The Simpsons (season 23)

The Simpsons' twenty-third season began airing on Fox on September 25, 2011, and ended May 20, 2012.[1] 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.[2]

The Simpsons
Season 23
Digital purchase image featuring Ned Flanders
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	September 25, 2011 (2011-09-25) – May 20, 2012 (2012-05-20)
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)
487	1	"The Falcon and the D'ohman"	Matthew Nastuk	Justin Hurwitz	September 25, 2011 (2011-09-25)	NABF16	8.08[3]
Homer befriends the nuclear plant's newest hire – a security guard with ties to the CIA and a painful backstory involving the Ukrainian Mafia. Meanwhile, Marge dreams of appearing on Top Chef and the results to the "Will Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel Stay Together" contests are revealed. Guest Stars: Tom Colicchio, Kevin Michael Richardson and Kiefer Sutherland
488	2	"Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts"	Steven Dean Moore	Tim Long	October 2, 2011 (2011-10-02)	NABF17	6.19[4]
Principal Skinner challenges Superintendent Chalmers to get Bart to be excited about learning something (anything) after Bart's latest pranks -- and finds it in the form of teaching Bart about the life and times of Theodore Roosevelt. However, when Chalmers's unorthodox teaching methods get him fired, it is up to Bart and the rest of the students who have been motivated by Chalmers to reinstate him. Guest stars: John Kricfalusi (credited for animating this episode's couch gag) and Theodore Roosevelt (through archival footage and audio recordings)
489	3	"Treehouse of Horror XXII"	Matthew Faughnan	Carolyn Omine	October 30, 2011 (2011-10-30)	NABF19	8.10[5]
In this year's introduction, Homer gets his arm pinned under a boulder, makes a 911 call to someone who's been in a similar scenario, and must gnaw his way to freedom. In "The Diving Bell and the Butterball," Homer is put in a coma by a black widow spider bite and finds a new, smelly way to communicate. Next, Flanders gets a call from God to rid the world of sinners by murdering them in '"Dial D for Diddly." Finally, Bart and Milhouse must infiltrate an alien planet by posing as the natives in the Avatar parody, "In the Na'vi." Guest Stars: Jackie Mason and Aron Ralston
490	4	"Replaceable You"	Mark Kirkland	Stephanie Gillis	November 6, 2011 (2011-11-06)	NABF21	7.97[6]
Homer gets a new assistant named Roz who is secretly out to steal his job. Meanwhile, Bart and Martin create a robot seal that becomes a hit with the elderly crowd at the Springfield Retirement Center. Guest Star: Jane Lynch
491	5	"The Food Wife"	Timothy Bailey	Matt Selman	November 13, 2011 (2011-11-13)	NABF20	7.50[7]
Tired of doing "mom" things and being much less fun for the guys than Homer, Marge takes the guys out to an Ethiopian restaurant and enjoys the food so much that she starts a food blog with Sideshow Mel and Krusty, which hurts Homer's feelings -- and may do more than hurt him when Marge tricks Homer into thinking a rundown building housing a meth lab is a hip, new restaurant. Guest Stars: Gordon Ramsay, Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim
492	6	"The Book Job"	Bob Anderson	Dan Vebber	November 20, 2011 (2011-11-20)	NABF22	5.77[8]
When Lisa discovers that her favorite book series (the Angelica Button fantasy series as mentioned in "The Haw-Hawed Couple") is ghost-written by a group of publishers (with an actress as the "author"), Homer and Bart are inspired to do the same by getting a group of people to write a fantasy novel about ghouls in a prestigious academy -- but when an actual publisher plots to turn it into yet another vampire fiction book for tweens, Lisa, Bart, and Homer must save their original work from getting destroyed. Guest Stars: Andy García and Neil Gaiman
493	7	"The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants"	Steven Dean Moore	Jeff Westbrook	November 27, 2011 (2011-11-27)	PABF01	5.61[9]
