when was the first episode of the simpsons aired
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"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (titled onscreen as "The Simpsons Christmas Special") is the series premiere of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on December 17, 1989. Introducing the Simpson family into half-hour television in this episode, Bart Simpson disobediently gets a tattoo without the permission of his parents. After Marge spends all the family's holiday budget on having it removed, Homer learns that his boss is not giving employees Christmas bonuses, and takes a job as a shopping mall Santa. The Simpsons was originally intended to debut earlier in 1989 with "Some Enchanted Evening", but due to animation problems with that episode, the series debuted with this episode on December 17. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was written by Mimi Pond and directed by David Silverman, and was the only episode of the series to air during the 1980s. Promos for the next episode ("Bart the Genius") ran during commercial breaks for this episode. "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" was viewed by approximately 13.4 million people in its original airing, and was nominated for two Emmy Awards in 1990. Since its release on home video, the episode has received positive reviews from critics. Plot After attending the Springfield Elementary School Christmas pageant, the Simpsons prepare for the holiday season. Bart and Lisa write letters to Santa; Lisa asks for a pony — which Marge tries to tactfully discourage by claiming that there would not be enough room for one on Santa's sleigh — and Bart wants a tattoo, which Marge and Homer forbid him from getting. The next day, Marge takes the kids Christmas shopping at the mall. Bart sneaks away to get a tattoo that reads "Mother" on his arm, thinking that Marge will like it. Before the artist can finish the tattoo, Marge finds Bart and drags him to the dermatologist to have it removed. She is forced to spend the family's entire holiday budget on the procedure, believing that Homer's Christmas bonus will cover gift expenses. At the power plant, Mr. Burns cancels this year's employee Christmas bonus. When he learns Marge spent the family's holiday money on tattoo removal, Homer moonlights as a shopping mall Santa at the suggestion of his friend Barney Gumble. While at the mall on Christmas Eve, Bart removes Santa's beard, exposing Homer's secret. Bart apologizes for the prank and praises his father for moonlighting to give the family Christmas presents. After Homer's Santa gig pays far less than expected due to deductions for training and uniform, he and Bart receive a greyhound racing tip from Barney. At Springfield Downs, Homer bets all his money on a last-minute entry named Santa's Little Helper, a 99–1 long shot. The greyhound unfortunately finishes last. As Homer and Bart leave the track, they see the dog's owner yell and abandon him for losing the race. Bart pleads with Homer to keep the dog as a pet. They return home, where Homer's
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
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alt.tv.simpsons (called "a.t.s." by regular readers) is a usenet newsgroup dedicated to discussing the American television program The Simpsons. Created in 1990, the newsgroup became a popular community in the early 1990s, and continues to exist as of 2023. It is known for reviewing episodes and nitpicking minor details on the show. The writers of The Simpsons know about the forum and have on several occasions read the comments made on it. The character Comic Book Guy is often used in the show to lampoon and respond to the newsgroup's fans. In interviews some writers have admitted that they do not like being scrutinized, but other writers have participated in the discussions on the forum. Independent commentators call the forum an example of an "active audience" and have claimed The Simpsons is tailor-made for such a forum. History The newsgroup was created by Gary D. Duzan during the third week of March 1990, four months after the first airing of a regular episode of the program, which was the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" – a Christmas special that aired on December 17, 1989. At the time Duzan was in his third year, studying computer science, at the University of Delaware. The newsgroup was created before there was a World Wide Web, which emerged in 1993, so those earliest discussions were held on text-only platforms. According to Chris Turner, a Canadian journalist and writer of the book Planet Simpson, the newsgroup was among the most trafficked newsgroups of the early 1990s. In that period it became a popular community on the Internet. According to Brian Reid, a computer scientist who has been tracking newsgroup traffic since 1985, alt.tv.simpsons was the most popular television newsgroup in May 1994, ahead of a discussion newsgroups about general television newsgroup (rec.arts.tv), Monty Python (alt.fan.monty-python), the Late Show with David Letterman (alt.fan.letterman) and soap operas (rec.arts.tv.soaps). Since there is no official method for measuring newsgroup traffic, the list is considered unofficial. Discussions From its inception, users would use the newsgroup to discuss the quality of the episode, as well as to talk about continuity errors and trivia. They would also discuss cultural references, usually related to pop culture. Another common topic is freeze frame gags, which are jokes that can only be seen when the viewer tapes the episode and freezes the image. All of these many discussions were compiled and submitted to The Simpsons Archive, which contains at least 330 episode guides as well as other guides. The newsgroup also provides The Simpsons Archive with information on the characters and the setting, as well as a compilation of articles about the show and interview with its cast and crew. Among the most frequent topics of discussion are the real-life location of Springfield, the sexuality of Waylon Smithers and "Who Shot Mr. Burns?", a two-episode publicity stunt in which Mr. Burns was shot by an unknown character. The writers inserted many secret clues into the episode and implemented a contest in which whoever
Alt.tv.simpsons
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"Some Enchanted Evening" is the thirteenth and final episode of the first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on May 13, 1990. Written by Matt Groening and Sam Simon and directed by David Silverman and Kent Butterworth, "Some Enchanted Evening" was the first episode produced for season one and was intended to air as the series premiere in fall 1989, but aired as the season one finale due to animation problems. The Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" premiered in its place on December 17, 1989. It is the last episode to feature the original opening sequence starting from "Bart the Genius". In the episode, Homer and Marge go on a night out while leaving the children under the care of a diabolical babysitter named Ms. Lucille "Botz" Botzcowski. Penny Marshall provided the voice of Ms. Botz. The episode features cultural references to such films as The Night of the Hunter and Psycho as well as a musical reference to A Star Is Born. Since its initial broadcast, the episode has received mixed reviews. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 15.4 and was the highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. Plot Marge is depressed that Homer takes her for granted, and phones Dr. Marvin Monroe's call-in therapy radio slot. Listening to the call at work, Homer feels bad when Marge reveals his name on the radio. After work, he visits Moe's Tavern, where Moe advises him to give Marge a rose and a box of chocolates. Marge's mood softens and Homer invites her to go dancing, dine at a fancy restaurant, and spend the night at a motel. Marge and Homer hire Ms. Botz through a babysitting service to watch the kids. Botz puts Maggie to bed while Bart and Lisa watch The Happy Little Elves. While watching America's Most Armed and Dangerous on television, Bart and Lisa scream in horror when they realize that Botz is a wanted burglar, dubbed the 'Babysitter Bandit'. Realizing her cover is blown, she prevents them from escaping and calling for help. Botz ties up the kids and packs the family's possessions into her suitcases. Maggie wakes up, goes downstairs and finds Bart and Lisa; they try to get her attention, but she focuses on the happy little elves. As the video ends, Maggie attempts to watch it again, and Lisa tells her she can if she unties her and Bart. While Ms. Botz is still cleaning up, she sees that Maggie is out of her crib. Bart lures Ms. Botz into his room, and knocks her out with a baseball bat. Realizing Botz cut the telephone line, the kids go to a local phone booth and call the producers of America's Most Armed and Dangerous. When Marge and Homer are unable to reach Ms. Botz by phone, they return home early to find her bound and gagged. Unaware she is a wanted
Some Enchanted Evening (The Simpsons)
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The fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 30, 1993, and May 19, 1994. The showrunner for the fifth production season was David Mirkin who executive produced 20 episodes. Al Jean and Mike Reiss executive produced the remaining two, which were both hold overs that were produced for the previous season. The season contains some of the series' most acclaimed and popular episodes, including "Cape Feare", "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy", "Homer Goes to College", "Deep Space Homer", and "Rosebud". It also includes the 100th episode, "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song". The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Program as well as an Environmental Media Award and a Genesis Award. The DVD box set was released in Region 1 on December 21, 2004, Region 2 on March 21, 2005, and Region 4 on March 23, 2005. Production The season was the first to be executive produced by David Mirkin, who would also run the following season. Several of the show's original writers who had worked on The Simpsons since the first season had left following the completion of season four. "Cape Feare", which was the final episode to be produced by the "original team", aired during this season as a hold over. Jay Kogen, Wallace Wolodarsky, Sam Simon and Jeff Martin wrote their final episodes for the season four production run. Show runners Al Jean and Mike Reiss left to produce their own series The Critic, but returned in subsequent seasons to produce more Simpsons episodes, and Jean again became the show runner starting with season thirteen. George Meyer and John Swartzwelder, Conan O'Brien, Frank Mula and future show runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein all stayed with the show following the previous season. O'Brien would leave the series halfway through the production of the season to host his own show on NBC, Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He had been working on "Homer Goes to College" when he found out he was chosen to host Late Night and was forced to walk out on his contract. He later had a cameo appearance in "Bart Gets Famous". He recorded his part while Late Night was on the air, but O'Brien thought that his show might be canceled by the time the episode aired. A whole new group of writers were brought in for this season. Jace Richdale was the first to be hired by Mirkin and others to receive their first writing credits were Greg Daniels and Dan McGrath. Mike Scully wrote "Lisa's Rival", which was produced for this season, but aired the next. Two freelance writers wrote episodes: David Richardson wrote "Homer Loves Flanders" while Bill Canterbury received two writing credits. Bob Anderson and Susie Dietter, who had previously worked on the show as part of the animation staff, would direct their first episodes. The season started off with "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" which was chosen as the season
The Simpsons season 5
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Events January January 10: The Simpsons episode "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" first airs, with Dr. Nick Riviera and Lionel Hutz making their debuts. January 24: The Simpsons episode "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" first airs, guest starring Larry King and George Takei. January 31: The Simpsons episode "The Way We Was" first airs, being the first flashback episode of the series. February February 7: The Simpsons episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" first airs, with Troy McClure making his debut, voiced by Phil Hartman. February 14: The Simpsons episode "Principal Charming" first airs, with Groundskeeper Willie, Hans Moleman and Squeaky Voiced Teen making their debuts. February 21: The Simpsons episode "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" first airs, with Herb Powell and Mona Simpson making their debuts. March March 7: The Simpsons episode "Bart's Dog Gets an "F"" first airs, guest starring Tracey Ullman. After the episode, the music video for Deep, Deep Trouble is first broadcast. March 20: The animation studio Rough Draft Studios is founded. March 26: 63rd Academy Awards: Creature Comforts by Nick Park wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. March 28: The Simpsons episode "Old Money" first airs, with Professor Frink making his debut. March 31: The first episode of Darkwing Duck, broadcast by the Walt Disney Company, airs. April April 11: The Simpsons episode "Brush with Greatness" first airs, guest starring Ringo Starr. April 25: The Simpsons episode "Lisa's Substitute" first airs, guest starring Dustin Hoffman, who is credited as Sam Etic. The episode is further notable for fleshing out Lisa Simpson's character. May May 2: The Simpsons episode "The War of the Simpsons" first airs, with Snake Jailbird making his debut. May 9: The Simpsons episode "Three Men and a Comic Book" first airs, with Comic Book Guy and Radioactive Man making their debuts. July July 11: The Simpsons episode "Blood Feud" first airs. July 26: The American film studio Animal Logic is founded. Specific date unknown in July: Pee-wee's Playhouse was pulled from its Saturday morning scheduling on CBS due to Paul Reubens' arrest for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater. This program would later air on Adult Swim in 2006 as a "childhood comeback for adults" owing to this issue. August August 2: Don Bluth's film Rock-a-Doodle premieres in the United Kingdom. This became one of the five lesser Bluth’s works and his first lesser film overall. It had some release difficulties after its completion in 1990. It was delayed in the US until April 1992 to avoid competition with Disney's Beauty and the Beast and the first Bluth-less sequel An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. The film Rover Dangerfield, which features a dog modeled after and voiced by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, premieres. August 11 The first episodes of Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show air. The first episode of Rugrats airs on Nickelodeon, the first longest running Nicktoon series. The program gained generally positive attention and popularity, as well as becoming
1991 in animation
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"Simpsons Bible Stories" is the eighteenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on Easter Sunday, April 4, 1999. It is the first of The Simpsons now annual trilogy episodes, and consists of four self-contained segments. In the episode, the Simpson family falls asleep during a sermon in church. Marge dreams that she and Homer are Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Lisa dreams that she and her fellow Springfield Elementary School students are Hebrew slaves in Ancient Egypt and guides Moses to lead them to freedom, Homer dreams that he is King Solomon called to resolve a dispute between Lenny and Carl over the ownership of a pie, and Bart dreams he is King David, who has to fight Goliath's son, Goliath II. "Simpsons Bible Stories" was written by Matt Selman, Larry Doyle and Tim Long, and was the first episode Nancy Kruse directed for The Simpsons. While executive producer and former showrunner Mike Scully stated that the idea for the episode came after Fox requested an Easter-themed episode, co-writer Selman argued that it was conceived by former staff writers Dan Greaney and Donick Cary while they were pitching ideas for the tenth season. Because the episode mostly takes place outside Springfield, the animators had to design completely new sets. While the episode mostly features references to the Old Testament and Christianity, it also parodies children's television programs, American politicians and action films by Jerry Bruckheimer. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 12.2 million viewers, Following its broadcast, the episode received mixed reviews from critics, but won an Annie award in the category of Best Animated Television Production. In 2007, the episode was released as part of The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season DVD box set, and a promotional poster for the episode was included in an exhibition in Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The episode's ending scene is one of series creator Matt Groening's favorite moments on The Simpsons. The episode has been credited with fostering a critical literacy towards religion and the Bible among its viewers. Plot It is an unseasonably hot Easter at church, and no one is interested in Reverend Lovejoy's sermons. When the collection plate is passed around, Homer puts in a chocolate Easter bunny that he found in the dumpster, enraging Reverend Lovejoy, calling it a wicked idol, and provoking him to read the Bible from the beginning. The Simpsons all fall asleep. Marge's dream Marge dreams that she and Homer are Adam and Eve. They peacefully live in the Garden of Eden until a snake (Snake Jailbird) tempts Adam into eating dozens of apples from the forbidden tree. He persuades Eve to try one when God (Ned Flanders) witnesses his sin. Even though Adam ate many apples, God only caught Eve eating an apple, and she is therefore banished from the Garden of Eden.
