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Matt Groening Blamed For ‘The Simpsons’ Worst Ever Ratings

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 18:06 PST, Sep 21, 2016

Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, has drawn flak from fans and the media at large for making the popular animated sitcom go downhill. The criticism comes amidst the news that Frank Grimes, Homer Simpson’s sworn enemy, will be resurrected in the 600th episode of the sitcom that made its debut in 1989 and which has completed 27 seasons of broadcasting.

There was a time when Matt Groening won critical acclaim for creating the fictional dysfunctional family whose character’s names were based on the names of his family members. In fact, the era which saw the airing of the sitcom’s first ten seasons is called as “The Simpsons golden period.” However, recent television ratings suggest that the popularity of the series is on the decline.

The television rating service Nielsen Company has reported that The Simpsons had some of its worst ratings ever last season, and the ratings are expected to plummet further in the next season. According to SBS, Matt Groening has been held responsible for the show’s downfall, with critics blaming the hoards of guest stars that the Simpsons creator has brought into the show, which many say has made the show lose focus.

Additionally, the writer has been accused of borrowing material from earlier seasons of the sitcom that had gained popularity. For many fans, the latest seasons of The Simpsons are seeking to imitate Season 8 of the show, which is widely regarded as one of the best seasons in The Simpsons’ history.

Also, fans have criticized Matt Groening for not making “Treehouse of Horror XXVII,” the upcoming Halloween episode, as informative as the previous Halloween specials that educated the audiences about the exceptional works of Edgar Alan Poe and Stanley Kubrick. Critics have drawn parallels between Matt Groening and George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars movie series, whose popular franchise is no longer producing movies that had the same cultural impact of earlier movies.

Despite the criticism, Matt Groening is still being considered as a cartoonist in high demand, as he is also the creator of Life in Hell, the popular comic strip, and Futurama, the animated sitcom.

The Australian reports that Matt Groening’s critical recognition has earned him an invitation to the Graphic Festival that celebrates graphic arts, storytelling, animation, and music.

As the presenter of “Secrets of The Simpsons, And A Couple of Millhouse Fun Facts,” the 28th session of the event, Matt Groening will interact with The Simpsons enthusiasts to talk about his career and to share his behind-the-scenes experience while working on the iconic animated show. According to News Australia, Matt Groening spoke about the agenda of his visit to The Graphic Festival.

“I’m going to share stories of the making of The Simpsons and show embarrassing home movies and rarely-seen animation, including oddball outtakes and uncensored Itchy & Scratchy cartoons.”

This will be Matt Groening’s first visit to Australia, and he is clearly excited to be a part of the event that will give him the opportunity to interact with enthusiastic fans of The Simpsons, the longest scripted animated show in television history. In the iconic animator’s experience, Australia is home to some of the most passionate fans of the popular sitcom, and that very fact has piqued his interest in attending the festival.

Even though Matt Groening is visiting Australia for the first time, the cartoonist had previously featured Australia in one of the earlier episodes of the show, when the Simpson family traveled to the country to rescue Bart who had been indicted for fraud. The Graphic Festival, to be held at the Sydney Opera House, is now in its sixth year, and the organizers have been working on persuading Matt Groening to grace the event since its inception.

According to the Business Insider, Ben Marshall, the co-curator of Graphic Festival 2016, revealed that Matt Groening is a champion of arts who creates amazing artwork by incorporating graphics, illustration, animation, and modern music.

Matt Greening will be accompanied to the event by his close friend Lynda Barry, who is best known for creating Ernie Pook’s Comeek.

[Featured Image by Tonya Wise/AP Images]

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