The Simpsons (season 2)

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The Simpsons Season 2

The Simpsons Season 2 DVD
Country of origin USA
Network Fox
Original run October 11, 1990 –
July 11, 1991
No. of episodes 22
DVD release date July 8, 2002 (Boxset)
Previous season 1
Next season 3

The Simpsons' second season originally aired between October 11, 1990 and May 9, 1991, and contained 21 episodes, beginning with "Bart Gets an F". Another episode, "Blood Feud" aired during the summer after the official season finale. The show runners for the second production season were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon, who had also been EPs for the previous season.[1] The DVD box set was released on August 6, 2002 in Region 1, July 8, 2002 in Region 2 and in September, 2002 in Region 4. The episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour), and was also nominated in the "Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special" category.[2]

Contents

[edit] Development

"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" was the first episode produced for the season, but "Bart Gets an F" aired first because Bart was popular at the time and the producers had wanted to premiere with a Bart themed episode.[3] The second season featured a new opening sequence, which was shortened by fifteen seconds from its original length of roughly 1 minute, 30 seconds. The opening sequence for the first season showed Bart stealing a "Bus Stop" sign; whilst the new sequence featured him skateboarding past several characters who had been introduced during the previous season. Starting with this season, there were three versions of the opening: a full roughly 1 minute 15 second long version, a 45 second version and a 25 second version. This gave the show's editors more leeway.[4]

The season saw the introduction of several new recurring characters, including Mayor Quimby,[5] Kang and Kodos,[6] Maude Flanders,[7] Bill and Marty,[8] Dr. Hibbert,[9] Roger Meyers,[10] Sideshow Mel,[10] Lionel Hutz,[11] Dr. Nick Riviera,[11] Blue Haired Lawyer,[11] Rainier Wolfcastle,[12] Troy McClure,[13] Groundskeeper Willie,[14] Hans Moleman,[15] Professor Frink[16] and Comic Book Guy.[17]

[edit] Ratings

Due to the show's success, over the summer of 1990, the Fox network decided to switch The Simpsons timeslots in hopes that it would result in higher ratings for Beverly Hills, 90210 and Babes which would follow the show.[18] It would move from 8:00 PM on Sunday night to the same time on Thursday where it would compete with The Cosby Show on NBC, the number one show at the time.[19] Many of the producers, including James L. Brooks, were against the move because The Simpsons had been in the top 10 while airing on Sunday and they felt the move would destroy its ratings.[20] All through the summer of 1990, several news outlets published stories about the supposed "Bill vs. Bart" rivalry.[20] At the time, NBC had 208 television stations, while Fox only had 133.[21] "Bart Gets an F" was the first episode to air against The Cosby Show and averaged an 18.4 Nielsen Rating and 29% of the audience. In the weeks ratings, it finished tied for eighth behind The Cosby Show which had an 18.5 rating. However, an estimated 33.6 million viewers watched the episode, making it the number one show in terms of actual viewers that week. At the time, it was the most watched episode in the history of the Fox Network.[22] The next week, "Simpson and Delilah" had a 16.2 rating and 25% share while the Cosby Show managed to maintain its 18.5 rating. However, viewer-wise, The Simpsons won again with 29.9 million viewers.[23] The next week, "Treehouse of Horror" fell in the ratings, finishing 24th.[24] Ratings wise, new episodes of The Cosby Show beat The Simpsons every time during the second season and The Simpsons eventually fell out of the top 10.[3] "Three Men and a Comic Book" would boast the only victory over The Cosby Show, finishing 23rd in the weekly ratings while a rerun of Cosby finished 26th.[25] At the end of the season Cosby averaged as the fifth highest rated show on television while The Simpsons was 38th.[18] It would not be until the third season episode "Homer at the Bat" that The Simpsons would beat The Cosby Show in the ratings.[3] The show remained in its Thursday timeslot until the sixth season.[19]

