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The Simpsons season 9

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The Simpsons
Season 9
DVD cover featuring The Simpson family attending a showing of the 200th episode.
No. of episodes25
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 21, 1997 (1997-09-21) –
May 17, 1998 (1998-05-17)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 8
Next →
Season 10
List of episodes

The ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 1997 and May 1998, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 1997, with "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson". With Mike Scully as showrunner for the ninth production season,[1] the aired season contained three episodes which were hold-over episodes from season eight, which Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein ran, while the season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. It also contained two episodes which were run by David Mirkin, and another two hold-over episodes which were run by Al Jean and Mike Reiss.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Season nine won three Emmy Awards: "Trash of the Titans" for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) in 1998,[9] Hank Azaria won "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" for the voice of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon,[10] and Alf Clausen and Ken Keeler won the "Outstanding Music and Lyrics" award.[11] Clausen was also nominated for "Outstanding Music Direction" and "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for "Treehouse of Horror VIII".[9] Season nine was also nominated for a "Best Network Television Series" award by the Saturn Awards and "Best Sound Editing" for a Golden Reel Award.[11]

The Simpsons 9th Season DVD was released on December 19, 2006, in Region 1, January 29, 2007, in Region 2 and March 21, 2007, in Region 4. The DVD was released in two different forms: a Lisa-shaped head, to match the Maggie, Homer and Marge shaped heads from the three previous DVD sets, and also a standard rectangular shaped box. Like the previous DVD sets, both versions are available for sale separately.

Voice cast & characters

Main article: List of The Simpsons characters
Martin Sheen guest-starred as the real Seymour Skinner in the infamous episode "The Principal and the Pauper"
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek made a guest appearance as himself in the Christmas episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace"
James Earl Jones narrated the episode "Das Bus"

This is the last season to feature the character Lionel Hutz, voiced by Phil Hartman. Following Hartman's death on May 28, 1998, Hutz was retired along with Hartman's other recurring character Troy McClure; his final speaking role as Hutz was five months earlier, in the episode "Realty Bites", and has since occasionally appeared as a background character.

Main cast

Recurring

Guest stars

Main article: List of The Simpsons guest stars (seasons 1–20)

Reception

The ninth season is considered by some fans and critics to be the end of the Golden Age of The Simpsons. Alasdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club said: "From here on out, we're in The Simpsons' decline phase, though there's plenty of room to disagree just how stark the drop-off actually was."[12] On Rotten Tomatoes, the ninth season of The Simpsons has a 67% approval rating based on 6 critical reviews.[13]

The second episode of the ninth season, "The Principal and the Pauper" is often regarded as one of the most controversial episodes of the entire series. Many fans and critics reacted negatively to the revelation that Principal Skinner, a recurring character since the first episode who had undergone much character development, was an impostor. The episode has been criticized by series creator Matt Groening, and by Skinner's voice actor Harry Shearer. In his 2004 book Planet Simpson, Chris Turner describes the episode as the "broadcast that marked [the] abrupt plunge" from The Simpsons' "Golden Age", which he says began in the middle of the show's third season. He calls the episode "[one of] the weakest episodes in Simpsons history", and adds, "A blatant, continuity-scrambling plot twist of this sort might've been forgivable if the result had been as funny or sharply satirical as the classics of the Golden Age, but alas it's emphatically not." Turner notes that the episode "still sports a couple of virtuoso gags", but says that such moments are limited.[14]

