"The Simpsons": Back and the same as ever

The new season of "The Simpsons" is, well, just like every other season. The seventeenth season of the cartoon family is virtually indistinguishable from the last few seasons, and it's not surprising - after all, the show is older than about half of Blair's population. The series still maintains the level and type of humor employed in previous seasons. Old fans have nothing to complain about, but there's nothing to attract anyone new to the show.

The series premier was nothing memorable. Guest staring Alec Baldwin, the show brought up a myriad of current event references, such as parodying the title of a popular young adult book "Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events." The use of Baldwin was actually a deterrent to the show, as it felt more like a desperate attempt to attract viewers than something that was actually helping the episode.For those of you that have been living under a rock for your entire lives, the Simpsons are a yellow-skinned cartoon family residing in the city Springfield. Homer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta), the father of the family, is overweight, lazy and loves to drink beer and eat any type of food. He's irresponsible, but that's what gives the show humor. Marge (Julie Kavner), his wife, is just the opposite - skinny and prone to worrying, she's one of the most reasonable family members. They have three children - the wild and mischievous Bart (Nancy Cartwright), the smart and eco-friendly Lisa (Yeardley Smith), and the baby, Maggie. The family is always doing something out of the ordinary, usually due to Homer's spontaneous whims. The series isn't chronological - every so often an episode will reference an event in a previous one, but you can start watching at any time without any problems. Each show is its own isolated story.

The plot of the season premiere, as usual, is nonsensical, but the incredibility of the plot is easily forgiven due to the fact that the show is, after all, a cartoon. In the episode, Homer has to give up his house to the mob so they can shoot a porn film. Marge comes back and is upset, and eventually meets Caleb Thorn (Baldwin), who convinces the family to try to save manatees. Homer and the children split up from Marge, and in the end Homer wins back Marge by saving a group of manatees from a jet skiing gang. In the end, the family takes a vacation while a manatee fills in for Homer at work.

Just like every other Simpsons episode, there were lots of humorous memorable lines. When Homer tries to stop a group of men from hurting manatees, he tells them "Look, normally I would be joining you guys. In fact I'd most likely be the guy who had to go too far." In addition, the entire concept of a jet skiing gang is comedy in and of itself.

The second episode of the season doesn't really bring anything else to the table. The basic Simpsons formula is followed: current event references + improbable situations + Homer acting in unreasonable ways = humor.

In the episode, a stamp museum is going to be built next to the Simpsons until they protest, and a graveyard is moved there instead. Lisa is terrified, but in the end conquers her fears after hallucinating, due to hitting her head on a gravestone. Tired-yet-still-marginally-funny moments in the show include Homer's short shorts ripping and forming a thong as he protests the museum, and Milhouse's (voiced by Pamela Hayden) persistent attempts to win Lisa over, even in her hallucinations.

The basic format of the shows is tried and true, so if you're not sick of the family yet, go ahead and watch. I'd just wait for the reruns - it's really not worth scheduling around.

"The Simpsons" airs at 8:00 p.m. Sunday nights on Fox and is rated PG.