The Simpsons (season 22)

The Simpsons' twenty-second season began airing on Fox on September 26, 2010 and ended on May 22, 2011. The Simpsons was renewed for at least two additional seasons during the twentieth season leading up to this season.[1] The cast is currently signed through the 30th season (though the show almost got canceled in its 23rd season due to budget constraints). On November 11, 2010, the series was renewed for a 23rd season by Fox with 22 episodes.[2]

The Simpsons
Season 22
Digital purchase image featuring Edna Krabappel
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	September 26, 2010 (2010-09-26) – May 22, 2011 (2011-05-22)
Season chronology

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
465	1	"Elementary School Musical"	Mark Kirkland	Tim Long	September 26, 2010 (2010-09-26)	MABF21	7.75[3]
Lisa attends a performing arts camp and is inspired to "embrace her creative side" by her counselors and fellow campers. When she returns, Lisa fails to readjust to her mundane life and attempts to recapture her "inner hipster". Guest Stars: Flight of the Conchords (Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie), Ira Glass, Stephen Hawking, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith and Amber Riley
466	2	"Loan-a Lisa"	Matthew Faughnan	Valentina L. Garza	October 3, 2010 (2010-10-03)	MABF17	8.59[4]
Lisa helps fund Nelson's bicycle company with money Grandpa Simpson gives her as part of his inheritance, but after Nelson meets Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and is convinced he can be successful by dropping out of school, Lisa tries to show Nelson the importance of an education. Meanwhile, Marge and Homer get addicted to buying expensive items and returning them for bogus reasons. Guest Stars: Mark Zuckerberg, Muhammad Yunus and Chris Hansen
467	3	"MoneyBart"	Nancy Kruse	Tim Long	October 10, 2010 (2010-10-10)	MABF18	6.72[5]
Lisa coaches Bart's Little League baseball team to a record winning streak by putting her book smarts in statistics and probability into play. But when Bart questions Lisa's coaching tactics and confronts her for taking the fun out of baseball, Lisa benches him from the championship game. Guest Stars: Mike Scioscia and Bill James (with a special appearance by Banksy who animated the episode's couch gag)
468	4	"Treehouse of Horror XXI"	Bob Anderson	Joel H. Cohen	November 7, 2010 (2010-11-07)	MABF16	8.19[6]
In the 21st Treehouse of Horror episode, Bart and Milhouse get trapped inside a cursed board game in "War and Pieces", Homer and Marge suspect a castaway of being a murderer in "Master and Cadaver", and Lisa falls for a preteen of the night in "Tweenlight". Guest Stars: Hugh Laurie and Daniel Radcliffe
469	5	"Lisa Simpson, This Isn't Your Life"	Matthew Nastuk	Joel H. Cohen	November 14, 2010 (2010-11-14)	MABF20	8.97[7]
When Lisa finds out that Marge used to be as smart as Lisa before she slacked off, Lisa decides to buckle down (including sacrificing her love of arts and music) and not make the same mistake her mother did. Meanwhile, Bart publicly humiliates Nelson and becomes the school's new bully.
470	6	"The Fool Monty"	Steven Dean Moore	Michael Price	November 21, 2010 (2010-11-21)	NABF01	6.58[8]
Mr. Burns is branded a social pariah after buying all the vaccinations created for a fictitious illness cooked up by the media, and ends up as The Simpsons' latest houseguest after a suicide attempt.
