The Simpsons season 9

The Simpsons
Season 9
DVD cover featuring The Simpson family attending a showing of the 200th episode.
No. of episodes	25
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	September 21, 1997 (1997-09-21) – May 17, 1998 (1998-05-17)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 8 Next → Season 10
List of episodes

The ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 1997 and May 1998, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 1997, with "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson". Mike Scully served as showrunner for the ninth production season. ^[1] The ninth broadcast season contained three episodes with 4F-series production codes, indicating that they were hold-over episodes from production season eight, and two episodes with 3G-series production codes, which are not explicitly confirmed to be part of any production season but are speculated to be relabeled 3F-series (seventh production season) episodes. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]} This makes it the first broadcast season to include holdover episodes from two previous production seasons.

Season nine won three Emmy Awards: "Trash of the Titans" for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) in 1998, ^[9] Hank Azaria won "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" for the voice of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, ^[10] and Alf Clausen and Ken Keeler won the "Outstanding Music and Lyrics" award. ^[11] Clausen was also nominated for "Outstanding Music Direction" and "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for "Treehouse of Horror VIII". ^[9] Season nine was also nominated for a "Best Network Television Series" award by the Saturn Awards and "Best Sound Editing" for a Golden Reel Award. ^[11]

The Simpsons 9th Season DVD was released on December 19, 2006, in Region 1, January 29, 2007, in Region 2 and March 21, 2007, in Region 4. The DVD was released in two different forms: a Lisa-shaped head, to match the Maggie, Homer and Marge shaped heads from the three previous DVD sets, and also a standard rectangular shaped box. Like the previous DVD sets, both versions are available for sale separately.

Voice cast & characters

Main article: List of The Simpsons characters

Martin Sheen guest-starred as the real Seymour Skinner in the infamous episode "The Principal and the Pauper"

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek made a guest appearance as himself in the Christmas episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace"

James Earl Jones narrated the episode "Das Bus"

This is the last season to feature the character Lionel Hutz, voiced by Phil Hartman. Following Hartman's death on May 28, 1998, Hutz was retired along with Hartman's other recurring character Troy McClure; his final speaking role as Hutz was five months earlier, in the episode "Realty Bites", and has since occasionally appeared as a background character.

Main cast

• Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Barney Gumble, Santa's Little Helper, and various others
• Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier, Selma Bouvier and various others
• Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum and various others
• Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
• Hank Azaria as Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Professor Frink, Comic Book Guy, Apu, Bumblebee Man and various others
• Harry Shearer as Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Lenny Leonard, Kent Brockman, Reverend Lovejoy, and various others

Recurring

• Pamela Hayden as Milhouse van Houten, Jimbo Jones
• Maggie Roswell as Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Luann Van Houten and Miss Hoover
• Russi Taylor as Martin Prince and Sherri and Terri
• Tress MacNeille as Agnes Skinner
• Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel
• Frank Welker as various animals

Guest stars

Main article: List of The Simpsons guest stars (seasons 1–20)

• Phil Hartman as Troy McClure, Lionel Hutz and Noah (various episodes)
• Martin Sheen as the real Seymour Skinner ("The Principal and the Pauper")
• Fyvush Finkel as himself playing Krusty the Clown ("Lisa's Sax")
• Joe Namath as himself ("Bart Star")
• Roy Firestone as himself ("Bart Star")
• Mike Judge as Hank Hill ("Bart Star")
• Andrea Martin as Apu's mother ("The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons")
• Jan Hooks as Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon ("The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons")
• Stephen Jay Gould as himself ("Lisa the Skeptic")
• Alex Trebek as himself ("Miracle on Evergreen Terrace")
• Jim Varney as Cooder ("Bart Carny")
• James Earl Jones as the narrator ("Das Bus")
• Jack Ong as the Chinese fisherman ("Das Bus")
• Jay Leno, Bruce Baum, Janeane Garofalo, Bobcat Goldthwait, Hank Williams Jr. and Steven Wright as themselves ("The Last Temptation of Krust")
• Helen Hunt as Renee ("Dumbbell Indemnity")
• Rod Steiger as Captain Tenille ("Simpson Tide")
• Bob Denver as himself ("Simpson Tide")
• Michael Carrington as Drill Sergeant ("Simpson Tide")
• Paul Winfield as Lucius Sweet ("The Trouble with Trillions")
• Steve Martin as Ray Patterson ("Trash of the Titans")
• U2 as themselves ("Trash of the Titans")
• Paul McGuinness as himself ("Trash of the Titans")
• Brendan Fraser as Brad ("King of the Hill")
• Steven Weber as Neil ("King of the Hill")

