The Simpsons season 4

Last updated

The Simpsons
Season 4
The Simpsons - The Complete 4th Season.jpg
DVD cover featuring Ralph Wiggum, Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Maggie Simpson, Bart Simpson, Santa's Little Helper and Barney Gumble sitting down watching television inside a TV (and Snowball II biting at a wire)
No. of episodes22
Release
Original network Fox
Original releaseSeptember 24, 1992 (1992-09-24) –
May 13, 1993 (1993-05-13)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 3
Next →
Season 5
List of episodes

The fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 24, 1992, and May 13, 1993, beginning with "Kamp Krusty". The showrunners for the fourth production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss, with the season being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. [1] The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season three, which Jean and Reiss also ran. Following the end of the production of the season, Jean, Reiss and most of the original writing staff left the show. The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and Dan Castellaneta would win one for his performance as Homer in "Mr. Plow". The fourth season was released on DVD in Region 1 on June 15, 2004, Region 2 on August 2, 2004, and in Region 4 on August 25, 2004.

Contents

Development

The season was executive produced by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had also run the previous season. Several of the show's original writers who had been with the show since the first season left following the completion of the season's production run. "Cape Feare", which was the final episode to be produced by the "original team", [2] aired during season five as a holdover. [2] Jay Kogen, Wallace Wolodarsky and Jeff Martin wrote their final episodes for the season four production run. David M. Stern and Jon Vitti also left but returned to write episodes for later seasons. Reiss and Jean left to produce their own series, The Critic , but later returned to produce several more The Simpsons episodes, and Jean again became the showrunner starting with season thirteen. [3] Rich Moore, one of the show's original directors, also left to work on The Critic, [3] but returned years later to assist with animation on The Simpsons Movie . [4] George Meyer and John Swartzwelder stayed on, while Conan O'Brien, Frank Mula and future show runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein received their first writing credits. One-time writers for the season include Adam I. Lapidus and the team of Gary Apple and Michael Carrington, although Carrington later returned to voice characters in "Simpson Tide" and "Million Dollar Abie". [5]

Sam Simon, who had been showrunner for the show's first two seasons, assembled the original writing team, been the series' creative supervisor from its inception, and has been credited as "developing [the show's] sensibility", [6] departed at the end of season four. Simon was involved in a series of creative disputes with the show's creator Matt Groening, producer James L. Brooks and production company Gracie Films. [7] [8] [9] [10] Simon commented that he "wasn't enjoying it anymore," and "that any show I've ever worked on, it turns me into a monster. I go crazy. I hate myself." [10] Before leaving, he negotiated a deal that saw him receive a share of the show's profits every year and an executive producer credit despite not having worked on the show since then until his death. [6] [8]

This season's production run (9F) was the first to be animated by Film Roman, after Gracie Films opted to switch domestic production of the series from Klasky Csupo. [11] [12] Sharon Bernstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Gracie executives had been unhappy with the producer Csupo had assigned to The Simpsons and said the company also hoped to obtain better wages and working conditions for animators at Film Roman." [12] Klasky Csupo co-founder Gábor Csupó had been "asked [by Gracie Films] if they could bring in their own producer [to oversee the animation production]," but declined, stating "they wanted to tell me how to run my business." [12] Simon commented that: "There won't be any change in the quality or look of the show. We're not going to compromise the quality of the show, and key creative personnel will continue on the show." [12]

"A Streetcar Named Marge" and "Kamp Krusty" were holdovers from the previous season and so were the last of the Klasky Csupo produced episodes to air. [11] Brooks suggested that the script for "Kamp Krusty" be expanded and produced as a feature-length theatrically released film. However, the episode ran very short, barely reaching the minimum length allowed, with the episode's musical number having to be lengthened by a number of verses. The episode had also been selected to be the season's premiere. As Jean told Brooks, "First of all, if we make it into the movie then we don't have a premiere, and second if we can't make 18 minutes out of this episode how are we supposed to make 80?" [13]

