"South Park started to go down hill"
Yes it did. But season 8 has some great episodes - the michale Jackson and A.w.e.s.o.m.o ones are particularly well observed humor.
"I'd prefer to watch a new episode of Family Guy over the Simpsons, but I'd rather watch Simpsons reruns than Family Guy reruns."
I actually think that says what I was trying to say in the first place better than I did. And that sentence proves I can't type coherantly after a few beers.
"I also don't like the way the writers seem to be leaning more towards the blatent in your face humour for the Simpsons, and the way the story lines seem to be getting more and more abstract and random. It just takes away from the realism that was there for the earlier episodes."
Thats a shame, I haven't seen many of the very latest ones yet, I don't have time to watch much sky (only got it in the lounge!) although to be fair, after all these years is there a piece of observational humor the simpsons hasn't done yet? It must be hard to come up with fresh ideas.