Simpsons Bible Stories
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"Lady Bouvier's Lover" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 12, 1994. In the episode, Abe Simpson falls in love with Marge's mother, Jacqueline Bouvier, and they start dating. However, on a night out in town, she is charmed by Mr. Burns. Abe is brokenhearted when he learns that Jacqueline is going to marry Mr. Burns. The episode was written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, and directed by Wes Archer. It was recorded in October 1993 at the Darryl F. Zanuck Building on the 20th Century Fox lot in West Los Angeles. The episode features cultural references to films such as The Gold Rush and The Graduate, and songs such as "Moonlight Serenade" and "Sing, Sing, Sing". Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 10.0, and was the third highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. Plot The Simpson family gathers to celebrate Maggie's birthday. After the party, Grampa feels depressed, so Marge sets him up for a date with her mother, Jacqueline. Eventually, the couple falls in love, which enrages Homer, who believes that old people should not date each other — especially in-laws — and fears that his children will become "freaks" if the two decide to marry. To impress Jacqueline, Grampa takes her out dancing, but when he does, Mr. Burns steals her from him and breaks his heart. They soon fall in love, and Jacqueline later agrees to marry Burns, to Marge's chagrin. Meanwhile, Bart buys a $350 Itchy & Scratchy animation cel with one of Homer's credit cards, which turns out to be poor quality with only part of Scratchy's arm drawn. Bart tries to trade it to Comic Book Guy for money but is offered a telephone in the shape of Mary Worth instead. In order to pay Homer back, Bart blackmails Burns by threatening to ruin his suit before his date. On the day of the wedding, Grampa crashes Burns' and Jacqueline's wedding ceremony and asks that Jacqueline marry him instead. Partly due to Burns' behavior, especially when he threatens Bart after he accidentally drops the wedding rings, she decides not to marry either man. Grampa accepts Jacqueline's decision. Production "Lady Bouvier's Lover" was written by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, and directed by Wes Archer. The episode was inspired by the fact that The Simpsons has many elderly characters, which the writers felt was unique for network television, so they sought to highlight those characters. Originally, the episode was supposed to be about Misery. One of the ideas was that Grampa would get injured on Mr. Burns's property and get stuck there, leading Grampa to think that Mr. Burns would kill him when he was discovered there. However, this idea was cut out in production because the script was over 85 pages long. The
Lady Bouvier's Lover
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The seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 17, 1995, and May 19, 1996. The show runners for the seventh production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein who would executive produce 21 episodes this season. David Mirkin executive produced the remaining four, including two hold overs that were produced for the previous season. The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program and won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Program. The DVD box set was released in Region 1 on December 13, 2005, Region 2 on January 30, 2006, and Region 4 on March 22, 2006. The set was released in two different forms: a Marge-shaped box and also a standard rectangular-shaped box in which the theme is a movie premiere. Production The season was the first season executively produced by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, who had written episodes for previous seasons. They were chosen partly because they had been with the show since the third season and understood many of its dynamics. When they took over the series they wanted many of the episodes to be realistic ones that focused more on the five members of the Simpson family, exploring their feelings and emotions towards each other. They also wanted to produce a Treehouse of Horror episode, episodes about Sideshow Bob, Itchy & Scratchy and several "format-bending" episodes such as "22 Short Films About Springfield". Their preferred choice of guest stars were those with unique and interesting voices, and several of their guest stars were "old grizzled men with distinctive voices" such as R. Lee Ermey, Donald Sutherland, Kirk Douglas and Lawrence Tierney. David Mirkin, who had been executive producer for the previous two seasons, was credited as a consulting producer for the seventh season but also executive produced the episodes "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)", "Radioactive Man", "Lisa the Vegetarian" and "Team Homer". Steve Tompkins, Dan Greaney, Richard Appel and Rachel Pulido received their first writing credits while Spike Feresten and Jack Barth received their only writing credits this season. Although the majority of the writing staff stayed on for the next season, both Greg Daniels and Brent Forrester received their last writing credits during season seven. Jon Vitti, who had left following the fourth season, returned to write "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" as well as "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular". Wes Archer, a long-time director for The Simpsons who helped define the look of the show, left following this season. Dominic Polcino and Mike B. Anderson, who had previously worked on the show as part of the animation staff, both directed their first episodes. Doris Grau, script supervisor for the show and voice of Lunchlady Doris died on December 30, 1995. The episode "Team Homer", which aired eight days later, was one of the last episodes to feature her voice and featured a dedication to her. After that, Lunchlady Doris had speaking parts in "Lisa's Sax", which Grau
The Simpsons season 7
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"Simpsons Tall Tales" is the twenty-first and final episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 20, 2001. In the episode, Homer refuses to pay a five dollar airport tax to fly to Delaware, which forces the family to ride in a livestock car of a train instead. There they meet a singing hobo who tells three tall tales which include Homer as Paul Bunyan, Lisa as Connie Appleseed (a female version of Johnny Appleseed) and Bart and Nelson as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn respectively. "Simpsons Tall Tales" was directed by Bob Anderson and written by John Frink, Don Payne, Bob Bendetson and Matt Selman. The idea for the episode was pitched while the series' staff were coming up with story ideas for the twelfth season. The staff had noticed that viewers responded well to "Simpsons Bible Stories", and decided to write another trilogy episode because of the warm response. The singing hobo in the episode was voiced by Hank Azaria. He was originally going to be voiced by Jim Carrey, but he dropped out due to his busy schedule. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 7.8 million viewers, finishing in 33rd place in the ratings the week it aired. Following its home video release, the episode received mixed reviews from critics. Plot After the Simpsons win a trip to Delaware, Homer refuses to pay a $5 airport tax for his flight. After Homer violates the Anti-Fist Shaking Law, the family jumps onto a freight train where they meet a singing hobo who tells them three stories. Paul Bunyan Homer portrays Paul Bunyan, a giant who quickly becomes a great burden on the local townspeople, as he crushes their houses and greedily eats all their food. Eventually, the townspeople drug him and drag him out of their town. Out of loneliness, Bunyan carves a block of stone from the mountains into a blue ox that he calls Babe, who is rendered alive by an electric shock. In his travels with Babe, Homer creates several landmarks. Bunyan later meets a young woman, Marge, and though she is initially frightened of him, the two fall in love. When a meteor is soon to hit the town, the townspeople call Paul back to help them. Paul obliges and, after the meteor first hits and severely burns his backside, Paul throws the meteor towards Chicago, starting the Great Fire there. After the hobo has told this story, he asks them for a sponge bath as compensation. Disgusted, Homer is forced to oblige, as nobody else will do so, but the hobo does not mind anyone seeing his nakedness. Connie Appleseed The hobo's second tall tale revolves around Lisa as Connie. Connie is part of a wagon train, and all of the travelers shoot and eat buffalo. Connie, who is against the practice, tries to urge them to stop slaughter or they
Simpsons Tall Tales
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The twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons aired on Fox from September 27, 2009, to May 23, 2010. It was the first of two seasons that the show was renewed for by Fox, and also the first season of the show to air entirely in high definition. With this season, The Simpsons established itself as the longest-running American primetime television series surpassing Gunsmoke. The season received mainly positive reviews from critics, with many praising "The Squirt and the Whale", "To Surveil with Love" and "The Bob Next Door". The show moved up 16 positions in the Nielsen ratings from the previous season and received numerous award nominations, winning two — an Emmy Award for Anne Hathaway for her voicing in "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", and an Annie Award for "Treehouse of Horror XX". Production The season featured eight holdover episodes from season 20’s LABF production line. John Frink was credited as an executive producer for the first time. It also featured fifteen episodes from the season’s MABF production line. 20th anniversary In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of The Simpsons, Fox announced that a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever." would run from January 14, 2009 to January 14, 2010. As part of the celebration, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock directed and produced The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!, a documentary special that examined the "cultural phenomenon of The Simpsons". Despite the title, Spurlock said the special "most likely [would] not be in 3-D nor on ice." Production began at Comic-Con 2009, and the show aired on January 10, 2010 on Fox. It included interviews with the cast and fans of the show. For the week of November 9, 2009, several Fox shows including House, Lie to Me, Bones and Fringe featured clues and homages to the show as part of an "on-air scavenger hunt". Viewers who spotted the clues could win prizes at Fox.com. Marge also appeared on the cover of the November issue of Playboy. The milestone was also celebrated in the United Kingdom with three special programmes, all twenty minutes long and entitled The Simpsons: Access All Areas, Simpsons...Mischief and Mayhem and Simpsons...Celebrity Friends respectively. They aired on Sky1 and Sky1 HD on three separate evenings from January 11 to 13, 2010. They were followed by the UK premiere of season 21's first episode, "Homer the Whopper". Reception Critical reception Robert Canning of IGN gave the season an 8.3 (improving 0.4 from the previous season) saying that it was "Impressive". He criticized the opening part of the season (other than "Homer the Whopper" and "Treehouse of Horror XX"), but praised almost every episode after "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", and considered "The Squirt and the Whale" and "The Bob Next Door" to be the season's best episodes. He also stated "the improved consistency of memorable episodes this season over years past proved that, even after 20 years, The Simpsons
The Simpsons season 21
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Events in 1996 in animation. Events January January 7: The Simpsons episode "Team Homer" is first broadcast. January 14: The Simpsons episode "Two Bad Neighbors" is first broadcast where Homer Simpson and George H. W. Bush collide, as well as the debut of Disco Stu. January 19: The first episode of Detective Conan, aka Case Closed, is broadcast. February February 4: The Simpsons episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield" is first broadcast, guest starring Tom Kite and having the debut of Brandine Spuckler. February 11: The Simpsons episode "Bart the Fink" is first broadcast, guest starring Bob Newhart. February 18: The Simpsons episode "Lisa the Iconoclast" is first broadcast, guest starring Donald Sutherland. February 25: The Simpsons episode "Homer the Smithers" is first broadcast. March March 9: The final season of Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, airs on TV Asahi. March 17: The Simpsons episode "The Day the Violence Died" is first broadcast, guest starring Kirk Douglas, Suzanne Somers and Jack Sheldon. March 24: The Simpsons episode "A Fish Called Selma" is first broadcast, guest starring Jeff Goldblum. March 25: 68th Academy Awards: Nick Park's Wallace and Gromit short film A Close Shave wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song, while the soundtrack from that same film wins the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Chuck Jones receives an Academy Honorary Award for his entire career. March 29: All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, the sequel to Don Bluth’s All Dogs Go to Heaven, premieres. This sequel is set in a different timeline for tragic reasons. March 31: The Simpsons episode "Bart on the Road" is first broadcast. April April 2: The first episode of Dennis and Gnasher is broadcast. April 12: Henry Selick releases James and the Giant Peach, based on Roald Dahl's 1961 eponymous novel. April 14: The Simpsons episode "22 Short Films About Springfield" is first broadcast, featuring the famous Steamed Hams scene. April 28: The Simpsons episode "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish'" is first broadcast. The first episode of Dexter's Laboratory airs. It became a popular series during the decade. May May 5: The Simpsons episode "Much Apu About Nothing" is first broadcast. May 18: The Dexter's Laboratory episode "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor" airs. It was removed shortly after the broadcast allegedly due to the presence of a gay stereotype. It was later revealed that Cartoon Network got sued by Marvel Comics for copyright infringement owing to the use of the Silver Surfer parody. May 19: The Simpsons episode "Homerpalooza" is first broadcast, guest starring The Smashing Pumpkins, Cypress Hill, Sonic Youth and Peter Frampton. The Simpsons episode "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" is first broadcast, guest starring Christina Ricci. It’s the first time that two new episodes are broadcast on the same day. June June 21: The Walt Disney Company releases
1996 in animation
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The sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons began airing on Sunday, November 7, 2004, and finished airing on Sunday, May 15, 2005. It contained 21 episodes, beginning with Treehouse of Horror XV. The season contains six hold-over episodes from the season 15 (FABF) production line. Season 16 was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on December 3, 2013, Region 2 on December 2, 2013, and Region 4 on December 11, 2013. Production This season was the first in which Ian Maxtone-Graham and Matt Selman were credited as executive producers. Originally supposed to air April 10, the episode "The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star" was dropped from the week's schedule due to the death of Pope John Paul II, since this episode revolved around Catholicism. As a result, it aired on May 15, 2005, in the United States, while "The Girl Who Slept Too Little", the episode intended for the finale of season 16, became a season 17 episode. Response Critical reception The 16th season of The Simpsons has garnered generally positive reviews from critics, with many noting while the episodes are still good and funny they are of a lesser quality than those of the show's earlier seasons. CraveOnline gave the season a rating of 8.0 out of 10, and spoke highly of its "little pieces of continuity", "sharp parody", and "non sequitur gags". Entertainment Focus gave it 4 out of 5 stars, concluding "Some people have criticised The Simpsons claiming that the show is tired and has passed its prime. We don't agree with those people at all and think The Simpsons has been remarkably consistent in terms of its humour and stories. Sure it may have been eclipsed by the edgier Family Guy in more recent years but The Simpsons is, and always will be, one of the most original and talked-about shows. The Simpsons: Season 16 is another cracking instalment of the hit show and we still, after all these years, just can't get enough. High-Def Digest also gave a 4/5 star rating, saying "As mentioned in the review, there are plenty of laughs to be had in this season, but very few of them come from a place that feels truly genuine and sincere. Sixteen seasons in, it seems that the show is a mixture of been-there-done-that sentiment and perfunctory punch lines. Aside from the so-so image, there's plenty here to keep the die-hard 'Simpsons' fan happy, so this one comes recommended for fans". Cinema Sentries said "This is not something to pick up if you are a general TV fan, or a casual Simpsons fan. The overall quality of the season is not high enough, and you may not get satisfactory enjoyment from them. If you sort of turned your back on the show, this probably isn't the season to check out. However, if you are a Simpsons devotee, then you will want to pick it up". DVDTalk wrote "The Simpsons: Season Sixteen isn't the best
