The Simpsons season 21: Difference between revisions

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			{{Short description\|Season of television series}}
	{{infobox tvseason \|
			{{Use mdy dates\|date=September 2016}}
	\| season_name = The Simpsons'' Season 21
			{{Infobox television season
	\| headercolour = #FADA00
			\| season_number = 21
	\| show_name = ]
			\| bgcolour = #A90E63
	\| image =
			\| image = The Simpsons–S21.jpg
	\| caption =
			\| caption = Digital purchase image featuring ]
	\| dvd_release_date =
			\| showrunner = ]
	\| dvd_format =
	\| ~~country~~ = ]		\| network = ]
			\| first_aired = {{Start date\|2009\|9\|27}}
	\| network = ]
			\| last_aired = {{End date\|2010\|5\|23}}
	\| first_aired = September 27, 2009<ref name=Premiere/>
			\| num_episodes = 23
	\| last_aired =
			\| episode_list = List of The Simpsons episodes
	\| num_episodes = 22
			}}
	\| prev_season = ]
			The '''twenty-first season''' of the American ]'' ]'' aired on ] from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010. It was the first of two seasons that the show was renewed for by Fox,<ref name=Premiere>{{cite web\|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z1z25z1z8&ID=4967\|title=Fox announces Fall premiere dates for the 2009-2010 season\|date=June 15, 2009\|access-date=June 15, 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715041459/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z1z25z1z8&ID=4967\|archive-date=July 15, 2009\|url-status=dead\|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|title="Best. News. Ever. Fox renews hit animated series "The Simpsons" for two additional\|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z175z17z8&ID=4786\|publisher=FoxFlash\|date=February 26, 2009\|access-date=February 26, 2009\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130173021/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z175z17z8&ID=4786\|archive-date=January 30, 2011\|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=8533 \|title=Breaking News — Exclusive: FOX Sets 2009-10 Season Finale Dates \|website=] \|access-date=April 10, 2010 \|archive-date=August 9, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809041922/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=8533 \|url-status=live }}</ref> and also the first season of the show to air entirely in ], ] having nine holdover episodes from ] that were in standard definition. The season was produced by ] and ]. Executive producer ] remained the showrunner.
	\| next_season =

	\|}}
	~~''''']''{{'}} twenty-first~~ season~~''' will air on ] starting on September 27~~, 2009.<ref name=Premiere>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z1z25z1z8&ID=4967\|title=Fox announces Fall premiere dates for the 2009-2010 season\|date=2009-06-15\|accessdate=2009-06-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|title="Best. News. Ever. Fox renews hit animated series "The Simpsons" for two additional \|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z175z17z8&ID=4786\|publisher=FoxFlash\|date=2009-02-26\|accessdate=2009-02-26}}</ref> The season will establish ''The Simpsons'' as the longest running American primetime television series, ~~replacing~~ '']'' ~~for that distinction~~.<ref>{{cite web\|url=~~http~~://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Television/story?id=5888441&page=1\|title='The Simpsons' Hits a Landmark\|~~author~~=Bill Keveney\|date=]\|~~accessdate~~=2008~~-10-02~~\|publisher=]}}</ref>		With this season, ''The Simpsons'' established itself as the longest-running American primetime television series surpassing '']''.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Television/story?id=5888441&page=1\|title='The Simpsons' Hits a Landmark\|first=Bill\|last=Keveney\|date=September 28, 2008\|access-date=October 2, 2008\|publisher=]\|archive-date=October 2, 2008\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002190521/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Television/Story?id=5888441&page=1\|url-status=live}}</ref>

			The season received mainly positive reviews from critics, with many praising "]", "]" and "]". The show moved up 16 positions in the ] from the previous season and received numerous award nominations, winning two — an ] for ] for her voicing in "]", and an ] for "]".

			==Voice cast & characters==
			{{Main\|List of The Simpsons characters}}

			===Main cast===
			* ] as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and various others
			* ] as ], ], ] and ]
			* ] as ], ], ], ], ], and various others
			* ] as ]
			* ] as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and various others
			* ] as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and various others

			===Supporting cast===
			* ] as ], ], ], ], ] and various others
			* ] as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and various others
			* ] as additional characters
			* ] as ], ], ] and ]
			* ] as ], ], ], ] and various others

	__TOC__
	==Episodes==		==Episodes==
			{{see also\|List of The Simpsons episodes}}
	{\| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" "width:98%;"
			<onlyinclude>{{#invoke:Episode table\|main
	\|-
			\|background=#A90E63
	! style="background-color: #FADA00;"\| #
			\|overall = 5
	! style="background-color: #FADA00;"\| Original title
			\|season = 5
	! style="background-color: #FADA00;"\| Directed by
			\|title = 26
	! style="background-color: #FADA00;"\| Written by
			\|director = 14
	! style="background-color: #FADA00;"\|Original airdate
			\|writer = 22
	! style="background-color: #FADA00;"\|Prod. code
			\|airdate = 12
	{{Episode list
			\|prodcode = 7
	\|EpisodeNumber=442 - 1
			\|viewers = 9
			\|country = U.S.
			\|episodes =
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=442
			\|EpisodeNumber2=1
	\|Title=]		\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=]
	\|OriginalAirDate = September 27, 2009<ref name=futonprem>http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090806fox02</ref>
			\|WrittenBy=] & ]
	\|DirectedBy=TBA
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2009\|9\|27}}
	\|WrittenBy=]<br>]
	\|ProdCode=LABF13		\|ProdCode=LABF13
	\|ShortSummary=] creates a new superhero called Everyman who takes powers from other superheroes. Homer is cast as the lead in the film adaptation. To get Homer into shape, the movie studio hires a celebrity fitness trainer, Lyle McCarthy to help him. Homer gets into great shape but the ~~film~~ is ~~canceled~~, and ~~his~~ ~~life~~ ~~falls~~ ~~apart~~.<br/>Guest ~~star~~: Seth Rogen		\|ShortSummary=] creates a new superhero called Everyman who takes powers from other superheroes. ] is cast as the lead in the film adaptation. To get Homer into shape, the movie studio hires celebrity fitness trainer Lyle McCarthy to help him. Homer gets into great shape, but when the trainer leaves to work on another movie, Homer regains his weight. As a result, the movie contains scenes of Homer with different body types. The premiere is disastrous, and Comic Book Guy gives it a terrible review. Because the move is not profitable, sequels are prohibited from being made.<br />''Guest Stars'': ], ] and ]
			\| Viewers = 8.31<ref name="Rocks">{{cite web\|title=Sunday Ratings: 'Cleveland' Rocks, 'Housewives' Takes a Hit\|url=https://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/sunday-ratings-cleveland-rocks-housewives-takes-hit-7865\|work=]\|date=September 28, 2009\|access-date=September 28, 2009\|last=Adalian\|first=Josef\|archive-date=October 1, 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001143501/http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/sunday-ratings-cleveland-rocks-housewives-takes-hit-7865\|url-status=live}}</ref>
	\|LineColor=FADA00
			\|LineColor=A90E63
	}}		}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
	\|}
			\|EpisodeNumber=443
			\|EpisodeNumber2=2
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=]
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2009\|10\|4}}
			\|ProdCode=LABF15
			\|ShortSummary=] is fired for drinking alcohol on the job because her students added it to her coffee. She is replaced with a young teacher named Zachary Vaughn. Although ] likes his new teacher, he feels guilty for getting Edna fired, so he gets her a self-help book to help fulfill her dreams. She opens a muffin shop. When Bart confesses what he did, Edna is angered because her real dream is to be a teacher and calls Bart a bad boy. He tells ] what he did, but he is unable to rehire Edna. When Zachary gets drunk and insults the schoolchildren, Edna returns and forces the students to eat her muffins as punishment.
			\|Viewers = 9.37<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/10/12/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-october-11-2009/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, October 11, 2009\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=October 12, 2009\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=October 8, 2011\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008003906/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/10/12/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-october-11-2009/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=444
			\|EpisodeNumber2=3
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=]
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2009\|10\|11}}
			\|ProdCode=LABF16
			\|ShortSummary=When the men and boys of Springfield become obsessed with mixed martial arts, ] leads a protest when she catches Bart fighting in school. The sport's creator, Chett Englebrit, agrees to end it if Marge defeats him in a match. After training, the match begins with Chett immediately knocking down Marge. When Bart enters the ring to defend her, Chett injures him. Enraged, Marge knocks out Chett. Victorious, Marge makes a speech about ending violence, but the audience has already gone to the parking lot to watch two other people fight.<br />''Guest Star'': ]
			\|Viewers = 7.60<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/10/19/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-october-18-2009/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, October 18, 2009\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=October 19, 2009\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=August 16, 2011\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816195154/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/10/19/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-october-18-2009/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=445
			\|EpisodeNumber2=4
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=] & Matthew Schofield
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2009\|10\|18}}
			\|ProdCode=LABF14
			\|ShortSummary= In the twentieth annual ''Simpsons'' Halloween special:

			* '''"Dial "M" for Murder or Press "#" to Return to Main Menu":''' ] conspires with Bart to get revenge on their teachers after ] sends Lisa to detention. However, when Bart kills Hoover, but Lisa does not kill Mrs. Krabappel, he tries to blackmail her. To stop him, Lisa chases Bart with a knife until she declares she is not a murderer. She throws the knife away, but it flies back and kills Bart.
	===Known titles===
	* "Treehouse of Horror XX"<ref name=ign/>
	* "Bart Gets a 'Z'"<ref> Reg. # PAu003363693 in the Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref>
	* LABF16 - "The Great Wife Hope"<ref>Reg. # PAu003362813 in the Retrieved on September 12, 2008.</ref>
	* LABF17 - "The Devil Wears Nada"<ref>Reg. # PAu003367052 in the Retrieved on January 8, 2009.</ref>
	* LABF18 - "Pranks and Greens"<ref>Reg. # PAu003365033 in the Retrieved on December 5, 2008.</ref>
	* LABF19 - "Rednecks and Broomsticks"<ref>Reg. # PAu003369231 in the Retrieved on January 16, 2009.</ref>
	* LABF20 - "Once Upon a Time in Springfield"<ref>Reg. # PAu003371153 in the Retrieved on February 12, 2009.</ref>