[edit] List of episodes

# Original title (top)
Alternative title (bottom)		 Directed by Written by Original airdate Prod. code
14 - 1 "Bart Gets an F"  David Silverman David M. Stern October 11, 1990 7F03
Bart fails a test and is told that he has one more chance to pass it or else he will be held back a year. Bart tries to get the class genius Martin Prince to help him, but after that fails, Bart prays for help. That night, Springfield is hit with a massive blizzard and the school is closed, giving Bart one more day to study. Despite his desperate attempts, Bart fails the test. While weeping, he mentions an obscure historical event and Mrs. Krabappel, noting that he applied practical knowledge, passes him.
Guest star: Marcia Wallace.[1] 
15 - 2 "Simpson and Delilah"  Rich Moore Jon Vitti October 18, 1990 7F02
Homer discovers a new miracle hair growth formula called Dimoxinil and cheats on some insurance forms so that he can buy some. Homer grows hair overnight and is soon given a promotion at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. He gets a new secretary named Karl, who helps him become successful. However, Mr. Burns' assistant Waylon Smithers becomes jealous of all the attention Burns is giving Homer and discovers that Homer had cheated on the insurance forms. Smithers tries to fire Homer, but Karl claims he cheated on the forms and is fired in Homer's stead. Bart spills Homer's remaining Dimoxinil and Homer loses all of his hair. As a result, Homer is demoted back to his old position.
Guest star: Harvey Fierstein.[26] 
16 - 3 "Treehouse of Horror" 
"The Simpsons Halloween Special"		 Wes Archer,
Rich Moore &
David Silverman		 Jay Kogen, Wallace Wolodarsky,
John Swartzwelder, Edgar Allan Poe
& Sam Simon		 October 25, 1990 7F04
A Halloween special which is divided into three short stories:
Bad Dream House - The Simpsons move into a new house which turns out to be cursed.
Hungry are the Damned - The Simpsons are abducted by aliens, who plan to take them back to their home planet, but Lisa becomes suspicious of their intentions.
The Raven - A retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven".
Guest star: James Earl Jones.[27] 
17 - 4 "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"  Wes Archer Sam Simon & John Swartzwelder November 1, 1990 7F01
After Bart catches a three-eyed fish in a river downstream of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, the Plant is inspected and found to have 342 violations, which would cost $56 million to rectify. In order to prevent his Plant from being shut down, Mr. Burns decides to run for Governor. After a hard campaign which sees Burns rise from being universally despised to running neck and neck with incumbent Mary Bailey, it is decided that Burns will have dinner with a random employee the night before the election. Homer is chosen, much to Marge's chagrin. Marge serves the three eyed fish to Burns for dinner, who can not eat it and as a result, loses the election.[28] 
18 - 5 "Dancin' Homer"  Mark Kirkland Ken Levine & David Isaacs November 8, 1990 7F05
Homer fires up the crowd at a Springfield Isotopes game and is chosen to be the team's new mascot. He immediately becomes a popular attraction and the Isotopes start a winning streak. As a result, Homer is promoted to the team in Capital City. The Simpsons move to Capital City, but Homer fails to enthrall the crowd, and returns home.
Guest stars: Tom Poston and Tony Bennett.[29] 
19 - 6 "Dead Putting Society"  Rich Moore Jeff Martin November 15, 1990 7F08
Ned Flanders invites Homer round for a beer, seeing how nice his house is Homer becomes jealous, causing Flanders to angrily ask him to leave. Flanders immediately regrets his outburst and tries to make up with Homer, who remains defiant. One day while mini golfing, Bart and Flanders' son Todd Flanders decide to enter a mini golf tournament. Homer becomes confident that Bart will win and makes a bet with Ned that the father of losing boy will have to mow their neighbors lawn in their wife's Sunday dress. On the day of the tournament, Bart and Todd make the finals but decide to call it a draw, forcing both Homer and Ned to fulfill the requirements of their bet.[30] 
20 - 7 "Bart vs. Thanksgiving"  David Silverman George Meyer November 22, 1990 7F07
It is Thanksgiving and Lisa makes a dinner table centerpiece, which Bart destroys. Marge tries to get Bart to apologize, but he refuses and is subsequently sent to his room. Bart runs away and finds a soup kitchen and some homeless men. Eventually, Bart returns home and climbs to the roof of the The Simpsons' house where he hears Lisa sobbing. He apologizes to her, and the family happily enjoys a meal of leftovers.[31] 