471	7	"How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?"	Michael Polcino	Kevin Curran	November 28, 2010 (2010-11-28)	NABF02	9.38[9]
Bart nurses an injured pigeon back to health, but when Santa's Little Helper eats the bird, Bart must decide whether to forgive his dog or give him away once and for all. Guest Stars: Danica Patrick and Rachel Weisz
472	8	"The Fight Before Christmas"	Bob Anderson & Matthew Schofield	Deb Lacusta & Dan Castellaneta	December 5, 2010 (2010-12-05)	MABF22	9.54[10]
In this four-part Christmas episode (set up similar to season 17's "Simpsons Christmas Stories"), Bart gets even with Santa Claus, Lisa dreams of an Inglourious Basterds-style Christmas, Marge receives a night time visit from the most powerful force in the universe who teaches her the true meaning of Christmas, and The Simpsons appear as puppets with pop singer Katy Perry. Guest Stars: Martha Stewart and Katy Perry
473	9	"Donnie Fatso"	Ralph Sosa	Chris Cluess	December 12, 2010 (2010-12-12)	MABF19	7.18[11]
An FBI agent and Homer (who's trying to work off his criminal charge for bribery) infiltrate Fat Tony's mob, and meet Fat Tony's cousin, Fit Tony. Guest Stars: Jon Hamm and Joe Mantegna.
474	10	"Moms I'd Like to Forget"	Chris Clements	Brian Kelley	January 9, 2011 (2011-01-09)	NABF03	12.6[12]
After Bart discovers a boy with a similar scar on his arm, Marge reveals that she was a part of a group called "The Cool Moms," who used to set up playdates with their children and the two decide to reunite with their old friends.
475	11	"Flaming Moe"	Chuck Sheetz	Matt Selman	January 16, 2011 (2011-01-16)	NABF04	6.47[13]
Moe Szyslak and Waylon Smithers turn Moe's tavern into an ultra-trendy gay bar after Smithers is rejected from Mr. Burns's will and Moe's business is (once again) in a slump. Meanwhile, Principal Skinner tries to date the substitute music teacher and sets her daughter up with Bart. Guest Stars: Alyson Hannigan, Kristen Wiig and Scott Thompson.
476	12	"Homer the Father"	Mark Kirkland	Joel H. Cohen	January 23, 2011 (2011-01-23)	NABF05	6.50[14]
Homer tries to be a better father by using a 1980s sitcom as his guide, but things go wrong when Homer advises Bart to earn his own money for a dirtbike and Bart does just that -- by selling nuclear secrets to the Chinese government. Guest Stars: Michael Paul Chan, James Lipton, Garry Marshall, and David Mamet.
477	13	"The Blue and the Gray"	Bob Anderson	Rob LaZebnik	February 13, 2011 (2011-02-13)	NABF06	5.61[15]
Moe hires Homer to be his wingman so he can score a date, but Homer ends up being the babe magnet. Meanwhile, Marge is shocked to find that her hairdresser has been dyeing her hair blue all these years and decides to go gray for a new, mature look.
478	14	"Angry Dad: The Movie"	Matthew Nastuk	John Frink	February 20, 2011 (2011-02-20)	NABF07	6.35[16]
Bart and Homer revisit their web series "Angry Dad" (from season 13's "I Am Furious Yellow") and turn it into an animated short that quickly gains an Oscar nomination, but Bart does not want Homer to get all the glory, so he sends his father away when the Simpsons go (back) to Hollywood. Guest Stars: Ricky Gervais, Halle Berry, Russell Brand, Nick Park and J. B. Smoove with Arnis Hasi.