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"The Lastest Gun in the West" is the twelfth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 24, 2002. In the episode, Bart meets a retired Western star named Buck McCoy who soon becomes his idol. After McCoy shows the Simpsons some of his films, they help him revive his acting career. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by John Swartzwelder, who based the script on a story idea pitched by fellow Simpsons writer Ron Hauge. The episode features Dennis Weaver as the retired Western actor Buck McCoy, Frank Welker as the vicious dog, and Karl Wiedergott as an alcoholic resembling Walter Brennan. When it was first broadcast, "The Lastest Gun in the West" was seen by 5.9% of the American population between ages 18 and 49. It has garnered mixed reviews from critics. Plot When a vicious dog chases Bart, he takes refuge in the garden of a house belonging to former Western actor Buck McCoy. After Buck shows Bart a trick to calm the dog, Bart starts to hero-worship him. Naturally, Homer learns about Bart's new idol and demands he worship him instead. To help revive Buck's career, Bart lands him a job on Krusty the Clown's show. However, Buck gets drunk before the show and makes a fool of himself, culminating in him shooting Krusty live on air. Seeing how crushed Bart is, Marge and Homer help Buck overcome his alcoholism by cleaning his house and enrolling him in an Alcoholics Anonymous program. Despite making progress, Buck fails to restore Bart's hero-worship. When Homer sees a news report about a robbery at the Bank of Springfield, he convinces Buck to foil the robbery and become a hero. Buck subdues the bank robbers and again becomes a hero in Bart's eyes. After acknowledging everything Homer has done, Bart declares him a hero too. As the episode ends, Bart is again chased by the vicious dog. Production ”The Lastest Gun in the West” was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Bob Anderson. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on February 24, 2002. Writing The idea for the episode was pitched by Simpsons writer Ron Hauge, who thought it would be interesting to see an episode in which Bart would run into a retired Western film star in the neighborhood and "think he was the coolest guy in the world", although the actor had seen better days. Hauge suggested that Swartzwelder, who is an avid Western fan, would be the appropriate writer for the episode. Swartzwelder also pitched the plot idea about the angry dog who chases Bart in the episode. Animation The design for Buck McCoy was primarily based on Dennis Weaver, who portrayed him in the episode, as well as aspects of other western actors such as Roy Rogers and John Wayne. McCoy's costume in the fictional television show McTrigger
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"Grift of the Magi" is the ninth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. Being the final episode to air in the 1990s, it originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 19, 1999. In the episode, mafia boss Fat Tony successfully extorts a large sum of money from Springfield Elementary School, forcing Principal Skinner to close it down. However, a toy company called Kid First Industries, led by Jim Hope, later buys the school and privatizes it. Classes now start focusing on toys and marketing only, and soon a new toy called Funzo that resembles the children's ideas is released by Kid First Industries in time for the Christmas shopping season. Bart and Lisa decide to destroy all Funzos in Springfield but Gary Coleman, Kid First Industries' security guard, tries to intercept them. "Grift of the Magi", which satirizes the commercialization of Christmas, was written by Tom Martin and directed by Matthew Nastuk. The episode features several guest appearances; Tim Robbins as Jim Hope, Gary Coleman as himself, Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony, and Clarence Clemons as a narrator that tells the viewers at the end of the episode how the story ends. Around 7.76 million American homes tuned in to watch the episode during its original airing. It was first released on DVD in 2003 in a collection of five Christmas-related Simpsons episodes, titled Christmas With the Simpsons. Critics have given "Grift of the Magi" generally mixed reviews, particularly because of its plot. The episode has been praised for some of its gags and Coleman's appearance. Plot Bart and Milhouse have to remain inside The Simpsons house when an ozone hole moves over Springfield. The two dress up as ladies and jump on the bed, singing "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves". When Homer comes in abruptly, Bart falls off of the bed and lands on one of Homer's bowling balls, breaking his coccyx. Dr. Hibbert informs Homer and Marge that Bart will have to use a wheelchair until the bone has healed. When Bart arrives at Springfield Elementary School the following day, he finds that he cannot enter because the school lacks ramps for the disabled. As Principal Skinner considers a ramp for the school, mafia boss Fat Tony suggests that his construction company could build it. Although the new ramp system almost immediately collapses (due to it being made out of breadsticks), Fat Tony informs Skinner that the construction supposedly cost $200,000 and that the school will still have to pay. In response, Principal Skinner decides to close Springfield Elementary due to lack of funds (having used them to pay off Fat Tony and thus avoid brutal mob reprisals). All pleas for financial help are in vain, including a private school play performed in front of Mr. Burns at his mansion, until Jim Hope, the president of a toy company named Kid First Industries, buys the school and privatizes it. The school's staff is replaced, and
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"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 26, 1995. In this episode, Sideshow Bob attempts to rid Springfield of television by threatening to detonate an atomic bomb. When that backfires, he attempts to kill Bart once again, but this time along with Krusty the Clown. The episode was written by freelance writer Spike Feresten, and features the fifth major appearance of Sideshow Bob. Although Feresten received credit for the episode, the writing staff completely rewrote the episode and very little of Feresten's original script was left in the finished version. It was the first episode of The Simpsons to be directed by Dominic Polcino, who described it as being very difficult to direct. R. Lee Ermey, known for his role in Full Metal Jacket, guest stars as Col. Leslie "Hap" Hapablap while Kelsey Grammer reprises his role as Sideshow Bob. The episode is a parody of "'60s-era nuclear war movies" and contains several references to Cold War films, including Twilight's Last Gleaming, Dr. Strangelove, and Fail-Safe. In its original broadcast, the episode finished 49th in ratings for the week of November 20–26, 1995, with a Nielsen rating of 8.7 and a 13 share of the audience. The episode received generally positive reviews by critics. Plot At Springfield Minimum Security Prison, Sideshow Bob is disturbed when he hears the other inmates laughing at the inane antics of Krusty the Clown's television show. Believing that television is a fountain of "mindless drivel" and wanting to rid the world of it, Bob escapes while on work duty at a local Air Force Base. By mimicking one of the base's colonels he gains access to a restricted area of the hangar, where he steals a 10-megaton nuclear weapon. As the Simpsons and other residents of Springfield are attending an air show held at the base, the signal on the big screen is interrupted by Bob, who threatens to detonate the bomb unless Springfield disables all of its television broadcasts. Upon hearing the announcement, everyone flees the airfield in panic, except for Bart and Lisa. Unable to locate Bob, Mayor Quimby decides to give in to Bob's ultimatum. Krusty, refusing to submit to Bob's demands, takes refuge in a civil defense shack in the desert, which he uses to transmit a heavily improvised show. Lisa deduces that the unusually high-pitched voice of Bob in his broadcast was due to inhaling helium, and locates him in the envelope of the Duff blimp. Bob, having lost his patience thanks to Krusty, tries to detonate the bomb, which turns out to be a dud, because it had passed the expiration date of November 1959. Lisa alerts the police to Bob's location using the blimp's variable-message sign, but Bob deflates the blimp and kidnaps Bart, before stealing the original Wright Brothers aircraft, which had been an exhibit at the air show. Holding a
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"Dancin' Homer" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 8, 1990. In the episode, Homer becomes the new mascot of the Springfield Isotopes, the town's baseball team, after firing up the crowd at a baseball game. When the Isotopes start a winning streak, Homer becomes the mascot for the Capital City Capitals. The Simpsons move there but return home after Homer fails to enthrall the big-city crowd. The episode was written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs and directed by Mark Kirkland. It was Kirkland's first directing role, and he has since directed many episodes. Singer Tony Bennett guest starred as himself and actor Tom Poston guest starred as the Capital City Capitals' mascot, the Capital City Goofball. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 14.9, and was the highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. Plot One night while drinking beer at Moe's Tavern, Homer tells the story of his big break. The Simpsons attend a home game of the Springfield Isotopes, the town's minor league baseball team, as part of an outing sponsored by the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Homer fears that his chance to have any fun at the game are ruined when his boss, Mr. Burns sits next to him; to his surprise, though, Burns buys him several beers and the two men enjoy taunting the Isotopes. When a drunk Homer does an impromptu dance to the tune of "Baby Elephant Walk," the crowd responds with enthusiasm and the Isotopes go on to win the game, breaking the longest losing streak in professional baseball. Homer is hired as the Isotopes' mascot, spurring the team to a winning streak. Their next loss causes Homer to worry that he will be fired, but he is instead offered a chance to perform during the major-league games played in Capital City by its team, the Capitals. He is to fill in for their mascot, the Capital City Goofball, during portions of each game. The Simpsons pack their belongings, say goodbye to their friends, and move to Capital City. However, Homer's first performance fails to impress the crowd; he is fired immediately afterward, and the family moves back to Springfield. As Homer finishes his story, he finds Moe and all the customers enthralled and asking to hear it again. He wonders why tales of misfortune are so popular. Production The episode was written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs, and directed by Mark Kirkland. It was the first episode of The Simpsons Kirkland directed. He has since directed over 50 episodes. Levine, a former minor league baseball announcer, pitched the idea of using that sport as a background, and once he came up with Homer as a dancing mascot, producer Sam Simon was initially resistant given Bart had been the biggest draw of the series,
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"Summer of 4 Ft. 2" is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series, The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 19, 1996. In the episode, the Simpson family stay in Ned Flanders' beach house. Hanging around with a new set of children, Lisa becomes popular, while Bart is left out. Bart tries to sabotage his sister's newfound acceptance, but fails. The episode was written by Dan Greaney and directed by Mark Kirkland. The episode guest stars Christina Ricci. The beach house at Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport the Simpson family stays in is based on then-showrunner Josh Weinstein's parents' house in New Hampshire. The episode features cultural references to the George Lucas film American Graffiti, Pippi Longstocking, The New Yorker character Eustace Tilley, and Alice and The Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Since airing, the episode has received positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 8.8, and was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired. Plot On the last day of school, Lisa realizes how unpopular she is when nobody signs her yearbook. Her disappointment grows when she sees students lining up to get Bart's signature. Ned Flanders offers the Simpsons the use of his beach house for the summer. Marge suggests that Bart bring Milhouse and Lisa invite a friend. Realizing she has no friends, Lisa decides to change her image to gain popularity. She leaves behind her nerdy belongings, since she fears they would make people like her less. At the beach house, Lisa tells Marge she forgot to pack, so she buys new clothes, hoping they will make her look cool to other children. Lisa succeeds in making friends by acting detached and hiding her intelligence. Bart grows jealous because Lisa becomes more popular than he is by using some of his own traits and tactics, which fails to win them over. Bart exacts revenge by showing Lisa's yearbook to her new friends, exposing her as a smart overachiever. Lisa runs away in tears. The next day, Bart begins to heckle Lisa at breakfast, and she is angry at him for supposedly ruining her newfound friendships. Later, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Milhouse visit a carnival, where Bart only heckles Lisa more until he finally regrets how low he stooped to ruin her life. After the carnival, Lisa returns to the beach house to find her friends decorating the Simpsons' car with seashells in her honor (much to Homer's horror). They explain that she does not need to fake being cool because they like her for her true self. To make amends with Lisa, Bart gets her new friends (and Milhouse) to sign her yearbook, which he hands to her as the family drive back to Springfield. Production The episode was written by Dan Greaney, and directed by Mark Kirkland. It was Greaney's second episode on The Simpsons. The staff of the show wanted to
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The thirty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons aired on Fox from September 25, 2022 to May 21, 2023. The season consisted of twenty-two episodes. The entire season was released on Disney+ in the United States on October 11, 2023, with the last three episodes remaining on Hulu. The series was renewed for seasons 35 and 36 on January 26, 2023. Production The season was announced on March 3, 2021, when it was revealed that The Simpsons had been renewed for its thirty-third and thirty-fourth. The season is the first in which two Treehouse of Horror episodes are aired in a single season: a parody of the 2017 supernatural horror film It and its 2019 sequel It Chapter Two, followed by the traditional anthology episode the following week. The aired season contains seven holdover episodes from season 33's UABF production line. Voice cast & characters Main cast Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Mayor Quimby, Louie, Frankie the Squealer, Rich Texan, Sideshow Mel, Gil Gunderson, Grampa Simpson, Santa's Little Helper, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Groundskeeper Willie, Hans Moleman, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble, Kodos, Squeaky-Voiced Teen, Arnie Pye and various others Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier and Selma Bouvier Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Maggie Simpson, Todd Flanders, Nelson Muntz, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Ralph Wiggum and various others Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson and Lisa impersonating Malibu Stacy dolls Hank Azaria as Johnny Tightlips, Luigi Risotto, Moe Szyslak, Gabbo, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, Comic Book Guy, Kirk Van Houten, Cletus Spuckler, Captain McCallister, Professor Frink, Raphael, Snake, Duffman, Disco Stu, Gareth Prince, Old Jewish Man, Mr. Costington and various others Harry Shearer as Legs, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Lenny Leonard, Reverend Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, Otto Mann, Officer Eddie, Dewey Largo, Kang, Mr. Burns, Rainier Wolfcastle, Jasper Beardsly, Clancy Bouvier and various others Supporting cast Pamela Hayden as Milhouse van Houten, Rod Flanders, Jimbo Jones, Birthday Spuckler, Gloria Prince and various others Tress MacNeille as Agnes Skinner, Lunchlady Dora, Lindsey Naegle, Crazy Cat Lady, Dolph Shapiro, Mrs. Muntz, Brunella Pommelhorst, Dubya Spuckler, Shauna Chalmers, Miss Springfield, Mrs. Vanderbilt and various others Kevin Michael Richardson as Dr. Hibbert, Anger Watkins and various others Kimberly Brooks as Janey Powell, Lewis Clark and various others Grey DeLisle as Martin Prince, Sherri and Terri, Wendell Borton and various others Alex Désert as Carl Carlson, Officer Lou and various others Chris Edgerly as additional characters Dawnn Lewis as Bernice Hibbert, Opal, Naima and various others Jonathan Lipow as various animals Eric Lopez as Bumblebee Man and various others Melanie Minichino as Segment Producer #3 ("The King of Nice") Tony Rodríguez as Julio Maggie Roswell as Helen Lovejoy, Miss Hoover, Luann Van Houten, Maude Flanders and various others Jenny Yokobori as Mascot Convention Attendee ("From Beer to Paternity"), Truth-Anne ("Game Done Changed") and Mackenzie ("Fan-ily Feud") Promotion In October 2022, The Simpsons''' official Twitter announced a Pennywise/Krusty the Clown-themed fan art contest, winners would have their fan art featured in the end credits of the season's