21 - 8 "Bart the Daredevil"  Wes Archer Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky December 6, 1990 7F06
The Simpsons go to a Monster truck rally that features famous daredevil Lance Murdock. Bart immediately becomes enamored and decides that he wants to become a daredevil as well. Bart's first stunt ends in injury and despite the family and Dr. Hibbert's best efforts, he continues to attempt stunts. Bart decides to jump the Springfield gorge, but Homer gets wind of his plan and makes Bart promise not to jump it. Bart immediately breaks his promise and goes to jump the gorge anyway, but Homer stops him just in time and finally gets Bart to swear he will stop being a daredevil.[32] 
22 - 9 "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge"  Jim Reardon John Swartzwelder December 20, 1990 7F09
Maggie attacks Homer with a mallet, and Marge immediately blames The Itchy & Scratchy Show for turning her violent. Marge forms S.N.U.H. and campaigns against the show. Eventually she successfully gets the writers to change their ways and make the show less violent. Meanwhile, Michelangelo's David goes on a coast-to-coast tour of the U.S., and the members of S.N.U.H. mobilize to protest it. Marge, however, states that she likes the statue and realizes that it is wrong to censor one form of art but not another and decides to give up her anti-cartoon violence protest.
Guest star: Alex Rocco.[33] 
23 - 10 "Bart Gets Hit by a Car"  Mark Kirkland John Swartzwelder January 10, 1991 7F10
One day, Bart is skateboarding when he is suddenly hit by Mr. Burns's car. An attorney named Lionel Hutz suggests that the Simpsons sue Burns, promising a big cash settlement. Homer agrees, and he and Hutz spend time fabricating Bart's story, taking him to see Dr. Nick Riviera, who has dubious credentials. Marge opposes suing Burns and would be happy with him paying Bart's medical bills and apologizing. Burns eventually finds out about the phony doctor and Marge is called to the witness stand during the trial. She refuses to lie, and her testimony leads to the trial being lost.
Guest star: Phil Hartman.[34] 
24 - 11 "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish"  Wes Archer Nell Scovell January 24, 1991 7F11
The Simpsons go to a new Sushi bar, where Homer takes a liking to the food and decides to try Fugu, which is poisonous if not cut properly. Homer's fugu is not, and he is taken to the hospital where he is told he has 22 hours to live. Homer makes a list of things he wants to do, and spends his last day making amends with Grampa and talking to his children. Homer accepts his fate, but it turns out that he wasn't poisoned after all and vows to live life to its fullest.
Guest stars: Larry King and George Takei.[35] 
25 - 12 "The Way We Was"  David Silverman Al Jean, Mike Reiss
& Sam Simon		 January 31, 1991 7F12
In the first Simpsons flashback episode, Marge tells the story of how she and Homer met in high school in 1974. Marge and Homer meet for the first time during detention and he immediately tries to get Marge to be his date for the prom. She initially agrees, but ends up attending with Artie Ziff. In the end, Marge regrets going with Artie, and reveals that she has fallen in love with Homer.
Guest star: Jon Lovitz.[36] 
26 - 13 "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment"  Rich Moore Steve Pepoon February 7, 1991 7F13
Homer gets an illegal cable hook up. Despite their enjoyment of the new channels, Lisa becomes suspicious that they are stealing cable. Her suspicions are confirmed by Reverend Lovejoy and Lisa protests by no longer watching television. Meanwhile, Homer invites his friends over to watch a boxing match, but Lisa's protest gets to him. He decides not to watch the fight and cuts the cable.
Guest star: Phil Hartman.[37] 
27 - 14 "Principal Charming"  Mark Kirkland David M. Stern February 14, 1991 7F15
Selma begs Marge to help her find a husband and she enlists Homer's help. Meanwhile, Bart gets in trouble at school and Homer is brought in to talk to Principal Skinner, who he decides would be perfect for Selma. Homer invites Skinner to dinner, but he falls in love with Patty instead of Selma. Patty and Skinner start dating, much to Selma's unhappiness. Skinner proposes to Patty, but she rejects him because of her bond with Selma.
Guest star: Marcia Wallace.[15] 
28 - 15 "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"  Wes Archer Jeff Martin February 21, 1991 7F16
