The Simpsons (season 17)

The Simpsons Season 17
Series The Simpsons
Country of origin USA
Network Fox
Original run September 11, 2005 –
May 21, 2006
No. of episodes 22
Previous season 16
Next season 18

The Simpsons' seventeenth season originally aired between September 2005 and May 2006, beginning on Sunday, September 11, 2005. It broke Fox's tradition of pushing its shows' season premieres back to November to accommodate the Major League Baseball games airing on the network during September and October of each year.[1]

Al Jean remained show runner, with this being his fifth year in the position since he started it in season 13. David Silverman was the supervising director of animation. New writers included Patric Verrone (previously a writer on Futurama and president of the Writers Guild of America, west), Daniel Chun, and Stephane Gillis.

Seven hold-over episodes from the season 16 (GABF) production line, were aired as part of this season. One of these episodes, "The Girl Who Slept Too Little", was intended to air as the season 16 finale on May 15, 2005, but after "The Father, The Son, and The Holy Guest Star", an episode satirizing the Catholic Church, was postponed due to Pope John Paul II's death, it was moved into this season.[2]

"The Seemingly Never-Ending Story" won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, the first Simpsons episode to win since season 14's "Three Gays of the Condo" and the ninth time in the history of the show.[3] Kelsey Grammer received the Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for "The Italian Bob".[4]

Contents

List of episodes

# Original airdate Production code Title
357 - 1701 September 11 GABF18 Bonfire of the Manatees
After Homer gets into trouble over his football gambling debts, he allows the Mob to shoot a "snuggle" film in the house without Marge's permission. When she and the kids return home from a trip to "Santa's Village" and find production still going on, Marge leaves. Later she encounters Caleb Thorn, a marine biologist, with a passion for saving the endangered manatee.[5]
358 - 1702 September 18 GABF16 The Girl Who Slept Too Little
After the family successfully protest against a stamp museum being built next to their house, it is built on the cemetery lot instead. The cemetery is then moved next to the Simpson's house, this results in Lisa beginning to suffer from fright-induced insomnia.[6]
359 - 1703 September 25 GABF19 Milhouse of Sand and Fog
Homer tries to capitalize on a "pox party" after Maggie is infected with chicken pox, but ends up catching it himself. As a result, Milhouse's parents get back together, but he and Bart try to separate them again so that Milhouse gets more attention. They plant a bra in Kirk's bed, but the plan backfires as it turns out to be one of Marge's. Luanne and Homer believe that Marge is having an affair with Kirk, leaving Bart to realize that he may have ended his own parent's marriage.[7]
360 - 1704 November 6 GABF17 Treehouse of Horror XVI
B.I.: Bartificial Intelligence – After Bart jumps from a roof to a swimming pool he falls into a possibly-permanent coma. The family decide to get a robot boy to replace him, and take one in with the name of David. He quickly proves to be a much better son than Bart ever was.

Survival of the Fattest – Homer and others are unwilling contestants on "The World Series of Manhunter", a survival game in which Mr Burns tries to kill them all. Homer manages to survive the night as everyone else is killed and finds himself alone and running for his life.

I've Grown a Costume on Your Face – After she loses a Halloween costume contest, a witch turns the townspeople into their Halloween costumes. Lisa realises that only Maggie has the power to change them back.[8]

