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| episode_list = List of The Simpsons episodes
| episode_list = List of The Simpsons episodes
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The twenty-eighth season of the animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'' began airing on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States on September 25, 2016, and ended on May 21, 2017.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=AlJean|first=Al|last=Jean|author-link=Al Jean|number=734448004518805505|date=May 22, 2016|title=@87Loco87 @mxedtr @TheSimpsons yes with Monty Burns' Fleeing a Circus|access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref> On May 4, 2015, Fox announced that ''The Simpsons'' had been renewed for season 28.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foxflash.com/fox/releases/fox-picks-double-d%E2%80%99ohse-simpsons%E2%80%9Drenewing-series-27th-and-28th-seasons |title=Release |website=Foxflash.com |date=May 4, 2015 |access-date=August 8, 2016 |archive-date=May 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505181620/http://www.foxflash.com/fox/releases/fox-picks-double-d%E2%80%99ohse-simpsons%E2%80%9Drenewing-series-27th-and-28th-seasons |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The twenty-eighth season of the animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'' began airing on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States on September 25, 2016 and ended on May 21, 2017.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=AlJean|first=Al|last=Jean|author-link=Al Jean|number=734448004518805505|date=May 22, 2016|title=@87Loco87 @mxedtr @TheSimpsons yes with Monty Burns' Fleeing a Circus|access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref> On May 4, 2015, Fox announced that ''The Simpsons'' had been renewed for season 28.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foxflash.com/fox/releases/fox-picks-double-d%E2%80%99ohse-simpsons%E2%80%9Drenewing-series-27th-and-28th-seasons |title=Release |website=Foxflash.com |date=May 4, 2015 |access-date=August 8, 2016 |archive-date=May 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505181620/http://www.foxflash.com/fox/releases/fox-picks-double-d%E2%80%99ohse-simpsons%E2%80%9Drenewing-series-27th-and-28th-seasons |url-status=dead }}</ref> The season was produced by [[Gracie Films]] and [[20th Century Fox Television]]. This season was the second of two seasons ordered by Fox in May 2015.<ref name="Wagmeister"/> The primary showrunner for the season was [[Al Jean]]. In November 2016, the series was renewed for a twenty-ninth and thirtieth season.<ref>{{cite web|first=Elizabeth|last=Wagmeister|date=November 4, 2016|title='The Simpsons' Makes TV History, Renewed for Record-Breaking 29th and 30th Seasons|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-simpsons-renewed-season-29-season-30-fox-1201909858/|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=June 21, 2024}}</ref>


This season includes the 600th episode of the show, "[[Treehouse of Horror XXVII]]".<ref name="USA Today">{{cite web|first=Bill|last=Keveney|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2016/07/15/exclusive-simpsons-reveals-treehouse-poster/87114696/|title=Exclusive: 'Simpsons' reveals Treehouse poster|website=[[USA Today]]|date=July 15, 2016|access-date=August 8, 2016|archive-date=January 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131145502/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2016/07/15/exclusive-simpsons-reveals-treehouse-poster/87114696/|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 31, 2016, it was announced that an episode titled "[[The Caper Chase]]", inspired by [[Trump University]], would air sometime in 2017; the episode aired on April 2.<ref>{{Cite magazine|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|date=August 31, 2016|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/the-simpsons-to-skewer-trump-university-on-upcoming-season-w437329|title='The Simpsons' to Skewer Trump University on Upcoming Season|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=September 5, 2016|archive-date=September 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903050002/http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/the-simpsons-to-skewer-trump-university-on-upcoming-season-w437329|url-status=live}}</ref>
This season includes the 600th episode of the show, "[[Treehouse of Horror XXVII]]".<ref name="USA Today">{{cite web|first=Bill|last=Keveney|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2016/07/15/exclusive-simpsons-reveals-treehouse-poster/87114696/|title=Exclusive: 'Simpsons' reveals Treehouse poster|website=[[USA Today]]|date=July 15, 2016|access-date=August 8, 2016|archive-date=January 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131145502/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2016/07/15/exclusive-simpsons-reveals-treehouse-poster/87114696/|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 31, 2016, it was announced that an episode titled "[[The Caper Chase]]", inspired by [[Trump University]], would air sometime in 2017; the episode aired on April 2.<ref>{{Cite magazine|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|date=August 31, 2016|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/the-simpsons-to-skewer-trump-university-on-upcoming-season-w437329|title='The Simpsons' to Skewer Trump University on Upcoming Season|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=September 5, 2016|archive-date=September 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903050002/http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/the-simpsons-to-skewer-trump-university-on-upcoming-season-w437329|url-status=live}}</ref>
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This was the final season scored by longtime ''Simpsons'' composer [[Alf Clausen]]. This also marked the first season where former recurring guest star [[Kevin Michael Richardson]] joined the regular supporting cast, starting with the episode "[[The Last Traction Hero]]".
This was the final season scored by longtime ''Simpsons'' composer [[Alf Clausen]]. This also marked the first season where former recurring guest star [[Kevin Michael Richardson]] joined the regular supporting cast, starting with the episode "[[The Last Traction Hero]]".