			* '''"Don't Have a Cow, Mankind":''' ] introduces a new hamburger made from cows that have eaten other cows. The burgers turn the townsfolk into zombies, but the Simpsons have survived. When they learn Bart is immune, the family make their way to a safe zone to develop a cure. Upon arrival, Bart is made to bathe in people's food to gain immunity.
	===Known plots and guest stars===
	* ] will guest star in the episode "Pranks and Greens" as Andy, an adult prankster.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://au.tv.ign.com/dor/objects/823209/thesimpsons/videos/simpsons_jean_012809.html\|title=The Simpsons TV Interview - Al Jean \|date=2009-01-29\|accessdate=2009-01-30\|publisher=]}}</ref><ref name=futonprem/>
	*"]," the twentieth '']'' episode, will air in 2009. It will include a segment that features elements of the films '']'' and '']'' where ] serves hamburgers made from "]" and turns the citizens of Springfield into zombies. The two other stories see Bart and Lisa become involved in a murder scheme, and Homer's blood becomes a secret ingredient in a new beer brewed by ].<ref name="Fox">{{Cite web\|url=http://www.fox.com/programming/shows/?sh=simpsons\|title=The Simpsons\|publisher=Fox Broadcasting Company\|accessdate=2009-05-24}}</ref> The opening sequence will feature a parody of the 1960 film '']''.<ref name=ign>{{Cite web\|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/100/1007517p1.html\|title=SDCC 09: The Simpsons' Treehouse of Comic-Con\|author=Pirrello, Phil\|date=2009-07-25\|accessdate=2009-07-26\|publisher=IGN}}</ref>
	*The ], ], ] and ] will guest star in an episode in which Bart is jealous that Lisa has a little sister and fantasizes that he has a brother. The episode will air in December 2009. Jean said having the Smothers Brothers, who will sing a song over the end credits, on the show was "a dream come true." All three Mannings recorded their parts in New Orleans under the supervision of ''The Simpsons'' writer ]. Jean said the staff liked Peyton's work on '']'', "and Cooper is really funny, too. They were really good ."<ref name="Walker">{{cite news\|url=http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2009/08/add_cooper_to_manning_brothers.html\|title=Add Cooper to Manning brothers' voices on 'The Simpsons'\|last=Walker\|first=Dave\|date=August 7, 2009\|work=]\|publisher=NOLA.com\|accessdate=2009-08-08}}</ref>
	* ] will guest star in "Rednecks and Broomsticks" as a ] called Cassandra who the townspeople believe has cursed them.<ref name=futonprem/>
	* An episode in February to coincide with the ] will feature Marge and Homer taking up ] and participating in a mixed-doubles event with Agnes ].<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=13428.html\|title=Homer and Marge join a curling team as the Simpsons pay homage to the popular sport \|author=Graveland, Bill\|publisher=]\|accessdate=2009-08-23\|date=2009-07-28}}</ref> The writers wanted an Olympics-themed episode, and the script was written by ]. LaZebnik originally considered having the plot revolve around Homer competing in four-man ] but decided a curling episode would allow for the plot to revolve around Homer and Marge.<ref>{{Cite web\|title=The Simpsons pay homage to curling\|url=http://www.winnipegsun.com/sports/curling/2009/07/28/10293091.html\|publisher=The Canadian Press\|work=]\|date=2009-07-28\|accessdate=2009-08-23}}</ref>
	*] will return to the show in the episode "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", this time voicing an actress playing Princess Penelope drafted in to the ''Krusty the Clown Show'' to generate more young, female viewers and ends up in a relationship with Krusty.<ref name=coldplay/> ] will return to voice Krusty the Clown's father ].<ref name="Fox"/> ] also recorded a role before her death in December 2008.<ref name=coldplay>{{cite news\|url=http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/07/24/the-simpsons-coldplays-chris-martin-sarah-silverman-among-season-21-guests/\|title='The Simpsons': Coldplay's Chris Martin, Sarah Silverman among season 21 guests\|date=2009-07-24\|accessdate=2009-07-25\|work=]\|author=Dan Snierson}}</ref><ref name=futonprem/>
	*] will guest star in an episode which sees Homer win the lottery and hire Martin and the rest of ] to play for him and Bart.<ref name=coldplay/>
	*] will play Bart's new girlfriend "who alternately loves him and hates him for no reason."<ref name=coldplay/>
	*],<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/100/1007576p1.html\|title=SDCC 09: Green Hornet's Coming To Springfield\|author=Pirrello, Phil\|date=2009-07-26\|accessdate=2009-07-26\|publisher=IGN}}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-jordanpete28-2009may28,0,7055067.story\|title=Jordan Nagai, 'Up'\|author=King, Susan\|date=2009-05-28\|accessdate=2009-05-28\|work=]}}</ref> ], ] and ] are to guest star in yet to be announced episodes.<ref name=coldplay/><ref name=futonprem/>

