This episode epitomizes a side of The Simpsons that isn't often discussed, which is the use of its own notoriety to bring in celebrities and pander to the audience with shallow humor. I guess you could say that, at the time, it was part of the breaking of the fourth wall that made the show so unique and groundbreaking in the 90's. Yet watching the show from the beginning, episodes like this compare very poorly to episodes with more complex plot-lines and something to say.
Well, maybe the episode itself is a statement about the use of celebrity to create relevance? Considering the increased use of celebrities for gimmicky humor, I think The Simpsons wasn't in a position to satire something it was very guilty of.
The story is painfully simple: Krusty's show is being sidelined by a new variety show starring a deranged puppet, and Bart and Lisa find a bunch of celebrities to put together a comeback show for Krusty to regain his popularity. The competing star, Gabbo, is supposed to be annoying, but again the satire doesn't actually justify the truth-he's annoying and shallow. This is the kind of humour that hasn't held up over time, while many other episodes are so relevant they could have been made decades later.
Well, maybe the episode itself is a statement about the use of celebrity to create relevance? Considering the increased use of celebrities for gimmicky humor, I think The Simpsons wasn't in a position to satire something it was very guilty of.
The story is painfully simple: Krusty's show is being sidelined by a new variety show starring a deranged puppet, and Bart and Lisa find a bunch of celebrities to put together a comeback show for Krusty to regain his popularity. The competing star, Gabbo, is supposed to be annoying, but again the satire doesn't actually justify the truth-he's annoying and shallow. This is the kind of humour that hasn't held up over time, while many other episodes are so relevant they could have been made decades later.