MovieChat Forums > Arthur (1996) Discussion > What happened to Arthur?

What happened to Arthur?

posted 10 years ago by AndrewDBest
6 replies | jump to latest

Did I miss an episode? Was his character killed off? But seriously, this show has become its own spin-off.

[–] abajasds 10 years ago

I'm watching the show now, I don't watch it like I used to being that I'm in my 20's now, but for about 10 years now, it seem like a lot of episodes have been about George. I always disliked the character, but right now the episode on which is from 2014 doesn't seem to even have Arthur in it, just George.

My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather

[–] Flying-DeLorean 10 years ago

George was okay in the early seasons when he was just the shy kid that nobody really knew. But every new episode about him seems to shoehorn in some new fact about his character. Like in one recent episode, he's apparently the school's expert on baseball; nobody knows more about baseball than George. Since when?? I thought that role went to Francine, or at least Brain.

Don't get me started on his puppet friend Wally.

[–] abajasds 10 years ago

Exactly, because it used to be that Francine was great at almost every sport and then Alan was also great at sports. Because he used to teach soccer and was good at baseball.

It even seems like George had become best friends with Buster seeing how there were quite a number of episodes that have them two as friends. George over all was never a character I thought could hold his own. He's better as a supporting character. I think the only episode I liked him in was when he was trying to sing the blues.

It really seems that with the show keeping up with times like internet and everything that is the popular craze really has weaken the characters. I remember "Arthur" had moments that made me laugh, now it seems like a nighttime drama or something. Definitely not the show I grew up on, but then again, maybe I'm just getting old.

My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather

[–] Gruntkid 10 years ago

It really seems that with the show keeping up with times like internet and everything that is the popular craze really has weaken the characters. I remember "Arthur" had moments that made me laugh, now it seems like a nighttime drama or something. Definitely not the show I grew up on, but then again, maybe just getting old.

I personally don't feel you getting old is the reason it's not enjoyable anymore. It's just the show either goes straight for a trend or some ridiculous PSA. There's no happy medium like it used to be.

[–] abajasds 10 years ago

I started watching Arthur shortly after it first started in 1996 at the age of 7. (Where does the time go?) and over the years the episodes where just basic. For example D.W's snowball, Crazy Bus, etc there were gimmicks that made this show funny and educational.

I say the show jumped the shark in 2003 especially when the characters voices started to change. It was too the point where the voices where cringe-worthy. I honestly don't even think they mention "Bionic Bunny" or "Dark Bunny" anymore. It's now "Virtual Goose" and "Henry Schever." Remember the "Scare Your Pants Off" storyline?

I know times have changed and the writers and producers have to stay fresh, but not everything should be a PSA. It's nice they touched on the topic of Alzheimer's Disease and Asperger's syndrome.

Thinking back on episodes as I type this, Arthur really did try and keep up with the latest trend years ago. Remember James Hound?

My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather

[–] willkins-jason 10 years ago

The second half of Season 16 featured some of the show's best episodes in years and really got back to the original charm it used to have.

It carried over into the first half of Season 17 but since then, I have been straight-up BORED. I can appreciate when they address social issues and stay culturally relevant because it does it way better than most shows (like The Simpsons and South Park), but like another poster pointed out, there is no more happy medium. Arthur used to be fun to watch. Now, it seems like episodes are a chore to sit through. Which is sad because shows like Arthur are never supposed to lose that charming, fun element or they lose steam fast.

This is why I love calling Arthur a kids' version of The Simpsons, because it is. The first eight seasons (maybe eleven if I'm being generous), had enjoyable stories, great life lessons, and genuinely hilarious jokes. It was like an educational sitcom that never fell in the trap that a stereotypical PBS cartoon would. Now, it moves the same way as something like, I don't know, Peg & Cat. It can still be interesting at times. It's still intelligent and enjoyable for kids. But it's no longer the cool educational sitcom that anyone could sit down and watch. It's hardly ever funny, the flash animation is done way better on Martha Speaks, and the characters are hardly ever entertaining.

Speaking of Martha Speaks, I want to talk about that show for a bit. When it first started out seven years ago, it looked like Arthur's successor. Everything was falling into place. The first two seasons (and possibly the third) represented almost everything that Arthur in its prime years did. It always aimed for a younger audience than Arthur and was therefore never as cool, but it showed so much potential out of the gate. Then, around season four, it started becoming really uninteresting. The characters' voices changing KILLED it for me in a way that Arthur never did, because the producers don't know when to let voice actors/actresses go or scout new ones who can act. Season four was actually kinda enjoyable ("Eyes on the Skies" is one of my favorite episodes along with "Camp Truman," "Billy Collins Speaks!," "Milo's Reading Buddy," and the one with the Adverbalizer), but by season five, it started to bore me and halfway piss me off. If Arthur is The Simpsons, then Martha Speaks is Family Guy.