			* '''"There's No Business Like Moe Business":''' ] creates a new beer that becomes a sensation thanks to Homer being impaled on the microbrew machine and bleeding into the beer supply. Moe tries to woo Marge by saying Homer left her, but Homer returns and hurls Moe away to reunite with Marge.
	==20th anniversary==
			\|Viewers = 8.69<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/11/16/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-november-15-2009/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, November 15, 2009\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=November 16, 2009\|access-date=June 14, 2023\|archive-date=March 4, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304025303/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/11/16/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-november-15-2009/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
	In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of ''The Simpsons'', Fox announced earlier in the year that a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever." would run from January 14, 2009 to January 14, 2010.<ref>{{Cite web\|title=Simpsons Poster Contest Will Have Fans Seeing Yellow\|url=http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/01/simpsons-poster.html\|work=]\|author=Wallace, Lewis\|date=2009-01-13\|accessdate=2009-01-14}}</ref> As part of the celebration, documentary filmmaker ] will direct and produce '']'', a documentary special that will examine the "cultural phenomenon of ''The Simpsons''". It will air on January 14, 2010 on Fox.<ref>{{Cite web\|title=Morgan Spurlock tapped for 'The Simpsons' 20th anniversary special\|url=http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/07/morgan-spurlock-tapped-for-the-simpsons-20th-anniversary-special.html\|work=]\|date=2009-07-13\|author=Ward, Kate\|accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.edmontonsun.com/entertainment/dailydish/2009/07/14/10124536-sun.html\|work=]\|accessdate=2009-07-15\|date=2009-07-14\|title=The Simpsons to celebrate in style\|author=Harris, Bill}}</ref> Production began at ]. It will include interviews with the cast and fans of the show. Despite the title, Spurlock says the special "most likely will not be in 3-D nor on ice."<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/07/13/morgan-spurlock-spills-the-beans-on-his-upcoming-simpsons-doc/\|title=Morgan Spurlock Spills the Beans on his Upcoming “Simpsons” Doc\|date=2009-07-13\|accessdate=2009-07-15\|author=Kung, Michelle\|work=]}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=446
			\|EpisodeNumber2=5
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=]
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2009\|11\|15}}
			\|ProdCode=LABF17
			\|ShortSummary=Marge becomes a sex symbol after pin-up pictures of her appear on a calendar. Meanwhile, ] is chosen as the Springfield Nuclear Plant's newest supervisor, and Homer gets hired as Carl's assistant. Homer is quickly exhausted by his work and is unable to be with Marge, whose libido has increased because of the calendar shoot. When Homer and Carl go to Paris on business, an angry Marge accidentally hurts ], so she invites him over for dinner. When Carl flirts with a woman in Paris, Homer blackmails him to get his old job back. Meanwhile, Marge is tempted to kiss Ned at dinner until she sees her wedding photo and stops herself.<ref name="Fences">{{cite web\|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20091015fox01\|title=Swing for the Fences this November on Fox\|website=]\|access-date=October 15, 2009\|archive-date=March 4, 2021\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304224906/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20091015fox01\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|Viewers = 9.13<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/11/23/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-november-22-2009\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, November 22, 2009\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=November 23, 2009\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=December 4, 2010\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204090408/http://yourentertainmentnow.com:80/2009/11/23/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-november-22-2009\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=447
			\|EpisodeNumber2=6
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=]
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2009\|11\|22}}
			\|ProdCode=LABF18
			\|ShortSummary=Bart learns that the best prankster in Springfield Elementary history was Andy Hamilton, who trapped Principal Skinner in a pool of worms for three days. Bart finds him and sees that he is unemployed and living with his mother. Bart gets him a job as Krusty's assistant. When he learns that Krusty made a large order for worms, he is worried that Andy is repeating his prank. However, he learns that it is part of an act, and Andy has been made a writer on the show. Meanwhile, Marge is chastised by the other mothers in her social circle for not serving healthy snacks. At their next meeting, Marge serves healthy food, but when they see the food was prepared on pots containing dangerous chemicals, they immediately run to an ambulance. Marge realizes she prefers eating unhealthy food.<ref name="Fences"/><br />''Guest Star'': ]
			\|Viewers =6.88<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/11/30/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-november-29-2009/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, November 29, 2009\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=November 30, 2009\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=March 18, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318034203/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/11/30/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-november-29-2009/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=448
			\|EpisodeNumber2=7
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=] & ]
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2009\|11\|29}}
			\|ProdCode=LABF19
			\|ShortSummary=As the Simpsons drive home from a vacation, Homer loses control of the car, and it lands in a frozen lake. ] rescues them, and he invites Homer to taste his moonshine. Bart and Lisa play with the Spuckler children, and Lisa gets lost in the woods and encounters three girls who are practicing Wiccans. Lisa is invited to join their coven, but they are arrested for witchcraft. They cast a spell, and some townsfolk at temporarily blinded. Although they are acquitted, the townsfolk decide to drown them. However, Lisa proves that their blindness was caused by Homer and Cletus throwing their moonshine into the river, the source of their drinking water, because they thought the police were coming to arrest them instead of the Wiccans. The girls are released.<br />''Guest Star'': ]<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=11&d=26\|publisher=FoxFlash\|title=November 22 - November 28\|access-date=November 13, 2009\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106170158/http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=11&d=26\|archive-date=January 6, 2010\|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
			\|Viewers =8.87<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/12/07/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-december-6-2009/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, December 6, 2009\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=December 7, 2009\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=August 16, 2011\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816233925/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2009/12/07/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-december-6-2009/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=449
			\|EpisodeNumber2=8
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=]
			\|WrittenBy=Matt Selman
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2009\|12\|13}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF01
			\|ShortSummary=Jealous of Lisa and ]'s sisterly bond, Bart decides he wants a baby brother to call his own. He fails to convince Homer and Marge to have another child, so he tries to adapt a boy at an orphanage. Although he is denied, a boy named Charlie follows him home. Bart and Charlie have fun together, but when Charlies gets scared watching a horror movie, Bart learns he must be responsible with him. Lisa says Charlie needs to return to the orphanage, so Bart takes him back. Charlie is later adapted by a family with six daughters.<ref name="Walker">{{cite news\|url=http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2009/08/add_cooper_to_manning_brothers.html\|title=Add Cooper to Manning brothers' voices on 'The Simpsons'\|last=Walker\|first=Dave\|date=August 7, 2009\|work=]\|publisher=NOLA.com\|access-date=August 8, 2009\|archive-date=October 19, 2015\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019032623/http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2009/08/add_cooper_to_manning_brothers.html\|url-status=live}}</ref> <br />''Guest Stars'': ], ], ], ], ], ] and the ]<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=12&d=13 \|title=Fox Primetime \|publisher=Fox Flash \|access-date=April 10, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213104305/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=12&d=13 \|archive-date=December 13, 2012 \|df=mdy-all }}</ref>
			\|Viewers=6.97<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/01/04/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-january-3-2010/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, January 3, 2010\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=January 4, 2010\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=January 9, 2010\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109151311/http://yourentertainmentnow.com:80/2010/01/04/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-january-3-2010/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=450
			\|EpisodeNumber2=9
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Mike Frank Polcino
			\|WrittenBy=] & Mitchell H. Glazer
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|1\|3}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF02
			\|ShortSummary=] meets a human-interest journalist who writes and publishes Grampa's life stories. Homer wants to hear more stories, but Grampa rejects him. Homer tries to write ]' stories and publish them in the newspaper, but the publisher turns him down. While there, he finds a story written by the journalist stating that Grampa died. Realizing the journalist plans to kill Grampa, Homer goes to rescue him, and he and Grampa reconcile. Meanwhile, Bart cares for a stuffed lamb as part of a class project. Uninterested, he gives it to Lisa who loses it down a storm drain, so Bart needs to go into the sewer to rescue it.<br />''Guest Star'': ]<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=12&d=27 \|title=Fox Primetime \|publisher=Fox Flash \|access-date=April 10, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204143706/http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=12&d=27 \|archive-date=December 4, 2010 \|df=mdy-all }}</ref>
			\|Viewers=8.55<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/05/tv-ratings-pro-and-college-football-and-desperate-housewives-top-weekly-viewing/37640\|title=TV Ratings: Pro and College Football and ''Desperate Housewives'' top weekly viewing\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111072416/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/05/tv-ratings-pro-and-college-football-and-desperate-housewives-top-weekly-viewing/37640 \|archive-date=2010-01-11\|first=Robert\|last=Seidman\|website=]\|date=January 5, 2010\|access-date=June 11, 2023}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=451
			\|EpisodeNumber2=10
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=]
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|1\|10}}
			\|ProdCode=LABF20
			\|ShortSummary=Krusty changes his show to get more girls to watch it by adding a princess character named Penelope. Krusty hates her at first until Princess Penelope reveals that she is Krusty's biggest fan. They fall in love and plan to get married. Bart, upset at the changes, tries to sabotage the wedding by bringing Krusty's former wives. Krusty feels unworthy of Penelope, so he cancels the wedding and Penelope leaves the show. Later, Krusty finds Penelope to apologize and says he has changed his mind. Meanwhile, a corporate recruiter encourages Homer, ], and Carl to work for a nuclear plant in Capital City after Mr. Burns announces a moratorium on free donuts due to budget cuts. They accept the offer, but Burns persuades them to return by offering better donuts.<br />''Guest Stars'': ], ], ],<ref name="Fox">{{cite web\|url=http://www.fox.com/programming/shows/?sh=simpsons\|title=The Simpsons\|publisher=]\|access-date=May 24, 2009\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523093120/http://www.fox.com/programming/shows/?sh=simpsons\|archive-date=May 23, 2009\|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and ].<ref name=coldplay/>
			\|Viewers = 14.62<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/01/12/tv-ratings-pro-and-college-football-and-the-simpsons-and-ncistop-weekly-viewing/38517/ \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207021408/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/01/12/tv-ratings-pro-and-college-football-and-the-simpsons-and-ncistop-weekly-viewing/38517 \|url-status=dead \|archive-date=February 7, 2011 \|title=TV Ratings: Pro and College Football and The Simpsons and NCIS top weekly viewing\|first=Robert\|last=Seidman\|website=]\|date=January 12, 2010\|access-date=October 2, 2014}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=452
			\|EpisodeNumber2=11
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=]
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|1\|31}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF03
			\|ShortSummary=Homer and Marge are scheduled to give a toast at a wedding. Going separately, Homer stops to buy a lottery ticket even though it will make him late to the wedding. To make up for time, he drives recklessly and crashes. In the hospital, he learns he won a million dollars, but Marge does not know why he crashed. To cover his tracks, Homer begins spending his windfall on anonymous gifts for the family, one of which is hiring alternative rock band ] to perform for Bart. When he discovers what happened to Homer, Bart threatens to tell Marge unless Homer embarrasses himself. Instead, Homer tells Marge, who does not care as long as they have each other. Meanwhile, Lisa buys a video game system for the retirement home. However, the nurses destroy it because of the extra work they need to do after the seniors play with it.<br />''Guest Star'': ]<ref name=coldplay/>
			\|Viewers= 4.95<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/02/15/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-february-14-2010/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, February 14, 2010\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=February 15, 2010\|access-date=June 14, 2023\|archive-date=August 16, 2011\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816145728/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/02/15/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-february-14-2010/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=453
			\|EpisodeNumber2=12
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Chuck Sheetz
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|2\|14}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF05
			\|ShortSummary=Homer and Marge try curling and discover that Marge is talented due to her experience sweeping floors. They are invited by ] and Principal Skinner to join their mixed curling team going to the Winter Olympics, which added the event as a demonstration sport. At the Olympics, Lisa begins collecting mascot pins. Performing well, the team wins the semi-final match, but Marge injures her right shoulder. They plan to forfeit the final match until Homer discovers that Marge has been hiding that she is left-handed. They return and win the gold medal. Meanwhile, Lisa, obsessed with the pins, trades her pearl necklace for more pins. When Bart discovers what she did, he creates a fake pin and trades it to get back her necklace.<br />''Guest Star'': ]
			\|Viewers=5.85<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/02/22/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-february-21-2010/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, February 21, 2010\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=February 22, 2010\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=March 18, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318034425/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/02/22/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-february-21-2010/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=454
			\|EpisodeNumber2=13
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=]
			\|WrittenBy=] & ]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|2\|21}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF06
			\|ShortSummary=Lisa discovers a diary of a Simpson ancestor named Eliza who meets a slave named Virgil. She tries to help him escape and are met by a patrol, but the diary disintegrates before Lisa can finish reading it. At the library, Lisa learns that they escaped to the Simpson house where Virgil impresses Eliza's father, which makes Lisa think Eliza was a hero. When Lisa presents the story at school, ] disputes the story. He reads from a journal of his ancestor, who witnessed Eliza's father being bribed to return Virgil, and Eliza did not stop him. Later, Grampa tells a saddened Lisa that Eliza's mother, Mabel, and Virgil had secretly escaped to Canada together. They get married, and the Simpson family is actually descended from Virgil and Mabel.<br />''Guest Star'': Wren T. Brown
			\|Viewers=5.98<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/03/01/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-february-28-2010/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, February 28, 2010\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=March 1, 2010\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=March 18, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318034440/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/03/01/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-february-28-2010/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=455
			\|EpisodeNumber2=14
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Mark Kirkland
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|3\|14}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF04
			\|ShortSummary=Once again, Homer and Marge try to discipline Bart after Mrs. Krabappel tells them that Bart has not been doing his homework, but Bart has a plan to manipulate Homer's strictness and Marge's sympathetic ear. Although they fight about what they should do, they reconcile and decide to ignore Bart. He realizes that he does not enjoy his antics unless someone is angered. He decides to destroy the school by driving the subway train under the school. When Marge and Homer learn from a note from Lisa about what Bart is going to do, Homer stops him in time. Bart is punished and is forced to update Homer about his homework. Lisa tells Bart that she knows it was Bart who actually wrote the note.
