We used to love "The Simpsons". A day didn't pass without us quoting Homer, in context or not. On Sundays, we impatiently waited for a new brilliant episode.

Not anymore. Our quotes are now resigned to 14-year-old episodes. On Sundays, we turn "The Simpsons" on if there is nothing else to watch. Beloved characters turned into grotesque caricatures of themselves. The show can no longer match its prior brilliance.

What happened?

Duffman happened.

You know Duffman? A peripheral character at first, he started getting his own lines. And his back story. And then, three years after we joked that "The Simpsons" would jump the shark after Duffman got his own episode... he got his own episode.

No, it's not entirely his fault, far from it, but it seems the show's decline matches up with Duffman's rise. In fact, if you see him appear, you can rest assured that the episode you're watching is dreck dressed up like a classic.

Oh, and he is Jewish. Whatever.