Other series (non-Star Trek) reviews

The Simpsons

(June 2025) I have completed my project of watching every Simpsons episode – 790 episodes including the recently-concluded 36th season. This took me not quite four years to do.  Seasons 4-8 (1992-97) are the best, as fans and critics tend to agree. Even with the general quality slippage, the show still offers enjoyable episodes, satirizing current society and dropping easter eggs and clever in-jokes from the voluminous catalogue. Key to its durability is the eagerness to use the animated format to go way beyond the fourth wall and use mirrors and windows to lampoon itself and others through the Simpsons idiom. This creativity brings some of my favorites: the Treehouse of Horror series, “22 Short Films About Springfield” (S7E21), “The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase” (S8E24), the ‘Behind the Music’ spoof (S11E22), the anonymous hacker episode (S34E3), the fake series finale (S36E1). There are many potential jump-the-shark moments; for me it was the episode (S24E14) featuring the time Abe was a cross-dressing wrestler.

I don’t have a list of favorite episodes, but rather favorite Simpsons moments, most of which are already cemented in our culture, in a numbered but not-quite ranked order:

  1. Planet of the Apes movie (entire episode: “A Fish Called Selma” S7E19)
  2. Mister Sparkle (“I am disrespectful to dirt! Can you see that I am serious?!” S8E22)
  3. Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge (“you have selected: no” S7E11)
  4. In the Garden of Eden (spoof of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, S7E4)
  5. Itchy and Scratchy Land (“nobody ruins my vacation except for me, and maybe the boy,” S6E4)
  6. The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour (S8E24)
  7. Die Bart, Die! (German for “the Bart, the!” S5 E2)
  8. Steamed hams (one of the 22 short films, “it’s an Albany expression” S7E21)
  9. Behind the Laughter (entire episode, S11E22)
  10. Poochie: “I have to go now, my planet needs me” (S8E14)
  11. Khlav Kalash and crab juice over Mountain Dew (S9E1)
  12. Worker and Parasite video cartoon (“Endut! Hoch Hech!,” S4E22)
  13. “Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins. Homer Simpson, Politely Smiling” (S7E24)
  14. Cletus the Slack Jawed Yokel (one of the 22 short films, S7E21)

South Park

(January 2023 ) I have completed watching the entirety of SOUTH PARK (it took a year: 319 episodes + the movie). This is one of my favorite shows.  Yes, it has a reputation for juvenile appeal with the coarseness, foul language, and scatological humor.  I love that.  But even more so, it has such smart and creative writing. It is supreme satire that Trey and Matt deploy quickly, mercilessly and universally.  The stories are clever, interweaved and self-referential. While the animated format allows for fantastic scenarios (outer space, imagination, role playing, Hell), they always return to the inherent humor of 10-year old boys acting like 10-year old boys. Favorite episodes:

  1. “Make Love, Not Warcraft” (S10) – the boys become wargame avatars in an epic quest
  2. “Good Times With Weapons” (S8) – the boys play with weapons as Japanese warriors in anime form
  3. “The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers” (s6) – LOTR LARPers mock Harry Potter LARPers in a quest that involves a porn video
  4. Imaginationland trilogy (S11) – pop culture heroes and villains in an end-times epic battle
  5. “Woodland Critter Christmas” (S8) – cute little animals are not what they seem
  6. “Scott Tenorman Must Die” (S5) – Cartman’s revenge plotting reaches its extreme conclusion
  7. “Medicinal Fried Chicken (S14) — Randy gives himself testicular cancer to get access to weed
  8. “Trapped in the Closet” (S9) – takedown of Scientology
  9. “All About Mormons” (S7) – explainer of Mormonism (and seed of “Book of Mormon”)
  10. “Major Boobage” (S12) – getting high on car urine, Kenny enters world of “Heavy Metal”
  11. “AWESOM-O” (S8) – Cartman’s robot prank boomerangs against himself
  12. “The Return of Chef” (S10) – using old Isaac Hayes tape, they spoof Chef and cults after Hayes quit the show after “Trapped in the Closet”
  13. “Butters episode” (S5) – Butters discovers father’s hidden lifestyle, included here mostly because it introduced Butters as a major character

The Larry Sanders Show

(July 2020) I’ve finished (re) watching The Larry Sanders Show, still one of the funniest TV series ever. And highly influential: it launched the “cringe comedy” genre reflected in The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development, broke barriers by mixing fictional characters with real show biz personalities, and made curse words a key brand of HBO originals. My favorite character is, of course, Artie, with a “Hey Now”shout out to Hank Kingsley. Cringiest episode is probably the one where Hank explores his Jewish roots. Being a quarter century old, some of the sexist attitudes are rather dated, but most of it holds up. So many classic scenes.

