Time for The Simpsons to say good-bye?

I hate being "that" guy, Before I say anything else, let me state some important facts for the record:

The Simpsons is one of the best sitcoms ever, if not the best. Its impact on pop culture has been seismic; with the possible exception of maybe Seinfeld, I can't think of another show from the past 20 years that has spawned more catchphrases and quotable lines.

In its prime, The Simpsons was incredibly sharp, multi-layered, and insightful, not to mention the hands-down funniest satire of American culture in any medium.

On a personal level, The Simpsons—along with shows like Saturday Night Live, David Letterman, and Mad magazine—shaped my sense of humor as I entered my teens and into adulthood. It essentially pulled me aside and said, "Hey! a lot of the stuff you take for granted is actually really dumb. Don't take it at face value. Here is what you should make fun of for the rest of your life." I don't doubt that being a regular Simpsons viewer during my formative years made me a funnier, smarter person today.

I owe a lot to The Simpsons, so my intention here is to give back. Not by being a typical fanboy apologist—I'm sure those people will already crucify me in the comments section—but by pointing out two other undeniable (at least in my view) facts:

1) The Simpsons is not as funny as it used to be,

and

2) this in turn, is hurting the show's legacy.

I take no joy in making this argument, but given the show's obvious decline in quality over the past, say, five, six, eight years—I'm being generous here—some tough love is desperately needed. Then again, maybe the decline isn't so obvious after all.

Arguing over whether something is funny is a loser's game; one man's guffaw is another man's groan. But The Simpsons is heading into its 21th (or is that 22nd?) season. It's already the longest-running sitcom and animated show in American TV history.

With 400+ episodes in the rear-view mirror, it's possible the concept is a tad exhausted, isn't it? After all, The Simpsons writers are pretty brilliant dudes (and dudettes); if there was still a good idea or two left in the tank, surely they would have thought it up by now.

The advantage The Simpsons had for years over other family sitcoms—the characters never age—has became a disadvantage. These characters, so iconic, have no room to grow. After so many episodes, this is true even of the show's galaxy of secondary characters. So you end up rehashing the same situations (Lisa is smart but insecure, Marge is a control freak, Homer is stupid, bart is a trouble maker etc) with diminishing returns. Here's an old complaint, but a valid one: The Simpsons has come to rely too much on the wacky Homer shtick and tired, meaningless guest stars. (Really, are we supposed to believe Kiefer Sutherland doing Jack Bauer is anything more than a Fox-sanctioned, decidedly un-Simpsons cross-promotional opportunity??) Simpsons writers have just seemed, well, bored for most of the W. Bush years, (which I am glad to see over, but that's for another day)
and content to amuse themselves with in side jokes, non sequiturs, and self-consciously silly plot twists.
This boredom has effectively marginalized a former pop-culture titan into a show that only the fanboys who pore over Simpsons DVDs like the Dead Sea Scrolls can appreciate.
A new Simpsons episode used to be an event; now it's like an album you buy out of loyalty by an artist you love, but who's clearly past his prime.

I was pumped when I first heard there was going to be a Simpsons movie, I had also heard that the show was going to come to an end afterwords (not a bad way to end it).

The movie instead, was a long semi mediocre episode in my opinion, I mean, i've seen episodes of The Simpsons that I found way more entertaining, The plot wasn't even all that great (the entire city in a bubble? really now? that was the best idea you guys came up with?) , and the show...well it's still going....

I normally am not one to say that people should retire against their will. To me, The Simpsons have built up a strong enough record that I can conveniently overlook the stuff I don't like. I'd be more than happy to continue not watching Simpsons and letting fans enjoy its mediocre slide if it weren't for the fact that in syndication—where classic TV shows are ultimately remembered and judged—the later seasons are given as much weight as the early ones.
Which means The Simpsons is gradually being diluted into a middling, occasionally funny show that future generations will think is laughably overrated by old fogies like us.

Come on, you know that's true, right? As a fellow lover of The Simpsons, join me in saying goodbye so we can move on to the next generation-defining pop-culture artifact. Sure, it was great while it lasted, but the dream is over....

Time for Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie to hit the beaches of sunny Florida.

Anyone agree with me? Disagree?