Episodes this season were nominated for three [[Emmy Awards]] and one [[Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Award]].


==Episodes==
==Episodes==
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==Production==
This season, along with the previous season, was ordered in May 2015. Seven episodes were holdovers from the previous season.<ref name="Wagmeister">{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/the-simpsons-renewed-season-27-fox-1201486963/ |title='The Simpsons' Renewed for Two More Seasons |last=Wagmeister |first=Elizabeth |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=2015-05-04 |access-date=2015-10-15 |archive-date=December 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202060823/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/the-simpsons-renewed-season-27-fox-1201486963/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Executive producer [[Al Jean]] continued his role as primary showrunner, a role he had since the [[The Simpsons season 13|thirteenth season]].<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=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=May 31, 2024}}</ref> Executive producer [[Matt Selman]] was also the showrunner for several episodes, a role he performed since the [[The Simpsons season 23|twenty-third season]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Jesse David|last=Fox|date=June 5, 2023|title='The Simpsons' Is Good Again|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/the-simpsons-is-good-again.html|website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|access-date=June 16, 2024}}</ref>

This season, series regular [[Harry Shearer]] wrote his first episode of the series.<ref>{{cite web|last=Perkins|first=Dennis|title= The media's on trial in Harry Shearer's first-ever Simpsons script |url=http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/medias-trial-harry-shearers-first-ever-simpsons-sc-244678|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=October 23, 2016|access-date=October 24, 2016}}</ref> Writer [[David M. Stern]], who had not written for the show since 1999, wrote the series' first direct sequel of the series, "[[Kamp Krustier]]," which follows from the [[The Simpsons season 4|fourth season]] episode "[[Kamp Krusty]]."<ref>{{cite web|last=St. James|first=Emily|author-link=Emily St. James|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/12/14887250/the-simpsons-kamp-krustier-recap-review|title=The Simpsons' "Kamp Krustier" revisits a classic episode with surprisingly funny results|website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|date= March 12, 2017 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref> Guest writers for the season were Dave King, Peter Tilden, Ron Zimmerman, and [[Simon Rich]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Stephen|last=Press|date=November 2, 2016|title=Catching up with Needham's writing King|url=https://hometownweekly.net/needham/catching-needhams-writing-king/|website=Hometown Weekly|access-date=June 21, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Andrew S.|last=Vargas|date=December 6, 2016|title=In This Hilarious Episode, 'The Simpsons' Go to Cuba Because Grandpa Abe Needs Medical Care|url=https://remezcla.com/film/the-simpsons-havana-wild-weekend-cuba/|website=[[Remezcla]]|access-date=June 21, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Perkins |first=Dennis |url=http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/patton-oswalt-barts-conscience-disjointed-simpsons-250624 |title=Patton Oswalt is Bart's conscience on a disjointed Simpsons|website=[[The A.V. Club]] |publisher=Onion, Inc. |location=Chicago, Illinois|date=February 19, 2017 |access-date=February 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Perkins |first=Dennis |url=http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/everyone-gets-trophy-sweetly-well-crafted-simpsons-252344 |title=Everyone gets a trophy on a sweetly well-crafted Simpsons|website=[[The A.V. Club]] |publisher=Onion, Inc.|location=Chicago, Illinois|date=March 19, 2017 |access-date=March 25, 2017}}</ref>

