The Simpsons | |
---|---|
Season 22 | |
No. of episodes | 22 |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Original release | September 26, 2010 – May 22, 2011 |
Season chronology | |
The twenty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons 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 36th 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]
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 | MABF21 | 7.82 [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 | MABF17 | 8.63 [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 | MABF18 | 6.74 [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 | MABF16 | 8.03 [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 | MABF20 | 8.83 [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 | NABF01 | 6.59 [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?" | Mike Frank Polcino | Kevin Curran | November 28, 2010 | NABF02 | 9.39 [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 | 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 | MABF19 | 7.19 [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 | NABF03 | 12.55 [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 | NABF04 | 6.38 [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 | NABF05 | 6.48 [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 | NABF06 | 5.49 [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 | NABF07 | 6.24 [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 | NABF08 | 6.13 [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 | NABF09 | 5.42 [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" | Mike Frank Polcino | Bill Odenkirk | March 27, 2011 | NABF10 | 6.05 [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. | |||||||
482 | 18 | "The Great Simpsina" | Chris Clements | Matt Warburton | April 10, 2011 | NABF11 | 5.06 [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 | NABF12 | 5.84 [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 | NABF13 | 5.52 [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 | NABF14 | 5.99 [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 | NABF15 | 5.30 [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 |
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]
The A.V. Club reviewer Rowan Kaiser rated the season with a B, tying for the second highest rated season of "Animation Domination" with the seventh season of American Dad! and beating the ninth season of Family Guy , which received a C+. It was defeated by the inaugural season of Bob's Burgers, which received a B+. [27]
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