In July 2007, in an article in The Guardian, Ian Jones argues that the "show became stupid" in 1997, pointing to the episode as the bellwether. "Come again? A major character in a long-running series gets unmasked as a fraud? It was cheap, idle storytelling", he remarks.[15] In a February 2006 article in The Star-Ledger, Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz cite the episode when asserting that the quality of The Simpsons "gets much spottier" in season nine.[16] Alan Sepinwall observes in another Star-Ledger article, "[The episode] was so implausible that even the characters were disavowing it by the end of the episode."[17] Jon Hein, who coined the term "jumping the shark" to refer to negative changes in television series, writes in Jump the Shark: TV Edition, "We finally spotted a fin at the start of the ninth season when Principal Skinner's true identity was revealed as Armin Tamzarian."[18] James Greene of Nerve.com put the episode fifth on his list "Ten Times The Simpsons Jumped the Shark", calling it a "nonsensical meta-comedy" and arguing that it "seemed to betray the reality of the show itself".[19] On the 25th anniversary of the episode airing, Fatherly looked back negatively at the episode, described the plot twist as the moment the show stopped being perfect, saying: "It wasn't funny, it was just mean, and the ending of the episode inadvertently made you complicit in its viciousness. Ultimately, the citizens of Springfield decide to force things back to normal by tying the real Skinner to a departing train and legally declaring that Tamzarian's theft of an entire life is fine. And, well, yeah we as the viewers wanted things to go back to normal once the episode was over, but…this was just heartless."[20]

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1791"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson"Jim ReardonIan Maxtone-GrahamSeptember 21, 1997 (1997-09-21)4F2217.44[21]
1802"The Principal and the Pauper"Steven Dean MooreKen KeelerSeptember 28, 1997 (1997-09-28)4F2314.86[22]
1813"Lisa's Sax"Dominic PolcinoAl JeanOctober 19, 1997 (1997-10-19)3F26[23] 3G0212.85[24]
1824"Treehouse of Horror VIII"Mark KirklandMike ScullyOctober 26, 1997 (1997-10-26)5F0219.03[25]
David X. Cohen
Ned Goldreyer
1835"The Cartridge Family"Pete MichelsJohn SwartzwelderNovember 2, 1997 (1997-11-02)5F0118.03[26]
1846"Bart Star"Dominic PolcinoDonick CaryNovember 9, 1997 (1997-11-09)5F0317.91[27]
1857"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons"Steven Dean MooreRichard AppelNovember 16, 1997 (1997-11-16)5F0419.80[28]
1868"Lisa the Skeptic"Neil AffleckDavid X. CohenNovember 23, 1997 (1997-11-23)5F0516.01[29]
1879"Realty Bites"Swinton O. Scott IIIDan GreaneyDecember 7, 1997 (1997-12-07)5F0617.73[30]
18810"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace"Bob AndersonRon HaugeDecember 21, 1997 (1997-12-21)5F0716.17[31]
18911"All Singing, All Dancing"Mark ErvinSteve O'DonnellJanuary 4, 1998 (1998-01-04)5F2415.90[32]
19012"Bart Carny"Mark KirklandJohn SwartzwelderJanuary 11, 1998 (1998-01-11)5F0819.21[33]
19113"The Joy of Sect"Steven Dean MooreSteve O'DonnellFebruary 8, 1998 (1998-02-08)5F2316.20[34]
19214"Das Bus"Pete MichelsDavid X. CohenFebruary 15, 1998 (1998-02-15)5F1115.98[35]
19315"The Last Temptation of Krust"Mike B. AndersonDonick CaryFebruary 22, 1998 (1998-02-22)5F1016.50[36]
19416"Dumbbell Indemnity"Dominic PolcinoRon HaugeMarch 1, 1998 (1998-03-01)5F1217.35[37]
19517"Lisa the Simpson"Susie DietterNed GoldreyerMarch 8, 1998 (1998-03-08)4F2417.79[38]
19618"This Little Wiggy"Neil AffleckDan GreaneyMarch 22, 1998 (1998-03-22)5F1314.96[39]
19719"Simpson Tide"Mike B. AndersonJoshua Sternin & Jennifer VentimiliaMarch 29, 1998 (1998-03-29)3G0414.77[40]
19820"The Trouble with Trillions"Swinton O. Scott IIIIan Maxtone-GrahamApril 5, 1998 (1998-04-05)5F1411.39[41]
19921"Girly Edition"Mark KirklandLarry DoyleApril 19, 1998 (1998-04-19)5F1513.46[42]
20022"Trash of the Titans"Jim ReardonIan Maxtone-GrahamApril 26, 1998 (1998-04-26)5F0917.35[43]
20123"King of the Hill"Steven Dean MooreJohn SwartzwelderMay 3, 1998 (1998-05-03)5F1614.80[44]
20224"Lost Our Lisa"Pete MichelsBrian ScullyMay 10, 1998 (1998-05-10)5F1712.86[45]
20325"Natural Born Kissers"Klay HallMatt SelmanMay 17, 1998 (1998-05-17)5F1814.12[46]

