Let The Jokes Stand On Their Own

"Oh, that just kept goin', hunh?" - Krusty the Klown

When The Simpsons started going downhill, one of the most noticeable changes was the way jokes would be stretched.  Instead of moving on from a funny line or exchange, the show would milk it for screen time.   The examples of this over the years are far too numerous to catalog, but here's one anyway.

In that wet noodle "Take My Life, Please", after the aged Dondelinger tells Homer the truth, he says "Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to sit under that tree and think of all the women I could've talked to but didn't."  That is a good joke.  It's cruel and funny and filled with irreconcilable regret.   But because Zombie Simpsons is no better than ordinary television it goes on from there and explains the joke by having Dondelinger (get ready for it) spew pointless exposition.  Dondelinger sitting and sighing sadly might've worked, instead they elected to cram the joke down your throat and get ten seconds closer to the credits.