Space 1999

(January 2021) I’ve completed my binge of Space 1999, and I have questions:

  • The nuclear explosion was on the FAR side of the moon, so why does the moon move AWAY from Earth and not toward it?
  • As the moon accelerates away from Earth, why are the people in the near side base pushed toward the floor rather than toward the ceiling?
  • How is the moon lit when it travels in interstellar space?
  • Why is Moonbase Alpha always on the lit side?
  • Why is the base side of the moon always the side that faces the planet or object it approaches?
  • The Voyagers have been traveling for 40+ years and are still in our solar system.  How is it the moon encounters an extrasolar planet or spaceship every 3 months on average?
  • How is the moon traveling slow enough to spend a few days studying a passing planet, yet fast enough that it only takes a few months to visit the next system?
  • How does the base have enough resources and personnel to repair/replace the Eagles and facilities destroyed by alien attacks?
  • Their advanced technology includes laser weapons and a space shield, so why can’t they communicate with Earth?
  • In season 2, what happened to the Professor? Paul?  Kano?

Babylon 5

(September 2023) I’ve completed watching the entirety of BABLYON 5 (five seasons and six cable TV movies) as an extension of my completist Star Trek compulsion. I cannot help but compare the franchises, and Babylon 5 invites such comparisons: the setting is very similar and the fact that it aired in the 1990s at the same time as TNG, DS9 and VOY. Its creators fittingly billed it as a “space opera.” Its scope is galactic and its storylines epic, and even the staging and camera angles remind one of a daytime soap. The positive: it offered serialized TV long before that became the norm. This provided long story arcs spanning multiple seasons, allowing for more complex plot and character development. The negative: it is cheesy – the sets, the costumes, the music and especially the graphics (it was one of the first sci-fi series to go full CGI, which now looks very dated). While the worldbuilding and alien races are imaginative, the modes of operating in space (battles, reconnaissance, communication) are not updated for how different such things would be in space. In general, the acting is not great, although I praise Andreas Katsulas (G’Kar), Peter Jurasik (Mollari) and Bruce Boxleitner (Sheridan) for quality performances. The complex relationship between G’Kar and Mollari was the best of the show. Do I recommend? Probably only for die-hard sci-fi fans. I know this show has its committed devotees.

I don’t have a list of favorite episodes because the show really isn’t organized around episodes, although I will single out S4 E18 for its well-done psychological horror during Sheridan’s interrogation.

Favorite season: 4 (culmination of Shadow War and Earth Civil War, forming of Interstellar Alliance)

Favorite character: G’Kar

Least favorite character: Michael Garibaldi. Putting a tough-talking New Jersey cop in charge didn’t work for me. That’s not how station security would work in the 23rd century.

Next to least favorite: Marcus the Ranger. What was the point of this character? It didn’t work to have a character dress like a 14th century monk and then give him a corny sense of humor.

King of the Hill

(October 2024) I’ve finished binging all 13 seasons (259 episodes) of KING OF THE HILL.  It’s top three animated comedies to me (along with the Simpsons and South Park) and also one of the top comedies overall. The setting (fictional Arlen) is simultaneously Everytown America and distinctly Texas, where the town and its people are humorized without condescension. It’s notable for having a depth of characters, especially for an animated show, where even the minor (in screen time) ones are personalities rather than caricatures. At the center – of his family, of his alley and of the show – is Hank Hill. He’s a steady, rules-respecting traditionalist, unintentionally funny in the joy he derives from propane, caulking and lawn care. Other character shoutouts: Dale Gribble — somehow they humanized a conspiracy nut; Luanne’s innocent airheadedness; Dooley, the laconic restater of the obvious, although each character deserves their own write-up. From a 2020s perspective, the show is refreshingly non-political. The characters, especially Hank, must deal with the tug between modernity and convention, but it’s never portrayed as a culture war. I doubt the show could be made today. In general, the early seasons are better as the later seasons toyed with some silliness, but the quality was consistent throughout. The show is also notable for the one-off non-sequitur jokes to start a scene.

Stanley Kubrick films

(May 2025) I recently finished watching all of Stanley Kubrick’s films in order. He has long been my favorite director for all the reasons that he is esteemed, especially the cinematographic aspects – long tracking shots, camera angles, scene composition.  I had seen 8 of his 13 films before this binge, which are among the top 9 ranked below. I have long considered Dr. Strangelove my favorite film, and am still amazed watching 2001 every time despite having seen a million scifi movies since. The most wonderful discovery among those I had not seen was Barry Lyndon, a fantastic film I regret missing. The costume design, set location and shot composition create a fully immersive voyage into the 18th century. That candlelight seduction scene might be the best in all his work. The bottom three movies are his earlies and only worthy of completists’ time. I couldn’t get past the ick factor in Lolita. Spartacus is a great film as a sword-and-sandal epic but it stands apart from the rest as outside Kubrick’s style. Paths of Glory is an early gem, a blossoming of his technique, with quality acting and a moral message. Eyes Wide Shut suffered in this viewing; still don’t take to the premise. The Shining is great but I’ve never liked it as much as others. Full Metal Jacket grew in my estimation. And Clockwork Orange’s dystopianism is relevant as ever.

  1. Dr. Strangelove
  2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
  3. A Clockwork Orange
  4. Barry Lyndon
  5. Full Metal Jacket
  6. Paths of Glory
  7. The Shining
  8. Eyes Wide Shut
  9. Spartacus
  10. Lolita
  11. The Killers
  12. Killer’s Kiss
  13. Fear and Desire