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The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! is a documentary special that examined the "cultural phenomenon" of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 2010. The special was directed by Morgan Spurlock. Content The film examines the "cultural phenomenon" of The Simpsons and includes interviews with both the cast and fans of the show. Production Background In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of The Simpsons, Fox announced that a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever." would run from January 14, 2009 to January 14, 2010. Morgan Spurlock, an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker (Best Documentary Feature for Super Size Me in 2004) and fan of The Simpsons since his college days, was asked to direct the special in February 2009. The producers of The Simpsons were impressed with an animated sequence in Spurlock's 2008 film Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? and decided to ask him to direct the special. Spurlock immediately accepted the offer, describing the opportunity as "the coolest thing I could ever get to do in my career." The special was later announced in July 2009. The producers spent several months deciding on the content and format of the film. Spurlock believes "the reason [the producers] called [him] to begin with was to not have a show that would be a glad-hand, pat-everyone-on-the-back special, that's why rooting it in the people who kept this show on the air for the last 20 years is important." It was originally scheduled to air on January 14, 2010, exactly twenty years after the first broadcast of "Bart the Genius", the first regular episode of the series after the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". However, it was instead shown on January 10, 2010 alongside "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", which was promoted as the 450th episode of the series despite being the 451st. Despite its promotion as a special event broadcast, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! was directed by Spurlock as a component of the series' 20th production season. It therefore received a Simpsons episode production code (LABF21, seen in the closing credits), one production number higher than the episode which aired alongside it ("Once Upon a Time in Springfield", LABF20). Filming The special includes interviews with fans from ten to fifteen countries. Filming of the special began at Comic-Con 2009 in San Diego. A casting call for fans was held on July 25, 2009, with the hopes of finding "some of the most incredible super-fans that the world has ever seen." Spurlock has filmed interviews with a man who grew real-life "Tomacco" (a mix of tobacco and tomato, based on the episode "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)"), the man with the most Simpsons tattoos and a couple that had a Simpsons-themed wedding. On August 12, 2009, Spurlock and The A.V. Club writer Steven Hyden attended a Pacific Coast
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"Treehouse of Horror XXVI" is the fifth episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, the 26th episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials, and the 579th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by Joel H. Cohen. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 25, 2015. The episode, like the other Treehouse of Horror episodes, comprises three self-contained segments. In "Wanted: Dead, Then Alive", Sideshow Bob finally murders Bart; in "Homerzilla", Homer plays the role of Godzilla and his American remake; and in "Telepaths of Glory", Lisa, Milhouse and Maggie receive telepathic powers. Showrunner Al Jean gave an interview about the episode in the month before it aired. Kelsey Grammer reprises his role as the guest voice of Sideshow Bob, and the opening musical sequence was animated by John Kricfalusi. This is the first Treehouse of Horror episode or Simpsons Halloween Special to not have that title on screen. The episode's title with Roman numeral appears in promotional materials. The Simpsons series title also does not appear on screen. "Treehouse of Horror XXVI" was watched by an audience of 6.75 million, the highest on Fox that night. Reception was mixed to negative, with its perceived excess violence and lack of originality being criticized. Plot The episode opens with a John Kricfalusi–animated couch gag where the Simpson children are trick-or-treating before being set upon by soul-hungry spirits with a monstrous Frank Grimes among them that skins Bart for his soul before Maggie saves him and Lisa. The spirits chase after the Simpson children to their home, and the Frank Grimes monster takes Homer's soul. Wanted: Dead, Then Alive Bart gets a text message from Milhouse, telling him to come to the music room. When he gets there, he finds Sideshow Bob, who lured him there with Milhouse's phone in order to accomplish his lifelong dream: to kill Bart. Bob kills Bart with a spear gun and takes his body to his house to celebrate his accomplishment. As his main objective in life is done, he decides to complete other dreams, such as becoming a literature teacher at Springfield University, but is dissatisfied as his students are lazy cheaters. He discovers that the only thing that has made him happy was hunting down Bart for 24 years, so he builds a machine to bring Bart back to life so he can kill him over and over. Bob's machine is discovered by Santa's Little Helper, and the Simpson family break into his basement and reanimate Bart. Bob appears with a shotgun and has the legal right to kill the intruding Simpsons. Homer attacks Bob with a lamp, ripping his head off, and Marge decides that Bart can keep Bob's remains. Bart puts Bob's head into the Reanimator with a horn, frog legs, a chicken body, a tail and a booger, making a bizarre-looking creature. Homerzilla In a parody of Godzilla,
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"No Loan Again, Naturally" is the twelfth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 8, 2009. "No Loan Again, Naturally" was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Mark Kirkland. Maurice LaMarche guest starred in the episode. It was seen by 5.99 million viewers. Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from television critics. The name of the episode references a 1970s song "Alone Again (Naturally)"; the song had previously been referenced in the title of the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons eleventh season, "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily", which also centered largely around interactions between Homer and Ned. Plot The Simpsons throw a Mardi Gras party, having invited most of the town, and Homer reluctantly invites Ned Flanders at Marge's insistence. As they clean up the house the following morning, Lenny asks how they pay for the huge yearly party. Homer gleefully confesses that he borrows from a home equity line to do so, calling his home a "sucker" for getting stuck with the bill. Marge and Homer visit their mortgage broker, Gil Gunderson, after receiving a letter and find out that their adjustable rate mortgage payment has increased drastically because of Homer's ineptitude. The Simpson home goes up for auction and after seeing the Simpsons' sorrow, Ned outbids the initial offer for the house by Mr. Burns of $100,000, purchasing the home for $101,000 and then offers to let the Simpsons move back in and rent the property from him. The Simpsons thank Ned with a song and a small celebration, when Marge notices the sink faucet dripping. Ned offers to fix it, as he is now their landlord and the repairs are his responsibility, along with some other items that he is obligated to correct. However, Ned quickly tires of their constant requests for repairs. Despite Ned's best efforts, Homer gets mad at him and denounces him to the media as a corrupt slumlord. When Homer refuses to apologize for his ingratitude, Ned tells them they must leave at the end of the month. The Simpsons move Grampa into the house with them in order to take advantage of a loophole in the eviction laws, but Grampa decides to live in Ned's house instead due to the better living conditions, automatically evicting the Simpsons, who are forced to sleep at a homeless shelter. While interviewing some potential tenants, Ned sees a picture from the move-in celebration and remembers the Simpsons' happiness and admiration of him. Ned lets the Simpsons move back into their house, ignoring the new tenants' threat of legal action. The rest of the Simpsons' neighbors promptly move away, disgusted at this decision. Production The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Mark Kirkland. Maurice LaMarche also guest starred in the episode as various characters. Reception In its original American broadcast, "No Loan Again, Naturally" was viewed by an estimated 5.99 million households. The episode also
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"Treehouse of Horror" is the third episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 25, 1990. The episode was inspired by 1950s horror comics, and begins with a disclaimer that it may be too scary for children. It is the first Treehouse of Horror episode. These episodes do not obey the show's rule of realism and are not treated as canon. The opening disclaimer and a panning shot through a cemetery with humorous tombstones were features that were used sporadically in the Treehouse of Horror series and eventually dropped. This is also the first episode to have the music composed by Alf Clausen. The plot revolves around three scary stories told by the Simpson children in the family's treehouse. The first segment involves a haunted house that is based on various haunted house films, primarily The Amityville Horror (1979) and Poltergeist (1982). In the second segment, Kang and Kodos are introduced when the Simpsons are abducted by aliens. The third segment is an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's 1845 poem "The Raven". James Earl Jones guest starred in all three segments. The episode was received positively, being included in several critics' "best of" lists. Critics singled out The Raven for praise, although Simpsons creator Matt Groening was concerned that it would be seen as pretentious. Plot On Halloween, Bart and Lisa sit in the treehouse and tell scary stories. Homer, who had just come home from trick or treating, eavesdrops on them. "Bad Dream House" (told by Bart) The Simpsons move into an eighteen bedroom house they got a good deal on. The walls of the cursed house begin to bleed and objects begin to fly through the air, Lisa senses an evil presence in the house (judging by the ghostly, echoing voice that tells the family to get out). There is also a portal to another dimension, a vortex, in the kitchen: Homer tests it out by throwing an orange in it. A piece of paper is thrown back at him as a response (on it is written "Quit throwing your garbage into our dimension"). Marge expresses the desire to leave, but Homer asks her to sleep on it. That night, the house possesses Homer and the children, manipulating their minds and making them chase each other with axes and knives. Unlike the others however, Marge is using her knife to spread mayonnaise on a sandwich and intervenes, breaking the trance. Afterwards, Lisa discovers the source of the haunting—a Native American burial ground hidden in the basement (something which the realtors had apparently mentioned to Homer repeatedly). After the house threatens them again, Marge confronts the house, demanding that it treat them with respect during their stay. The house thinks it over and opts to destroy itself rather than live with the Simpsons. "Hungry Are the Damned" (told by Bart) The Simpsons are abducted from their backyard by two aliens named
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"Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious", also known as "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpialad'ohcious" is the thirteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 7, 1997. When Marge becomes stressed, the Simpsons hire a nanny, a Mary Poppins parody named Shary Bobbins (voiced by Maggie Roswell). The episode was directed by Chuck Sheetz and written and executive produced by Al Jean and Mike Reiss. It was the last episode for which Reiss received a writing credit. In 2014, Jean selected it as one of five essential episodes in the show's history. The episode was inspired by the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins. Plot When Marge finds that she is losing her hair at an alarming rate, she visits Dr. Hibbert, who informs her that stress is the cause. The Simpson family decide to hire a nanny to perform housework and childcare while Marge recovers. They are unable to find anyone suitable until a woman glides from the sky with a magical-parrot headed umbrella, introducing herself as Shary Bobbins. She is deemed perfect and is hired. Shary proves helpful for the Simpson family, and Marge's hair grows back once her stress subsides. As the reformed family sits down to a perfect dinner, Shary declares her work done and prepares to leave, only for the family to instantly revert to their original state of dysfunction the moment she steps out of the house. Resignedly, she decides to stay, and is ultimately forced to when Grampa accidentally takes her umbrella. The family begins to treat Shary poorly, and they lose interest in her zest for life and zealous reform. Declaring that the Simpsons will be the death of her, Shary spirals into depression. Shary becomes an alcoholic and channels her misery into her singing. Realizing the effect the Simpsons have had on Shary, Marge admits that nothing can change them, and the family expresses their contentment with their lives through a song. Shary accepts that she can do nothing to change the Simpsons' lives and bids farewell to the family as she glides away into the sky using her umbrella; unbeknownst to the Simpsons, she is soon killed after she is sucked into the engine of a passing airplane. Production Although the majority of the season eight episodes were executive produced by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, former executive producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss had signed a deal with Disney that allowed them to produce four episodes of The Simpsons. The idea for this episode originated several years before its airdate when Jean and Reiss were the regular showrunners. The idea was pitched at a writers' retreat by Jean but nobody had wanted to flesh it out. After being allowed to come back to produce some episodes, Jean and Reiss decided to write this episode. At first, Reiss was against the episode and felt that it was a bad idea. He felt that the plot was slightly ridiculous and that the
Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious
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"Principal Charming" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 14, 1991. In the episode, Marge asks Homer to find a husband for her sister Selma. Homer invites Principal Skinner to dinner after Bart gets caught vandalizing the school's lawn. Skinner's dinner with the Simpsons fails to go as planned when he instead falls for Selma's twin sister Patty. The episode was written by David M. Stern and directed by Mark Kirkland. The characters Hans Moleman, Groundskeeper Willie and Squeaky Voiced Teen make their first appearances on The Simpsons in this episode. "Principal Charming" features cultural references to films such as Vertigo, Gone with the Wind, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 14.1, and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired. Plot After attending the wedding of a coworker, Selma begs her sister Marge to help her find a husband. Marge asks Homer to help find a husband for Selma, but he struggles to find anyone suitable. When Bart is caught spelling his name on the school's lawn by killing the grass with a herbicide, Principal Skinner summons Homer to his office to discuss the prank. After learning that Skinner is single, Homer invites him to dinner. When Skinner arrives at the Simpsons' house, Homer accidentally introduces him to Patty instead of Selma; Skinner is instantly smitten with her, making Selma feel even worse about her marriage prospects. Skinner asks Patty for a date, but she is reluctant. Selma encourages her to go on her first date in 25 years and warns her this may be her last chance to marry. Patty does not enjoy her first date with Skinner, but they keep seeing other and eventually bond, much to Selma's chagrin. Because Skinner is distracted by his love for Patty, he allows Bart and the other children to do whatever they want at school. He soon enlists Bart's help to persuade Patty to marry him. At the same time, Homer arranges a date between Barney and Selma, which she reluctantly attends. Following Bart's lead, Skinner uses an herbicide to write "Marry Me Patty" on the school's lawn. Skinner takes her to the top of the school's bell tower to propose marriage. Patty is flattered, but she declines because she and Selma share a special bond as twin sisters. Patty appreciates Skinner's understanding and gentlemanly conduct, and admits that were she ever to settle down with a man, she would marry him. After rescuing Selma from her date with Barney, Patty drives her home to their apartment. Meanwhile, Skinner accepts his fate and reasserts his authority over Bart by destroying the entire lawn with herbicide and forcing him to repair the damage by replanting the field seed by seed, much to Groundskeeper Willie's satisfaction. Production The episode was
Principal Charming
