even though I knew the show would start to dip in quality by the time it got to the end, I somehow assumed that the DVD (and eventual Blu-ray) releases would continue to be stellar. D’oh!

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0

The Homer-esque sound comes due to the jaw-dropping stupidity that comes with the new season release of “The Simpsons,” the first time the show has ever been on Blu-ray. The series has won awards with its gorgeous DVD season sets for the first twelve years of the show and I, like a lot of fans, couldn’t wait for the day that arguably the best comedy series of all time made the leap to 1080p. Considering that the 20th season was the first broadcast in HD, it made sense that Fox was hitting the fast forward button and jumping to the most recent complete season, a great starting point for Blu-ray.

The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 12th, 2010.
Photo credit: Fox Home Video

But why did they have to leave behind everything else that made a “Simpsons” season set an occasion that every worthwhile DVD collector marked on their calendar? Nearly every episode of “The Simpsons” released to date has come with specific special features including commentary tracks, deleted scenes, and/or storyboards and animatics.

The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 12th, 2010. Photo credit: Fox Home Video

What great special features are included on the 20th season? Nothing. That’s right, a series that set the bar for special features has gone bare bones. Sure, there’s a sneak peek at the Morgan Spurlock documentary special that just aired but that’s it and it’s incredibly brief.

Even the menu screens are shockingly dull. Past season sets sparkled from the minute you opened them, including clever packaging, brilliantly designed menus, well-transferred episodes (some of which were among the best television has ever produced), and hours of special features. All gone.

Maybe it wouldn’t be quite so painful if the twentieth season of the show wasn’t such a shadow of its prime. Yes, there are still moments of twisted brilliance in “The Simpsons” (although even less so in the simply bad current season) but it’s one thing to slowly go downhill one season at a time and quite another to take the significant leap from season 12 to 20. If they were going to do so, why not bring a few bells and whistles to make the fall a bit less painful?

Of course, hardcore “Simpsons” fans, a group of which I would still claim allegiance, simply have to own the first Blu-ray release of the best show of all time. The first nine episodes were produced in 4:3 format and have been upgraded but don’t look significantly impressive. When the show gets to the HD broadcasts, the video transfer shines. It’s the best thing about the package.

I never thought I’d write that the best thing about a “Simpsons” season release was the video transfer. I assumed that even as the show itself started to wane, the care put into these releases would make them shine. I was wrong. I’d like to wish Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie a happy twentieth anniversary and, as a gift, we all should all work to make sure that a release this lackluster never bears their name again.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com