361 - 1705 November 13 GABF20 Marge's Son Poisoning
Marge buys a tandem bicycle and after she fails to ride it on her own, Bart offers to ride with her. He soon finds himself increasingly spending time with his mother, until school bullies accuse him of being a "mama's boy". Homer purchases a dumb-bell, and after his right arm becomes muscular after thousands of reps, Moe encourages him to enter an arm-wrestling tournament.[9]
362 - 1706 November 20 GABF21 See Homer Run
In order to win back Lisa's love, Homer takes a job as a costumed "Safety Salamander", in the process winning public acclaim for saving numerous lives after an auto pile-up. Emboldened, he runs against Mayor Quimby after the citizens of Springfield demand a recall election.[10]
363 - 1707 November 27 GABF22 The Last of the Red Hat Mamas
Marge joins a woman's group after Homer gets distanced from her, but Marge's new friends turn out to be thieves who are planning a heist. Meanwhile, Lisa is taught Italian by Milhouse in order to enjoy a vacation in Italy.[11]
364 - 1708 December 11 HABF02 The Italian Bob
After Mr. Burns crashes his car, he sends Homer and the family off to Italy to pick up his new fancy sports car. While on their Italian adventure, the Simpsons end up stranded in a small Italian village where a rehabilitated Sideshow Bob reigns as mayor. Sideshow Bob impresses the Simpsons enough so that they keep his sordid past a secret until one of the family members, in a wine-induced state, spills the beans.[12]
365 - 1709 December 18 HABF01 Simpsons Christmas Stories
A Christmas episode, consisting of three stories:
  • The First (Annoyed Grunt)-El - Homer gives a nativity sermon in church.
  • I Saw Grampa Cussing Santa Claus - Mr. Burns and Grampa are stranded on an island, in a World War II flashback.
  • The Nutcracker...Sweet - A parody of The Nutcracker.[13]
366 - 1710 January 8 HABF03 Homer's Paternity Coot
Smoke from the "Springfield Tire Fire" melts some of the snow on Mt. Springfield revealing a frozen mailman. One of his old letters is addressed to Homer's mother, and seems to suggest that Grampa may not be Homer's real father.[14]
  • Michael York, William H. Macy and Joe Frazier guest star
367 - 1711 January 29 HABF04 We're on the Road to D'ohwhere
After Bart steals a key from Principal Skinner's office and gets himself into hot water, Marge and Homer send him to a "behavior modification camp." Homer is forced to cancel his much-anticipated trip to Las Vegas in order to drive Bart to the camp, but on the way there, Homer decides it is a great time to bond with Bart.[15]
368 - 1712 February 26 HABF05 My Fair Laddy
When Bart accidentally destroys Groundskeeper Willie's shack, Marge takes in the homeless janitor. Lisa decides to offer Willie a better life by refining him for her upcoming science fair, and after an arduous regimen, she turns the curmudgeon into the talk of the town. Meanwhile, Homer fears changing trouser styles when he discovers the factory that makes his classic blue pants is going out of business.[16]
369 - 1713 March 12 HABF06 The Seemingly Never-Ending Story
While cave exploring with his family, Homer causes the cave to crumble and finds himself stuck upside down in the ceiling. Marge and Bart search for help while Lisa passes the time by telling Homer a story, which turns into a chain of narrated tales.[17]
  • Emmy Award winning episode.
370 - 1714 March 19 HABF07 Bart Has Two Mommies
Ned Flanders wins a new computer and offers it to Marge, as he has no use for it. In return, Marge babysits the Flanders children. With Marge spending so much time at The Flanders', Homer must look after Bart and Lisa. Homer takes the kids to an animal retirement home, but the trip goes awry when Toot-Toot the monkey pulls Bart into her cage and holds him hostage. Marge learns of the kidnapping when it is a breaking news report and she must figure out a way to get her son back.[18]
371 - 1715 March 26 HABF08 Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife
Homer's obsession with Lenny's new plasma TV prompts Marge to enter the family in a sweepstakes, and they win a trip to the Fox Studio Lot. Against Marge's wishes, Homer signs them up for a "Trading Spouses"-type show and is forced to take in a controlling wife, while Marge moves in with a beaten-down husband, Charlie, and his perfect son. Charlie quickly develops a crush on Marge, while she tries to give him the strength to stand up to his own wife.[19]
  • Written by and guest-starring Ricky Gervais.
372 - 1716 April 2 HABF09 Million Dollar Abie
When Springfield builds a new stadium for a new NFL team, Grampa is driven to suicide when he makes the new NFL team go to another place. However, Grampa is given a second chance and he intends to live his life to the fullest as a bullfighter in Springfield's new bullring.[20]
373 - 1717 April 9 HABF10 Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore
Patty and Selma abduct their long-loved MacGyver star, Richard Dean Anderson, during the Springfield Stargate SG-1 convention. Mr. Burns outsources the nuclear power plant to India, and leaves Homer in charge of training the new employees.[21]
374 - 1718 April 23 HABF11 The Wettest Stories Ever Told
A dinner at the Frying Dutchman gone wrong turns into an excuse for another anthology show, this time with a nautical theme - Lisa tells about the Mayflower voyage, Bart tells about mutiny in Tahiti, and Homer tells about capsizing cruise ships.[22]
375 - 1719 April 30 HABF12 Girls Just Want to Have Sums
Frances McDormand guest voices as the new principal at Springfield Elementary (after Skinner is fired following a sexist remark made at a performance of Itchy & Scratchy: The Musical) - or at least, what was Springfield Elementary, before she turns it into separate boys-only and girls-only schools, prompting Lisa, who realizes that the girls aren't being taught very much (especially in math) to masquerade as a boy so she can attend the boys' school and actually learn something important.[23]
376 - 1720 May 7 HABF13 Regarding Margie
Marge did not read those "use only in a well-ventilated area" warnings on the cleaning bottles carefully enough while she was spring cleaning, as she can no longer remember a few things, like the fact that she is married.[24]
  • Sal Bando and Gene Tenace guest star
377 - 1721 May 14 HABF14 The Monkey Suit
Lisa is arrested for defying the new law in Springfield against teaching evolution after Reverend Lovejoy is appointed by Mayor Quimby (at Ned Flanders's request) to be the town's new "morality czar" in charge of promoting creationism. A comment made in the show's first season comes back to save her.[25]
  • Melanie Griffith and Larry Hagman guest star
378 - 1722 May 21 HABF16 Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play
The Springfield Isotopes's star first baseman sees Homer and Marge kissing on the Jumbotron and asks them to help him with his marriage, but when Homer gets caught giving a neck massage to the player's wife, it is a twin bill of marital ill.[26]

References

  1. "FOX Announces Fall Premiere Dates For the 2005-2006 Season", The Futon Critic (2005-07-11). Retrieved on 2006-04-23. 
  2. Scott Pierce (2005-05-14). "Saturday and Sunday on TV", Deseret News (Salt Lake City), at Findarticles.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12. 
  3. "Simpsons wins ninth cartoon Emmy", BBC News (2006-08-20). Retrieved on 2007-02-09. 
  4. Todd Leopold (2006-08-24). "Welcome to the Emmy 'mess'", CNN. Retrieved on 2007-02-12. 
  5. ""Bonfire of the Manatees"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  6. ""The Girl Who Slept Too Little"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  7. ""Milhouse of Sand and Fog"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  8. ""Treehouse of Horror XVI"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  9. ""Marge's Son Poisoning"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  10. ""See Homer Run"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  11. ""The Last of the Red Hat Mamas"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  12. ""The Italian Bob"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  13. ""Simpsons Christmas Stories"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  14. ""Homer's Paternity Coot"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  15. ""We're on the Road to D'ohwhere"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  16. ""My Fair Laddy"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  17. ""The Seemingly Never-Ending Story"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  18. ""Bart Has Two Mommies"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  19. ""Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  20. ""Million Dollar Abie"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  21. ""Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  22. ""The Wettest Stories Ever Told"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  23. ""Girls Just Want To Have Sums"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  24. ""Regarding Margie"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  25. ""The Monkey Suit"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  26. ""Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play"". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.

External links

See also