If you were to have told me ten years ago that Weezer would be guest starring on The Simpsons, I would have set my VCR months in advance and cleared my schedule for whatever Sunday night the episode aired.
This week, upon hearing the news that Weezer will be guest starring on a future episode of the Simpsons, I’m thinking that since The Simpsons airs during Hope’s bedtime routine, if I miss the initial broadcast, I can always catch it later on Hulu or somewhere else online.
My changed attitude reflects three things. First, (obviously) technology has totally changed the way most of us watch TV. Secondly, having a daughter has changed my priorities (as I type this with one hand, I’m feeding her with the other). And finally, I just don’t feel the way about new Simpsons as I did about the old Simpsons.
I think that Simpsons seasons four through eight are some of the best seasons of television ever produced. There are whole episodes I can do line-by-line. But after that, the show started getting full of itself. Random guest starts (just for the sake of having guest stars), pointless storylines and a list of producers, co-producers, assistant producers and executive producers that lasted the whole first block turned the show from must see TV (for me) to well, I guess I’ll watch it if I have nothing better to do. The last season in which I went out of my way to watch involved the family going to London, where Tony Blair greeted them at an airport, only to jet off on a rocket pack. I’ve watched a few episodes since, and while I’ve enjoyed them, it hasn’t been enough to get me back every week.
Well, according to some tweets by band members, the members of Weezer are among the newest random guest stars. If anything, their appearance will probably be more along the lines of each member gets one line rather than guest stars who are integrated into the episode. I wouldn’t call Weezer a group of fringe musicians and while they don’t need an appearance on The Simpsons to embiggen their exposure, something like this can only help them. Sure, I’ll watch, but I’m not sure that a Weezer appearance will get me to watch The Simpsons every week again.
Besides, 8:00 every night is Hope’s bedtime.
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