Following on from a thread regarding Simpsons quotes...

Debate has grown (mainly started by me ) over the Simpson right to be claimed the best, or is their undoubted class over stated because they have also stood the test of time without folding.

Personally I rate Futurama as the best Matt Groening cartoon (as does Matt as it happens). However the frankly awesom Family Guy takes them both down.

However my favourite is a little known Cartoon from the Mid 90s called Duckman. It was voiced by the short fat one from Seinfeld with heavy contribution from Dweezil Zappa.

Anyone else heard of Duckman?

And what is the best sitcom style cartoon?

The Simpsons.

I do realise that I am swimming against the tide here but as good as The Simpsons is I think its popularity over later shows is partly because we already liked it before the likes of Futurama, Family Guy et al came along.

Futurama

The Simpsons for me any day. Futurama is good but not in the same league as The Simpsons as far as I'm concerned. I'd go as far as to say that Homer Simpson is one of the great comedy characters of all time. Up there with Basil Fawlty, Delboy Trotter, David Brent etc.

And Bender B. Rodríguez

Jessica Rabbit - she's not bad - she's just drawn that way!

I remember duckman
I don't remember seeing many episodes tbh
Wasn't it on late at night - like round midnight ?
Duckman was much more adult oriented if I remember correctly . . . ?
(Strong language)
Im just going to see what google can dig up

Think she gets The Bear's vote

You just gotta love youtube;

Before making your minds up - take a quick look at Duckman
you'll wonder how you missed it

I remember Duckman being very funny, can't remember what happened in it though.

I think Family Guy and early South Park are at least as laugh out loud funny as Simpsons, which is what I like, but Simpsons may just win on inteligence and longevity.

Other really good ones, but are very much kid orientated but can be watched by adults are Rugrats, and Pinky and the Brain. But they aren't the best.

There is really only one choice, the best cartoon of all time is Dogtanian , closely followed by Ulysses 31, Dungeouns and Dragons, & Dengermouse

I remember Duckman. It filled one of those late night BBC 2 slots along with the massively underrated (in the UK, at least) Seinfeld. Include Cosmo Kramer in the list of best TV characters.

The Animaniacs used to be a genuine favourite of mine. Kids just wouldn't have got a third of the jokes on that show.

Its all coming back now, great show

I think Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain may be made by the same people, the animation is very similar

Indeed thats where they started

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_and_the_Brain

Yeh El_pappje - The Bear would eat her alive!

How could I forget Ren and Stimpy!

I love cartoons

Can only add my support to this veiwpoint ... Simpsons by a country mile for me. I think there is also a certain innocence to the concept which may have given it a longer shelf-life than a show like South Park that needs a large dollop of shock value ...

That Groening would publicly state a definitive preference for the one (Futurama) over the other strikes me as a bit odd ... any source on this?

Family Guy - Joe is drowning...

Peter: "Kick Joe Kick!"
Lois: "He's a parapleagic Peter,he cant swim..."
Peter: "What? It doesnt mean he cant hear...kick Joe kick!"

The Flintstones

Appreciate a lot of those mentioned... but for me the only one where you could quote it the next day to your mates and maintain the original quality is the Simpsons. The only animated show where you actually feel like you know the characters personally.

It was on one of those "100 greatest" shows. During the Futurama portion he and others expressed their frustration that idiotic network bosses killed the show because (cue silly voice) "its not The Simpsons"

I think it was because it was something new and fresh, by 1999 Simpsons was pretty old, its understandable that he would be eager for his new project.

Ive just been doing some looking round, and it looks like 2008 will see new epsiodes!!!!

I really dispute that!

Let me re-phrase that... the only animated show where you actually feel like you could know the characters personally in real life.

Simpsons gets my vote too.
I'd go as far as to say it's one of the best-produced, best-written, long-running tv shows ever. It's popular because it's very good and appeals to adults and kids alike.
Other cartoons may be funny and clever too, but I think the Simpsons has been consistently great and has penetrated public consciousness so much that it has become a cultural icon of our (well my) generation.

the part I dispute is that its the only one!

Say what you want about the relative quality of humour, but its very hard to argue that the Simpsons characters are more fleshed out than the Futurama ones.

The Simpsons has no linear story. There has been no ageing or progression, what happens in an episode has no influence on future episodes. That is no bad thing, but it doesnt help you feel that you "know" them. Because it stands out a mile that they are short stories with an end. there is nothing to root for.

Futurama on the other hand does have progression. A lot of what happens carries forward into future events. There are things that you are watching for and waiting to happen, there are relationships that grow and die. It is possible to get more emotionally involved in these characters lives. Aside from the sci fi element the actual character element of the show is far more realistic.

Ive laughed at both shows, but I have never been moved by a Simpsons Episode. I have at a Futurama one (its one about the Pet Dog Fry had before he was frozen).

I remember one that I found quite moving. Started off with Bart & Lisa looking through a photo album and asking Homer why they had no photos of Maggie.

Went on to tell the story of just prior to Marge getting pregnant with Maggie when Homer resigned from the nuclear plant and got his dream job working in the bowling alley.

Predictably he ended up grovelling to get his hum-drum job back at the plant to cover extra cost of 3rd kid. And to answer the original question, he kept all his photos of Maggie at his desk in work to keep him going when things were tough.

Was the first time I realised why my mum & dad always had photos of us kids at their workplace when I was younger and just made me think a little and appreciate what they did for us I guess.

Overall, think you are fighting a losing battle here Karrde mate, gotta be the Simpsons !

I thought of that exact, same Simpsons episode as Cam23 when I read Karrde's post. Very touching.
Fwiw, I'm with the Woolster & Switters on this one.

If you think that is touching then you have obviously never seen the episode I am talking about or totally missed the point of it. There wasnt one hint of comedy in the closing minutes of that show. Just a really really well written piece of television. I have seen very few live action shows with as emotional a message as that, what really makes it stand out is how it worked on many levels.

That moment with Homer and the photos was merely "sweet"