Homer becomes Mr. Burns' accountant executive after a successful launch party for Absolut Krusty, becoming a good job for him. Robert Marlow (guest voice John Slattery), a seasoned account veteran, takes Homer under his wing and shows Homer what the high life is like in the corner office, and when Homer's long hours at the office become the norm, a family vacation with Marge and the kids help him realize that family always comes before work. Meanwhile, Lisa gets Bart interested in classic literature by reading him Little Women. Guest Stars: Kevin Michael Richardson, John Slattery and Matthew Weiner
494	8	"The Ten-Per-Cent Solution"	Michael Polcino	Deb Lacusta & Dan Castellaneta	December 4, 2011 (2011-12-04)	PABF02	9.01[10]
When Krusty the Clown's show gets canceled (yet again), Krusty reunites with his original agent and bitter former lover Annie Dubinsky, who gets him a gig on cable television. But when Krusty's retro comedy show reboot is deemed a critical success, Krusty must decide to stay with his agent or side with the network executives. Guest Stars: Kevin Dillon, Janeane Garofalo, Jackie Mason and Joan Rivers
495	9	"Holidays of Future Passed"	Rob Oliver	J. Stewart Burns	December 11, 2011 (2011-12-11)	NABF18	6.43[11]
The latest "look-into-the-future" episode sees Bart as a deadbeat dad living in Springfield Elementary (which is now an apartment complex instead of a school) and trying to be a good dad to the children he had with Jenda from "Future-Drama". Meanwhile, a pregnant, unwed Maggie (who is now a pop singing superstar) goes into labor while on her way to family dinner and Lisa tries to find a common bond with her rebellious teenage daughter, Zia.
496	10	"Politically Inept, with Homer Simpson"	Mark Kirkland	John Frink	January 8, 2012 (2012-01-08)	PABF03	5.07[12]
Video footage of Homer ranting about being harassed by TSA agents and forced to sit on a grounded plane for seven hours (due to airport incompetence) goes viral and lands Homer on cable television as a political pundit with his own show. But when he stirs up mixed emotions with his planned endorsement of the next GOP Presidential candidate, Marge and Lisa worry that Homer's opinion and influence might be more powerful than he realizes. Guest Stars: Ted Nugent and Dana Gould
497	11	"The D'oh-cial Network"	Chris Clements	J. Stewart Burns	January 15, 2012 (2012-01-15)	PABF04	11.48[13]
Lisa wants more friends and starts her own social network website called SpringFace, but when it turns everyone into an online addict, Lisa begins to realize that adding thousands of friends online did not compare to having real friendships. Meanwhile, Patty and Selma compete against the Winklevoss twins for the 2012 Olympics. Guest Stars: Armie Hammer, David Letterman
498	12	"Moe Goes from Rags to Riches"	Bob Anderson	Tim Long	January 29, 2012 (2012-01-29)	PABF05	5.12[14]
Moe's bar rag tells the story of how it went from being part of a medieval tapestry to being Moe's most used prop. Meanwhile, Milhouse's friendship with Bart is strained after he compares Milhouse to Moe's bar rag. Guest Star: Jeremy Irons
499	13	"The Daughter Also Rises"	Chuck Sheetz	Rob LaZebnik	February 12, 2012 (2012-02-12)	PABF06	4.26[15]
Lisa falls in love with Nick, an intellectual romantic, and starts a secret romance with him. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse team up with the gang from MythCrackers to debunk some urban schoolyard legends. Guest Stars: Michael Cera, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage
500	14	"At Long Last Leave"	Matthew Nastuk	Michael Price	February 19, 2012 (2012-02-19)	PABF07	5.77[16]
In the 500th episode, the Simpsons stumble upon a secret town meeting where everyone is voting to throw them out of Springfield. As a result, they find themselves in an off-the-grid community, and when Homer and Marge try to sneak back into Springfield, they are welcomed with hostility from their former friends and neighbors and begin to appreciate their new and more accepting home. Guest Stars: Julian Assange, Allison Krauss and Union Station, Kelsey Grammer and Jackie Mason