To acknowledge the milestone of the series reaching 600 episodes, all 600 episodes aired consecutively on FXX in November and December 2016.<ref>{{cite web|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|date=September 23, 2016|title=All 600 'Simpsons' Episodes to Air Consecutively This Thanksgiving|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/all-600-simpsons-episodes-to-air-consecutively-this-thanksgiving-193153/|website=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=June 21, 2024}}</ref> For the 600th episode, a version of the couch gag could be viewed in virtual reality in partnership with [[Google]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Snierson|first=Dan|date=October 6, 2016 |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/10/06/simpsons-600th-episode-couch-gag-virtual-reality/|title=Simpsons 600th episode couch gag can be seen in virtual reality|newspaper=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=July 22, 2023}}</ref> Jean commented that it was becoming more difficult to think of original stories with the prevalence of other adult animated television shows that did not exist when the series started.<ref>{{cite web|first=Sandra|last=Gonzalez|date=October 20, 2016|title='The Simpsons' and the art of being in a class of your own|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/16/entertainment/simpsons-600th-episode/index.html|website=[[CNN]]|access-date=June 21, 2024}}</ref>

This season featured the series' first one-hour episode, focusing on rap and hip-hop culture in depth.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Dan|last=Snierson|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/08/08/simpsons-hourlong-episode-taraji-henson-great-phatsby/|title=The Simpsons to do first-ever hourlong episode|website=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=August 8, 2016|access-date=July 22, 2023}}</ref> Composer [[Alf Clausen]] had difficulty scoring the episode because of his inexperience with the genre, which caused conflict with the producers. This led to Clausen's firing at the end of the season as the producers were looking to reduce the cost of producing the series.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Gene|last=Maddaus|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/simpsons-hip-hop-episode-composer-alf-clausen-1234593653/|title='The Simpsons' Hip-Hop Episode Cued Curtains for Composer |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=April 29, 2020|access-date=July 24, 2023}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Viewing figures===
For the 2016-2017 television season, the season earned a 2.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which was the 24th best performing show. It averaged 4.81 million viewers, which was the 92nd best performing show.<ref>{{cite web|first=Lisa|last=de Moraes|date=May 25, 2017|title=Final 2016-17 TV Rankings: 'Sunday Night Football' Winning Streak Continues|url=https://deadline.com/2017/05/2016-2017-tv-season-ratings-series-rankings-list-1202102340/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=June 21, 2024}}</ref>

===Critical response===
Jeffrey Malone of ''Bubbleblabber'' gave the season a 7 out of 10. He thought that the show had a habit of combining plots into a single episode where both the main plot and sub-plot should be given their own episodes. He felt the best episodes this season focused on the history of Simpson family.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jeffrey|last=Malone|date=May 28, 2017|title=Season Review: The Simpsons Season 28|url=https://www.bubbleblabber.com/2017/05/season-review-the-simpsons-season-28/|website=Bubbleblabber|access-date=June 21, 2024}}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
At the [[69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards]], the episode "[[The Town (The Simpsons)|The Town]]" was nominated for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program|Outstanding Animated Program]]. Actress [[Nancy Cartwright]] was nominated for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance|Outstanding Voice-Over Performance]] for her performance in "[[Looking for Mr. Goodbart]]." The virtual reality couch gag in "[[Treehouse of Horror XXVII]]" was nominated for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Emerging Media Program|Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Within A Scripted Program]].<ref>{{cite web|first1=Pete|last1=Hammond|first2=Patrick|last2=Hipes|date=July 13, 2017|url=https://deadline.com/2017/07/2017-emmy-nominations-list-all-nominees-1202127795/|title=Emmy Awards Nominations: 'Westworld', 'This Is Us', 'Stranger Things', 'Atlanta' Lead Diverse List|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=July 22, 2023}}</ref>

At the [[70th Writers Guild of America Awards]], writer [[Simon Rich]] was nominated for the [[Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation]] for his work in "[[A Father's Watch]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/awards/2018-wga-award-winners-complete-list-1202694807/|title=WGA Awards: The Complete Winners List|date=11 February 2018|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|location=Los Angeles, California|access-date=23 February 2019}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 17:38, 22 June 2024

The Simpsons
Season 28
Digital purchase image featuring Chief Clancy Wiggum
ShowrunnerAl Jean
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 25, 2016 (2016-09-25) –
May 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 27
Next →
Season 29
List of episodes