Reception

The ninth season is considered by some fans and critics to be the end of the Golden Age of The Simpsons. Alasdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club said: "From here on out, we're in The Simpsons' decline phase, though there's plenty of room to disagree just how stark the drop-off actually was." ^[12] On Rotten Tomatoes, the ninth season of The Simpsons has a 67% approval rating based on 6 critical reviews. ^[13]

The second episode of the ninth season, "The Principal and the Pauper" is often regarded as one of the most controversial episodes of the entire series. Many fans and critics reacted negatively to the revelation that Principal Skinner, a recurring character since the first episode who had undergone much character development, was an impostor. The episode has been criticized by series creator Matt Groening, and by Skinner's voice actor Harry Shearer. In his 2004 book Planet Simpson , Chris Turner describes the episode as the "broadcast that marked [the] abrupt plunge" from The Simpsons' "Golden Age", which he says began in the middle of the show's third season. He calls the episode "[one of] the weakest episodes in Simpsons history", and adds, "A blatant, continuity-scrambling plot twist of this sort might've been forgivable if the result had been as funny or sharply satirical as the classics of the Golden Age, but alas it's emphatically not." Turner notes that the episode "still sports a couple of virtuoso gags", but says that such moments are limited. ^[14]

In July 2007, in an article in The Guardian , Ian Jones argues that the "show became stupid" in 1997, pointing to the episode as the bellwether. "Come again? A major character in a long-running series gets unmasked as a fraud? It was cheap, idle storytelling", he remarks. ^[15] In a February 2006 article in The Star-Ledger , Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz cite the episode when asserting that the quality of The Simpsons "gets much spottier" in season nine. ^[16] Alan Sepinwall observes in another Star-Ledger article, "[The episode] was so implausible that even the characters were disavowing it by the end of the episode." ^[17] Jon Hein, who coined the term "jumping the shark" to refer to negative changes in television series, writes in Jump the Shark: TV Edition, "We finally spotted a fin at the start of the ninth season when Principal Skinner's true identity was revealed as Armin Tamzarian." ^[18] James Greene of Nerve.com put the episode fifth on his list "Ten Times The Simpsons Jumped the Shark", calling it a "nonsensical meta-comedy" and arguing that it "seemed to betray the reality of the show itself". ^[19] On the 25th anniversary of the episode airing, Fatherly looked back negatively at the episode, described the plot twist as the moment the show stopped being perfect, saying: "It wasn't funny, it was just mean, and the ending of the episode inadvertently made you complicit in its viciousness. Ultimately, the citizens of Springfield decide to force things back to normal by tying the real Skinner to a departing train and legally declaring that Tamzarian's theft of an entire life is fine. And, well, yeah we as the viewers wanted things to go back to normal once the episode was over, but…this was just heartless." ^[20]

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes

• The Simpsons portal

• List of The Simpsons episodes

References

General

• Gimple, Scott (1999). The Simpsons Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued . Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN   0-06-098763-4.
• 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.