			\|Viewers=5.18<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://www.ratingsryan.com/2021/12/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20100314.html\|title=Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending March 14, 2010\|date=December 12, 2021\|work=Ratings Ryan\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=April 1, 2023\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401100205/https://www.ratingsryan.com/2021/12/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20100314.html\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=456
			\|EpisodeNumber2=15
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Steven Dean Moore
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|3\|21}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF07
			\|ShortSummary=When Mrs. Krabappel takes an extended absence, her students join with the other fourth grade class where Bart falls for a girl named Nikki. The two are seen kissing, which leads to a ban on public displays of affection in the school. Nikki, however, alternates between loving and hating him whenever they kiss. When Bart falls off the roof of the school, the ban prevents anyone from touching him, so Nikki resuscitates him. Due to Nikki's continued erratic behavior, Bart ends their relationship. Meanwhile, when Lisa writes a post online about being disliked for being an overachiever, First Lady ] comes to Springfield and makes a speech about the importance of academics. At the same time ] teaches a blind boy the art of being a schoolyard bully. He pranks Nelson when he says a punch to the face restored his sight.<br />''Guest Stars'': ] and ]<ref name=coldplay>{{cite magazine\|url=http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/07/24/the-simpsons-coldplays-chris-martin-sarah-silverman-among-season-21-guests/\|title='The Simpsons': Coldplay's Chris Martin, Sarah Silverman among season 21 guests\|date=July 24, 2009\|access-date=July 25, 2009\|magazine=]\|first=Dan\|last=Snierson\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726080353/http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/07/24/the-simpsons-coldplays-chris-martin-sarah-silverman-among-season-21-guests/\|archive-date=July 26, 2009\|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="foxflash">{{cite web\|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z176z3z5\|title=Foxflash -\|website=www.foxflash.com\|access-date=March 17, 2018\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824000852/http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z176z3z5\|archive-date=August 24, 2010\|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name=futonprem>{{cite web \|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090806fox02 \|title=Breaking News — SETH ROGEN, JONAH HILL, ANNE HATHAWAY, CHRIS MARTIN, SARAH SILVERMAN, ANGELA BASSETT, CHUCK LIDDELL, JACKIE MASON, NEVE CAMPBELL, ELI MANNING, PEYTON MANNING, BOB COSTAS AND THE LATE EARTHA KITT AMONG GUEST VOICES ON 21ST SEASON OF "THE SIMPSONS" \|website=] \|date=January 14, 2009 \|access-date=April 10, 2010 \|archive-date=July 23, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723034251/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090806fox02 \|url-status=live }}</ref>
			\|Viewers=5.71<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://www.ratingsryan.com/2021/12/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20100321.html\|title=Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending March 21, 2010\|date=December 15, 2021\|work=Ratings Ryan\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=June 4, 2023\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604063830/https://www.ratingsryan.com/2021/12/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20100321.html\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=457
			\|EpisodeNumber2=16
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Mike Frank Polcino
			\|WrittenBy=Kevin Curran
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|3\|28}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF10
			\|ShortSummary=Ned Flanders reluctantly invites the Simpson family to join him on a church retreat to Jerusalem at the suggestion of ]. Homer is unappreciative of the culture, which annoys Ned. When Homer angers Ned for sleeping on Jesus' tomb, Homer thinks he went into the desert and goes after him. Lost and dehydrated, Homer has a hallucination in which he is named the new Messiah. When Homer is rescued, he goes and preaches that people of all faiths should come together. Ned is impressed, but Homer's message is lost in a crowd where they all think they are the Messiah.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=3&d=28\|title=Schedule (March 28 - April 3)\|publisher=FoxFlash\|access-date=March 9, 2010\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330085734/http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=3&d=28\|archive-date=March 30, 2010\|df=mdy-all}}</ref><br />''Guest Stars'': ] and ].
			\|Viewers = 5.69<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/03/29/tv-ratings-basketball-elevates-cbs-undercover-boss-still-in-charge/46431\|title=TV Ratings: Basketball Elevates CBS; Undercover Boss Still In Charge\|website=]\|first=Bill\|last=Gorman\|date=March 29, 2010\|access-date=July 24, 2013\|archive-date=October 25, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025234757/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/03/29/tv-ratings-basketball-elevates-cbs-undercover-boss-still-in-charge/46431/\|url-status=dead}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=458
			\|EpisodeNumber2=17
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Bob Anderson
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|4\|11}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF08
			\|ShortSummary=Mr. Burns is sent to jail for stealing valuable art. ] is left in charge at the power plant, and Homer and his friends begin taking advantage of his kindness. In prison, Burns' cellmate converts him into a Christian. When Smithers learns of what the employees are doing, he becomes crueler than Burns. Homer and his friends plan to break him out of prison, but Burns' is reluctant to leave until his evil returns. He learns he can use his wealth to buy his way out and resumes control of the power plant. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa fight, and they break her ant farm. ] eats all but one ant. They try to care for the ant, and they grow closer. When they decide to release it, the dog immediately eats it.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=4&d=7 \|title=Fox Primetime \|publisher=Fox Flash \|access-date=April 10, 2010 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415001459/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=4&d=7 \|archive-date=April 15, 2012 \|url-status=dead \|df=mdy-all }}</ref><br />''Guest Stars'': ] and ].
			\|Viewers=5.64<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/04/19/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-april-18-2010/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, April 18, 2010\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=April 12, 2010\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=March 18, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318034546/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/04/19/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-april-18-2010/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=459
			\|EpisodeNumber2=18
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Chris Clements
			\|WrittenBy=Carolyn Omine & William Wright
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|4\|18}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF09
			\|ShortSummary=When Homer accidentally appears to rob a bank, he is sentenced to community service. During his punishment, Homer offers ] a sandwich, and the two become friends. When Wiggum is shot trying to stop a robbery, Homer stays by his bedside in the hospital. When Wiggum becomes too needy, Homer leaves him, which angers Wiggum. When Homer goes to apologize, they witness ] making counterfeit shirts. Tony captures them and prepares to kill them until they fight back and escape. They reconcile and prank Flanders. Meanwhile, Bart becomes addicted to a Japanese kids' game called Battle Ball, which Marge confuses with dealing drugs. When Bart convinces Marge that what he is doing is legal, she thinks the game is cute, so Bart immediately stops playing.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?ID=1z4&mo=4&d=14\|publisher=FoxFlash\|access-date=March 27, 2010\|title=Schedule: April 11 - April 17}}{{Dead link\|date=May 2019 \|bot=InternetArchiveBot \|fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><br />''Guest Stars'': ], ] and ].<br />''Note'': This is the first episode where Lisa (despite her presence) doesn't have a single line of dialogue.
			\|Viewers=5.83<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://www.ratingsryan.com/2021/12/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20100418.html\|title=Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending April 18, 2010\|date=December 28, 2021\|work=Ratings Ryan\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=June 4, 2023\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604063827/https://www.ratingsryan.com/2021/12/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20100418.html\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=460
			\|EpisodeNumber2=19
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Lance Kramer
			\|WrittenBy=]
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|4\|25}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF14
			\|ShortSummary=Homer builds a wind turbine in the yard, but the house only gets electricity when the wind is blowing. Bart prays for more wind. When a windy storm comes through town, Bart and Lisa survey the damage and discover a beached whale. Lisa gets the townsfolk to help move the whale back to sea, but they fail. Lisa stays with the whale overnight, but the whale is dead when she wakes up. The police blow up the whale to get rid of the body. Later, Lisa spots two young whales offshore and assumes they are the whale's children. When sharks surround it, Lisa and Homer ride in a boat to kill them. When activists prevent them from killing the sharks, the father whale arrives to protect the young whales.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=4&d=18 \|title=Fox Primetime \|publisher=Fox Flash \|access-date=April 10, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415001722/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=4&d=18 \|archive-date=April 15, 2012 \|df=mdy-all }}</ref>
			\|Viewers =5.92<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/05/03/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-may-2-2010/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, May 2, 2010\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=May 3, 2010\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=May 6, 2010\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506041032/http://yourentertainmentnow.com:80/2010/05/03/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-may-2-2010/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=461
			\|EpisodeNumber2=20
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Mark Kirkland
			\|WrittenBy=Michael Nobori
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|5\|2}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF12
			\|ShortSummary=Smithers hides plutonium in Homer's gym bag when the plant needs to get rid of its nuclear waste. When Homer forgets it at a train station, a bomb squad blows it up, and the town installs surveillance cameras to prevent possible terrorism. When the police tire of watching the footage from the cameras, Ned is hired, and he enjoys enforcing his values on others. Bart finds a blind spot in the camera network in the backyard, so the townsfolk pay Homer to do their misdeeds there. When Ned finds out, Homer says Ned was playing God. He apologizes, and the town takes down the cameras. Meanwhile, people assume Lisa is not intelligent because she has blonde hair. She dyes her hair brown. When she purposely gives a weak argument at a debate competition and wins anyways, she accuses the judges of prejudice over hair color and tells the audience not to stereotype people.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=4&d=25 \|title=Fox Primetime \|publisher=Fox Flash \|date=June 7, 2010 \|access-date=December 22, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415001434/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z4&mo=4&d=25 \|archive-date=April 15, 2012 \|df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=http://tv.msn.com/tv/episode/the-simpsons/to-surveil-with-love/ \|title=The Simpsons - 'To Surveil, With Love' Episode Info — MSN TV \|website=]\|date=May 2, 2010 \|access-date=December 22, 2010 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413123237/http://tv.msn.com/tv/episode/the-simpsons/to-surveil-with-love/ \|archive-date=April 13, 2010 \|url-status=dead }}</ref><br />''Guest Star'': ]<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z176z3z5 \|title=Fox Primetime \|publisher=Fox Flash \|access-date=December 22, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824000852/http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z176z3z5 \|archive-date=August 24, 2010 \|df=mdy-all }}</ref>
			\|Viewers=6.03<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/05/10/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-may-9-2010/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, May 9, 2010\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=May 10, 2010\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=March 18, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318034626/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/05/10/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-may-9-2010/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=462
			\|EpisodeNumber2=21
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Matthew Nastuk
			\|WrittenBy=Stephanie Gillis
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|5\|9}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF13
			\|ShortSummary=Homer, Reverend Lovejoy and ] receive a letter from Moe that states he will steal one of their wives. The three get together and try to remember intimate moments between Moe and their wives. Homer goes home, and Marge assures Homer that their marriage is fine. ] also tells Lovejoy that nothing is wrong, but Apu finds Moe with ]. She says Moe convinced her to stay with Apu. Moe reveals that the three were taking their marriage for granted, so he wrote the letter to motivate them.<br />''Guest Star'': ]
			\|Viewers =5.67<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2010/05/17/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-may-16-2010/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, May 16, 2010\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=May 17, 2010\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=May 25, 2010\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525144743/http://yourentertainmentnow.com:80/2010/05/17/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-may-16-2010/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=463
			\|EpisodeNumber2=22
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Nancy Kruse
			\|WrittenBy=John Frink
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|5\|16}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF11
			\|ShortSummary=Bart becomes convinced that their new neighbor, Walt Warren, is ] in disguise. Marge does not believe him and personally takes Bart to the Springfield Maximum Security Prison to prove it. Bart is reassured until the neighbor reveals to Bart that he truly is Sideshow Bob. He kidnaps Bart and drives away to kill him. The fake Bob escapes prison and explains to the Simpsons that Bob forced him to switch faces, so he could be released with the other low-level criminals. Walt goes after Bart and arrives as Bob struggles to kill Bart. Walt and Bob fight until the police arrive.<br />''Guest Star'': ].<ref name="IGN2">{{cite web\|title=The Simpsons Say Hello to Season 21\|website=]\|last=Goldman\|first=Eric\|date=September 25, 2009\|access-date=February 28, 2020\|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/09/25/the-simpsons-say-hello-to-season-21\|archive-date=February 29, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229014819/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/09/25/the-simpsons-say-hello-to-season-21\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|Viewers=6.24<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://www.ratingsryan.com/2022/01/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20100516.html\|title=Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending May 16, 2010\|date=January 20, 2022\|work=Ratings Ryan\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=June 4, 2023\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604063832/https://www.ratingsryan.com/2022/01/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20100516.html\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			{{#invoke:Episode list\|sublist\|The Simpsons season 21
			\|EpisodeNumber=464
			\|EpisodeNumber2=23
			\|Title=]
			\|DirectedBy=Steven Dean Moore
			\|WrittenBy=] & Allen Glazier
			\|OriginalAirDate={{Start date\|2010\|5\|23}}
			\|ProdCode=MABF15
			\|ShortSummary=Moe discovers his talent for judging in competitions and is invited to become a judge on the show '']''. Simon Cowell tells Moe that he has become unlikable at home and advises him to be kinder. When he is nice to the contestants, he becomes unpopular. He discovers that Cowell tricked him, and he is removed from the show. Meanwhile, with Moe’s bar closed, Homer drives Marge crazy because he starts spending too much time at home, so she advises he take up golf as a hobby. When she learns that people who golf become addicted, she stops him.<br />''Guest Stars'': ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://people.com/tv/first-look-american-idol-judges-visit-the-simpsons/\|title=FIRST LOOK: American Idol Judges Visit The Simpsons\|magazine=]\|date=April 8, 2010\|access-date=February 28, 2020\|archive-date=February 29, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229014823/https://people.com/tv/first-look-american-idol-judges-visit-the-simpsons/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|Viewers=5.75<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2011/05/23/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-may-22-2011/\|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, May 22, 2011\|last=Calabria\|first=Rosario T.\|work=Your Entertainment Now\|date=May 23, 2011\|access-date=June 11, 2023\|archive-date=September 20, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920082633/http://yourentertainmentnow.com/2011/05/23/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-sunday-may-22-2011/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|LineColor=A90E63
			}}
			}}</onlyinclude>

