Future-Drama - The Simpsons S23 E09

     When I watched last night's episode of the Simpsons, it made me think of the problem with very long shows. So the Simpsons are on season 23, 23 years of the Simpsons. 

Think about it like this : 496 episodes have aired. That's more days than in a year. Nobody gets older so it's a sort of weird time warp that is operated where nothing ever changes. 

But that's what sitcoms do. They keep us in an unaltered reality where time has stopped. Sure, the seasons change and the family celebrates different holidays and keeps up with the times with technology, cultural and political references. 

The Basic Mystery Factor

     In most shows, there is some sort of ongoing mystery that will never really be elucidated. In my opinion, there is something to understand other than just comic-effect. Let's take a quick look at different mysteries and see how they impact a sitcom. 

        The Simpsons never say in which US State they are. This could be unimportant, but they insure that you keep wondering with different allusions and try to maintain the mystery alive.

       In The Big Bang Theory, there used to be a mystery about how the elevator stopped working but it was resolved recently. There is however the fact that Howard's mother is always heard but never seen.