Voice cast & characters

Elizabeth Taylor voiced Maggie Simpson in "Lisa's First Word" and then appeared as herself in "Krusty Gets Kancelled" Taylor, Elizabeth posed.jpg
Elizabeth Taylor voiced Maggie Simpson in "Lisa's First Word" and then appeared as herself in "Krusty Gets Kancelled"

Main cast

Recurring

Guest stars

Awards

1993 marked the first year that the producers of The Simpsons did not submit episodes for the "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)". [15] Prior to this season, the series had only been allowed to compete in the animation category, but in early 1993 the rules were changed so that animated television shows would be able to submit nominations in the "Outstanding Comedy Series" category. [16] The producers submitted "A Streetcar Named Marge" and "Mr. Plow" but the Emmy voters were hesitant to pit cartoons against live action programs, and The Simpsons did not receive a nomination. [15] Several critics saw the show's failure to gain a nomination as one of the biggest snubs of that year. [17] [18] [19] Dan Castellaneta was awarded an Emmy for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance". [20] "Treehouse of Horror III" was nominated for Emmys for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" (Alf Clausen) and "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special". [20]

The series won several other awards this season, including an Annie Award for "Best Animated Television Program", [21] a Genesis Award for "Best Television Prime Time Animated Series" [22] for the episode "Whacking Day" [23] and a Saturn Award for "Best Television Series". [24]

At the 9th annual Television Critics Association Awards, the fourth season of the show was nominated for 'Outstanding Achievement in Comedy' but lost to "Seinfeld." Additionally, it was nominated for 'Program of the Year,' losing to "Barbarians at the Gate."

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season of The Simpsons has a 100% approval rating based on 11 critical reviews. The sites critical consensus reads: "One word: Monorail". [25]