			Note: '']'', which aired immediately following "]", was assigned production number LABF21 and technically counts as a component of the 20th production season (and of the 21st broadcast season). It does not, however, count towards the series' official animated episode count (i.e., it is not episode 452).
	For the week of November 9, several Fox shows (including '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']'') will feature clues and homages to the show as part of an "on-air scavenger hunt". Viewers who spot the clues can win prizes at Fox.com.<ref>http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z176z3z8&ID=5270</ref>

			==Production==
			This season and the previous season were ordered in February 2009.<ref>{{cite web\|first=Dan\|last=Snierson\|date=February 26, 2009\|title='The Simpsons' gets two more seasons: Are YOU still watching?\|url=https://ew.com/article/2009/02/26/simpsons-two-mo/\|website=]\|access-date=July 12, 2024\|archive-date=July 13, 2024\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713022915/https://ew.com/article/2009/02/26/simpsons-two-mo/\|url-status=live}}</ref> ] remained as showrunner, a role he had since the ].<ref>{{cite web\|first=Nellie\|last=Andreeva\|date=April 30, 2020\|title='The Simpsons' Showrunner Al Jean Signs With Gersh\|url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/the-simpsons-showrunner-al-jean-signs-gersh-2-1202922457/\|website=]\|access-date=May 25, 2024\|archive-date=May 26, 2024\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526035718/https://deadline.com/2020/04/the-simpsons-showrunner-al-jean-signs-gersh-2-1202922457/\|url-status=live}}</ref> The season featured eight holdover episodes from ]’s LABF production line. ] was credited as an executive producer for the first time. It also featured fifteen episodes from the season’s MABF production line.

			The season premiered with an episode written by guest writers ] and ].<ref>{{cite news\|title=D'oh! Seth Rogen writes a 'Simpsons' episode\|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33027622\|access-date=October 9, 2010\|website=]\|publisher=]\|date=September 28, 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919215633/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33027622\|archive-date=September 19, 2012\|url-status=live}}</ref> It also featured the final episode written by ] before he left to join the American version of the television series '']''.<ref>{{cite web\|first=Michael\|last=Sadowski\|date=March 11, 2010\|title=Stroudsburg High School graduate brings Poconos to 'The Office'\|url=https://www.poconorecord.com/story/entertainment/local/2010/03/12/stroudsburg-high-school-graduate-brings/51676058007/\|website=]\|access-date=July 12, 2024\|archive-date=July 13, 2024\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713022915/https://www.poconorecord.com/story/entertainment/local/2010/03/12/stroudsburg-high-school-graduate-brings/51676058007/\|url-status=live}}</ref>

			===20th anniversary===
			In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of ''The Simpsons'', Fox announced that a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever." would run from January 14, 2009 to January 14, 2010.<ref>{{cite magazine\|title=Simpsons Poster Contest Will Have Fans Seeing Yellow\|url=http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/01/simpsons-poster.html\|magazine=]\|last=Wallace\|first=Lewis\|date=January 13, 2009\|access-date=January 14, 2009\|archive-date=April 1, 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401021345/http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/01/simpsons-poster.html\|url-status=live}}</ref>

			As part of the celebration, documentary filmmaker ] directed and produced '']'', a documentary special that examined the "cultural phenomenon of ''The Simpsons''". Despite the title, Spurlock said the special "most likely not be in 3-D nor on ice."<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/07/13/morgan-spurlock-spills-the-beans-on-his-upcoming-simpsons-doc/\|title=Morgan Spurlock Spills the Beans on his Upcoming "Simpsons" Doc\|date=July 13, 2009\|access-date=July 15, 2009\|last=Kung\|first=Michelle\|work=]\|archive-date=November 26, 2017\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126140153/https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/07/13/morgan-spurlock-spills-the-beans-on-his-upcoming-simpsons-doc/\|url-status=live}}</ref> Production began at ], and the show aired on January 10, 2010 on Fox.<ref>{{cite magazine\|title=Morgan Spurlock tapped for 'The Simpsons' 20th anniversary special\|url=http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/07/morgan-spurlock-tapped-for-the-simpsons-20th-anniversary-special.html\|magazine=]\|date=July 13, 2009\|last=Ward\|first=Kate\|access-date=July 15, 2009\|archive-date=July 17, 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090717021546/http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/07/morgan-spurlock-tapped-for-the-simpsons-20th-anniversary-special.html\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.edmontonsun.com/entertainment/dailydish/2009/07/14/10124536-sun.html\|work=]\|access-date=July 15, 2009\|date=July 14, 2009\|title=The Simpsons to celebrate in style\|last=Harris\|first=Bill}}{{dead link\|date=October 2013}}</ref> It included interviews with the cast and fans of the show.

			For the week of November 9, 2009, several Fox shows including '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']'' featured clues and homages to the show as part of an "on-air scavenger hunt". Viewers who spotted the clues could win prizes at Fox.com.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z176z3z8&ID=5270 \|title=Fox Primetime \|publisher=Fox Flash \|access-date=April 10, 2010 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117205216/http://foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z176z3z8&ID=5270 \|archive-date=January 17, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|df=mdy-all }}</ref> Marge also appeared on the cover of the November issue of '']''.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/marge-simpson-to-be-playboy-cover-girl-1.863673\|title=Marge Simpson to be Playboy cover girl\|website=]\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011065223/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2009/10/09/marge-playboy.html\|date=October 11, 2009\|archive-date=October 11, 2009\|url-status=live\|access-date=November 5, 2023}}</ref>

			The milestone was also celebrated in the ] with three special programmes, all twenty minutes long and entitled '']'', ''Simpsons...Mischief and Mayhem'' and ''Simpsons...Celebrity Friends'' respectively. They aired on ] and Sky1 HD on three separate evenings from January 11 to 13, 2010. They were followed by the UK premiere of season 21's first episode, "]".<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://sky1.sky.com/the-simpsons-a-20th-anniversary-celebration \|title=The Simpsons: A 20th Anniversary Celebration! \|work=] \|publisher=] \|access-date=January 13, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113111014/http://sky1.sky.com/the-simpsons-a-20th-anniversary-celebration \|archive-date=January 13, 2010}}</ref>

			==Reception==

			===Critical reception===
			Robert Canning of '']'' gave the season an 8.3 (improving 0.4 from the previous season) saying that it was "Impressive". He criticized the opening part of the season (other than "]" and "]"), but praised almost every episode after "]", and considered "]" and "]" to be the season's best episodes. He also stated "the improved consistency of memorable episodes this season over years past proved that, even after 20 years, The Simpsons can still entertain".<ref>{{cite web\|first=Robert\|last=Canning\|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/06/01/the-simpsons-season-21-review\|title=The Simpsons: Season 21 Review\|website=]\|date=June 1, 2010\|access-date=February 28, 2020\|archive-date=February 29, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229014818/https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/06/01/the-simpsons-season-21-review\|url-status=live}}</ref>

			''TV Fanatic'' called the season "great" while reviewing "]",<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.tvfanatic.com/2010/05/the-simpsons-review-judge-me-tender/ \|title=The Simpsons Season Finale Review: "Judge Me Tender" \|first=Eric \|last=Hochberger \|date=May 24, 2010 \|work=TV Fanatic \|access-date=June 29, 2010 \|archive-date=May 26, 2010 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526185716/http://www.tvfanatic.com/2010/05/the-simpsons-review-judge-me-tender/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> while Emily St. James of '']'', while reviewing the same episode, stated "I think it's picked back up in the last few seasons and particularly in this season, which has had a lot of fun episodes in it."<ref>{{cite news \|url=https://www.avclub.com/judge-me-tender-youre-the-best-man-cleveland-brown-1798165054 \|title="Judge Me Tender"/"You're the Best Man, Cleveland Brown"/"Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" \|first=Emily \|last=VanDerWerff \|author-link=Emily St. James \|date=May 24, 2010 \|newspaper=] \|access-date=February 28, 2020 \|archive-date=February 29, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229014820/https://tv.avclub.com/judge-me-tender-youre-the-best-man-cleveland-brown-1798165054 \|url-status=live }}</ref>

			"The Squirt and the Whale" was also praised for its chalkboard gag, which made a reference to the controversial '']'' episodes "]" and "]",<ref name="IGNSP">{{cite web\|title=The Simpsons Supports South Park\|website=]\|date=April 26, 2010\|last=Goldman\|first=Eric\|access-date=April 26, 2010\|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/04/26/the-simpsons-supports-south-park\|archive-date=November 4, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104213111/http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/04/26/the-simpsons-supports-south-park\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ign">{{cite web\|first=Robert\|last=Canning\|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/04/26/the-simpsons-the-squirt-and-the-whale-review\|title=The Simpsons: "The Squirt and the Whale" Review\|website=]\|date=April 26, 2010\|access-date=December 22, 2010\|archive-date=November 5, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105071054/http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/04/26/the-simpsons-the-squirt-and-the-whale-review\|url-status=live}}</ref> while "To Surveil with Love" was considered the "best episode in years" by Sharon Knolle of '']''<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Knolle \|first1=Sharon \|title='The Simpsons' - 'To Surveil With Love' Recap \|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/05/03/the-simpsons-to-surveil-with-love-recap/ \|website=]\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507112502/http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/05/03/the-simpsons-to-surveil-with-love-recap/ \|archive-date=May 7, 2010 \|language=en \|date=May 3, 2010 \|url-status=unfit}}</ref> and "one of the better outings" by Ariel Ponywether of FireFox News.<ref>{{cite web \|first=Ariel \|last=Ponywether \|date=May 4, 2010 \|url=http://firefox.org/news/articles/3252/1/Review----The-Simpsons-quotTo-Surveil-With-Lovequot/Page1.html \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507090202/http://firefox.org/news/articles/3252/1/Review----The-Simpsons-quotTo-Surveil-With-Lovequot/Page1.html \|url-status=dead \|archive-date=May 7, 2010 \|title=Review — The Simpsons: "To Surveil With Love" \|website=Firefox.org \|access-date=December 22, 2010 }}</ref>