Specific

1. Gimple, pp. 14–15
2. Gimple, p. 10–11
3. Gimple, p. 12
4. Gimple, p. 32
5. Gimple, p. 24
6. Gimple, p. 26–27
7. Gimple, p. 13
8. Gimple, p. 34–35
9. "1997-1998 Emmy Awards". infoplease.com. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
10. "1997-1998 Emmy Awards". emmy.org. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
11. "Every show, every winner, every nominee". The Envelope. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
12. Alasdair Wilkins (June 21, 2015). "The Simpsons (Classic): "The City Of New York Vs. Homer Simpson"". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on May 25, 2020.
13. "The Simpsons". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on November 27, 2017.
14. Turner 2004, pp. 41–42.
15. Jones, Ian (July 12, 2007). "Rise and fall of a comic genius". The Guardian . Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved on August 17, 2008.
16. Sepinwall, Alan; Matt Zoller Seitz (February 14, 2006). "Eight is enough". The Star-Ledger . p. 31.
17. Sepinwall, Alan (February 16, 2003). "Mmmm ... 300 episodes; Homer's odyssey continues as 'The Simpsons', America's favorite animated family, reaches a comic milestone". The Star-Ledger. p. 1.
18. Hein, Jon (2003). Jump the Shark: TV Edition. Plume. p. 88. ISBN   0-452-28410-4.
19. James Greene Jr. (May 6, 2010). "Ten Times The Simpsons Jumped the Shark". Nerve.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
20. "25 Years Ago, The Simpsons Dropped Its Most Controversial Episode". September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
21. "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times . September 24, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
22. "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 22–28)". The Los Angeles Times . October 1, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
23. "Lisa's Sax" Production Cel (3F26, Season 9)". 20th Century Animation . ACME Archives. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
24. "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 13–19)". The Los Angeles Times . October 22, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
25. "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 20–26)". The Los Angeles Times . October 29, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
26. "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 27–Nov. 2)". The Los Angeles Times . November 5, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
27. Gimple, p. 16
28. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times . November 12, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
29. Gimple, p. 17
30. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 10–16)". The Los Angeles Times . November 19, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
31. Gimple, p. 18–19
32. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times . November 26, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
33. Gimple, p. 20
34. "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times . December 10, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
35. Gimple, p. 21
36. "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times . December 24, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
37. Gimple, p. 22–23
38. "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 29-Jan. 4)". The Los Angeles Times . January 9, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
39. "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 5–11)". The Los Angeles Times . January 14, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
40. Gimple, p. 25
41. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 2–8)". The Los Angeles Times . February 11, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
42. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 9-15)". The Los Angeles Times . February 19, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
43. Gimple, p. 28
44. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 16-22)". The Los Angeles Times . February 25, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
45. Gimple, p. 29
46. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 23-March 1)". The Los Angeles Times . March 4, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
47. Gimple, p. 30–31
48. "National Nielsen Viewership (March 2–8)". The Los Angeles Times . March 11, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
49. "National Nielsen Viewership (March 16–22)". The Los Angeles Times . March 25, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
50. Gimple, p. 33
51. "National Nielsen Viewership (March 23–29)". The Los Angeles Times . April 1, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
52. "National Nielsen Viewership (March 30-April 5)". The Los Angeles Times . April 8, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
53. Gimple, p. 36
54. "National Nielsen Viewership (April 13–19)". The Los Angeles Times . April 22, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
55. Gimple, p. 37
56. "National Nielsen Viewership (April 20–26)". The Los Angeles Times . April 29, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
57. Gimple, p. 38–39
58. "National Nielsen Viewership (April 27-May 3)". The Los Angeles Times . May 6, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
59. Gimple, p. 40
60. "National Nielsen Viewership (May 4–10)". The Los Angeles Times . May 13, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
61. Gimple, p. 41
62. "National Nielsen Viewership (May 11–17)". The Los Angeles Times . May 20, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
63. Gimple, p. 42–43
64. "Final Ratings for '97-'98 TV Season". May 25, 1998.
65. "The Final Countdown". Entertainment Weekly . No. 434. May 29, 1998. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
66. "The Simpsons — The Complete 9th Season (Lisa Head)". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2005.
67. Lacey, Gord (October 11, 2005). "Season 9 - List of Extras include Sneak Peak (sic) at the Movie!". TV Shows on DVD.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2005.
68. "The Simpsons Season 9 DVD". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2005.

