I cannot in good conscience, give this series higher than the 8 I just gave it. It's a very good series, significantly better than lots of shows that maintain an audience. The humor had a difficult time reaching a certain balance. There was humor that was cerebral enough to miss most of the audience. There was unpredictable nonsensical humor, to appeal to a different audience. Then, there was more humor that was not especially clever, and too predictable or juvenile. This mix is part of what led to the downfall. Any of the audiences that would have appreciated each element separately disappeared because the show felt sub-par to them.
While I take this as a weakness, once this is an understood problem, the show is very enjoyable. There is a lot of heart inserted to the characters, the stories are far more interesting than most of the modern-era Simpsons episodes.
If you feel like you miss the golden days of the Simpsons - seasons 3-5, then go watch these, and it'll be a nice, fresh fix of that kind of writing.
While I take this as a weakness, once this is an understood problem, the show is very enjoyable. There is a lot of heart inserted to the characters, the stories are far more interesting than most of the modern-era Simpsons episodes.
If you feel like you miss the golden days of the Simpsons - seasons 3-5, then go watch these, and it'll be a nice, fresh fix of that kind of writing.