Simprovised

Last updated

"Simprovised"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 27
Episode 21
Directed by Matthew Nastuk
Written by John Frink
Production codeVABF13
Original air dateMay 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"To Courier with Love"		Next →
"Orange Is the New Yellow"
The Simpsons (season 27)
List of episodes

"Simprovised" is the twenty-first episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons , and the 595th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk and written by John Frink. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 15, 2016, and includes a three-minute live-animated segment in which viewers were able to ask Homer Simpson questions.

Contents

Plot

Homer is going to make an annual speech at the Nuclear Plant. His original plan is to repeat the comedy speech he did every year, but most of his punchlines have already been used or are incredibly offensive, including jokes about Lenny's grandmother who is sick. This makes him so nervous that he passes out on-stage, causing him to develop glossophobia and start hallucinating his household appliances mocking him.

In an attempt to calm Homer down, Marge takes him to a standup comedy show, where he is amazed by the actors' talent to improvise. He, Lenny and Carl then decide to join an improvisation class, where Homer learns that he has a talent for improvising scenes. They decide to form their own stand-up comedy troupe at Moe's Tavern, where Homer's act is acclaimed by the public and the critics.

In a secondary plot, Bart and Lisa go to Ralph's birthday party, where Bart realizes that Ralph's new treehouse (built with bribe money Chief Wiggum took from the evidence locker) is much better than his old current treehouse. Feeling envious, Bart destroys his treehouse. However, when he says that mothers cannot build a treehouse, Marge plans to work hard and build him the best treehouse she can.

Later, after Bart's new treehouse is completed, Marge overhears him saying to Milhouse that there is no need to thank her because she was only doing her job. Marge gets irritated at him, and storms off during dinner when Bart offends her. Homer learns that he has been invited to perform at the Springfield Fringe Festival. When Marge complains to him about Bart and learns about the fringe festival, she accidentally causes Homer's glossophobia to come back.

The next morning, Bart takes Marge's breakfast into her bedroom and apologizes (with Homer's help), and they reconcile. Later at the festival, Moe convinces an anxious Homer to cheat his way through his improvisation act, letting Moe pick his premises. However, Lisa finds out about Moe's plan and convinces Homer to make his show the proper way. He does so, and his on-the-spot act is well-received by the audience.

Homer Live

A Homer live segment was considered as early as 2007, as a potential promotion for The Simpsons Movie on The Tonight Show , but was ultimately decided against. After "Simprovised" episode writer John Frink proposed the idea for Homer to do "improv for real" at the end of the episode, the crew reassessed the quality of motion capture technology compared to 2007. Looking into how Fox Sports' on-air graphics division was handling live animation for the Cleatus mascot character led to Adobe Character Animator, a feature in Adobe After Effects being chosen for the live segment. As Adobe Character Animator was in a preview state at the time, a special version of the Preview 4 branch was made for use by the show. [1] [2]

Dan Castellaneta handled the voiceover with the animation done via Adobe Character Animator, which allowed for real-time lip sync and keyboard triggered animation. Simpsons director David Silverman handled on-air animation control for the character, due to his experience on the show and establishing the rules on how Homer acts. [3] [2] Simpsons writers pre-screened questions used on-air and also answered questions as Homer on Facebook and Twitter parallel to Castellaneta's improvisation on the live broadcast. [1] As a means of verifying the real-time nature of the show, then-recent events were worked into the segment, with Homer making jokes about Drake's appearance on Saturday Night Live on the East Coast feed and a fight during a Toronto Blue Jays vs Texas Rangers game on the West Coast feed. [4] While the segment was repeated twice for the US television airing, the international feed used a pre-recorded segment.

