- This is only a draft and should not be considered policy.
[edit] Style guide
The Simpsons is an American show and therefore all the pages related to the show, use American spelling.
Italicize when referring to TV shows such as The Simpsons and use quotes when referring to a single episode. Example:
- "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" is the first episode of The Simpsons.
[edit] Episodes
The article should follow this basic structure:
The lead should be written in the basic form shown below. Items in [ ] are the fields that need to be changed.
"Episode's name" is the [number ie. first] episode of The Simpsons' [linked season number ie. first season], that originally aired [original airdate]. It was written by [writer's name] and directed by [director's name]. (If applicable) It saw [guest star(s) name] guest star as [character name/themselves]. The episode sees [one sentence plot introduction].
Follow this with a summary of the production section, key cultural references and reception sections.
| Section |
What to include |
| Plot: |
It should only be a summary. Try to avoid describing the episode scene by scene and definitely avoid recreating jokes. The latter rarely works well and nobody wants to have jokes explained. A few paragraphs is the most needed. |
| Production: |
How was this episode produced? What were the thoughts of the writers, producers and voice actors? This type of information can typically be found on the Simpsons DVDs. Was there written a special song for the episode or did it include an already known song. Did anything special happen during the broadcasting of the episode? As explained the Simpsons DVD commentaries are the best thing for this, they are the most useful reference avaliable. |
| Reception: |
Has this episode been reviewed by a notable reviewer or commented somewhere else? Has it been nominated for an award or even won one? If this episode had an impact on popular culture, explain this. Did it make the Entertainment Weekly top 25 list for example? Was there any controversy generated by the episode, whichever country it was? |
| Cultural references: |
These should only be mentioned if they are sourced. The section should be written in prose form instead of a list form using bullet points. |
| Anything else: |
Anything else specific about the episode that should be included, such as the soundtrack section in the "Homerpalooza" article, the theme section in "Homer's Phobia" and the merchandise section in "A Streetcar Named Marge". |
| References: |
These are the key to articles. Any reviews or ratings can be used. And of course the DVD commentaries. This book The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family and this BBC link[1] will also help. Searches for old newspaper entries and other online sources may also be useful, if such things exist. |
| External links: |
Its page at The Simpsons.com, IMDB, TV.com and its SNPP episode capsule. Plus websites made from events in the episode such as whatbadgerseat.com. |
It should be noted that a collection of quotes doesn't belong to Wikipedia (see Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not), but instead belongs to Wikiquote. Therefore a link should be provided to the relevant section on Wikiquote.
Link like this, substituting the name and number to correspond with your episode. In this the number is 7.24.
{{wikiquote|The_Simpsons#Homerpalooza_.5B7.24.5D|"Homerpalooza"}}
Also do not provide any air dates other than the original US run, as this is the complete original date that the episode was played anywhere. Wikipedia is not a TV guide.
[edit] Characters
Troy McClure and Homer Simpson are useful as guides.
