The Secret To Homer's Comedy On The Simpsons According To Reddit
With well over 700 episodes on the books, Fox's beloved animated sitcom "The Simpsons" is officially the longest-running scripted series in the history of American television. In the eyes of some (including The AV Club), it may be the greatest program the small screen has spawned in any format. And with "The Simpsons" currently running through its 33rd run of episodes, and a 34th already green-lit by Fox, the titular family will continue to make merry in the town of Springfield for the foreseeable future.
That will no doubt please "The Simpsons"-loving masses who continue to tune in every week to see what kooky hijinks the gang will get into. That is arguably more true for Simpsons paterfamilias Homer (Dan Castellaneta) than most characters on the show, as he's become not just the legit star of "The Simpsons," but one of the most beloved cartoon characters in the history of animation. That remains the case even as some argue the series itself has seen an obvious decline in quality in recent years.
Homer is always gonna be Homer, though. And thanks to a former writer on "The Simpsons," we now know at least part of the secret to Homer's hilarity.
A very specific comedic approach is apparently the key to writing Homer
As featured in a lively little Reddit thread, former "The Simpsons" writer and producer Brent Forrester recently took to TikTok to break down how a vintage Homer Simpson joke from the show's eighth season came into being. In doing so, he also talked about what some believe to be the secret to the iconic character's humor.
According to Forrester, that key is a specific comedic approach called "ironic condescension," which he explains is, "whenever you're looking down on somebody, but you're wrong ... it's funny."
Longtime fans of "The Simpsons" might be quick to confirm that particular comedic ethos pretty succinctly sums up all things Homer over the series' lengthy primetime run. And u/poksim is among them, with the user promptly posting, "I feel like that's the whole reason why Homer is so funny. It's not that he's just stupid, it's that he's a stupid man who thinks he's smart. He's always trying to outsmart everyone, just in incredibly stupid ways."
Later in the thread, u/Fuggins4You dropped in with their own take on Forrester's claim calling the approach, "Art. Masterful art." As for u/MaxPainkiller, they were one of many who were not at all surprised George Meyer was the writer who found a way to make the joke work, "Makes sense that it was George Meyer. Dude shaped the comedy of the early seasons."
On the other hand, it seems that perhaps not every user was thrilled with Forrester's breakdown as u/RichardInaTreeFort offered their thoughts that explaining the joke diminished its potency. Regardless, Forrester's insight into Homer humor is one that will likely change the way many watch "The Simpsons" moving forward.