The twenty-eighth season of the animated television series The Simpsons began airing on Fox in the United States on September 25, 2016 and ended on May 21, 2017.[1] On May 4, 2015, Fox announced that The Simpsons had been renewed for season 28.[2] The season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. This season was the second of two seasons ordered by Fox in May 2015.[3] The primary showrunner for the season was Al Jean. In November 2016, the series was renewed for a twenty-ninth and thirtieth season.[4]

This season includes the 600th episode of the show, "Treehouse of Horror XXVII".[5] On August 31, 2016, it was announced that an episode titled "The Caper Chase", inspired by Trump University, would air sometime in 2017; the episode aired on April 2.[6]

This season also includes the show's first hour-long episode, "The Great Phatsby", a parody of The Great Gatsby.[7] Other noteworthy events and gags include a Pokémon Go-themed episode ("Looking for Mr. Goodbart"),[8] couch gags spoofing Robot Chicken and Adventure Time, an episode that shows how Homer learned to feel better with food ("Fatzcarraldo"), Mr. Burns hiring all of the Simpsons (except Homer) to become his "pretend" family ("Friends and Family"), and Glenn Close returning as Mona ("Fatzcarraldo").[9]

This was the final season scored by longtime Simpsons composer Alf Clausen. This also marked the first season where former recurring guest star Kevin Michael Richardson joined the regular supporting cast, starting with the episode "The Last Traction Hero".

Episodes this season were nominated for three Emmy Awards and one Writers Guild of America Award.

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
5971"Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus"Matthew NastukTom Gammill & Max ProssSeptember 25, 2016 (2016-09-25)VABF203.36[10]

Mr. Burns puts on a variety show at the Springfield Bowl in exchange for rebuilding the town after it is burned to the ground. However, when the event brings back bad memories for the old man who bombed when he first performed there 100 years ago, Burns tries to muster up the courage to perform again in an effort to redeem himself.

Guest stars: Amy Schumer as Mrs. Burns and Pendleton Ward as himself
5982"Friends and Family"Lance KramerJ. Stewart BurnsOctober 2, 2016 (2016-10-02)VABF186.00[11]

Homer finds a new friend in a woman who acts just like him, while Mr. Burns' search for a clan to play his virtual-reality family leads him to hire Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie without Homer (Burns will play the father) and leaves Homer home alone to be his most Homer-esque self.

Guest star: Allison Janney as Julia
5993"The Town"Rob OliverDave KingOctober 9, 2016 (2016-10-09)VABF173.22[12]

Homer takes the family on a "hate-cation" to Boston when he catches Bart rooting for the rival Boston Americans football team. But after discovering the appeal of candlepin bowling over his regular bowling, and finding a better safety inspector job at a candy factory, they agree to move there. Meanwhile, Lisa discovers how much Boston has to offer academically compared to Springfield.

Guest stars: Bill Burr as Townie, Michael Chiklis as Handsome quarterback, Rachel Dratch as Doctor, Doris Kearns Goodwin as herself and Dana Gould as Murphy
6004"Treehouse of Horror XXVII"Steven Dean MooreJoel H. CohenOctober 16, 2016 (2016-10-16)VABF167.44[13]

In the 27th annual Simpsons Halloween special, Mr. Burns makes the children fight to the death for a day in his personal reservoir, Lisa's imaginary friend kills her real friends, and Bart is recruited to Moe's group of secret barfly agents.

Guest stars: Drew Carey as himself, Donald Fagen as himself, Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob, Maurice LaMarche, Judith Owen as herself and Sarah Silverman as Rachel

Note: This is the show's 600th episode.
6015"Trust but Clarify"Mike Frank PolcinoHarry ShearerOctober 23, 2016 (2016-10-23)VABF213.36[14]

Bart and Lisa investigate Krusty's highly dangerous new "Krustaceans" candy, while Homer asks Marge to help him dress for a promotion at the nuclear plant and Kent Brockman has to rebuild his career after he's fired for repeated Brian Williams-type exaggerations in his reporting.