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"Behind the Laughter" is the twenty-second and final episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 2000. In the episode, a parody of the VH1 series Behind the Music, the Simpsons are portrayed as actors on a sitcom, and their dramatic inner turmoil and struggles are detailed. Told in a mockumentary format, the episode presents a fictional version of how The Simpsons began. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by Tim Long, George Meyer, Mike Scully and Matt Selman. The idea was pitched by Long, and the writers wrote the episode quickly without a draft. VH1 and the producers of Behind the Music allowed the crew to use the show's visual graphics package, and Behind the Music narrator Jim Forbes recorded narrations. In addition, country musician Willie Nelson guest stars as himself. The episode received critical acclaim, with many reviewers noting it as a highlight of the season and the series itself, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour) in 2000. In addition, composer Alf Clausen won an Annie Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Television Production". In May 2004, the BBC chose it as the last episode to be aired, having lost the terrestrial broadcasting rights in February 2002, to Channel 4, who later aired the series in November 2004. Plot The episode is a parody of the VH1 biography series Behind the Music and shares its narrator, Jim Forbes. It begins with the Simpson family history and how they got into show business: believing that families depicted in the numerous TV shows they watch together bear no resemblance to their comparative dysfunctionalism, Homer writes and directs an inadequate video "pilot" that fails to attract the attention of the major networks except for Fox, as its president happens to be Marge's hairdresser. After much fine-tuning and on-set mishaps produce many of the show's running gags, The Simpsons''' resounding ratings and merchandising success makes the family extraordinarily wealthy; having moved out of their house on Evergreen Terrace to live in MC Hammer's former mansion, "Hammertime" (renamed "Homertime"), they expand their scope to include a series of Grammy-winning, "mega-platinum" novelty albums. Problems begin to arise as the Simpsons' fame grows: they become reckless spendthrifts, alternating between buying their colleagues extravagant gifts and paying them to perform embarrassing acts for their amusement. When Homer is injured after plummeting into Springfield Gorge (as seen in "Bart the Daredevil"), he becomes addicted to prescription painkillers; Marge blows much of the family's fortune on licensing her likeness for use on diaphragms, and Bart goes into rehab after attacking flight attendants, with his role on the show being temporarily filled out by his friend Richie Rich. Following a tip from Apu, the IRS discovers that the Simpsons are evading tax payments and repossess Homertime. As tensions mount in the family, the show's
Behind the Laughter
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"The War of the Simpsons" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 2, 1991. In the episode, Homer gets drunk at a dinner party and embarrasses Marge, so she enrolls them in marriage counseling at a lakeside retreat with Reverend Lovejoy. The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Mark Kirkland. It was the last episode Kirkland directed during his first year on the show. Although not named until season three's "Black Widower", the character Snake Jailbird appeared for the first time in this episode. "The War of the Simpsons" features songs such as Tom Jones's "It's Not Unusual", Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love", KC and the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way (I Like It)", and Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman". Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 11.6 and was the second highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired. Plot During a party at the Simpsons' house, Homer humiliates himself by getting drunk, insulting guests, and leering at Maude Flanders' cleavage. At church the next day, Marge signs up for marriage counseling at a weekend retreat hosted by Reverend Lovejoy and his wife Helen. When Homer learns the retreat will be held at Catfish Lake, he packs his fishing equipment, but Marge tells him they are only attending to resolve their marital problems. On the way to the retreat, Homer stops at a bait shop and learns of the legendary catfish General Sherman. At the lake the next morning, Homer tries to sneak away to fish, upsetting Marge that he would choose fishing over their marriage. Instead of returning to bed, Homer takes a walk and finds an abandoned fishing pole on a dock. As he grabs the pole with General Sherman on the line, the fish yanks him from the pier into a small rowboat and onto the lake. From their cabin window, Marge grows angry watching Homer battle General Sherman. Marge attends the marriage workshops alone while Homer triumphantly docks with General Sherman aboard the boat. When Homer returns, Marge tells him their marriage is in serious trouble if he values fishing more than his wife. To prove his love for her, Homer releases the fish, which swims away. While Marge and Homer are away, Grampa babysits Bart and Lisa, who trick their grandfather into letting them throw a party. After the party ends, the house is a total mess. When Grampa cries, they fear their mess will land him in trouble with their parents, so they frantically clean the house. Once home, Marge praises Grampa for the house's cleanliness. He reveals his secret is "pretending to cry" to con his grandchildren into cleaning it. Bart and Lisa realize they were tricked as Grampa leaves while laughing at them. Production The episode was written by John Swartzwelder, and it was the
The War of the Simpsons
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"Boy Meets Curl" is the twelfth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 14, 2010. In this episode, Homer and Marge Simpson form a mixed curling team with Agnes and Seymour Skinner, which is chosen to play in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Meanwhile, Lisa begins collecting pins shaped like Olympic mascots, but her obsession soon turns to desperation. With the Winter Olympics being held in Canada, the writers wanted an Olympic-themed episode that could air during the Games. The script was written by Rob LaZebnik, who considered having the plot revolve around Homer competing in four-man bobsled. However, he decided a curling episode would allow for the plot to revolve around Homer and Marge. In order to try to make the depiction of curling in the episode accurate, the writers visited a curling club and tried the sport themselves. They also consulted with a number of curlers. The episode was directed by Chuck Sheetz, while sportscaster Bob Costas guest-starred in the episode. Airing during the Olympics, the episode was watched by 5.87 million viewers and had a Nielsen rating of 2.6. The episode received positive reviews from critics, and CTV reported that Olympic curlers largely enjoyed the episode. Plot Marge and Homer's plans for a romantic date night fall through when Homer is forced to stay longer than expected at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to fix a leak in one of the plant's nuclear processing pipes. Looking for a romantic activity after walking out of a movie starring Ben Affleck, they find an ice rink and decide to do some skating. However, they are unable to rent skates because it is curling night. They decide to try it and discover their innate talent for the sport, particularly Marge, who has years of experience sweeping floors. Agnes and Seymour Skinner notice and invite Marge and Homer to join their mixed-doubles team. It is announced that mixed-doubles has been added to the Winter Olympics as a demonstration sport, and the Skinner-Simpson team qualifies for the United States curling trials. Agnes cautions Marge not to let emotions get in the way of winning, relating how a fetal kick by an unborn Seymour foiled her chances at winning gold in the pole vault at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki At the trials, Marge's talented sweeping earns the team a win and a trip to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Meanwhile, at the trials, Lisa is given an Olympic mascot pin, which she attaches to her dress. She decides that it "looks lonely" and buys another, but her interest in the pins quickly spirals out of control. The Simpsons arrive in Vancouver, where Agnes insists that Homer be cut from the team. Marge refuses and insists she can compensate for his weak throws, but Homer accidentally overhears the exchange and feels terrible. Marge continues to perform superbly, but she injures her right
Boy Meets Curl
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"Good Night" (also known as "Good Night Simpsons") is the first of the forty-eight Simpsons shorts and the second segment of the third episode of the first season of The Tracey Ullman Show. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 1987 and marks the first ever appearance of the Simpson family — Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie — on television. After three seasons on Tracey Ullman's show, the shorts would be adapted into the animated show The Simpsons. "Good Night" has since been aired on the show in the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" (in its entirety), along with several other Ullman shorts, and is one of the few shorts to ever be released on DVD, being included in the Season 1 DVD set. Plot Homer and Marge say goodnight to their children, but all does not go according to plan. Bart tries to ask about the mind, but is left contemplating it as he does not get a proper answer. Lisa fears that bed bugs will eat her after hearing Marge say "Don't let the bed bugs bite". Maggie is terrified by the lyrics of "Rock-a-bye Baby". Ultimately, all three children decide to sleep in their parents' bed. Origins Groening first conceived of the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. He had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts, and had intended to present his Life in Hell series. When he realized that animating Life in Hell would require him to rescind publication rights for his life's work, Groening decided to go in another direction. He hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family, and named the characters after his own family. Bart was modeled after Groening's older brother, Mark, but given a different name that was chosen as an anagram of "brat." Production This short was written and storyboarded by Groening. Animation on the short began March 23, 1987. The family was crudely drawn, because Groening had submitted basic sketches to the animators, assuming they would clean them up; instead they just traced over his drawings. It was produced at Klasky Csupo, with Wesley Archer, David Silverman, and Bill Kopp being animators. The episode is sometimes considered to be the first episode of season 0 of The Simpsons. The show's production number is MG01. 11 seconds of the short were cut in syndication airings. The short consisted of four segments, lasting 24, 15, 33, and 33 seconds, respectively. After the short plays from start to finish in "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular", Troy McClure, who now has a look of disbelief on his face, as though he has never seen the clip before, covers his expression with an awkward laugh and insincerely comments 'They haven't changed a bit, have they', a comment on how the characters' appearance and personalities had altered from the shorts to the airing of that episode. Critical reception FilmThreat says "This dark nursery rhyme is funny and disturbing. Homer’s voice
Good Night (The Simpsons)
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Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica is an American reality television series that aired on MTV. It followed the marriage of then husband and wife Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. It premiered on August 19, 2003 and ended on March 30, 2005, with a total of 40 episodes over the course of 3 seasons. Part of the show's gimmick involved displaying Simpson's naive personality, playing on the popular stereotype of "dumb blondes". Perhaps the most famous example comes from the first episode, in which Simpson, confronted with a can of Chicken of the Sea tuna, asked Nick "Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it's tuna, but it says 'Chicken... by the Sea' ." Simpson and Lachey were married on October 26, 2002, and filed for divorce on December 16, 2005. On June 30, 2006, Jessica and Nick's divorce was finalized. Origin The show was originally intended for Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley after their marriage in 1994, but the couple decided not to continue with the project after the start of pre-production. It was shelved until 2002, when Jessica's father and manager, Joe Simpson, contacted Marty about producing a show starring his daughter and her new husband. When Simpson was originally asked why she chose to do such a show for MTV, she replied that it was good promotion for her new album In This Skin. The reality show, which coincided with the release of the album, at first did not help Simpson's album sales, as it debuted at #10 on the Billboard charts and quickly fell down. Constantine Paraskevopoulos was asked to come in and direct "Sweetest Sin" and help sculpt an image breakthrough for the couple depicting them in a way that would break the boundaries of her conservative church going base. The video helped raise an overall awareness and sex appeal for both Jessica and Nick, and was strongly featured in season one's top episode "the Video shoot". During this time, Constantine was also asked to direct Nick Lachey's video "Shut Up", featuring Dax Shepard from Punk'd. This was also highlighted on the series. However, over the span of the first season, Simpson's popularity began growing, as many of her "dumb blonde" antics gave her much publicity. By the close of 2003, Simpson and Lachey had both become household names, and Newlyweds had become a pop culture phenomenon. Simpson's label decided to release the second single "With You" to see how it would do on radio now that Simpson had become an A-Lister. Episodes Series overview Season 1 (2003) Season 2 (2004) Season 3 (2005) References External links 2003 American television series debuts 2005 American television series endings 2000s American reality television series American dating and relationship reality television series American English-language television shows MTV reality television series Jessica Simpson Nick Lachey
Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica
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"My Life as a Vlog" is the twelfth episode of the thirty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 740th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on January 1, 2023. The episode was directed by Debbie Bruce Mahan and written by Jessica Conrad. In this episode, the controversial Simpsons' social media presence is revealed, stringing a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories in Springfield with it. The episode received positive reviews. The episode was dedicated in memory of former music editor Chris Ledesma, who died on December 16, 2022. Plot A YouTube user watches a video of the Simpson family showing off their new mansion. The user switches over to another video showing how they rose to fame when a video of Homer and Maggie went viral. The rest of the family become famous when another video shows the family singing while Bart is on laughing gas. Another video shows how each family member has their own channel. Marge interviews people eating fried foods. Bart has a prank show. Lisa shows herself cleaning beaches. The user then finds a video, made by Milhouse, exposing the dark side of the Simpsons. It shows Homer raging at people, Lisa dirtying beaches to clean them up, and Homer scaring Maggie for a sponsorship. A video by Lenny and Carl shows that Maggie now refuses to film with Homer, so a fake Maggie is created. The user watches a video of the Simpsons announcing they will be making a statement because of the poor publicity, but no more videos exist. The user watches a series of videos of people theorizing about what may have happened to the Simpsons. The video makers find out where the Simpsons live, and they learn that the family accidentally locked themselves in the mansion's panic room. During that time, they reconnected with one another, and they decide to stop making videos. The user is revealed to be George R. R. Martin. He then starts to watch another video of drag queens fighting in a Waffle House. Production Michael Price confirmed the episode on April 28, 2022, also confirming Jessica Conrad as the writer for the episode. The original idea for the episode was to show a series of YouTube videos with a mystery similar to the 2018 film Searching. Writer Jessica Conrad and producer Carolyn Omine turned the idea into a story about the Simpson family achieving internet fame and the resultant drawbacks. Executive producer Matt Selman stated that there was difficulty in choosing what type of YouTube channel each Springfield resident would have. Drag queens Bob the Drag Queen and Monét X Change appeared as themselves. They sent the producers photos to show how they would dress in a Waffle House. The episode was dedicated in memory of former music editor Chris Ledesma, who worked on The Tracey Ullman Show and 734 episodes of The Simpsons from the first episode until May 2022. Cultural references George R. R. Martin's procrastination reflects
My Life as a Vlog
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"Weekend at Burnsie's" is the sixteenth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network on April 7, 2002. In the episode, Homer Simpson is prescribed medicinal marijuana after getting pecked in the eyes by a murder of crows. While his family and friends worry about the drug altering his personality, Homer becomes Mr. Burns's vice president after cracking up at Burns's antiquated jokes. The episode was directed by Michael Marcantel. The plot idea for the episode was pitched by George Meyer, who wanted to make an episode about Homer getting addicted to medicinal marijuana. Executive producer and current showrunner Al Jean found the idea "very funny" and gave former staff writer Jon Vitti the duty to write the episode's first draft. Fox was initially very uneasy to pass the episode for broadcast, since they were concerned that it might encourage younger viewers to smoke marijuana. Even though The Simpsons' staff slightly altered the episode by not actually showing Homer smoke his medicinal marijuana, the network was still worried that it might cause a controversy. The use of medicinal marijuana is prominently featured throughout "Weekend at Burnsie's". Because the legislation of medicinal marijuana is a controversial issue, The Simpsons' staff has stated that they wanted to explore both sides of the argument, showing both the negative and positive effects of marijuana use. The episode does not come to an absolute conclusion about the issue. The episode also criticizes the use of genetically modified foods, and references Citizen Kane, Dragnet, The Birds, and Judy Garland, among other things. It also features the rock band Phish as themselves. Despite the network's initial concerns, "Weekend at Burnsie's" did not attract any controversy. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 7.2 million viewers, finishing in 46th place in the ratings the week it aired. Following the thirteenth season's release on DVD and Blu-ray on August 24, 2010, the episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. The episode is one of several from the series that has been restricted to post-watershed airings in the UK due to its drug use and references. The episode was also rated M in Australia, making it the second episode to receive the rating after "Natural Born Kissers". Plot After a bad experience with genetically modified food, Marge decides to grow her own vegetables in a newly created garden. Crows converge on the garden, so Marge makes a scarecrow, which scares Homer away. Homer then returns and destroys the scarecrow, and the crows see Homer as their leader, following him everywhere and doing his bidding. However, when the crows try to carry Maggie, Homer turns on them and they attack his eyes. He is prescribed medicinal marijuana to deal with the searing pain he is feeling. Homer begins to enjoy smoking marijuana, and gets an unexpected bonus when his giddy-stoned happy reactions to Mr. Burns's awful jokes earn him a promotion to
