Although one classic episode of The Simpsons substantially altered the show’s usual formula, the series eventually had to return to its roots a few decades later. The Simpsons has a longer history than most shows and, as a result, it has been through numerous distinct eras. As The Simpsons season 36 approaches, it is easy to split the show’s outings into at least four distinct categories. Seasons 1—3 are typically seen as Early Simpsons, the time when the show was still finding its footing and sense of humor. The jokes here are often more grounded and cynical.

Seasons 4—10 are considered the Golden Age of The Simpsons, an era when the show’s writing reached a new level of critical acclaim. Borrowing from countless comedic influences from MAD Magazine to Monty Python, The Simpsons became more experimental, ambitious, surreal, and innovative in this period. However, it remained an animated family comedy with a relatively straightforward premise. Somewhere after season 12, Zombie Simpsons began. This is the critically disliked era wherein the show lost its touch. Debate rages over when this era began, although many critics have called seasons 34 and 35 a major improvement on their predecessors.

The Simpsons Season 10, Episode 11 Rewrote The Show’s Existing Formula

The Episode’s Opening Act Centers On Homer, Lenny, Carl, and Barney

Something worth noting is that The Simpsons changed its usual formula shortly before its critical decline. What makes this more intriguing is the fact that the episode that changed the show’s usual structure, season 10, episode 11, “Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken,” is an underrated classic. Most preceding episodes of The Simpsons focused on Lisa, Bart, Homer, or Marge throughout their storylines, centering one member of the family as their protagonist. In contrast, “Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken” switches its focus from Homer to Bart midway through its plot. The episode’s opening act is focused on Homer.

When Homer and his drunken friends trash Springfield Elementary School and the local kids get blamed, the episode becomes Bart’s story as he leads an intergenerational war against the town’s parents. From season 10 onwards, The Simpsons relied increasingly on this formula. An episode’s seven-minute first act centered on one story, only for the episode to shift gears and focus on something barely related. Season 13, episode 6, “She Of Little Faith,” is a Lisa-centric episode about her losing faith in religion, but its plot begins with an elaborate segment about Bart and Homer trying to launch a hamster into space.

Why “Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken” Works So Well

The Underrated Episode’s Silly Story Bounces Between Two Generations

While The Simpsons has sidelined Bart and Lisa on occasion over the years, “Wild Parts Can’t Be Broken” succeeded primarily because the episode made Bart’s plight compelling. The first act’s focus on Homer acting incredibly childish actions wouldn’t work if it lasted more than a few minutes, since his immature antics would grow grating. However, Homer’s foolhardy behavior is a necessary setup later paid off when Bart proves to be wise beyond his years while getting revenge. Bart’s thoroughly justified vengeance makes this unusual structure succeed since, while Homer’s rampage is funny, his distrust of kids deservedly costs him.

Season 11, episode 9, “Grift of the Magi,” is another instance of the series successfully utilizing this unusual storytelling approach. The plot is initially about Bart breaking his coccyx and Springfield Elementary building wheelchair ramps, but eventually turns into the Christmas-centric story of Funzo. This opening plot could seem utterly unrelated to the rest of the episode, but the fact that Bart’s injury caused Springfield Elementary’s bankruptcy makes him more culpable for Funzo’s evil plan. Like “Wild Parts Can’t Be Broken,” this episode ties together its two storylines despite how disparate the two subplots may appear on paper.

The Simpsons Used Its New Formula For The Next 20 Years

The Series Featured More Opening Act Subplots After The Golden Age

Earlier seasons of the series didn’t typically use this formula, with episodes largely centering on the same main character throughout. Part of the reason that later seasons of The Simpsons are missing tangible stakes could be a result of this changing storytelling style. From season 4, episode 16, “Duffless,” to season 6, episode 24, “Lemon of Troy,” to season 7, episode 16, “Lisa The Iconoclast,” most of the Golden Age episodes start as they mean to go on. A single focus drives most episodes from earlier seasons before “Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken” introduced a new formula with its opening act B-story.

The series then proceeded to stick with this new formula for much of seasons 11-30. Typically, these storylines lasted about seven minutes and had only a tangential connection to the main plot. For instance, season 12, episode 12, “Tennis the Menace,” saw Grampa win a free autopsy at the retirement home talent show. This resulted in a consultation at a funeral home, which then led to the family building a tennis court. Season 12, episode 2, “A Tale of Two Springfields,” had a similarly disjointed setup, as a sudden badger infestation preceded a plot about Springfield splitting into two area codes.

The Big Problem With The Simpsons’ Episode Formula After Season 10

Lesser Episodes Struggled To Weave Together Unrelated Plots

There are many unsolved mysteries in The Simpsons, but it is pretty easy to discern why the show dropped this storytelling style. The opening act B-stories got increasingly silly, resulting in the show eventually getting rid of them as The Simpsons went back to centering its main characters. Since the show’s nadir around seasons 30—32, the series wisely reverted to episodes with a singular focus on one main character as the writing tightened up. The Simpsons has earned praise for its writing in these years, primarily because of this renewed sense of clarity and purpose.

At their best, these opening act B-stories allowed The Simpsons to indulge in some zanier, Looney Tunes-inspired lunacy. “Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken” and “She Of Little Faith” were both elevated by their wacky opening acts, but this became an issue when The Simpsons stopped injecting humanity and pathos into the main storylines of later episodes. Eventually, random goofiness became the main focus of the series and The Simpsons lost its stakes. As a result, The Simpsons needed to pull back from the inventive new style pioneered in “Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken” and return to its origins.