Guest star: Dan Rather as himself
6026"There Will Be Buds"Matthew FaughnanMatt SelmanNovember 6, 2016 (2016-11-06)VABF223.14[15]
Homer coaches the kids' lacrosse team with Milhouse's dad Kirk, who is a genius coach but also so needy that it makes Homer despise him. Kirk disappears upon hearing Homer rant about him being a loser, just as the team needs him for the championship game, and Homer has to get Kirk to come back so the kids can win the title.
6037"Havana Wild Weekend"Bob AndersonDeb Lacusta, Dan Castellaneta & Peter TildenNovember 13, 2016 (2016-11-13)VABF197.13[16]

The Simpsons go to Cuba to help an ailing Grampa get cheap medical care, but it's the Cuban nostalgia factor and a sexy senorita that lead Abe to decide to start a new life as a nightclub manager alongside an American defector.

Guest stars: Stacy Keach as H.K. Duff and Deb Lacusta as Isabella
6048"Dad Behavior"Steven Dean MooreRyan KohNovember 20, 2016 (2016-11-20)WABF012.88[17]

Homer discovers a new app that makes his life easier, and Grampa learns he's going to be a father again.

Guest star: Matt Leinart as himself
6059"The Last Traction Hero"Bob AndersonBill OdenkirkDecember 4, 2016 (2016-12-04)WABF035.77[18]
Homer gets hurt in a workplace accident, and Marge turns to an unexpected source for romance. Meanwhile, Lisa is made "Bus Monitor".
60610"The Nightmare After Krustmas"Rob OliverJeff WestbrookDecember 11, 2016 (2016-12-11)WABF025.60[19]

Krusty and his daughter spend Christmas with the Simpsons. Meanwhile, Reverend Lovejoy seeks converts to boost church attendance, and a Christmas toy scares Maggie.

Guest stars: Wayne Gretzky as himself, Theo Jansen as himself, Natasha Lyonne as Sophie and Jackie Mason as Rabbi Krustofsky
60711"Pork and Burns"Matthew NastukRob LaZebnikJanuary 8, 2017 (2017-01-08)WABF068.19[20]

Inspired by a Japanese self-help book on minimalist living, Marge makes the family get rid of the vast majority of their possessions. Homer attempts to give away his pet pig Plopper (who originally appeared in The Simpsons Movie) and ends up using him as a therapy animal. Meanwhile, Lisa takes the book's advice too far and gives away everything that she owns, including her saxophone.

Guest stars: Joyce Carol Oates as herself and Michael York as Dr. Budgie
60812"The Great Phatsby" (Vol. I & Vol. II) Chris ClementsDan Greaney
Matt Selman (part 2 only)		January 15, 2017 (2017-01-15)WABF046.90[21]
60913Timothy BaileyWABF05

Mr. Burns plots revenge against the music mogul who conned him.

Guest stars: Charles Barkley as himself, Jim Beanz, Common as himself, Taraji P. Henson as Praline, Phil LaMarr, Dawnn Lewis, Keegan-Michael Key as Jazzy James, RZA as himself and Snoop Dogg as himself
61014"Fatzcarraldo"Mark KirklandMichael PriceFebruary 12, 2017 (2017-02-12)WABF072.40[22]

When all the fast food restaurants in Springfield become healthy, Homer is forced to turn to chili dogs for comfort. Meanwhile, Lisa tries to save the school radio station.

Guest stars: Glenn Close as Mona Simpson
61115"The Cad and the Hat"Steven Dean MooreRon ZimmermanFebruary 19, 2017 (2017-02-19)WABF082.44[23]

Bart has to deal with his guilt after he betrays Lisa. Meanwhile, Homer begins playing chess, and everyone in Springfield becomes impressed by his talents.

Guest stars: Magnus Carlsen as himself, Seth Green as the Robot Chicken Nerd and Patton Oswalt as Bart's Guilt
61216"Kamp Krustier"Rob OliverDavid M. SternMarch 5, 2017 (2017-03-05)WABF092.56[24]

Bart and Lisa return from Kamp Krusty, both traumatized. Meanwhile, Homer becomes a more productive worker.

Guest stars: Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson and Michael Sheen as William Masters
61317"22 for 30"Chris ClementsJoel H. CohenMarch 12, 2017 (2017-03-12)WABF102.61[25]

In a parody of 30 for 30, Bart becomes a star basketball player, but things go awry when he shaves points for Fat Tony.

