darquegk said: "I have always suspected that Urinetown is a bigger and more deliberate homage to The Simpsons than Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play ever was. The writing for it, the tropes used, the rhythms of the dialogue, even certain characters are pulled almost piecemeal from classic Season 2-9 Simpsons. I'm not accusing plagiarism or anything, as it's clearly being done with a big of a wink, but the parallels are difficult to ignore: among others, Cladwell and McQueen are pretty blatantly Mr. Burns and Smithers, just like Lockstock's stilted and patronizing narration to Little Sally is a Troy McClure and Jimmy homage as much as a real reference to midcentury educational films.
The pastiche is just dead-on: Urinetown, when it's done well, feels like a top 10 Simpsons episode. That's both a blessing and a curse, because instead of feeling fresh and new, it feels like pastiche, a deliberate throwback to a cult favorite comedy from thirty years ago."
I'd argue it's more South Park than The Simpsons. It's more South Park than The Book of Mormon! Put aside the toilet humor, it also a satire that takes on both sides, the megacorps and the people trying to rebel.
Oh, and The Simpsons' classic age is usually interpreted around seasons 3-8. Season 9 is where the quality really dropped off with episodes like Miracle on Evergreen Terrace, Lisa the Simpson, The Principal & the Pauper, etc.