			===Ratings===
			In the seasonal ]s in the 18-49 demographic, the season ranked joint 33rd with a 3.4/9 average. It also ranked 61st in the seasonal total viewers with an average of 7.208 million viewers.<ref>{{cite magazine \|last=Andreeva \|first=Nellie \|url=https://deadline.com/2010/05/full-series-rankings-for-the-2009-10-broadcast-season-44277/ \|title=Full Series Rankings For The 2009-10 Broadcast Season – \|magazine=] \|date=May 27, 2010 \|access-date=December 22, 2010 \|archive-date=July 9, 2013 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709180259/http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/full-series-rankings-for-the-2009-10-broadcast-season/ \|url-status=live }}</ref>

			The most viewed and highest rated episode of the season was "]", watched by an estimated 14.62 million households and with a Nielsen rating of 6.9/17 in the 18-49 demographic.<ref>{{cite magazine \|url=https://variety.com/2010/tv/news/football-powers-fox-simpsons-1118013588/ \|title=Football powers Fox, 'Simpsons' \|last=Kissel \|first=Rick \|date=January 11, 2010 \|magazine=] \|access-date=February 28, 2020 \|archive-date=January 17, 2010 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117040615/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118013588.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&ref=bd_tv \|url-status=live }}</ref> The following episode, "]", was the least viewed and lowest rated, watched by an estimated 5.110 million households and receiving a Nielsen rating of 2.4/6 in the 18-49 demographic, although this was largely down to the fact that it aired against the ] on ] and the ] on ].<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/02/01/tv-ratings-sunday-grammy-awards-drown-out-the-competition/40619 \|title=TV Ratings Sunday: Grammy Awards Drown Out The Competition \|last=Gorman\|first=Bill \|date=February 1, 2010 \|work=]\|access-date=June 29, 2010 \|archive-date=February 3, 2010 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203031342/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/02/01/tv-ratings-sunday-grammy-awards-drown-out-the-competition/40619 \|url-status=dead }}</ref>

			===Awards===
			{{main\|List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons}}
			] won the ] for voicing Princess Penelope in "]", while ] and ] were also nominated for "]" and "]" respectively. "]" won for Writing in a Television Production at the ].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.annieawards.org/consideration.html#22 \|title=The Annie Awards \|publisher=] \|access-date=April 10, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124032256/http://www.annieawards.org/consideration.html \|archive-date=January 24, 2010}}</ref> "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" also received an Emmy nomination for ], while '']'' was nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.<ref name="emmy10">{{cite web\|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2010\|title=Nominations: Official Primetime Emmy Award Nominees\|publisher=]\|date=July 8, 2010\|access-date=November 5, 2023\|archive-date=December 27, 2021\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227032257/https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2010/\|url-status=live}}</ref> The show was also once again nominated for Favorite Cartoon at the ].<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.take40.com/news/18350/miley-cyrus,-twilight-lead-2010-nickelodeon-kid%27s-choice-awards-nominations \|title=Miley Cyrus, Twilight Lead 2010 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards Nominations \|date=February 15, 2010 \|work=Take 40 \|access-date=June 29, 2010 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309033200/http://www.take40.com/news/18350/miley-cyrus%2C-twilight-lead-2010-nickelodeon-kid%27s-choice-awards-nominations \|archive-date=March 9, 2013 \|df=mdy-all }}</ref> The season was also nominated for three awards at the 2010 ]. Stephanie Gills was nominated for writing "]", and ] was nominated for "]".<ref name="wganominations11">{{cite press release\|url=http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4444\|title=2011 WGA Awards TV Nominees Announced\|date=December 8, 2010\|publisher=]\|access-date=December 13, 2010\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315152646/http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4444\|archive-date=March 15, 2012\|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special — In 3-D! On Ice!'' was also nominated for Comedy/Variety – Music, Awards, Tributes – Specials.<ref name="wganominations11"/>

	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist\|2}}		{{reflist\|30em}}
			;Bibliography
			{{refbegin}}
			*{{cite book \|last=Turner \|first=Chris \|author-link=Chris Turner (author) \|title=] \|others=Foreword by ]. \|edition=1st \|year=2004 \|location=Toronto \|publisher=] \|oclc=55682258 \|isbn=978-0-679-31318-2}}
			{{refend}}

			==External links==
			* {{Official website\|https://www.fox.com/the-simpsons/}}
			* {{IMDb episodes\|0096697}}

	{{The Simpsons}}		{{The Simpsons}}
			{{The Simpsons episodes\|21}}

	]		{{DISPLAYTITLE:''The Simpsons'' season 21}}

			{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpsons Season 21, The}}
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Latest revision as of 16:56, 26 December 2024

Season of television series

The Simpsons
Season 21
Digital purchase image featuring Mr. Burns
Showrunner	Al Jean
No. of episodes	23
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	September 27, 2009 (2009-09-27) – May 23, 2010 (2010-05-23)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 20Next → Season 22
List of episodes

The twenty-first season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons aired on Fox from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010. It was the first of two seasons that the show was renewed for by Fox, and also the first season of the show to air entirely in high definition, season 20 having nine holdover episodes from season 19 that were in standard definition. The season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. Executive producer Al Jean remained the showrunner.

With this season, The Simpsons established itself as the longest-running American primetime television series surpassing Gunsmoke.

The season received mainly positive reviews from critics, with many praising "The Squirt and the Whale", "To Surveil with Love" and "The Bob Next Door". The show moved up 16 positions in the Nielsen ratings from the previous season and received numerous award nominations, winning two — an Emmy Award for Anne Hathaway for her voicing in "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", and an Annie Award for "Treehouse of Horror XX".

Voice cast & characters

Main article: List of The Simpsons characters

Main cast

Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Mr. Teeny, Itchy, Santa's Little Helper, Squeaky-Voiced Teen, Groundskeeper Willie, Sideshow Mel, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Barney Gumble, Hans Moleman, Grampa Simpson, Kodos, Louie, Frankie the Squealer, Mayor Quimby, Snowball II, Rich Texan and various others
Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson, Selma Bouvier, Patty Bouvier and Jacqueline Bouvier
Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, and various others
Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
Hank Azaria as Comic Book Guy, Carl Carlson, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Moe Szyslak, Disco Stu, Drederick Tatum, Chief Wiggum, Julio, Cletus Spuckler, Superintendent Chalmers, Professor Frink, Lou, Old Jewish Man, Coach Krupt, Bumblebee Man, Kirk Van Houten, Snake, Johnny Tightlips, Duffman and various others
Harry Shearer as Lenny Leonard, Scratchy, Dr. Hibbert, Dewey Largo, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, Otto Mann, Mr. Burns, Kent Brockman, Rainier Wolfcastle, Reverend Lovejoy, Kang, Judge Snyder, Jasper Beardly, Waylon Smithers, Eddie and various others

Supporting cast

Pamela Hayden as Milhouse Van Houten, Jimbo Jones, Sarah Wiggum, Rod Flanders, Janey Powell and various others
Tress MacNeille as Crazy Cat Lady, Bernice Hibbert, Dolph Shapiro, Agnes Skinner, Mrs. Muntz, Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, Brandine Spuckler, Cookie Kwan, Lunchlady Dora, Shauna Chalmers, Lindsay Naegle and various others
Karl Wiedergott as additional characters
Russi Taylor as Martin Prince, Sherri, Terri and Üter Zörker
Maggie Roswell as Luann Van Houten, Helen Lovejoy, Elizabeth Hoover, Maude Flanders and various others

