It's hard to believe "The Simpsons" is about begin its 18th season. It's clearly not the cutting edge show it used to be, and I don't watch it as religiously as I used to, but there is something sort of comforting about its regular return to the FOX schedule every year. Still, its best years (Seasons 3-7) are arguably a thing of the past, and with the much ballyhooed upcoming theatrical film, one wonders if perhaps the show's resources (mainly its writers) will finally be stretched too thin. The regularly released boxed sets of the series thus far have been a clear reminder of just how innovative, clever and fresh the show once was compared to its current status. With this 4-disc set of Season 8 (1996-1997), while still light years smarter and funnier than most network programs of the time, the show begins to show a slight dip in consistency and quality. For the first time in the show's long history, some episodes just aren't all that great.

Still, the good episodes outweigh the bad ones, and there are several bonafide classics to be found in Season 8. Of course, there's the seventh traditional season-opening "Treehouse of Horror" episode, which is as fast moving and funny as all the others. "Burns, Baby Burns" features an amusing voice-over by Rodney Dangerfield. "Bart After Dark" is one of the season's highlights, in which Bart takes a job at a local burlesque house, building up to yet-another hilarious musical number at the episode's end. "The Springfield Files," while engaging in a little bit of self-promotion of FOX'S part, is an amusing take on "The X-Files." My personal favorite is "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie show," which lampoons the practice of introducing new characters to dying shows in an effort to boost ratings."Homer's Enemy" is another great episode, featuring a new employee at the nuclear power plant who resents Homer's lazy ways.

For the most part, the picture quality of these discs is really good, with vibrant color and sharp lines. There were some occasions where the overall image didn't seem quite on par with their original broadcasts, but maybe it's just me. The audio is rendered in 5.1 Dolby Digital, and the show has never sounded better.

As with the last boxed set, all 25 episodes feature commentaries by various cast & crew members. There are also several deleted scenes on each disc, as well as features on the artwork with commentary by the show's animators. Disc 1 has a short featurette about the real-life replica of the Simpson's house, built as part of a contest in which a lucky contestant won the thing. Other features include sketches and promotional material.

A lot of great episodes are featured on this 4-disc set of "The Simpson's" 8th Season, more than enough to make it worth picking up. It probably isn't quite as vital as owning Seasons 3-7, in my opinion, when the show was in top form. And as with previous collections, the thing is loaded with enough informative and fun extras to please any big fan of the show. Highly recommended.