Episodes

Vitti, Jon (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Cape Feare" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  • 1 2 Jean, Al (2004). The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Cape Feare" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  • ↑ Anderson, Mike B.; Dean Moore, Steven; Moore, Rich; Silverman, David (2007). Audio Director's commentary (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  • ↑ Carrington, Michael (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Cape Feare" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  • 1 2 Rapoport, Ron (2009). "Sam Simon's Next Trick". Stanford Magazine. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  • ↑ David Owen (March 13, 2000). "Taking Humour Seriously". The New Yorker .
  • 1 2 Ortved, pp. 146–149.
  • ↑ Dan Snierson. "Conan on being left out of Simpsons Movie". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  • 1 2 Schorn, Daniel; Safer, Morley (March 2, 2007). "Meet Sam Simon, The Dog Nut". CBS News . Retrieved February 2, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • 1 2 Kirkland, Mark (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Kamp Krusty" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  • 1 2 3 4 Bernstein, Sharon (January 21, 1992). "'The Simpsons' Producer Changes Animation Firms". Los Angeles Times . p. 18. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  • ↑ Jean, Al (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Kamp Krusty" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  • ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Lisa's First Word". BBC. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  • 1 2 Jean, Al (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Mr. Plow" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  • ↑ Holloway, Diane (February 2, 1993). "'Simpsons' get Emmy 's respect — Academy lets series drop cartoon status to compete as sitcom". Austin American-Statesman. p. B4.
  • ↑ Holloway, Diane (July 23, 1993). "CBS, 'Northern Exposure' lead Emmy nominations". Austin American-Statesman. p. B4.
  • ↑ Holbert, Ginny (July 23, 1993). "Some Hits — and Misses — Emmy List Has Notable Omissions". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 35.
  • ↑ Richmond, Ray (July 23, 1993). "Emmy selections go from horrible ('92) to terrible ('93)". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L44.
  • 1 2 "Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search". Emmys.org. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
  • ↑ "Legacy: 21st Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1993)". Annie Awardsorg. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
  • ↑ "1994 Genesis Awards". Humane Society of the United States. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  • ↑ "'Free Willy', 'Simpsons' win Genesis Awards". Rocky Mountain News. January 30, 1994. p. 56A.
  • ↑ "Saturn Awards — Past Winners". The Saturn Awards. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
  • ↑ "The Simpsons". Rotten Tomatoes .
  • ↑ Donna Gable (September 30, 1992). "'Murphy' wave carries CBS". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (October 7, 1992). "Monday lineup bolsters No. 1 CBS". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Brian Donlon (October 14, 1992). "Rankings omit Perot' paid ad". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (October 21, 1992). "Baseball hits big for CBS". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (November 5, 1992). "Politics, Halloween scare up an ABC win". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • 1 2 Donna Gable (November 11, 1992). "Election news, football kick up ABC's ratings". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (November 18, 1992). "'Jacksons,' solid gold for ABC". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (November 25, 1992). "Jacksons help as-easy-as-ABC win". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (December 9, 1992). "ABC's Tuesday lineup ends up rosy". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Brian Donlon (December 23, 1992). "Early Christmas gift for CBS". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Brian Donlon (January 20, 1993). "ABC gets a Thursday night boost". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (January 27, 1993). "Inaugural gala helps carry CBS to top". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (February 10, 1993). "CBS rides to top on wings of 'Skylark'". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (February 18, 1993). "King of Pop and 'Queen' rule the ratings". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Brian Donlon (February 24, 1993). "'Queen' rules in CBS' royal sweep". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (March 17, 1993). "ABC improves with bench strength". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (April 7, 1993). "An Oscar to ABC for week's best ratings". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Brian Donlon (April 21, 1993). "New shows find their niches". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (May 5, 1993). "'Fried Green Tomatoes' gives NBC sizzle". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Brian Donlon (May 12, 1993). "Sturdy 'Home' helps lift ABC". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ Donna Gable (May 19, 1993). "'Cheers' nudges NBC to No. 1". Life. USA Today . p. 03.D.
  • ↑ The Simpsons season 4 DVD boxset (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2004.
  • 1 2 "Simpsons, The — The Complete 4th Season". TV Shows on DVD.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  • 1 2 "The Simpsons Season 4 DVD". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
    • Bibliography
    No.
    overall    		No. in
    season    		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
    code    		U.S. viewers
    (millions)
    601"Kamp Krusty" Mark Kirkland David M. Stern September 24, 1992 (1992-09-24)8F2421.8 [26]
    Bart and Lisa go to Kamp Krusty for the summer in order to have a break from their parents and meet Krusty the Clown. However, their promises of a fun summer at Kamp Krusty are broken when the director of the camp, Mr. Black, is revealed to be a ferocious accountant and that the camp counselors are the three teenage bullies from school. Meanwhile, Homer is rejuvenated with the kids gone and even begins to regain his hair and lose weight. All of the kids at the camp are treated horribly and Bart survives by clinging to the promise that Krusty himself will soon arrive. However, when this does not happen, Bart leads the campers into a rebellion and they eventually take over the camp. Homer sees a news report about this and immediately loses his hair and regains his lost weight. The real Krusty arrives at the camp and decides to make it up to the kids by taking them to Tijuana, Mexico.
    612"A Streetcar Named Marge" Rich Moore Jeff Martin October 1, 1992 (1992-10-01)8F1818.3 [27]

    Marge is cast in a musical production of A Streetcar Named Desire as Blanche DuBois after the play director sees Marge's deep-seated depression when dealing with an uncaring Homer. She struggles with a scene where she has to shove a glass bottle into the brutish Stanley Kowalski (who is played by Ned Flanders), but manages to get over it by imagining Homer as Stanley. Marge begins to become extremely angry with Homer as she sees parallels between him and Stanley. At the end of the musical, Marge believes Homer does not pay attention to her and confronts him with hostility. However, Homer explains that he was genuinely moved by Blanche's situation. Marge realizes that Homer really did watch the musical, and the two happily leave the theater with his saddened expression left behind. Meanwhile, Maggie is sent to the Ayn Rand School for Tots where she attempts to retrieve her pacifier from a strict daycare attendant.

    Note: This is the last episode to be animated by Klasky Csupo. Starting with the next episode until the season 28 episode "Havana Wild Weekend", the series was animated by Film Roman.
    Media
    Episodes
    Seasons
    Shorts
    Theme parks
    Others
    Characters
    Production
    Hallmarks
    Locations
    Themes
    Inspired
    works
    Related

    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.