Grampa confesses that Homer has a half-brother, who immediately tries to track him down. Homer eventually discovers that his half brother is Herbert Powell, the head of a car manufacturer in Detroit. Herb immediately starts to bond with Bart and Lisa and he invites Homer to design his own car. Homer's car design is a disaster, causing Herb to become bankrupt.
Guest star: Danny DeVito.[38] 
29 - 16 "Bart's Dog Gets an F"  Jim Reardon Jon Vitti March 7, 1991 7F14
Homer becomes fed up with Santa's Little Helper, who continually destroys things. He says he will get rid of him unless he goes to an obedience school. Santa's Little Helper does poorly there, as Bart is unwilling to use a choke chain. The night before the final exam, Bart and Santa's Little Helper play, thinking it will be their last few hours together. This bonding breaks down the communication barrier, meaning Santa's Little Helper can now understand Bart's commands, thus passing obedience school.
Guest stars: Phil Hartman and Tracey Ullman.[39] 
30 - 17 "Old Money"  David Silverman Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky March 28, 1991 7F17
Grampa falls in love with a woman named Beatrice Simmons. On Bea's birthday, Grampa tries to celebrate it, but he is dragged away by Homer. Bea dies that night and Grampa blames Homer for causing him to miss her last moments. After the funeral, Grampa receives $106,000. Bea's ghost appears and she tells him to forgive Homer and spend his money on a worthy cause.
Guest stars: Audrey Meadows, Phil Hartman and Marcia Wallace.[16] 
31 - 18 "Brush with Greatness"  Jim Reardon Brian K. Roberts April 11, 1991 7F18
After discovering some old paintings she did of Ringo Starr, Marge decides to take an art class at Springfield Community College. There, she becomes the top student and wins the college art show. Meanwhile, Mr. Burns needs a painting for the Burns Wing of the Springfield Art Museum, and asks Marge to paint him. At first, she has trouble painting such an evil man, but then decides to paint him naked and frail. Everyone, even Burns, praises Marge's painting.
Guest stars: Jon Lovitz and Ringo Starr.[40] 
32 - 19 "Lisa's Substitute"  Rich Moore Jon Vitti April 25, 1991 7F19
When Ms. Hoover falls ill with a suspected case of Lyme disease, she is replaced by substitute teacher Mr. Bergstrom. Because of his unorthodox teaching methods, Lisa quickly takes a liking to him. Just as Lisa is about to ask Mr. Bergstrom over to her parents house for dinner, Ms. Hoover returns. Meanwhile, Bart runs for class president against Martin Prince, but loses due to the fact that nobody in the class voted, with the exception of Martin himself.
Guest star: Dustin Hoffman and Marcia Wallace.[41] 
33 - 20 "The War of the Simpsons"  Mark Kirkland John Swartzwelder May 2, 1991 7F20
After Homer gets drunk at a party, Marge decides to sign them up for a marriage counseling retreat. Homer finds out that the retreat will be held at Catfish Lake and packs his fishing equipment, despite Marge telling him that all they will be doing is resolving their differences. At the lake the next morning, Homer tries to sneak away to go fishing, but Marge catches him and he takes a walk instead. On the dock, Homer finds an abandoned fishing pole. The pole, with the legendary Catfish named General Sherman on the line, yanks him off the pier into a small rowboat, and onto the lake. Homer catches his fish and when he sees Marge upset, immediately lets it go to prove his love for her.[42] 
34 - 21 "Three Men and a Comic Book"  Wes Archer Jeff Martin May 9, 1991 7F21
Bart, Milhouse and Martin Prince pool their money together to buy the first Radioactive Man comic from Comic Book Guy. They discover that they are unable to share the comic and due to their mistrust of each other, end up destroying it.
Guest star: Cloris Leachman and Daniel Stern.[43] 
35 - 22 "Blood Feud"  David Silverman George Meyer July 11, 1991 7F22
After Mr. Burns falls ill and desperately needs a blood transfusion, Homer discovers Bart has Burns's rare blood type. Homer urges his son to donate some, promising that they will be handsomely rewarded. However having received the blood, all Burns does is send the family a card. Enraged, Homer writes an insulting reply, but Marge convinces him at the last minute not to send it, but Bart unknowingly mails it anyway. Mr. Burns becomes furious and demands that Homer be beaten. Smithers calls off the beating, however, on the grounds that this action is no way to thank the man who saved Mr. Burns's life. He convinces Burns to instead buy the family a present.[44] 