501	15	"Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart"	Steven Dean Moore	Marc Wilmore	March 4, 2012 (2012-03-04)	PABF09	5.09[17]
After being forced to spend some time in a rabbit cage for a prank he didn't commit, Bart exacts revenge by spraypainting unflattering caricatures of Homer all over town, which become a sensation with real-life graffiti artists Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Kenny Scharf, and Robbie Conal. Meanwhile, Apu's Kwik-E-Mart is in danger of shutting down when it faces competition from a health-food supermarket. Guest Stars: Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Kenny Scharf and Robbie Conal
502	16	"How I Wet Your Mother"	Lance Kramer	Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham	March 11, 2012 (2012-03-11)	PABF08	4.97[18]
In this Simpsonized parody of Inception, Homer develops a bed-wetting problem, which he thinks is karmic payback for getting everyone in trouble for stealing office supplies at work, but a trip through Homer's dreams reveals that Homer's embarrassing problem is connected with a childhood memory involving a fishing trip gone wrong and Homer's deceased mother, Mona. Guest Stars: Glenn Close and David Byrne
503	17	"Them, Robot"	Michael Polcino	Michael Price	March 18, 2012 (2012-03-18)	PABF10	5.25[19]
To get out of paying for employee drug tests, Mr. Burns fires all of his employees (except for Homer, who is kept on as a scapegoat) and replaces them with robot workers; when a bored Homer ups the robots interactive and AI features, all hell breaks loose. Guest Star: Brent Spiner
504	18	"Beware My Cheating Bart"	Mark Kirkland	Ben Joseph	April 15, 2012 (2012-04-15)	PABF11	4.86[20]
Bart finds himself the object of affection to a girl who is dating school bully Jimbo Jones. Meanwhile, Homer buys a state-of-the-art treadmill that gets wireless TV and uses the treadmill to binge-watch a "Lost"-style show rather than exercise. Guest Star: Kevin Michael Richardson with a special couch gag done by Bill Plympton
505	19	"A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again"	Chris Clements	Matt Warburton	April 29, 2012 (2012-04-29)	PABF12	5.00[21]
To alleviate his boredom with life, Bart begs the family to go on a cruise trip, and the Simpsons sell their most prized possessions to pay for it. But when Bart realizes the trip only lasts a week and that his life will be nothing after that, he resorts to drastic measures to keep the vacation going. Guest Star: Treat Williams and Steve Coogan
506	20	"The Spy Who Learned Me"	Bob Anderson	Marc Wilmore	May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06)	PABF13	4.84[22]
After a disastrous date night at the movies, Homer suffers a head injury the next day at work and, during his eight weeks off to recover (about which he does not tell Marge), sees visions of a super-suave superspy named Stradivarius Cain, who gives Homer lessons on being the husband of Marge's dreams. Meanwhile, Nelson uses a Nokia Phone to shake down kids for their lunch money, and Bart gets revenge on Nelson by feeding him burger with patty cold, raw fries and hot cola which has poisoing. Guest Stars: Bryan Cranston and Eric Idle
507	21	"Ned 'n' Edna's Blend Agenda"	Chuck Sheetz	Jeff Westbrook	May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13)	PABF15	4.07[23]
Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel elope after months of dating, and Marge later organizes a proper marriage reception for them, which becomes a problem when the many couples of Springfield bring their many personal crises to the party. Meanwhile, Mrs. Krabappel-Flanders helps Rod and Todd make new friends.
508	22	"Lisa Goes Gaga"	Matthew Schofield	Tim Long	May 20, 2012 (2012-05-20)	PABF14	4.82[24]
Eccentric pop star Lady Gaga stops by Springfield to help Lisa (who was voted Springfield Elementary's least hated popular student and is now more of an outcast thanks to ghost-writing positive messages on the school's online forum) and the rest of the town boost their self-esteem. Guest Star: Lady Gaga