Guest stars: Stephen Curry as himself, Earl Mann as the Narrator/Eddie Muntz and Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony
61418"A Father's Watch"Bob AndersonSimon RichMarch 19, 2017 (2017-03-19)WABF112.40[26]

Marge goes to parenting experts for advice when she thinks that Bart is on the road to failure. Following their advice, Homer opens a trophy store and Bart finds a motivator to both be a better kid and get Homer's goat.

Guest stars: Vanessa Bayer as Dr. Clarity Hoffman-Roth, Brian Posehn as Dumlee, Rob Riggle as Dr. Fenton Pooltoy and Adam Silver as himself
61519"The Caper Chase"Lance KramerJeff WestbrookApril 2, 2017 (2017-04-02)WABF122.13[27]

Mr. Burns opens a for-profit university, with Homer as one of its professors.

Guest stars: Jason Alexander as Verlander, Ken Jennings as himself, Stan Lee as himself, Robert McKee as himself, Suze Orman as herself and Neil deGrasse Tyson as himself
61620"Looking for Mr. Goodbart"Mike Frank PolcinoCarolyn OmineApril 30, 2017 (2017-04-30)WABF132.30[28]

Bart spends time with Principal Skinner's mother, Agnes. Meanwhile, Homer and Lisa get addicted to Peekimon Get.

Guest stars: Valerie Harper as Ma-Ma and Jennifer Saunders as Phoebe Pratt
61721"Moho House"Matthew NastukJeff MartinMay 7, 2017 (2017-05-07)WABF142.34[29]

Homer and Marge try to work on their marriage. Meanwhile, Mr. Burns's boarding school friend Nigel comes to town and bets Mr. Burns that he can break up Homer and Marge. To do so, he gives Moe the funds to build a more upscale bar called Moho House.

Guest stars: Valerie Harper as Mrs. Butterworth and Michael York as Nigel
61822"Dogtown"Steven Dean MooreJ. Stewart BurnsMay 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)WABF152.15[30]

After Homer runs down Gil with his car instead of hitting Santa's Little Helper, he's acquitted because the jury loves dogs in general (and more than Gil). But Springfield then gives dogs rights that supersede those of humans, and the city starts to fall into a canine-ruled dystopia of snarls and bites.

Guest stars: Michael York as Dr. Budgie

Production

This season, along with the previous season, was ordered in May 2015. Seven episodes were holdovers from the previous season.[3] Executive producer Al Jean continued his role as primary showrunner, a role he had since the thirteenth season.[31] Executive producer Matt Selman was also the showrunner for several episodes, a role he performed since the twenty-third season.[32]

This season, series regular Harry Shearer wrote his first episode of the series.[33] Writer David M. Stern, who had not written for the show since 1999, wrote the series' first direct sequel of the series, "Kamp Krustier," which follows from the fourth season episode "Kamp Krusty."[34] Guest writers for the season were Dave King, Peter Tilden, Ron Zimmerman, and Simon Rich.[35][36][37][38]

To acknowledge the milestone of the series reaching 600 episodes, all 600 episodes aired consecutively on FXX in November and December 2016.[39] For the 600th episode, a version of the couch gag could be viewed in virtual reality in partnership with Google.[40] Jean commented that it was becoming more difficult to think of original stories with the prevalence of other adult animated television shows that did not exist when the series started.[41]

This season featured the series' first one-hour episode, focusing on rap and hip-hop culture in depth.[42] Composer Alf Clausen had difficulty scoring the episode because of his inexperience with the genre, which caused conflict with the producers. This led to Clausen's firing at the end of the season as the producers were looking to reduce the cost of producing the series.[43]

Reception

Viewing figures

For the 2016-2017 television season, the season earned a 2.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which was the 24th best performing show. It averaged 4.81 million viewers, which was the 92nd best performing show.[44]

Critical response

Jeffrey Malone of Bubbleblabber gave the season a 7 out of 10. He thought that the show had a habit of combining plots into a single episode where both the main plot and sub-plot should be given their own episodes. He felt the best episodes this season focused on the history of Simpson family.[45]

Awards and nominations

At the 69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the episode "The Town" was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program. Actress Nancy Cartwright was nominated for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for her performance in "Looking for Mr. Goodbart." The virtual reality couch gag in "Treehouse of Horror XXVII" was nominated for Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Within A Scripted Program.[46]

At the 70th Writers Guild of America Awards, writer Simon Rich was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation for his work in "A Father's Watch."[47]

References

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