479	15	"The Scorpion's Tale"	Matthew Schofield	Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham	March 6, 2011 (2011-03-06)	NABF08	6.20[17]
Lisa discovers a rare desert plant that turns aggressive animals docile, while a pharmaceutical company wants to buy it off her to create a new drug. Guest Stars: Werner Herzog and Kevin Michael Richardson
480	16	"A Midsummer's Nice Dream"	Steven Dean Moore	Deb Lacusta & Dan Castellaneta	March 13, 2011 (2011-03-13)	NABF09	5.44[18]
1970s stoner comedians Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin decide to break up after each of them get a new comedy partner -- Homer pairs up with Cheech to become "Cheech and Chunk" while Principal Skinner joins Chong to become "Teach and Chong." Meanwhile, Marge stages an intervention for The Crazy Cat Lady after noticing that she's hoarding animals -- which turns Marge into a hoarder herself. Guest Stars: Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin
481	17	"Love Is a Many Strangled Thing"	Michael Polcino	Bill Odenkirk	March 27, 2011 (2011-03-27)	NABF10	6.14[19]
Homer is sent to parenting therapy after tickling Bart until he wets his pants during a football game, but when the therapist is shocked to hear that Homer regularly physically abuses Bart, he puts Homer through shock treatment by having Kareem Abdul-Jabbar strangle him to make Homer feel as weak and helpless as Bart. Guest Stars: Paul Rudd, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
482	18	"The Great Simpsina"	Chris Clements	Matt Warburton	April 10, 2011 (2011-04-10)	NABF11	5.00[20]
Lisa becomes friends with an old, widower magician, who gives her insight in performing one of Houdini's greatest tricks. Guest Stars: Martin Landau, Jack McBrayer, Ricky Jay, Penn & Teller and David Copperfield.
483	19	"The Real Housewives of Fat Tony"	Lance Kramer	Dick Blasucci	May 1, 2011 (2011-05-01)	NABF12	6.10[21]
Fat Tony and Selma get married, prompting Marge to worry about her sister's safety. Meanwhile, Lisa uses Bart to find truffles. Guest Star: Joe Mantegna.
484	20	"Homer Scissorhands"	Mark Kirkland	Peter Gaffney & Steve Viksten	May 8, 2011 (2011-05-08)	NABF13	5.48[22]
After Lisa breaks Milhouse's heart yet again, he hooks up with a fifth-grader named Taffy, only to force Lisa to face up to how she really feels about him. Meanwhile, Homer becomes a hairdresser after fixing Patty's hair, but finds that dealing with gossipy, female clients all day is tedious and depressing. Guest Star: Kristen Schaal as Taffy.
485	21	"500 Keys"	Bob Anderson	John Frink	May 15, 2011 (2011-05-15)	NABF14	6.00[23]
While trying to get Maggie out of Homer's locked car, the family discovers that they have been hoarding keys for years, setting up three interconnected adventures: Homer finds a key that operates The Duff Blimp, Marge finds a key that operates an antique toy that makes farting noises, and Lisa finds a key that leads her to a secret classroom in Springfield Elementary.
486	22	"The Ned-Liest Catch"	Chuck Sheetz	Jeff Westbrook	May 22, 2011 (2011-05-22)	NABF15	5.25[24]
Ned Flanders begins dating Mrs. Krabappel after saving her from a prank gone bad -- until Flanders realizes that Mrs. Krabappel has left a trail of tears behind her from the men she dated before (including Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer). Guest Stars: Ken Burns and Joey Kramer