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
442	1	"Homer the Whopper"	Lance Kramer	Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg	September 27, 2009 (2009-09-27)	LABF13	8.31
Comic Book Guy creates a new superhero called Everyman who takes powers from other superheroes. Homer is cast as the lead in the film adaptation. To get Homer into shape, the movie studio hires celebrity fitness trainer Lyle McCarthy to help him. Homer gets into great shape, but when the trainer leaves to work on another movie, Homer regains his weight. As a result, the movie contains scenes of Homer with different body types. The premiere is disastrous, and Comic Book Guy gives it a terrible review. Because the move is not profitable, sequels are prohibited from being made. Guest Stars: Seth Rogen, Matt Groening and Kevin Michael Richardson
443	2	"Bart Gets a "Z""	Mark Kirkland	Matt Selman	October 4, 2009 (2009-10-04)	LABF15	9.37
Edna Krabappel is fired for drinking alcohol on the job because her students added it to her coffee. She is replaced with a young teacher named Zachary Vaughn. Although Bart likes his new teacher, he feels guilty for getting Edna fired, so he gets her a self-help book to help fulfill her dreams. She opens a muffin shop. When Bart confesses what he did, Edna is angered because her real dream is to be a teacher and calls Bart a bad boy. He tells Principal Skinner what he did, but he is unable to rehire Edna. When Zachary gets drunk and insults the schoolchildren, Edna returns and forces the students to eat her muffins as punishment.
444	3	"The Great Wife Hope"	Matthew Faughnan	Carolyn Omine	October 11, 2009 (2009-10-11)	LABF16	7.60
When the men and boys of Springfield become obsessed with mixed martial arts, Marge leads a protest when she catches Bart fighting in school. The sport's creator, Chett Englebrit, agrees to end it if Marge defeats him in a match. After training, the match begins with Chett immediately knocking down Marge. When Bart enters the ring to defend her, Chett injures him. Enraged, Marge knocks out Chett. Victorious, Marge makes a speech about ending violence, but the audience has already gone to the parking lot to watch two other people fight. Guest Star: Chuck Liddell
445	4	"Treehouse of Horror XX"	Mike B. Anderson & Matthew Schofield	Daniel Chun	October 18, 2009 (2009-10-18)	LABF14	8.69
In the twentieth annual Simpsons Halloween special: "Dial "M" for Murder or Press "#" to Return to Main Menu": Lisa conspires with Bart to get revenge on their teachers after Ms. Hoover sends Lisa to detention. However, when Bart kills Hoover, but Lisa does not kill Mrs. Krabappel, he tries to blackmail her. To stop him, Lisa chases Bart with a knife until she declares she is not a murderer. She throws the knife away, but it flies back and kills Bart. "Don't Have a Cow, Mankind": Krusty the Clown introduces a new hamburger made from cows that have eaten other cows. The burgers turn the townsfolk into zombies, but the Simpsons have survived. When they learn Bart is immune, the family make their way to a safe zone to develop a cure. Upon arrival, Bart is made to bathe in people's food to gain immunity. "There's No Business Like Moe Business": Moe creates a new beer that becomes a sensation thanks to Homer being impaled on the microbrew machine and bleeding into the beer supply. Moe tries to woo Marge by saying Homer left her, but Homer returns and hurls Moe away to reunite with Marge.
446	5	"The Devil Wears Nada"	Nancy Kruse	Tim Long	November 15, 2009 (2009-11-15)	LABF17	9.13
Marge becomes a sex symbol after pin-up pictures of her appear on a calendar. Meanwhile, Carl Carlson is chosen as the Springfield Nuclear Plant's newest supervisor, and Homer gets hired as Carl's assistant. Homer is quickly exhausted by his work and is unable to be with Marge, whose libido has increased because of the calendar shoot. When Homer and Carl go to Paris on business, an angry Marge accidentally hurts Ned, so she invites him over for dinner. When Carl flirts with a woman in Paris, Homer blackmails him to get his old job back. Meanwhile, Marge is tempted to kiss Ned at dinner until she sees her wedding photo and stops herself.
447	6	"Pranks and Greens"	Chuck Sheetz	Jeff Westbrook	November 22, 2009 (2009-11-22)	LABF18	6.88
Bart learns that the best prankster in Springfield Elementary history was Andy Hamilton, who trapped Principal Skinner in a pool of worms for three days. Bart finds him and sees that he is unemployed and living with his mother. Bart gets him a job as Krusty's assistant. When he learns that Krusty made a large order for worms, he is worried that Andy is repeating his prank. However, he learns that it is part of an act, and Andy has been made a writer on the show. Meanwhile, Marge is chastised by the other mothers in her social circle for not serving healthy snacks. At their next meeting, Marge serves healthy food, but when they see the food was prepared on pots containing dangerous chemicals, they immediately run to an ambulance. Marge realizes she prefers eating unhealthy food. Guest Star: Jonah Hill
448	7	"Rednecks and Broomsticks"	Bob Anderson & Rob Oliver	Kevin Curran	November 29, 2009 (2009-11-29)	LABF19	8.87
As the Simpsons drive home from a vacation, Homer loses control of the car, and it lands in a frozen lake. Cletus rescues them, and he invites Homer to taste his moonshine. Bart and Lisa play with the Spuckler children, and Lisa gets lost in the woods and encounters three girls who are practicing Wiccans. Lisa is invited to join their coven, but they are arrested for witchcraft. They cast a spell, and some townsfolk at temporarily blinded. Although they are acquitted, the townsfolk decide to drown them. However, Lisa proves that their blindness was caused by Homer and Cletus throwing their moonshine into the river, the source of their drinking water, because they thought the police were coming to arrest them instead of the Wiccans. The girls are released. Guest Star: Neve Campbell
449	8	"O Brother, Where Bart Thou?"	Steven Dean Moore	Matt Selman	December 13, 2009 (2009-12-13)	MABF01	6.97
Jealous of Lisa and Maggie's sisterly bond, Bart decides he wants a baby brother to call his own. He fails to convince Homer and Marge to have another child, so he tries to adapt a boy at an orphanage. Although he is denied, a boy named Charlie follows him home. Bart and Charlie have fun together, but when Charlies gets scared watching a horror movie, Bart learns he must be responsible with him. Lisa says Charlie needs to return to the orphanage, so Bart takes him back. Charlie is later adapted by a family with six daughters. Guest Stars: Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Cooper Manning, Kim Cattrall, Jordan Nagai, Huell Howser and the Smothers Brothers
450	9	"Thursdays with Abie"	Mike Frank Polcino	Don Payne & Mitchell H. Glazer	January 3, 2010 (2010-01-03)	MABF02	8.55
Grampa meets a human-interest journalist who writes and publishes Grampa's life stories. Homer wants to hear more stories, but Grampa rejects him. Homer tries to write Mr. Burns' stories and publish them in the newspaper, but the publisher turns him down. While there, he finds a story written by the journalist stating that Grampa died. Realizing the journalist plans to kill Grampa, Homer goes to rescue him, and he and Grampa reconcile. Meanwhile, Bart cares for a stuffed lamb as part of a class project. Uninterested, he gives it to Lisa who loses it down a storm drain, so Bart needs to go into the sewer to rescue it. Guest Star: Mitch Albom
451	10	"Once Upon a Time in Springfield"	Matthew Nastuk	Stephanie Gillis	January 10, 2010 (2010-01-10)	LABF20	14.62
Krusty changes his show to get more girls to watch it by adding a princess character named Penelope. Krusty hates her at first until Princess Penelope reveals that she is Krusty's biggest fan. They fall in love and plan to get married. Bart, upset at the changes, tries to sabotage the wedding by bringing Krusty's former wives. Krusty feels unworthy of Penelope, so he cancels the wedding and Penelope leaves the show. Later, Krusty finds Penelope to apologize and says he has changed his mind. Meanwhile, a corporate recruiter encourages Homer, Lenny, and Carl to work for a nuclear plant in Capital City after Mr. Burns announces a moratorium on free donuts due to budget cuts. They accept the offer, but Burns persuades them to return by offering better donuts. Guest Stars: Anne Hathaway, Gary Larson, Jackie Mason, and Eartha Kitt.
452	11	"Million Dollar Maybe"	Chris Clements	Bill Odenkirk	January 31, 2010 (2010-01-31)	MABF03	4.95
Homer and Marge are scheduled to give a toast at a wedding. Going separately, Homer stops to buy a lottery ticket even though it will make him late to the wedding. To make up for time, he drives recklessly and crashes. In the hospital, he learns he won a million dollars, but Marge does not know why he crashed. To cover his tracks, Homer begins spending his windfall on anonymous gifts for the family, one of which is hiring alternative rock band Coldplay to perform for Bart. When he discovers what happened to Homer, Bart threatens to tell Marge unless Homer embarrasses himself. Instead, Homer tells Marge, who does not care as long as they have each other. Meanwhile, Lisa buys a video game system for the retirement home. However, the nurses destroy it because of the extra work they need to do after the seniors play with it. Guest Star: Chris Martin
453	12	"Boy Meets Curl"	Chuck Sheetz	Rob LaZebnik	February 14, 2010 (2010-02-14)	MABF05	5.85
Homer and Marge try curling and discover that Marge is talented due to her experience sweeping floors. They are invited by Agnes and Principal Skinner to join their mixed curling team going to the Winter Olympics, which added the event as a demonstration sport. At the Olympics, Lisa begins collecting mascot pins. Performing well, the team wins the semi-final match, but Marge injures her right shoulder. They plan to forfeit the final match until Homer discovers that Marge has been hiding that she is left-handed. They return and win the gold medal. Meanwhile, Lisa, obsessed with the pins, trades her pearl necklace for more pins. When Bart discovers what she did, he creates a fake pin and trades it to get back her necklace. Guest Star: Bob Costas
454	13	"The Color Yellow"	Raymond S. Persi	Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham	February 21, 2010 (2010-02-21)	MABF06	5.98
Lisa discovers a diary of a Simpson ancestor named Eliza who meets a slave named Virgil. She tries to help him escape and are met by a patrol, but the diary disintegrates before Lisa can finish reading it. At the library, Lisa learns that they escaped to the Simpson house where Virgil impresses Eliza's father, which makes Lisa think Eliza was a hero. When Lisa presents the story at school, Milhouse disputes the story. He reads from a journal of his ancestor, who witnessed Eliza's father being bribed to return Virgil, and Eliza did not stop him. Later, Grampa tells a saddened Lisa that Eliza's mother, Mabel, and Virgil had secretly escaped to Canada together. They get married, and the Simpson family is actually descended from Virgil and Mabel. Guest Star: Wren T. Brown
455	14	"Postcards from the Wedge"	Mark Kirkland	Brian Kelley	March 14, 2010 (2010-03-14)	MABF04	5.18
Once again, Homer and Marge try to discipline Bart after Mrs. Krabappel tells them that Bart has not been doing his homework, but Bart has a plan to manipulate Homer's strictness and Marge's sympathetic ear. Although they fight about what they should do, they reconcile and decide to ignore Bart. He realizes that he does not enjoy his antics unless someone is angered. He decides to destroy the school by driving the subway train under the school. When Marge and Homer learn from a note from Lisa about what Bart is going to do, Homer stops him in time. Bart is punished and is forced to update Homer about his homework. Lisa tells Bart that she knows it was Bart who actually wrote the note.
456	15	"Stealing First Base"	Steven Dean Moore	John Frink	March 21, 2010 (2010-03-21)	MABF07	5.71
When Mrs. Krabappel takes an extended absence, her students join with the other fourth grade class where Bart falls for a girl named Nikki. The two are seen kissing, which leads to a ban on public displays of affection in the school. Nikki, however, alternates between loving and hating him whenever they kiss. When Bart falls off the roof of the school, the ban prevents anyone from touching him, so Nikki resuscitates him. Due to Nikki's continued erratic behavior, Bart ends their relationship. Meanwhile, when Lisa writes a post online about being disliked for being an overachiever, First Lady Michelle Obama comes to Springfield and makes a speech about the importance of academics. At the same time Nelson teaches a blind boy the art of being a schoolyard bully. He pranks Nelson when he says a punch to the face restored his sight. Guest Stars: Sarah Silverman and Angela Bassett
457	16	"The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed"	Mike Frank Polcino	Kevin Curran	March 28, 2010 (2010-03-28)	MABF10	5.69
Ned Flanders reluctantly invites the Simpson family to join him on a church retreat to Jerusalem at the suggestion of Reverend Lovejoy. Homer is unappreciative of the culture, which annoys Ned. When Homer angers Ned for sleeping on Jesus' tomb, Homer thinks he went into the desert and goes after him. Lost and dehydrated, Homer has a hallucination in which he is named the new Messiah. When Homer is rescued, he goes and preaches that people of all faiths should come together. Ned is impressed, but Homer's message is lost in a crowd where they all think they are the Messiah. Guest Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen and Yael Naim.
458	17	"American History X-cellent"	Bob Anderson	Michael Price	April 11, 2010 (2010-04-11)	MABF08	5.64
Mr. Burns is sent to jail for stealing valuable art. Smithers is left in charge at the power plant, and Homer and his friends begin taking advantage of his kindness. In prison, Burns' cellmate converts him into a Christian. When Smithers learns of what the employees are doing, he becomes crueler than Burns. Homer and his friends plan to break him out of prison, but Burns' is reluctant to leave until his evil returns. He learns he can use his wealth to buy his way out and resumes control of the power plant. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa fight, and they break her ant farm. Santa's Little Helper eats all but one ant. They try to care for the ant, and they grow closer. When they decide to release it, the dog immediately eats it. Guest Stars: Joe Mantegna and Kevin Michael Richardson.
459	18	"Chief of Hearts"	Chris Clements	Carolyn Omine & William Wright	April 18, 2010 (2010-04-18)	MABF09	5.83
When Homer accidentally appears to rob a bank, he is sentenced to community service. During his punishment, Homer offers Chief Wiggum a sandwich, and the two become friends. When Wiggum is shot trying to stop a robbery, Homer stays by his bedside in the hospital. When Wiggum becomes too needy, Homer leaves him, which angers Wiggum. When Homer goes to apologize, they witness Fat Tony making counterfeit shirts. Tony captures them and prepares to kill them until they fight back and escape. They reconcile and prank Flanders. Meanwhile, Bart becomes addicted to a Japanese kids' game called Battle Ball, which Marge confuses with dealing drugs. When Bart convinces Marge that what he is doing is legal, she thinks the game is cute, so Bart immediately stops playing. Guest Stars: Jane Kaczmarek, Maurice LaMarche and Joe Mantegna. Note: This is the first episode where Lisa (despite her presence) doesn't have a single line of dialogue.
460	19	"The Squirt and the Whale"	Lance Kramer	Matt Warburton	April 25, 2010 (2010-04-25)	MABF14	5.92
Homer builds a wind turbine in the yard, but the house only gets electricity when the wind is blowing. Bart prays for more wind. When a windy storm comes through town, Bart and Lisa survey the damage and discover a beached whale. Lisa gets the townsfolk to help move the whale back to sea, but they fail. Lisa stays with the whale overnight, but the whale is dead when she wakes up. The police blow up the whale to get rid of the body. Later, Lisa spots two young whales offshore and assumes they are the whale's children. When sharks surround it, Lisa and Homer ride in a boat to kill them. When activists prevent them from killing the sharks, the father whale arrives to protect the young whales.
461	20	"To Surveil with Love"	Mark Kirkland	Michael Nobori	May 2, 2010 (2010-05-02)	MABF12	6.03
Smithers hides plutonium in Homer's gym bag when the plant needs to get rid of its nuclear waste. When Homer forgets it at a train station, a bomb squad blows it up, and the town installs surveillance cameras to prevent possible terrorism. When the police tire of watching the footage from the cameras, Ned is hired, and he enjoys enforcing his values on others. Bart finds a blind spot in the camera network in the backyard, so the townsfolk pay Homer to do their misdeeds there. When Ned finds out, Homer says Ned was playing God. He apologizes, and the town takes down the cameras. Meanwhile, people assume Lisa is not intelligent because she has blonde hair. She dyes her hair brown. When she purposely gives a weak argument at a debate competition and wins anyways, she accuses the judges of prejudice over hair color and tells the audience not to stereotype people. Guest Star: Eddie Izzard
462	21	"Moe Letter Blues"	Matthew Nastuk	Stephanie Gillis	May 9, 2010 (2010-05-09)	MABF13	5.67
Homer, Reverend Lovejoy and Apu receive a letter from Moe that states he will steal one of their wives. The three get together and try to remember intimate moments between Moe and their wives. Homer goes home, and Marge assures Homer that their marriage is fine. Helen also tells Lovejoy that nothing is wrong, but Apu finds Moe with Manjula. She says Moe convinced her to stay with Apu. Moe reveals that the three were taking their marriage for granted, so he wrote the letter to motivate them. Guest Star: Don Pardo
463	22	"The Bob Next Door"	Nancy Kruse	John Frink	May 16, 2010 (2010-05-16)	MABF11	6.24
Bart becomes convinced that their new neighbor, Walt Warren, is Sideshow Bob in disguise. Marge does not believe him and personally takes Bart to the Springfield Maximum Security Prison to prove it. Bart is reassured until the neighbor reveals to Bart that he truly is Sideshow Bob. He kidnaps Bart and drives away to kill him. The fake Bob escapes prison and explains to the Simpsons that Bob forced him to switch faces, so he could be released with the other low-level criminals. Walt goes after Bart and arrives as Bob struggles to kill Bart. Walt and Bob fight until the police arrive. Guest Star: Kelsey Grammer.
464	23	"Judge Me Tender"	Steven Dean Moore	Dan Greaney & Allen Glazier	May 23, 2010 (2010-05-23)	MABF15	5.75
Moe discovers his talent for judging in competitions and is invited to become a judge on the show American Idol. Simon Cowell tells Moe that he has become unlikable at home and advises him to be kinder. When he is nice to the contestants, he becomes unpopular. He discovers that Cowell tricked him, and he is removed from the show. Meanwhile, with Moe’s bar closed, Homer drives Marge crazy because he starts spending too much time at home, so she advises he take up golf as a hobby. When she learns that people who golf become addicted, she stops him. Guest Stars: Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres, Kara DioGuardi, Ryan Seacrest and Rupert Murdoch.