External links

• Official website
• The Simpsons at IMDb

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
179	1	"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson"	Jim Reardon	Ian Maxtone-Graham	September 21, 1997 (1997-09-21)	4F22	17.44 [21]
Homer allows Barney to use his car when Barney is picked to be the designated driver for that night at Moe's Tavern. However, Barney disappears for two months with the car, and returns without it. Homer searches for his car, and eventually receives a letter from the City of New York. The family is excited to go there to obtain the car, but Homer, who had had a bad experience in New York when he was younger, is reluctant. After reaching New York City, Homer sees the car parked near the World Trade Center, where he must wait by so that an officer can remove the wheel clamp. He is distracted from standing watch for the police when he has to go the bathroom, and causes him to miss the police officer. Homer gets angry and leaves the city with the clamp on. [2] Note: First appearance of Duffman.
180	2	"The Principal and the Pauper"	Steven Dean Moore	Ken Keeler	September 28, 1997 (1997-09-28)	4F23	14.86 [22]
When a celebration is held at Springfield Elementary to honor his 20 years as principal, Principal Skinner is revealed to be an impostor when the real Principal, Sgt. Principal Skinner, shows up. The principal's real name is revealed to be Armin Tamzarian, an orphan from Capital City. Armin soon leaves to return to Capital City, and Sgt. Principal Skinner takes over as principal. However, many, including Agnes Skinner, soon decide they preferred the old Seymour. After persuading him to come back from Capital City to be Principal Skinner again, the townspeople send Sgt. Skinner out of town on a railroad. [3]

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Media	Episodes Seasons 1–20 Season 21–present Seasons 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Shorts 1980s shorts from The Tracey Ullman Show "Good Night" The Longest Daycare (2012) Playdate with Destiny (2020) The Simpsons | Balenciaga (2021) Te Deseo Lo Mejor (2021) Disney+ shorts The Force Awakens from Its Nap (2021) The Good, the Bart, and the Loki (2021) Plusaversary (2021) When Billie Met Lisa (2022) Welcome to the Club (2022) The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in "Feliz Navidad" (2022) Rogue Not Quite One (2023) Theme parks Springfield Florida Hollywood The Simpsons Ride Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl Others Video games Books Comics Discography The Simpsons Movie (2007) Simpsons Illustrated World of Springfield List of figures and playsets
Characters	Simpson family and relatives Homer Simpson Marge Simpson Bart Simpson Lisa Simpson Maggie Simpson Grampa Simpson Patty and Selma Bouvier Mona Simpson Santa's Little Helper Recurring Sideshow Bob Kent Brockman Mr. Burns Comic Book Guy Duffman Fat Tony Ned Flanders Professor Frink Barney Gumble Dr. Hibbert Lionel Hutz Kang and Kodos Edna Krabappel Krusty the Clown Reverend Lovejoy Troy McClure Nelson Muntz Apu Nahasapeemapetilon Mayor Quimby Principal Skinner Waylon Smithers Moe Szyslak Milhouse Van Houten Chief Wiggum Ralph Wiggum Groundskeeper Willie
Production	Matt Groening Cast members Directors Writers Guest stars Seasons 1–20 Seasons 21–present Non-English versions
Hallmarks	Opening sequence Main title theme The Itchy & Scratchy Show Products Duff Beer "D'oh!" " ¡Ay, caramba! "
Locations	Springfield The Simpsons house Kwik-E-Mart
Themes	Media Politics Religion
Inspired works	Bibliography Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play MacHomer The Problem with Apu "The Problem with a Poo" "Simpsons Already Did It" "Cartoon Wars Part II" The Samsonadzes 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!
Related	alt.tv.simpsons Animation Domination Awards and nominations "Black or White" Butterfinger advertisements "Cheese-eating surrender monkeys" CyberWorld Flanderization Frinkiac Graggle Simpson Historiography Home video releases Lego The Simpsons LGBT representation "Monster in the Mirror" "Okilly Dokilly" Springfield Doughnut Rusty Nails Portland, Oregon
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