Reception

Ratings

This season ranked 68th among overall viewers and thirtieth among viewers between the ages of 18 and 49.[25][26] The season averaged 7.28 million viewers in the overall viewership with an average of 3.3 rating/9% share in the demographic meaning that the season was watched by an average of 3.3% of households and 9% average of all televisions were tuned to the season when it was broadcast.[25][26]

Reviews

The A.V. Club reviewer Rowan Kaiser rated the season with a B, tying for the second highest rated season of "Animation Domination" beating the ninth season of Family Guy, which received a C+, and tied with the seventh season of American Dad!, but was defeated by the inaugural season of Bob's Burgers which received a B+.[27]

References

1. "Fox Primetime". Fox Flash. Archived from the original on 2011-01-30. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
2. Hudson, Jill (November 11, 2010). "STILL ANIMATED AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! FOX RENEWS "THE SIMPSONS" FOR INCREDIBLE 23RD SEASON". Foxflash. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
3. Gorman, Bill (September 27, 2010). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Wins; Simpsons, Cleveland Show, Family Guy, Makeover, Housewives All Down vs. Last Season's Premieres". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
4. Seidman, Robert (October 4, 2010). "TV Ratings: Simpsons, Desperate Housewives, Sunday Night Football Rise; CSI: Miami Premieres". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
5. Gorman, Bill (October 11, 2010). "TV Ratings: Against Sunday Night Football & Baseball; Simpsons, Cleveland, Family Guy, American Dad, Housewives Dive". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
6. Gorman, Bill (November 10, 2010). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Wins; Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Simpsons, Cleveland, Family Guy, American Dad Rise". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
7. Seidman, Robert (November 15, 2010). "TV Ratings Sunday: NBC Wins with Football; Football Fuels Fox; 'Desperate Housewives' Drops". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
8. Seidman, Robert (November 23, 2010). "Sunday Final Ratings Including Amazing Race, Undercover Boss, and CSI: Miami". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
9. Gorman, Bill (November 30, 2010). "Sunday Final Ratings: Amazing Race Adjusted Up; 60 Minutes Down; Plus Chargers/Colts". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
10. Gorman, Bill (December 7, 2010). "Sunday Final Ratings: Desperate Housewives, 60 Minutes, Amazing Race Adjusted Up; Brothers & Sisters Down; Plus Steelers/Ravens". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
11. Seidman, Robert (December 14, 2010). "Sunday Final Ratings: Desperate Housewives, Adjusted Up; The Simpsons, Down; Plus 'Amazing Race,' 'Undercover Boss,' and 'CSI: Miami'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
12. Seidman, Robert (January 11, 2011). "TV Ratings Sunday: With Help from NFL Fox Animations Surge, 'Bob's Burgers' Strong ; 'The Cape' Premieres OK". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
13. Gorman, Bill (January 17, 2011). "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Golden Globes' Down A Fraction; 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Brothers & Sisters' At Series Lows". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
14. Seidman, Robert (2007-08-28). "Updated TV Ratings Sunday: CBS Wins With Most Watched AFC Championship Ever That Averaged 54.9 Million + 'Hawaii Five-0,' Fox Animations". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
15. Gorman, Bill (February 14, 2011). "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Grammy Awards' Rise; 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Brothers & Sisters,' 'Makeover' Hit Lows; 'American Dad,' 'Simpsons,' 'Bob's Burger's,' 'Family Guy' Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
16. Seidman, Robert (February 21, 2011). "TV Ratings Sunday: Blame NBA All-Stars? 'Amazing Race' Off to Slow Start; 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Brothers & Sisters' & Fox Animations Rise, But". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
17. Seidman, Robert. "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Secret Millionaire' Money for ABC; Restaurant Not So Great, 'Celebrity Apprentice' Down; 'Housewives Up'". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
18. Gorman, Bill (2011-03-14). "TV Ratings Sunday: 'CSI:Miami' Surge Leads CBS Win; 'Secret Millionaire' Falls; 'Simpsons,' 'Bob's Burgers' Hit Lows". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
19. Gorman, Bill (2011-03-28). "TV Ratings Sunday: Most Original Episodes Rise; 'Celebrity Apprentice' Hits A Season High". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
20. Gorman, Bill (2011-04-11). "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Cleveland Show' Up; 'Family Guy' Stable; As 'Brothers & Sisters,' 'Celebrity Apprentice,' 'Secret Millionaire,' 'Simpsons,' 'American Dad' Fall — Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
21. Gorman, Bill (2011-05-02). "TV Ratings Sunday: Bin Laden News Scrambles Ratings, But ABC Likely Tops The Night". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
22. Gorman, Bill (2011-02-27). "TV Ratings Sunday: Finales Of 'Brothers & Sisters,' 'CSI:Miami' Up; 'The Amazing Race' Hits Low — Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
23. Seidman, Robert (2011-05-13). "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Survivor' Finale Trumps 'Desperate Housewives' Finale, Trump and Everything Else — Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
24. Gorman, Bill (2011-05-24). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Billboard Music Awards,' 'Celebrity Apprentice,' 'Funniest Videos,' 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad,' '60 Minutes' Adjusted Up — Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
25. Gorman, Bill (2011-05-26). "2010-11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show 18-49 Ratings Averages — Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
26. Gorman, Bill (2011-05-26). "2010-11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Viewership Averages — Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
27. Kaiser, Rowan (2011-05-23). ""Gorillas In The Mist"/"The Ned-liest Catch"/"Torpedo"/"Episode VI: It's A Trap" | Fox animation | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2011-06-14.

Bibliography

• Turner, Chris (2004). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. Foreword by Douglas Coupland. (1st ed.). Toronto: Random House Canada. ISBN 978-0-679-31318-2. OCLC 55682258.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

• Season 22 at The Simpsons.com