Weekend at Burnsie's
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"Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife" is the fifteenth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 26, 2006, and was watched by around ten million people during that broadcast. In the episode, Homer signs the Simpson family up for a reality show in which the mothers of two families switch places. Marge gets to live with a friendly man named Charles and his perfect son, while Homer, Bart, and Lisa must spend time with Charles' strict wife Verity. English comedian Ricky Gervais contributed to the writing of the episode and guest starred in it as Charles. As a big fan of The Simpsons, he felt it was "a dream come true." He was given the offer to write and guest star by The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, who was a fan of Gervais' British comedy series The Office. After meeting Groening and executive producer Al Jean in early 2004, Gervais set out to come up with the storyline for the episode. He was inspired by the British reality show Wife Swap. Though Gervais contributed a large part to the episode, the script was a joint effort with the regular writing staff of the show. Gervais' performance has been praised by critics, being listed as one of the best guest appearances on The Simpsons by writers for Entertainment Weekly and The Times. Groening also liked the performance and invited Gervais to appear on the show again. The episode as a whole, however, received mixed reviews from critics. A live-action remake of the regular animated opening sequence of The Simpsons aired at the beginning of the episode, which was taken from the Sky One promo. Plot Lenny invites his friends in Springfield to a party at his apartment, where he has bought a brand new plasma screen high-definition television. Homer immediately falls in love with its HD picture, and begins to spend all his time at Lenny's home watching HDTV. Marge sends over Bart and Lisa to convince him to come back but they too become enthralled. After a few days, Homer is kicked out by Lenny, and when he returns home he no longer enjoys watching his regular CRT TV, so Marge enters the family in a contest where first-place prize is a plasma HDTV. They later manage to win the third-place prize: a trip to the studios of Fox Broadcasting Company. There, Homer learns of a reality show called Mother Flippers in which the mothers of two families switch places. The grand prize happens to be enough money to buy a new plasma HDTV, so the family signs up for the show. Marge is traded to a nice, easygoing man named Charles Heathbar and his perfect son Ben, while Homer gets Charles' strict wife Verity. Charles dislikes his wife, especially for constantly telling him what to do, so he is surprised to see that Marge is understanding and kind. As Marge
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The Ashlee Simpson Show is a television reality show about the life of Ashlee Simpson. The first season, taped from late 2003 to mid-2004, focused on the beginnings of her career as a singer and the recording of her debut album, Autobiography. A second season, taped from late 2004 to early 2005, focused on her career after the album's release. Consisting of eight half-hour episodes, the first season ran on MTV in the U.S. in the summer of 2004. The show proved quite successful and helped to establish widespread recognition for Simpson, whose album was released on July 20, 2004, a month after the show began airing, and debuted at number one in sales. Jordan Schur, the president of Simpson's record label, Geffen, said that "There's no question that it really helped expose her and her music. She's got a tremendous personality; people gravitate toward that. They want to watch her and listen to her music." The second and final season, consisting of ten episodes, aired in early 2005. Series overview The show begins with Simpson signing her record deal with Geffen; the first season ends with the U.S. release of her album, and the second season ends with the launch of her first tour. Much of the show deals with the process of writing and recording songs. Simpson expresses her preference for rock music and that she wants her album to reflect that; she says she does not want her album to sound like the pop music of Hilary Duff or her sister Jessica. The show ties Simpson's music together with her personal life in that many of the songs are inspired by events in her personal life, both good and bad. The show also chronicles minor but often humorous tribulations of Simpson's life. Simpson's parents, Joe and Tina, appear frequently, as well as her sister Jessica. Episodes Season 1 (2004) "Ashlee Moves Onward and Upward" – June 16, 2004 "Ashlee Verses Her Label" – June 23, 2004 "Ashlee Rocks Ryan's World" – June 30, 2004 "Valentine's Bummer" – July 7, 2004 "Ashlee Strikes a Pose" – July 14, 2004 "Ashlee Performs Live" – July 21, 2004 "Ashlee Hits the Big Time" – July 28, 2004 "Ashlee Goes Platinum" – August 4, 2004 Season 2 (2005) "Ashlee Heads to the Big Apple" – January 26, 2005 "Ashlee's Notorious Performance" – February 2, 2005 "Ashlee Turns 20" – February 9, 2005 "Ashlee Backs Up Her Vocals" — February 16, 2005 "New Female Artist of the Year" – February 23, 2005 "Jingle Ball Rock" – March 2, 2005 "Happy New Year!" – March 9, 2005 "The Orange Bowl" – March 16, 2005 "Puppy Love" – March 23, 2005 "The Show Must Go On..." – March 30, 2005 Broadcast The first season of The Ashlee Simpson Show debuted in the U.S. on June 16, 2004 and aired every Wednesday until the last episode on August 4. The show aired at 10:30 PM ET, the time slot just after Ashlee's sister Jessica Simpson's
The Ashlee Simpson Show
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"Treehouse of Horror XII" is the first episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. Because of Fox's contract with Major League Baseball's World Series, the episode first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 6, 2001, nearly one week after Halloween. It is the twelfth annual Treehouse of Horror episode, consisting of three self-contained segments. In the first segment, a gypsy puts a curse on Homer, which puts everybody he cares about in danger. In the second segment, which is a parody on both 2001: A Space Odyssey and Demon Seed, the Simpson family buys a new house, who falls in love with Marge and attempts to kill Homer. In the third and final segment, which lampoons the Harry Potter franchise, Lord Montymort attempts to capture Lisa, a skilled magician, in order to drain her magic powers. The episode was written by Joel H. Cohen, John Frink, Don Payne and Carolyn Omine while Jim Reardon served as the director. It was the second Treehouse of Horror to not employ "scary names" in the credits. According to executive producer Ian Maxtone-Graham, this was due to the September 11 attacks, after which the Simpsons staff tried to be more serious and sensitive. However, according to current show runner Al Jean, the "scary names" were dropped because they were too difficult to come up with. The episode contains numerous references and parodies to science fiction and horror works, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Demon Seed, Harry Potter and Star Wars. The episode also features Pierce Brosnan and Matthew Perry as guest stars. The episode was considered a success in the ratings when it first aired, boosting the Fox network to victory among viewers between ages 18 and 49 the night it was broadcast. Since airing, the episode has received mixed reviews from critics; "Wiz Kids" was particularly targeted for criticism, while "House of Whacks" was often considered to be the best of the three. Plot Outside Mr. Burns' manor, Smithers is standing on a ladder, trying to put up a small vermillion bat decoration on a weather vane. He slips on the ladder, grabs on an electric cord and slides down into an electricity box and gets zapped. A tower from Mr. Burns' mansion breaks in half, damaging a mausoleum, which opens up four caskets which in turn reveal three skeletons which all resemble Mr. Burns, dressed in various costumes. Later, the Simpsons, dressed up in costumes, with Homer as Fred Flintstone, Marge as Wilma Flintstone, Lisa and Maggie as conjoined twins, and Bart as a hobo, walk up to the mansion (with Bart and Lisa complaining that Flanders gave them toothpaste instead of candy). The family sees the building and caskets on fire, scream in terror, and run out the closing gate, the bars of which slice the family. The slices of the Simpsons continue to scream and run away. Mr. Burns, delighted, pats the vermillion bat as it comes to life
Treehouse of Horror XII
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The fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons aired from Sunday, November 2, 2003, to Sunday, May 23, 2004. The season contains five hold-over episodes from the season 14 (EABF) production line. The most watched episode had 16.2 million viewers and the least watched had 6.2 million viewers. Season 15 was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on December 4, 2012, Region 2 on December 3, 2012, and Region 4 on December 12, 2012. Response Critical reception Season 15 received positive reviews, though many reviewers commented that while the episodes were generally enjoyable, they were of a lesser quality than those of the series' first decade. The general consensus is that this marked an improvement over the early teen seasons. High Def Digest gave a rating of 4 stars, writing "The Simpsons' is one of only a handful of shows that I know I'm guaranteed to laugh out loud at least once an episode (usually more). Even though the cutting wit of the first decade lost its edge a bit, I still find 'The Simpsons' an extremely enjoyable way to spend my time. There aren't many things that are better than sitting down with a new season of 'The Simpsons' on Blu-ray and watching every episode back to back as fast as I possibly can. While the episodes sort of blend together, the humor is still there, and I still end up having quite a few genuine laughs". CraveOnline rated the season 8.5/10, noting "Some "Simpsons" fans gave up during a perceived rough patch around season 12, and boy have they missed out. Season 13 was a particular favorite of mine, but now we're over the hump on the DVD releases. Season 15 is kind of a sweet spot, because it's got some highlight episodes I love, but also plenty that I don't remember." DVDActive said "The Simpsons season 15 isn't one of the series' best, but I'm pretty sure it isn't one of the worst either". ScreenJabber gave a rating of 4 stars, writing "Imagine my surprise when I sat down to review Season 15...and realised that I had never seen most of its episodes. Imagine, then, my joy at being able to enjoy almost 22 episodes of factory-fresh Simpsons, even though they were made about a decade ago. And even though some of the cultural references are a little dated, there's still an awful lot to laugh at and enjoy here. As always, this season of The Simpsons features a stellar line-up of guest stars. And, as always, there are some standout episodes. All in all, a more than decent season of this long, long-running show." DIY wrote "While Season 15 of The Simpsons may not be golden from start to finish it has a higher great to soggy episode ratio than more recent seasons. In fact, there are some real gems amongst the 22 episodes". Boxofficebuz gave it 4 stars, and said "...Throw in flashback episode 'The Way We [Weren't],' Pie-Man antics
The Simpsons season 15
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"Treehouse of Horror XIV" is the first episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 2, 2003. In the fourteenth annual Treehouse of Horror episode, Homer takes on the role of the Grim Reaper ("Reaper Madness"), Professor Frink creates a Frankenstein-version of his deceased father ("Frinkenstein") and Bart and Milhouse obtain a time-stopping watch ("Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off"). It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Steven Dean Moore. Guest stars in the episode include Jerry Lewis, whose character in The Nutty Professor served as the inspiration for recurring Simpsons character Professor Frink, as Frink's father, and Jennifer Garner, Dudley Herschbach, and Oscar De La Hoya as themselves. The episode was nominated for the 2004 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore). It is also the final Treehouse of Horror episode to play the traditional paced organ variant of the Simpsons theme at the end credits. Plot Introduction Bart and Lisa, dressed as Charlie Brown and Lucy van Pelt from the Peanuts series, discuss their Halloween treats, and Lisa claims that hers are better than Bart's. The two then fight violently until Homer intervenes and orders them to stop fighting. He throws a burning log at them, but misses and hits Grampa, though he complains that he's still cold. Homer gets Bart and Lisa rolled up in the rug and starts to "beat the lumps". A gun-wielding Marge intervenes and says that she does not approve of Homer's parenting techniques, and shoots him. Homer's blood splatters on a nearby wall, spelling the title of the episode. Meanwhile, from their spaceship, the two aliens Kang and Kodos criticize the Simpson family for airing a Halloween special in November, as they are already set up for Christmas. Reaper Madness The Grim Reaper enters the Simpson house attempting to take Bart, but the family goes on a Benny Hill-style chase to elude him. Death eventually manages to pin Bart's shirt to the wall with his scythe. As Death is about to sentence Bart to an eternity of pain, Homer kills him by cracking his skull open with a bowling ball in revenge for the deaths of Snowball I and President John F. Kennedy. The Simpsons find that no one can die since Death is dead. The scene cuts to two examples of a world where no one can die: Frankie the Squealer (last seen in "Insane Clown Poppy") surviving an execution by the Springfield Mafia, much to their frustration, and Moe attempting to hang himself from the ceiling of his tavern. On trash day, Marge tells Homer to take Death's corpse to the curb. Homer does, but puts on Death's robe, inadvertently turning himself into the new Grim Reaper. At first, he refuses to reap souls, but when the cloak begins to crush his groin, he complies. He kills many people who are on God's list
Treehouse of Horror XIV
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"In the Name of the Grandfather" is the fourteenth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Sky1 on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2009 and aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 22, 2009. It was the first episode of the show to premiere in Europe before airing on Fox. In the episode, the Simpsons buy a new hot tub and spend so much time relaxing in it that they neglect Abraham "Grampa" Simpson. Homer decides to make it up to Grampa by helping him do one thing he wants to do. Grampa reminisces about O'Flanagan's pub in Ireland where he once had the best night of his life so the Simpsons travel there. Marge, Bart and Lisa visit various Irish landmarks while Homer and Grampa buy O'Flanagan's during a night of binge drinking and soon discover that pubs are no longer popular in Ireland. "In the Name of the Grandfather" was directed by Ralph Sosa and was the first episode of the show to be written by Matt Marshall. Marshall pitched the idea in 2007 and the script was ready for a table read later that year, but the Writers Guild of America strike delayed work on the episode. Described by executive producer Al Jean as "an affectionate love letter to Ireland", the episode was inspired by a New York Times article about the effects of Ireland's smoking ban on pubs. Guest stars for the episode include Colm Meaney as Tom O'Flanagan, Glen Hansard as a street musician and Markéta Irglová as an Eastern European woman. The episode contains numerous jokes about Ireland and references to Irish culture including the Giant's Causeway, Blarney Castle, James Joyce, leprechauns, Guinness, Riverdance, U2 and the film Once. The special broadcast of the episode in Ireland was part of Fox's year-long "Best. 20 Years. Ever." celebration which commemorates the 20th anniversary of the show. To promote the broadcast, Jean, Brooks and voice actor Nancy Cartwright visited Ireland and participated in the Saint Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. Critics in Ireland mostly enjoyed the jokes about the nation but felt that the episode itself was average. The initial broadcast on Sky1 in Ireland was watched by 511,000 viewers, with a 33 share making it the most watched Sky1 broadcast in Ireland ever. In the United Kingdom, an average of 957,000 viewers (with a 4.7 share) watched. The first airing of the episode on Fox in the United States finished with a 3.6 Nielsen rating and was viewed in 6.15 million homes, finishing third in its timeslot. Plot The Simpson family visits a home and garden show where they decide to purchase a hot tub. They spend hours soaking in the tub and become so relaxed that they forget to visit Abraham "Grampa" Simpson at a family event. Grampa angrily unplugs and destroys the hot tub, scolding them for ignoring him. Homer and the family decide to make up for their