[edit] DVD release

The DVD boxset for season two was released by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Canada on August 6, 2002, eleven years after it had completed broadcast on television. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including commentaries for every episode.

The Complete Second Season
Set Details[45][46] Special Features[45][46]
  • Optional commentaries for all 22 episodes
  • An early interview with James L. Brooks and Matt Groening
  • Bart at the American Music Awards (with commentary)
  • The Simpsons presenting at the Emmy Awards
  • "Do The Bartman" music video (director's cut with commentary)
  • "Deep, Deep Trouble" music video (with commentary)
  • Featurette: "Creation of an Episode"
  • Foreign language clips
  • Butterfinger commercials
  • Gallery (Barbara Bush letters, animation, magazine covers)
  • Early sketches
Release Dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
August 6, 2002 July 8, 2002 September, 2002

[edit] References

  • Richmond, Ray; Antonia Coffman (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers, pp. 14-15. ISBN 0-00-638898-1. 
  • Martyn, Warren; Adrian Wood (2000). I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0753504956. 
  1. ^ a b Richmond, p. 34
  2. ^ Emmy Awards official site "The Simpsons" "1991 - 1991" emmys.org. Retrieved on August 31, 2007
  3. ^ a b c Jean, Al. (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart Gets an F" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  4. ^ Silverman, David. (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart Gets an F" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  5. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Bart Gets an F. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  6. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). The Simpsons Hallowe'en Special. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  7. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Dead Putting Society. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  8. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Bart vs. Thanksgiving. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  9. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Bart the Daredevil. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  10. ^ a b Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Itchy & Scratchy & Marge. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  11. ^ a b c Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Bart Gets Hit by a Car. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  12. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). The Way We Was. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  13. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  14. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Principal Charming. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  15. ^ a b Richmond, p. 49
  16. ^ a b Richmond, p. 52
  17. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). Three Men and a Comic Book. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
  18. ^ a b Daniel Cerone. "'Simpsons' steals away Cosby viewers", Los Angeles Times, 1991-05-09, p. 4. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  19. ^ a b Reiss, Mike. (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart Gets an F" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  20. ^ a b Groening, Matt. (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart Gets an F" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  21. ^ Walt Belcher. "" The Simpsons ,' "Cosby' square off in second round", The Tampa Tribune, 1990-10-18, p. 6F. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  22. ^ Scott D. Pierce. "Don't have a cow, man! More viewers watch 'The Simpsons' than 'Cosby'!", The Deseret News, 1990-10-18, p. C5. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  23. ^ "Bart vs. Bill results in a split decision!", The Record, 1990-10-23, p. B8. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  24. ^ Deborah Hastings. "'Satanic Verses' author boon to 60 Minutes", Sun-Sentinel, 1990-11-01, p. 4E. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  25. ^ "Nielsen ratings", The Tampa Tribune, 1991-05-15, p. 4. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  26. ^ Richmond, p. 35
  27. ^ Richmond, pp. 36-37
  28. ^ Richmond, p. 38
  29. ^ Richmond, p. 39
  30. ^ Richmond, p. 40
  31. ^ Richmond, p. 41
  32. ^ Richmond, p. 42
  33. ^ Richmond, p. 43
  34. ^ Richmond, p. 44
  35. ^ Richmond, p. 45
  36. ^ Richmond, pp. 46-47
  37. ^ Richmond, p. 48
  38. ^ Richmond, p. 50
  39. ^ Richmond, p. 51
  40. ^ Richmond, p. 53
  41. ^ Richmond, p. 54
  42. ^ Richmond, p. 55
  43. ^ Richmond, pp. 56-57
  44. ^ Richmond, pp. 58-59
  45. ^ a b c d e Simpsons, The - The Complete 2nd Season. TV Shows on DVD.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
  46. ^ a b The Simpsons Season 2 DVD. The Simpsons Shop. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.

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