Can 'The Simpsons Movie' Revive the Show?

Some say the characters are getting old, and the show has little life left.

ByABC News
February 11, 2009, 8:08 PM

July 27, 2007 — -- Though it captivated a massive audience when it began in 1989, for the last few years, "The Simpsons" has been to Sunday night what icing is to a doughnut: You'd miss it if it wasn't there, but it's not exactly exciting.

Despite its antics over the last 18 seasons, the animated family from Springfield became as familiar as next-door neighbors. Then came the hullabaloo over the show's 400th episode in May, and after that, the opening of Kwik-E-Mart-themed 7-Elevens across the country in June.

Now, "The Simpsons Movie" is hitting theaters and it's hard not to wonder: Can all of this get audiences excited about an almost 20-year-old series?

The challenge is certainly there. The much-anticipated movie, which features Homer turning Springfield into a toxic wasteland and the Simpsons fleeing to Alaska, comes at a time when people are turning away from the Fox show.

During the 1992-93 season, "The Simpsons" averaged 22.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. An average of 9.1 million viewers tuned in for the 2006-07 season not a shabby audience, but not the overwhelming one the show drew in the past.

And regardless of how well the movie does or how many packs of Buzz cola the Kwik-E-Marts sell, media experts agree that the glory days of "The Simpsons" are long gone. While the satirical sitcom broke ground and remains a cultural icon, it's almost impossible for it to regain its 1990s' level of popularity.

"I can't imagine that the movie would come out and 'The Simpsons' would return to the ratings that they had 1991," said Bob Thompson, a Syracuse University professor of television and pop culture. "'The Simpsons' is its own toughest act to follow. Everyone is going to go to the movie thinking this is the best 'Simpsons' that they've ever seen."

Besides trying to outdo itself on the big screen, on its home turf "The Simpsons" has to contend with similar shows that didn't exist when it began. Fox's "Family Guy" and Comedy Central's "South Park" followed in its footsteps. Now, they compete for its audience.