The Simpsons Season 19 Preview: Will They Finally Jump the Shark?

"The Simpsons" has been a staple of the FOX television network since 1989. We've followed Homer and Marge and Bart and Lisa and Maggie for over eighteen years, and yet television's favorite cartoon family hasn't aged a single day. With their major motion picture succeeding in the fiercely competitive summer box office this year, it seems as if there is no end in sight. Yet, it's undeniable that storylines have sagged over the past couple of seasons. "The Simpsons" isn't as funny as it once was. But with all other cartoon sitcoms (except "South Park") sorely lacking, "The Simpsons" may be here to stay. This season will tell a lot. Will "The Simpsons" return to form, or will they finally jump the shark?

The still picture that can be found in Entertainment Weekly magazine suggests that the sharks are in the water. It shows Homer and Marge in the middle of the ocean, staring into each others' eyes, while an animated Stephen Colbert flashes the double thumbs up, and Lionel Richie, carrying a trophy, gets air-lifted away. Did Homer just save Colbert and Richie from drowning? Or did he and the rest of the show just jump a shark? Probably the latter.

Season 19 will offer viewers a lot of guests, who undoubtedly want to be immortalized in yellow before the show goes off the air. You will see Jon Stewart, Matt Dillon, Jack Black, Dan Rather, Steve Buscemi, Maya Rudolph, and of course, Stephen Colbert. Much of the cast of "Frasier" will also reunite in a Sideshow Bob storyline.

Guest stars are often a sign that a show is nearing its end. Of course, "The Simpsons" is no stranger to guest stars, but I think the more we see of them, the less time the show has. Early in its run, "The Simpsons" used guest stars sparingly and when they were used, they were used well. Now, it seems more like a gimmick. And any episode that features Stephen Colbert and Lionel Richie in the same still, is not one I'd care to see. (Sorry, Stephen. You're still a great American hero.)

The Simpsons Movie may have been a financial (and even a critical) success. But anyone would have a tough time arguing that it was anything truly great. This particular long-time viewer hears the boat engine revving up. Homer's tied by the waist at the rear of it, with jet skis under his big, yellow feet. The shark is swimming back and forth, waiting for its moment in the sun. The boat goes into motion. The rope tugs at Homer's belly. There he goes. Up and over. Then the rope breaks...

"D'oh!"