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"My Big Fat Geek Wedding" is the seventeenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 18, 2004. The episode was originally planned to air on April 4, 2004, but due to the voice actors going on strike, Fox aired a rerun instead. The story is a follow-up to the episode "Special Edna". Plot As Seymour Skinner and Edna Krabappel are preparing to marry, they each have their bachelor party, with Edna having hers at the Simpson house with Duffman and a topless Chief Wiggum as strippers, and Principal Skinner having his at Moe's with Homer. However, at his party, Skinner admits that he has doubts about marrying Edna. On the day of the wedding, Edna realizes that Skinner does not want to marry her, and after picturing a future anniversary in which Skinner is still unable to commit, she runs away from the ceremony. After the wedding is called off, Homer and Marge try to get Skinner and Edna to be engaged again, but their own marriage problems impede their progress. Edna returns a wedding gift to the Comic Book Guy, and the two soon fall in love. Homer gets Skinner to serenade Edna using a band made up of Bart, Milhouse, and Martin, but that fails when he learns that the Comic Book Guy and Edna are in a relationship. The family goes to the Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con to confront Comic Book Guy, where they see The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Comic Book Guy, proposes to marry Edna, and the room is ready for a Star Trek-themed mock Klingon wedding ceremony. Skinner, dressed up as Catwoman (who he thought was Catman) battles the Comic Book Guy. Edna interrupts their fight to declare that she will not marry either man. When she tells the Comic Book Guy how they had fun but are very different, he accepts her decision, though Skinner is still upset. Later, at the Simpson house, Homer asks Marge to remarry him, which is conducted in the Klingon language, and she accepts (although she accidentally agrees to give their children a Klingon upbringing). Reception DVD Movie Guides Colin Jacobson said that he "never felt particularly interested in the Skinner/Edna relationship, so [the episode] falls in the red. It never quite rebounds from that deficit, as it fails to find much inspiration". He added that "A few laughs crop up along the way, but not enough to redeem it." Screen Rant rated the relationship of Edna and Seymour one of the "10 Most Heartbreaking Separations", specifically calling out this episode saying, "After so much build-up and interference from Skinner's mother Agnes, it was sad for Simpsons fans to see that this relationship would probably never go anywhere." References External links The Simpsons season 15 episodes 2004 American television episodes Television episodes about weddings
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"The Juice Is Loose" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2009. In the episode, Peter cashes in an old raffle ticket from 1989 and wins a golf outing with O. J. Simpson. When he befriends Simpson and brings him home to meet the family, the residents of Quahog are not as welcoming of Peter's new friend and try to force him out of town. The episode was written by Andrew Goldberg and directed by Cyndi Tang. According to Nielsen ratings, the episode was viewed in 7.21 million homes in its original airing. The episode received mixed reviews, with most criticism being directed towards the episode's use of a three-minute-long live-action segment of Conway Twitty. Series regular Mike Henry provided the voice of O. J. Simpson, Cathy Cahlin Ryan guest-starred as Fred Goldman's wife in a cutaway, and Jeff Bergman guest-starred as a parody of Homer Simpson. Plot According to an opening title card, this is one of several recently discovered "lost episodes" found in the Griffin family basement; it takes place in March 2007, prior to O. J. Simpson's September 2007 arrest for armed robbery. Lois goes to her book club and asks Peter to babysit Stewie. Instead, he invites Cleveland, Quagmire, and Joe and they all play Truth or Dare, which results in a make out session between Cleveland and Joe. After a fiasco involving Stewie attempting to fix their satellite TV, and getting stuck on the roof, due to Peter's lack of supervision, Brian tries to tell Peter but he does not listen and instead reads a magazine featuring Nick Jonas. After Peter starts a pillow fight that turns violent, Lois comes in after Cleveland accidentally punches her in the nose, angry at Peter for not watching Stewie, who has gotten stuck on the roof. Peter attempts to fix the satellite himself, at which point he comes across a raffle ticket from 1989 that he had forgotten to cash in, winning him a chance to play golf with a celebrity of his choice. Ultimately, he chooses O. J. Simpson. Unaware at first of Simpson's accusation for the murders of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, he grows fearful after Joe convinces him to walk around town with the song "Dust in the Wind" while thinking about the murders. Ultimately deciding to cash in the ticket, his friends suggest he spy on Simpson during the golf game and try to get him to confess to the murders. Hooking Peter to a wire, his cover is blown when the device shorts out. Simpson laments having lost a chance of escaping the accusation. Feeling guilty, Peter decides that Simpson is actually innocent, and decides to befriend him. Peter brings Simpson home with him to meet the family, who are initially less tolerant of Simpson than Peter (except Stewie). Brian tries to tell Peter that he
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The twenty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons began airing on Fox on September 25, 2011, and ended May 20, 2012. The showrunner for the season was Al Jean, with three episodes ran with Matt Selman, one of those he also wrote himself. The show's 500th episode, "At Long Last Leave", aired February 19, 2012. Episodes Production The season premiere episode "The Falcon and the D'ohman" features a reference to the previous episode of the series, the twenty-second season finale "The Ned-Liest Catch" that aired May 22, 2011. In that episode, the characters Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel started dating. The episode ends with Homer and Marge Simpson giving the viewers a link to the official The Simpsons website, TheSimpsons.com, and encouraging them to go on the website and vote over the summer of 2011 on whether Ned and Edna should stay together. Executive producer Al Jean said in an interview that the writers decided it would not be interesting for them to do another episode where a relationship ended, and they thought it would be interesting "to see what people think, the Internet certainly has a lot of opinion on the show, might as well have them have their say". When asked why the writers thought Ned and Edna were the right characters for a cliffhanger like this, Jean said that "In life, unusual things happen. People couple together in ways you would not expect, and he's single and she's single. We thought it would be funny, the fact that they both have these connections to the Simpsons but they never really met or if they have met it was minimal." The result of the poll were revealed in "The Falcon and the D'ohman". According to Jean, the poll was "very strong in one direction". He assured in an interview before the result was presented that the poll was authentic and the writers would not undo the viewers' decision, and added that "What our fans have joined together, let no writer tear asunder." Cancellation threat 20th Century Fox Television released a statement on October 4, 2011, saying that "23 seasons in, The Simpsons is as creatively vibrant as ever and beloved by millions around the world. We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model. We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows The Simpsons to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come." One of the problems was that The Simpsons was possibly worth more cancelled than on the air. A 17-year-old syndication deal with local TV stations prohibits Fox from selling the show to cable networks. As long as The Simpsons still produces new episodes, Fox cannot break this deal. In the meantime, cable networks have grown to become just as big a market as the local TV stations. Another consideration was that Fox's parent company News Corporation was having meetings discussing
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The first season of Futurama began airing on March 28, 1999 and concluded on November 14, 1999 after 13 episodes. The original 72-episode run of Futurama was produced as four seasons; Fox broadcast the episodes out of the intended order, resulting in five aired seasons. As a consequence, the show's canon is disrupted by the broadcast order, and more, different regions and networks use different ordering for the episodes. The list below features the episodes in original production order, as featured on the DVD box sets. The entire season is included within the Volume One DVD box set, which was released on March 25, 2003. The last four episodes were pre-empted by sporting events and pushed into the second broadcast season. The full thirteen episodes of the season have been released on a box set called Futurama: Volume One, on DVD and VHS. It was released in the United Kingdom, on January 28, 2002, in Australia on November 27, 2002 and in the United States and Canada on March 25, 2003. The season was re-released as Futurama: Volume 1, with entirely different packaging to match the newer season releases on July 17, 2012. Production Matt Groening initially conceived of Futurama in the mid-1990s. In 1996, he enlisted David X. Cohen, then a Simpsons writer and producer, to assist in developing the series; the two then spent time researching science fiction books, television shows, and films of the past. By the time they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and story lines. During that first meeting, Fox ordered thirteen episodes. Shortly after, however, Groening and Fox executives argued over whether the network would have any creative input into the show. With The Simpsons the network has no input. Groening explains, "When they tried to give me notes on Futurama, I just said: 'No, we're going to do this just the way we did Simpsons.' And they said, 'Well, we don't do business that way anymore.' And I said, 'Oh, well, that's the only way I do business.'" After negotiations, he received the same independence with Futurama. The name "Futurama" comes from a pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Designed by Norman Bel Geddes, the Futurama pavilion depicted how he imagined the world would look in 1959. Reception The first season of Futurama received positive reviews from critics. Patrick Lee of Science Fiction Weekly commented, based on a viewing of "Space Pilot 3000" alone, that Futurama was not as funny as The Simpsons, particularly as "the satire is leavened with treacly sentimental bits about free will and loneliness". The episode was rated as an "A- pick" and found to "warrant further viewing" despite these concerns. Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted that although the series' premiere contained the same skewed humor as The Simpsons, it was not as smart and funny, and he attributed this to the large amount of exposition and character introduction required of a television series pilot,
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"Treehouse of Horror XXXII" is the third episode of the thirty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 709th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 10, 2021, and unlike the previous season, aired at the appropriate time (prior to Halloween) to avoid conflict with Major League Baseball’s post-season, which stretched into November (the 2021 World Series went six of seven games). The episode was directed by Matthew Faughnan, and written by John Frink. Plot This is the first Treehouse of Horror episode that consists of five segments instead of the usual three. Barti The opening segment parodies Bambi, with a deer version of Marge Simpson warning her son Barti (Bart Simpson) and Milhouse Van Houten about a hunter. Milhouse is shot and killed while Barti and Marge run away. After his escape, Barti initially cannot find his mother, but later finds her unharmed as Homer and Lenny Leonard have killed the hunter (Mr. Burns). The fairy (Maggie) then uses her magic wand to make the episode's title appear in the sky. Bong Joon Ho's 'This Side of Parasite' In a parody of Parasite, the Simpson family are living in a flooded basement apartment when Bart tells them he's gotten a job as a tutor for Rainier Wolfcastle's wealthy family. After Rainier fires Kirk Van Houten from his household staff, Bart recommends hiring Marge, Homer, Lisa and Maggie as the family's new servants. The Wolfcastles go on vacation, leaving the Simpsons alone with their house. As they are enjoying the perks of living in a rich family's home, Kirk suddenly returns and asks to be let in. When Marge lets him in, Kirk abruptly runs to the kitchen and reveals a hidden passageway to a basement bunker, where his family has been living. A chaotic, class-driven fight breaks out between the Simpsons and Van Houtens, which soon breaks out among most of the other impoverished Springfielders. After the brawl, the Simpson family are the last ones standing in the badly damaged Wolfcastle house with a pile of corpses now in the living room. Nightmare on Elm Tree Homer is tired of Bart telling scary stories on Halloween in his treehouse every year, so Homer chops it down. The tree trunk is struck by lightning and comes to life. After the tree finds out people chop down trees for Christmas, it brings other trees and plants to life and they ravage Springfield and kill most of its residents. The trees celebrate while the townspeople's corpses have been stacked like a Christmas tree. Poetic Interlude (aka The Telltale Bart) In a parody of the artwork of Edward Gorey, Vincent Price reads a scary bedtime story to Maggie about how Bart is doing his usual pranks and mischief. He begins with each month and how he creates trouble for everyone first starting off with January where he puts worms in Homer's waffles. In February, he catfishes Edna Krabappel which he did back in season
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"Simpson Safari" is the seventeenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 1, 2001. When the Simpsons run out of food thanks to a bag boy strike, the family finds an old box of Animal Crackers in their attic. In the box is a golden cracker that was part of a contest conducted by the owners of Animal Crackers. Finding out that anyone that found the golden cracker would win a trip to Africa, Homer shows it to the company's owners, who refuse to honor the prize. When he is injured by one of the box's sharp corners however, the family is given a free trip to Africa as compensation. Although "Simpson Safari" was written by John Swartzwelder, the idea for the episode was pitched by a former staff writer Larry Doyle. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland, who had been to Africa as a child. Because of his visit there, Kirkland attempted to make the episode look as authentic as possible, even though the Simpsons trip to Africa was "all over the place" geographically. The episode features Frank Welker as all the animals in Africa. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 7.7 million viewers, finishing in 42nd place in the ratings the week it aired. Following its broadcast, the episode received mixed reviews from critics. The episode was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series in 2001. Plot While Marge takes Maggie to the hospital after Maggie swallows an issue of Time magazine whole, Homer, Bart and Lisa go grocery shopping. Homer and other shoppers at the store mistreat the bag boys, which results in every bag boy and server in Springfield going on strike, which extends to knocking self-packed grocery bags out of the hands of customers. When the Simpsons run out of food in their home, the family follows Santa's Little Helper into the attic, where he finds a 30-year-old box of animal crackers. Homer bites into a solid-gold giraffe, which is the winning contest piece for a trip to Africa. The animal cracker company initially refused to honor the prize because the contest ended a number of years ago. But when Homer is hit in the eye by a sharp corner of the box, the company gives the Simpsons their Africa trip in order to avoid a lawsuit. The family lands in Tanzania. When the family is in Africa, their tour guide Kitenge takes them to experience such sights as the Masai Mara, Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and meet with a group of Maasai tribesmen. During a vigorous tribal dance, Homer accidentally enrages a hippo. It chases after the family, but they manage to escape by using a tribal shield as a raft going down the raging Zambezi river. After surviving the plunge over Victoria Falls, the family eventually reach Mount Kilimanjaro and stumbles upon