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.[25] 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".[26] 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."[26] The result of the poll were revealed in "The Falcon and the D'ohman".[25] According to Jean, the poll was "very strong in one direction".[26] 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."[26]

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."[27] 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.[28] Another consideration was that Fox's parent company News Corporation was having meetings discussing the possibility of a cable channel that would only air The Simpsons episodes.[29] Analysts consider a cancellation and subsequent second-run deal that includes cable networks to be worth $750 million.[28] On this issue, Al Jean commented in an interview with TV Guide that "It's a big company, and there are definitely people whose interests would have been better served by ending it. Those interests were superseded because we're still valuable to the network in terms of our ratings."[30]

For the negotiations, the studio requested that the cast members accept a 45% cut of their salaries so that more seasons could be produced after season 23, or else that season would be the series' last.[27] The actors were willing to take a pay cut, but wanted a percentage of the back-end payments instead.[31] At one point, Harry Shearer even offered a 70% pay cut in exchange for back-end percentages, but the studio was unwilling to make any deal involving back-end percentages.[32] In the end, the studio and the actors reached a deal, in which the actors would take a pay cut of 30%, down to just over $300,000 per episode, renewing the show to its 25th season.[33] As well as the voice actors, everybody involved in the show took a pay cut. This included the animators, writers, post-production crew and even Jean himself. The further use of digital animation also saved money, as the animation of the show became more efficient.[30]

Ratings

The season premiere episode "The Falcon and the D'ohman" originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 25, 2011.[34] It was watched by approximately 8.08 million people during this broadcast. It received a 3.9 Nielsen rating in the demographic for adults aged 18–49, and a ten percent share. The ratings were up three percent compared to the last season's premiere.[35] The Simpsons became the second highest-rated program in the 18–49 demographic in Fox's Animation Domination lineup that night, finishing before The Cleveland Show and American Dad! but after Family Guy. The Simpsons was, however, the most-watched show in the lineup in terms of total viewers.[36]

During the twenty-third season, the cost of a 30-second advertising spot would be $254,260 in an original broadcast. It is the fifth-most expensive show for advertisers on Fox, with only American Idol, The X Factor, Glee and Family Guy being more expensive.[37]