Reception

"Simprovised" scored a 1.2 rating and was watched by 2.80 million viewers, making it Fox's highest rated show of the night. [5]

Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club was positive on "Simprovised", giving it a B+. He explained "What’s so entertaining about Homer’s journey in 'Simprovised' is how it grows out of his character. Sure, the episode is pretty streamlined, since those last three minutes were set aside for the big ratings-grab, but lopping off the opening credits entirely helped. There’s even time for a truncated but effective B-story, with Marge getting pissed at Bart for not appreciating her building him a new treehouse. Honestly, underdeveloped, gag-happy storylines are a sad fact of life in modern-day 'Simpsons' but 'Simprovised' proves that—even when compressed—a simple story well told and rooted in the characters can be both funny and affecting." [6]

IGN reviewer Jesse Schedeen gave the episode a 6.4/10. He criticized the episode itself, but enjoyed the improvised part, adding "For the most part, this episode was very textbook, late-era Simpsons fare. There were some humor to be had (mainly in the first act), but mostly a lot of missed opportunities and well-worn Simpson family drama. However, the live segment that closed out the episode was definitely a welcome change from the norm. That segment proved that this show still can take risks from time to time, and furthermore, that those risks can pay off." [7]

Tony Sokol of Den of Geek was critical, giving the episode 2.5/5 stars, writing "The episode moved, but for a comedy show doing a show about comedy, the laughs were slim." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer Simpson</span> Character from the Simpsons franchise

Homer Jay Simpson is the protagonist of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of the Simpsons, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Homer was created by the cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of producer James L. Brooks's office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Life in Hell but instead created a new set of characters. He named the character after his father, Homer Groening. After appearing for three seasons on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Simpsons received their own series on Fox, which debuted on December 17, 1989.

Treehouse of Horror (<i>The Simpsons</i> episode) 3rd episode of the 2nd season of The Simpsons

"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.

"Treehouse of Horror II" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 31, 1991. It is the second annual Treehouse of Horror episode, consisting of three self-contained segments, told as dreams of Lisa, Bart and Homer and is the only Treehouse of Horror episode to date where each segment name is not stated inside the episode. In the first segment, which was inspired by W. W. Jacobs's short story The Monkey's Paw and The Twilight Zone episode "A Small Talent for War", Homer buys a Monkey's Paw that has the power to grant wishes, although all the wishes backfire. In the second part, which parodies the Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life", Bart is omnipotent, and turns Homer into a jack-in-the-box, resulting in the two spending more time together. In the final segment, Mr. Burns attempts to use Homer's brain to power a giant robotic laborer.

"Treehouse of Horror VI" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the sixth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 29, 1995, and contains three self-contained segments. In "Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores", an ionic storm brings Springfield's oversized advertisements and billboards to life and they begin attacking the town. The second segment, "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace", is a parody of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, in which Groundskeeper Willie attacks schoolchildren in their sleep. In the third and final segment, "Homer3", Homer finds himself trapped in a three-dimensional world, Earth. It was inspired by the 1962 The Twilight Zone episode "Little Girl Lost". The segments were written by John Swartzwelder, Steve Tompkins, and David X. Cohen and were directed by Mark Kirkland, Bob Anderson, and Jim Reardon, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror VIII</span> 4th episode of the 9th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror VIII" is the fourth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 26, 1997. In the eighth annual Treehouse of Horror episode, Homer Simpson is the last Springfieldian left alive when a neutron bomb destroys Springfield until a gang of mutants come after him, Homer buys a transporter that Bart uses to switch bodies with a housefly, and Marge is accused of witchcraft in a Puritan rendition of Springfield in 1649. It was written by Mike Scully, David X. Cohen and Ned Goldreyer, and was directed by Mark Kirkland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror IX</span> 4th episode of the 10th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror IX" is the fourth 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 October 25, 1998. This is the ninth Treehouse of Horror episode, and, like the other "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, contains three self-contained segments: In "Hell Toupée", Homer gets a hair transplant and is possessed by the spirit of an executed criminal; in "Terror of Tiny Toon", Bart and Lisa are trapped in a special, extremely violent episode of The Itchy & Scratchy Show; and in "Starship Poopers", Marge reveals that Maggie is the product of a one-night stand with the alien Kang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XI</span> 1st episode of the 12th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XI" is the first episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, the 249th episode overall, and the eleventh Halloween episode. The episode features "G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad", "Scary Tales Can Come True" and "Night of the Dolphin" and was written by Rob LaZebnik, John Frink and Don Payne and Carolyn Omine and directed by Matthew Nastuk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XII</span> 1st episode of the 13th season of The Simpsons