Production

This season and the previous season were ordered in February 2009. Al Jean remained as showrunner, a role he had since the thirteenth season. The season featured eight holdover episodes from season 20’s LABF production line. John Frink was credited as an executive producer for the first time. It also featured fifteen episodes from the season’s MABF production line.

The season premiered with an episode written by guest writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It also featured the final episode written by Daniel Chun before he left to join the American version of the television series The Office.

20th anniversary

In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of The Simpsons, Fox announced that a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever." would run from January 14, 2009 to January 14, 2010.

As part of the celebration, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock directed and produced The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!, a documentary special that examined the "cultural phenomenon of The Simpsons". Despite the title, Spurlock said the special "most likely not be in 3-D nor on ice." Production began at Comic-Con 2009, and the show aired on January 10, 2010 on Fox. It included interviews with the cast and fans of the show.

For the week of November 9, 2009, several Fox shows including House, Lie to Me, Bones and Fringe featured clues and homages to the show as part of an "on-air scavenger hunt". Viewers who spotted the clues could win prizes at Fox.com. Marge also appeared on the cover of the November issue of Playboy.

The milestone was also celebrated in the United Kingdom with three special programmes, all twenty minutes long and entitled The Simpsons: Access All Areas, Simpsons...Mischief and Mayhem and Simpsons...Celebrity Friends respectively. They aired on Sky1 and Sky1 HD on three separate evenings from January 11 to 13, 2010. They were followed by the UK premiere of season 21's first episode, "Homer the Whopper".

Reception

Critical reception

Robert Canning of IGN gave the season an 8.3 (improving 0.4 from the previous season) saying that it was "Impressive". He criticized the opening part of the season (other than "Homer the Whopper" and "Treehouse of Horror XX"), but praised almost every episode after "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", and considered "The Squirt and the Whale" and "The Bob Next Door" to be the season's best episodes. He also stated "the improved consistency of memorable episodes this season over years past proved that, even after 20 years, The Simpsons can still entertain".

TV Fanatic called the season "great" while reviewing "Judge Me Tender", while Emily St. James of The A.V. Club, while reviewing the same episode, stated "I think it's picked back up in the last few seasons and particularly in this season, which has had a lot of fun episodes in it."

"The Squirt and the Whale" was also praised for its chalkboard gag, which made a reference to the controversial South Park episodes "200" and "201", while "To Surveil with Love" was considered the "best episode in years" by Sharon Knolle of TV Squad and "one of the better outings" by Ariel Ponywether of FireFox News.

Ratings

In the seasonal Nielsen ratings in the 18-49 demographic, the season ranked joint 33rd with a 3.4/9 average. It also ranked 61st in the seasonal total viewers with an average of 7.208 million viewers.

The most viewed and highest rated episode of the season was "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", watched by an estimated 14.62 million households and with a Nielsen rating of 6.9/17 in the 18-49 demographic. The following episode, "Million Dollar Maybe", was the least viewed and lowest rated, watched by an estimated 5.110 million households and receiving a Nielsen rating of 2.4/6 in the 18-49 demographic, although this was largely down to the fact that it aired against the 2010 Grammy Awards on CBS and the 2010 Pro Bowl on ESPN.

Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons

Anne Hathaway won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for voicing Princess Penelope in "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", while Dan Castellaneta and Hank Azaria were also nominated for "Thursdays with Abie" and "Moe Letter Blues" respectively. "Treehouse of Horror XX" won for Writing in a Television Production at the Annie Awards. "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" also received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program, while The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special - In 3-D! On Ice! was nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Special. The show was also once again nominated for Favorite Cartoon at the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards. The season was also nominated for three awards at the 2010 Writers Guild of America Awards. Stephanie Gills was nominated for writing "Moe Letter Blues", and Matt Selman was nominated for "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?". The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special — In 3-D! On Ice! was also nominated for Comedy/Variety – Music, Awards, Tributes – Specials.

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Bibliography

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.

External links

Official website
The Simpsons at IMDb

The Simpsons

Media

Episodes

Seasons

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) May the 12th Be with You (2024) The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2024)

Theme parks

Others

Video games
Books
Comics
- The Death of Comic Book Guy!
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

Cast members
Directors
Writers
Guest stars
- Seasons 1–20
- Seasons 21–present
Non-English versions

Hallmarks

Locations

Themes

Inspired
works

v t e The Simpsons episodes
Seasons 1–20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Season 21–present 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Season 21	"Homer the Whopper" "Bart Gets a 'Z'" "The Great Wife Hope" "Treehouse of Horror XX" "The Devil Wears Nada" "Pranks and Greens" "Rednecks and Broomsticks" "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?" "Thursdays with Abie" "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" "Million Dollar Maybe" "Boy Meets Curl" "The Color Yellow" "Postcards from the Wedge" "Stealing First Base" "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" "American History X-cellent" "Chief of Hearts" "The Squirt and the Whale" "To Surveil with Love" "Moe Letter Blues" "The Bob Next Door" "Judge Me Tender"
Themed episodes	Treehouse of Horror list
See also	The Simpsons episode guides "The Simpsons Guy"
Category

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