References

1. Seidman, Robert (June 23, 2011). "FOX Announces 2011 Fall TV Premiere Dates". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
2. Goldman, Eric (May 24, 2011). "20th at Comic-Con: Terra Nova, Family Guy, Glee, Futurama, More – TV News at IGN". IGN. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
3. Gorman, Bill. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Desperate Housewives,' 'CSI:Miami,' 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". Zap2it. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
4. Seidman, Robert. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Pan Am' Adjusted Up + Unscrambled 'Amazing Race,' 'The Good Wife'". Zap2it. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
5. Seidman, Robert (November 1, 2011). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Cleveland Show' Adjusted Up; 'Pan Am' Adjusted Down + Unscrambled CBS Shows & 'Sunday Night Football'". Zap2it. TV by the numbers. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
6. Seidman, Robert. "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Once Upon a Time' Falls, But Not Far; Ravens-Steelers Dominates Night". Zap2it. TV by the Numbers.
7. Gorman, Bill (November 15, 2011). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons,' '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down + Final CBS & 'Sunday Night Football' Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
8. Gorman, Bill (November 24, 2011). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'CSI:Miami,' 'Amazing Race,' 'Family Guy' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
9. Seidman, Robert (November 29, 2011). "Sunday Final Ratings: Big Adjustment Up for 'Amazing Race'; No Adjustment for 'Once Upon a Time' + Steelers-Chiefs". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
10. Gorman, Bill. "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Simpsons,' 'Family Guy' Get A Boost; 'Once Upon A Time,' 'Housewives,' 'Pan Am,' 'Good Wife' Hit Lows; As Of Course 'Sunday Night Football' Wins". Zap2it. TV by the Numbers.
11. Seidman, Robert (December 13, 2011). "Sunday Final Ratings: No Adjustments for 'Once Upon A Time' + Giants/Cowboys & Unscrambled CBS". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
12. Seidman, Robert (January 10, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Cleveland,' 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad' Adjusted Up + Unscrambled 'The Good Wife,' 'CSI: Miami' & '60 Minutes'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
13. Gorman, Bill. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Good Wife' Adjusted up; 'Pan Am' adjusted down + Giants/Packers, Unscrambled Fox". Retrieved January 20, 2012.
14. Gorman, Bill (January 31, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon A Time,' 'Family Guy,' 'CSI: Miami' Adjusted Up; NFL 'Pro Bowl' Down vs. Last Season". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
15. Gorman, Bill (February 14, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Napoleon Dynamite,' 'American Dad' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down + 'Grammy Awards' Finals". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
16. Bibel, Sara (February 22, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time,' 'Family Guy' Adjusted Up + Unscrambled CBS". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
17. Bibel, Sara (March 6, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Good Wife,' 'CSI Miami' Adjusted Up + 'Cleveland' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
18. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 13, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: '60 Minutes', 'America's Funniest Home Videos', 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Amazing Race' & 'Desperate Housewives' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
19. Bibel, Sara (March 20, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Harry's Law' Adjusted Down to Series Lows; 'Desperate Housewives' Adjusted Up + Unscrambled CBS". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
20. Gorman, Bill. "TV Ratings Sunday: 'NYC 22' Starts Low, 'Titanic' Pulls 'GCB' To Series Low". Zap2it. TV by the Numbers.
21. Bibel, Sara. "TV Ratings Sunday: 'GCB' Rises & 'Once Upon a Time' Steady-ish; 'The Good Wife' Falls to Lows, 'NYC 22' Falls Too; 'Harry's Law' Steady". Zap2it. TV by the Numbers.
22. Kondolojy, Amanda (May 8, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Simpsons', 'Amazing Race' Finale, 'Harry's Law' Adjusted Up; 'Desperate Housewives', 'NYC 22' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
23. Bibel, Sarah (May 15, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon A Time', Family guy', 'Survivor' Adjusted Up; 'Survivor: Reunion', 'Dateline' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
24. Kondolojy, Amanda (May 22, 2012). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Family Guy' Adjusted Up; 'Bob's Burgers' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
25. "'Simpsons' Fans Play Cupid For New Springfield Couple 'Nedna'". Access Hollywood. May 20, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
26. Fienberg, Daniel. "Watch: Al Jean talks Season 23 of 'The Simpsons'". HitFix. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
27. Snierson, Dan (October 4, 2011). "'Simpsons' studio says show cannot continue without cutting costs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
28. Lieberman, David (October 4, 2011). "Would 'The Simpsons' Be Worth More Dead Or Alive?". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
29. Allen, Nick (September 26, 2011). "Woo Hoo! The Simpsons could be given their very own TV channel". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
30. Schneider, Michael (October 11, 2011). "The Simpsons Executive Producer Al Jean on How the Show Was Saved". TV Guide. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
31. Molloy, Tim (October 6, 2011). ""Simpsons" deadline for voice actors looms". Reuters. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
32. Andreeva, Nellie (October 7, 2011). "'Simpsons' Co-Star Speaks Out On Contract Negotiation Stalemate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
33. Block, Alex Ben (October 7, 2011). "'The Simpsons' Renewed for Two More Seasons". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
34. Porter, Rick (September 8, 2011). "'The Simpsons': Kiefer Sutherland, 'Top Chef's' Tom Colicchio get animated". Zap2it. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
35. Gorman, Bill. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Desperate Housewives,' 'CSI:Miami,' 'The Simpsons,' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". Zap2it. TV by the Numbers.
36. Gorman, Bill. "TV Ratings Sunday: Football Wins; 'Desperate Housewives' Premiere Plunges, 'Pan Am' Has Good Takeoff, CBS Premieres Indicate Down, Fox Mixed". Zap2it. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
37. Steinberg, Brian (October 24, 2011). "'American Idol,' NFL Duke it out for Priciest TV Spot". Advertising Age. Retrieved October 26, 2011.

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)