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XIII</span> 1st episode of the 14th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror 13" is the first episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the thirteenth Treehouse of Horror episode. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 3, 2002, three days after Halloween. It is the second Halloween episode to have a zombie related segment, and the last Halloween to have three separate writers credited for writing three stories. It is also the first Halloween episode to be titled Treehouse of Horror in the opening credits, as all prior Halloween episodes were referred to as The Simpsons Halloween Special. It is the first of these episodes not to have a Roman numeral used in its opening title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XIV</span> 1st episode of the 15th season of The Simpsons

"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, Professor Frink creates a Frankenstein-version of his deceased father ("Frinkenstein") and Bart and Milhouse obtain a time-stopping watch. 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.

"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 and Bart and Nelson as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn respectively.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 7 Season of television series

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XX</span> 4th episode of the 21st season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XX" is the fourth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Mike B. Anderson and Matthew Schofield and was written by Daniel Chun. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 18, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXI</span> 4th episode of the 22nd season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXI" is the fourth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 2010. This is the 21st Treehouse of Horror episode, and, like the other Treehouse of Horror episodes, consisted of three self-contained segments: In "War and Pieces", Bart and Milhouse discover a real-life board game that they must win to return home; in "Master and Cadaver", Marge and Homer go on a honeymoon on a sailboat, and rescue a mysterious castaway named Roger; and in "Tweenlight", Lisa falls in love with a vampire named Edmund.

"The Fight Before Christmas" is the eighth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 5, 2010, and consists of four short dream segments that all take place during Christmas. In the first segment, Bart travels to the North Pole and sets out to get Santa into giving him the dirt bike he has wished for every year. In the second one, set during World War II, Lisa has to cope with the absence of her mother who has been deployed as a soldier overseas. Martha Stewart arrives at the Simpsons' home in the third dream segment, helping Marge save the family's Christmas. Finally, in the last segment the entire family has become puppet characters in a theater show that also stars Katy Perry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXIII</span> 2nd episode of the 24th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXIII" is the second episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Steven Dean Moore and written by David Mandel and Brian Kelley. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 2012. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the episode aired on Sky 1 on March 24, 2013 with 1,312,000 viewers, making it the most watched program that week. The episode received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXIV</span> 2nd episode of the 25th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXIV" is the second episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 532nd episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 6, 2013. The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Rob Oliver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXV</span> 4th episode of the 26th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXV" is the fourth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, the 25th episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials, and the 556th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 19, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXVIII</span> 4th episode of the 29th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXVIII" is the fourth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, the 28th episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials, and the 622nd episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey and written by John Frink. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 22, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXX</span> 4th episode of the 31st season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXX" is the fourth episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 666th episode overall as well as the thirtieth Treehouse of Horror episode. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 20, 2019. The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns, and was directed by Timothy Bailey.

References

  1. 1 2 Snierson, Dan (May 6, 2016). "Simpsons live episode: Producer reveals details". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Failes, Ian (May 18, 2016). "How 'The Simpsons' Used Adobe Character Animator To Create A Live Episode". Cartoon Brew . Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  3. ↑ Engelman, Anita (May 15, 2016). "Woo Hoo! The Simpsons TV Show and Adobe Make Live Animation Television History". Creative Cloud blog by Adobe. Adobe Systems Incorporated. Archived from the original on May 21, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  4. ↑ Schilling, Dave (May 16, 2016). "The Simpsons – live! A remarkable stunt that proves Homer will outlive us all". The Guardian . Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  5. ↑ Porter, Rick (May 17, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time' finale, everything else hold". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  6. ↑ Perkins, Dennis (May 15, 2016). "The gimmick is the least impressive part of a funny Simpsons". The A.V. Club . Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  7. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (May 15, 2016). "The Simpsons: "Simprovised" Review". IGN . Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  8. ↑ Sokol, Tony (May 15, 2016). "The Simpsons: Simprovised Review". Den of Geek . Retrieved May 16, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.