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"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is the tenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 1995. As the title suggests, it is the 138th episode and the third clip show episode of The Simpsons, after "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" and "Another Simpsons Clip Show". While the "138th Episode Spectacular" compiles sequences from episodes throughout the entire series like the previous two, it also shows clips from the original Simpsons shorts from The Tracey Ullman Show and other previously unaired material. Like the Halloween specials, the episode is considered non-canon and falls outside of the show's regular continuity. The "138th Episode Spectacular" was written by Jon Vitti and directed by David Silverman, and is a parody of the common practice among live-action series to produce clip shows. It has received positive reviews, and was one of the most watched episodes of the seventh season, with a Nielsen rating of 9.5. Synopsis Troy McClure hosts the episode, which highlights individual scenes and sequences from throughout the series and offers never-before-seen outtakes. McClure starts the episode by showing a brief presentation of how The Simpsons series was conceived by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon. He goes on to present some clips of the original shorts that aired on The Tracey Ullman Show. McClure then responds to questions from fan mail by showing clips that contain the answers. McClure then presents deleted scenes from several episodes and reveals that alternate endings to part two of "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" were created to prevent the staff on The Simpsons from spoiling the mystery. Troy McClure ends the episode by showing a montage of The Simpsons characters naked, set to the KC and the Sunshine Band song "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty". Production As the title suggests, "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is the 138th episode of The Simpsons, although it is the 155th episode when placed in production order. It is the third The Simpsons clip show, after "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" and "Another Simpsons Clip Show". It was written by Jon Vitti, who used the pseudonym "Penny Wise" in the closing credits because he did not want to be credited for writing a clip show. The episode was directed by David Silverman, who also did not want to be credited, and used the pseudonym "Pound Foolish" in the closing credits. During the early years of the show, Fox network officials forced the staff of The Simpsons to produce clip shows in order to save money. Originally, the producers were ordered to produce four clip shows per season in order to meet episode limits imposed by the network. Fox network officials reasoned that clip shows could be produced at half the cost of a normal episode, but syndication rights could be sold at full price. The staff, however, felt such a
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"The Bart Wants What It Wants" is the eleventh episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 17, 2002. In the episode, Bart befriends Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter, Greta. While Greta falls in love with him, Bart only accompanies her because she owns a lot of entertaining things. "The Bart Wants What It Wants" was written by John Frink and Don Payne while Mike Frank Polcino served as director. Although the episode's first draft was written by Frink and Payne, the idea for the episode was pitched by staff writer Matt Selman. Because the Simpsons visit Toronto in the episode, the Fox network wanted to promote it by having the city of Toronto declare February 17 "The Simpsons day", and award the Simpsons family a key to the city. Because the city does not allow for-profit companies to receive a key, the request was turned down. "The Bart Wants What It Wants" also features guest stars Reese Witherspoon as Greta and Wolfgang Puck as himself. It also features references to Scrabble, Seinfeld and Whassup?, an advertisement campaign for Budweiser beer. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 6.4 million viewers, finishing in 27th place in the ratings the week it aired. Following its broadcast, the episode received mixed reviews from critics. Plot After Homer steals the Olympic torch because the television broadcast of the sporting event preempted his favorite shows for the last time, the Olympic administrators chase the Simpson family in a helicopter as they flee in their car. When Marge returns the torch, the sight of its flame causes the helicopter to crash. The administrators survive the crash, but the Olympic flame is extinguished. On their way home, the family go to a private school-held fair, where Bart meets Greta, Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter. Greta develops a crush on the oblivious Bart and the family enjoys the royal treatment Rainier provides them. However, Lisa discovers Bart not taking Greta seriously after he skipped her school dance to watch Principal Skinner bomb at an open mic comedy night. Upon Lisa's advice, Bart breaks up with Greta, who does not take it well. After losing her, Bart discovers he actually wanted to be with Greta and goes to her house to ask her to come back to him. To his surprise, Greta has started a new relationship with Milhouse. Greta goes to Canada with Milhouse during her father's movie shooting, and Bart follows them with his family. At the set, Bart confronts Milhouse and they fight, ruining everything. They end up in front of Greta and demand for her to choose between them. Greta turns both boys down due to a loss of interest in the two. The boys reconcile and join Canada's basketball team. Production "The Bart Wants What It Wants" was directed by Mike Frank Polcino and written by John Frink and Don Payne. It originally aired on the
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"Gump Roast" is the seventeenth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 21, 2002. In the episode, Homer Simpson is honored by the townspeople at a Friars' Club Roast, until it is interrupted by Kang and Kodos. The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by Dan Castellaneta and his wife Deb Lacusta. The plot idea came about when Simpsons cast members were on hiatus following a payment dispute. This is the fifth and, to date, the last clip show The Simpsons has produced. Despite receiving a 5.7 rating and 12.2 million in viewership when first broadcast, the episode received negative reviews from critics. Plot Homer Simpson sits on a park bench holding a box of chocolates, when Chief Wiggum appears to arrest him for impersonating a movie character. Homer begins to tell a story from his past, but Wiggum is uninterested until Homer begins to use flashbacks. The Simpson family then arrives to take Homer to the Friars' Club, where he is roasted by Krusty the Clown and other prominent citizens of Springfield. Among them are Bart and Lisa and Mr. Burns (whose attempt to warn the people of Springfield about Homer's incompetence is taken as a joke, much to his dismay). The roasters utilize more clips from previous episodes. Soon, Kang and Kodos arrive at the roast and declare that humans are stupid, as demonstrated by more clips. However, when they probe Maggie's brain and see her memories through a monitor, they are moved to tears (though Kodos dismissively claims they are vomiting from their eyes). Maggie's mind also reveals more clips, this time featuring various celebrities. A starstruck Kang and Kodos make a deal with the citizens of Springfield: they will spare the Earth if the townspeople give them tickets to the People's Choice Awards and the Daytime Emmys. They do, and Kang and Kodos are seen enjoying an award ceremony. The episode ends with the song "They'll Never Stop the Simpsons", which recounts additional past plots, possible future plots, and an apology for airing this clip show. Production "Gump Roast" was co-written by Dan Castellaneta and his wife Deb Lacusta, while Mark Kirkland served as director. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on April 21, 2002. The idea for the episode came about when Castellaneta and the other main Simpsons cast members were on hiatus while renegotiating their salaries. Lacusta and Castellaneta, discussing the film Forrest Gump, wondered if the stories Gump told actually happened or if he made them up. They realized that Gump was similar to Homer, who's also dimwitted and has "fumbled into" an array of larger-than-life situations. When the cast members settled the salary issue and returned to work, Castellaneta and Lacusta presented their script to show runner Al Jean, who put the episode into production. The scene in which Homer skis down a mountain (from
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Events in 1998 in animation. Events February February 24: The Cow and Chicken season 2 episode "Buffalo Gals" airs. It gained controversy and was quickly pulled for lesbian stereotyping and sexual innuendo. March March 15: The first episode of PB&J Otter airs. March 23: 70th Academy Awards: Geri's Game by Jan Pinkava wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. April April 3: The first episode of Cowboy Bebop airs. April 4: The first episodes of CatDog and Yu-Gi-Oh! air. April 13: The final episode of Stickin' Around airs. April 20: The first episode of Stressed Eric airs. April 26: The Simpsons airs its 200th episode, "Trash of the Titans", guest starring the band U2 and actor Steve Martin. May May 14: The first episode of Celebrity Deathmatch is broadcast. May 15: Quest for Camelot is released. May 28: American voice actor Phil Hartman (voice of Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz in The Simpsons) is murdered by his wife who was under the influence of drugs, and committed suicide afterward. June June 19: The Walt Disney Company releases Mulan. One of the pre-2010s Disney films to perceive the LGBT representation, later confirming Mulan's love interest Li Shang to be bisexual, yet condemned by Disney in response of #MeToo Movement. June 22: The first episode of Bob and Margaret is broadcast. July July 19: The first episode of Oh Yeah! Cartoons airs. July 21: The first episode of Lascars airs. July 24: Roy O. Disney receives a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. August August 18: The Rugrats episode "The Word of the Day" premieres on Nickelodeon. August 31: The first episode of Disney's Hercules is broadcast. September September 1 - The first episodes of Cousin Skeeter and The Wild Thornberrys air. September 4: The first episode of Archibald the Koala airs. September 6: The first episode of Oggy and the Cockroaches airs. September 12: The first episode of Godzilla: The Series airs. September 14: The first episode of Histeria! airs. September 22: Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is released. This marks the first reunion of the Mystery Gang since The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries in 1984. The film makes its television debut on Cartoon Network's Cartoon Theatre on Halloween this year. This also mark the first-ever Scooby-Doo movie to be released in a direct-to-video format and became one of the best-selling DTV films of all time. September 27: The Simpsons episode "Bart the Mother" premieres, featuring the last speaking appearance of Troy McClure after Phil Hartman's death on May 28, 1998. The character was retired after this episode. This is also the last episode David X. Cohen wrote before leaving the series to work on Futurama. However, he later wrote the season 32 episode "Podcast News" in 2020. October October 2: DreamWorks Animation's first film, Antz, directed by Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson, is released. October 3: The first episode of Anatole airs. October 4: - The first episode of Rolie Polie Olie airs. October 5: The first episode of Ojarumaru
1998 in animation
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"Brawl in the Family" is the seventh episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 6, 2002. In the episode, the Simpsons get arrested for domestic violence, prompting social worker Gabriel to move in and make the family functional. After the family is declared acceptable, Amber and Ginger, the cocktail waitresses Homer and his neighbor Ned Flanders married in Las Vegas, show up at their doorsteps. This episode is the first episode of Season 13's DABF production line. "Brawl in the Family" was directed by Matthew Nastuk and was the first full episode Joel H. Cohen received a writing credit for. It was the first episode on which Al Jean served as sole showrunner. The idea for the episode was pitched by Jean, who wanted to produce a sequel to the season 10 episode "Viva Ned Flanders", which he thought had a "loose end". The episode features Jane Kaczmarek as Judge Constance Harm, and Delroy Lindo as Gabriel. In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 12.8 million viewers, making it the 28th most watched program the week it aired. Later that year, the episode was nominated for an Environmental Media Awards in the category "Television Episodic - Comedy", which it ultimately lost to the Dharma & Greg episode "Protecting the Ego-System". Following its home video release, "Brawl in the Family" received mixed reviews from critics. Plot After the Republican Party of Springfield successfully repeals most of the city's environmental laws, the resulting spike in air pollution causes an acid rainstorm, destroying the Simpsons' TV antenna and prompting them to stay inside and play a game of Monopoly to pass the time. When it is revealed that Bart has been cheating by using Lego bricks as hotel pieces, Bart threatens Lisa and Homer assaults him. Marge and Lisa try to pry them apart. Despite her inability to talk, Maggie calls the police on her family before taking hold of Marge and attempting to pull her off Homer. With help from an edible taffy-like substance and a robot, the entire Simpson family is arrested for causing a domestic disturbance. After a short time in jail, they are released by a social worker named Gabriel, whom Homer continuously dismisses as an angel sent from Heaven. Gabriel moves in with the family to help them be functional again. After observing the family's quirks, Gabriel takes the family to a forest and diagnoses the family's problems accordingly: Marge tries to prove her self-worth to the family by medicating them with food, Bart is addicted to doing crazy stunts for attention, Lisa has a savior complex brought on by her ill-fated attempts to do good for the family, and Homer is simply a drunken buffoon. Gabriel then sets up a challenge to teach the Simpsons the importance of teamwork by setting up a picnic basket in a tree. The object is for the family to
Brawl in the Family (The Simpsons)
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The twenty-eighth season of the animated television series The Simpsons began airing on Fox in the United States on September 25, 2016, and ended on May 21, 2017. On May 4, 2015, Fox announced that The Simpsons had been renewed for season 28. This season includes the 600th episode of the show, "Treehouse of Horror XXVII". On August 31, 2016, it was announced that an episode titled "The Caper Chase", inspired by Trump University, would air sometime in 2017; the episode aired on April 2. This season also includes the show's first hour-long episode, "The Great Phatsby", a parody of The Great Gatsby. Other noteworthy events and gags include a Pokémon Go-themed episode ("Looking for Mr. Goodbart"), couch gags spoofing Robot Chicken and Adventure Time, an episode that shows how Homer learned to feel better with food ("Fatzcarraldo"), Mr. Burns hiring all of the Simpsons (except Homer) to become his "pretend" family ("Friends and Family"), and Glenn Close returning as Mona ("Fatzcarraldo"). This was the final season scored by longtime Simpsons composer Alf Clausen. This also marked the first season where former recurring guest star Kevin Michael Richardson joined the regular supporting cast, starting with the episode "The Last Traction Hero". Episodes References External links Simpsons season 28 2016 American animated television seasons 2017 American animated television seasons
The Simpsons season 28
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"Moe'N'a Lisa" is the sixth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 19, 2006. Lisa aids Moe in discovering his inner-poet and he gains swift popularity and recognition from a group of successful American authors, when Lisa helps to get his poetry published. However, Lisa is crushed when Moe enjoys his newfound success with famous writers and deliberately refuses to credit Lisa for her assistance in his poetry. It was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Mark Kirkland. J. K. Simmons reprises his role as the voice of J. Jonah Jameson from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, while Tom Wolfe, Gore Vidal, Michael Chabon, and Jonathan Franzen make cameos as themselves. During its first airing, the episode gained 9.31 million viewers, beating the previous episode. Plot The Simpson family go to see Grampa perform at the Senior Olympics. After they leave, Moe calls Homer to remind him about a fishing trip to celebrate his birthday. When the family returns, Homer realizes he forgot Moe's birthday when he sees Moe sitting outside on their front steps. That night, Moe writes an angry letter to the family, and the dramatic writing inspires Lisa to choose Moe for her "interesting person" report at school. At Moe's residence, a run-down hotel, Lisa finds his notes on the wall and arranges them to form a poem. She submits this to American Poetry Perspectives, and the poem is approved, with author Tom Wolfe inviting Moe and the Simpson family to Vermont to attend a literary conference. After Moe sees another poet ridiculed and exiled for admitting he had help with writing, he falsely claims that he wrote and titled his poem all by himself, devastating Lisa. Moe is featured on a writing panel. Lisa attends and encourages him to share his inspirations, although he insists that he does not have any. However, without Lisa's help, Moe struggles to write a poem in time for a dinner in his honor; when he sees Lisa enter, he improvises a poem about her, thanking her for helping him write poetry. Lisa forgives Moe and they walk out of the dining hall together. Meanwhile, the publisher of American Poetry Perspectives, J. Jonah Jameson, watches the panel on television and turns it off in disgust. He then demands photos of Spider-Man, but after being reminded that he works at a poetry journal, demands poems about Spider-Man. Production The writers of the episode first started with the idea of Moe as Charles Bukowski and then teamed him with Lisa. The episode guest stars authors Tom Wolfe, who says The Simpsons "is the only show of any sort that I watch on television"; Jonathan Franzen and Michael Chabon, who recorded their lines together; and Gore Vidal, who admitted that he was not a regular watcher of the show. In one version of the script, Wolfe, Chabon and Franzen were all killed by a giant
Moe'N'a Lisa