Nielsen ratings

In terms of households, the show ranked just outside the Top 30, coming in at No. 32 with a 9.3 household rating and a 15 percent audience share.[47] However, in terms of total viewers, the show ranked within the Top 20, coming in at No. 18 for the season, (tying with Dateline Tuesday) and being watched by an average of 15.3 million viewers per episode.[48]

DVD release

The Simpsons season 9 DVD digipak, special Lisa head edition

The DVD boxset for season nine was released by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Canada on December 19, 2006, eight years after it had completed broadcast on television. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including deleted scenes, animatics, and commentaries for every episode. As with the two preceding seasons, the set was released in two different packagings: A "Collector's Edition" plastic packaging molded to look like Lisa's head, and a standard rectangular cardboard box featuring Lisa with a backstage pass to a show at a club.[49] The menus continue the same format from the previous four seasons, and the overall theme is various characters waiting in line at a club.

The Complete Ninth Season
Set Details[50][51] Special Features[50][51]
  • 25 episodes
  • 4-disc set
  • 1.33:1 aspect ratio
  • AUDIO
    • English 5.1 Dolby Digital
    • Spanish 2.0 Dolby Surround
    • French 2.0 Dolby Surround
  • SUBTITLES
    • English SDH
    • Spanish[51]
Release Dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
December 19, 2006 January 29, 2007 March 21, 2007

See also

References

General
  • Gimple, Scott (1999). The Simpsons Forever!: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family ...Continued. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-098763-4.
  • 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.
Specific
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference first was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ny was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference pauper was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference lds was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference asad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference jos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference sax was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference st was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b "1997-1998 Emmy Awards". infoplease.com. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
  10. ^ "1997-1998 Emmy Awards". emmy.org. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
  11. ^ a b "Every show, every winner, every nominee". The Envelope. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
  12. ^ Alasdair Wilkins (June 21, 2015). "The Simpsons (Classic): "The City Of New York Vs. Homer Simpson"". The A.V. Club.
  13. ^ "The Simpsons". Rotten Tomatoes.
  14. ^ Turner 2004, pp. 41–42.
  15. ^ Jones, Ian (July 12, 2007). "Rise and fall of a comic genius". The Guardian. Retrieved on August 17, 2008.
  16. ^ Sepinwall, Alan; Matt Zoller Seitz (February 14, 2006). "Eight is enough". The Star-Ledger. p. 31.
  17. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (February 16, 2003). "Mmmm ... 300 episodes; Homer's odyssey continues as 'The Simpsons', America's favorite animated family, reaches a comic milestone". The Star-Ledger. p. 1.
  18. ^ Hein, Jon (2003). Jump the Shark: TV Edition. Plume. p. 88. ISBN 0-452-28410-4.
  19. ^ James Greene Jr. (May 6, 2010). "Ten Times The Simpsons Jumped the Shark". Nerve.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  20. ^ "25 Years Ago, The Simpsons Dropped Its Most Controversial Episode". September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  21. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times. September 24, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  22. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 22–28)". The Los Angeles Times. October 1, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  23. ^ "Lisa's Sax" Production Cel (3F26, Season 9)". 20th Century Animation. ACME Archives. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  24. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 13–19)". The Los Angeles Times. October 22, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  25. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 20–26)". The Los Angeles Times. October 29, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  26. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 27–Nov. 2)". The Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  27. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. November 12, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  28. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 10–16)". The Los Angeles Times. November 19, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  29. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. November 26, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  30. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times. December 10, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  31. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times. December 24, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  32. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 29-Jan. 4)". The Los Angeles Times. January 9, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  33. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 5–11)". The Los Angeles Times. January 14, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  34. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 2–8)". The Los Angeles Times. February 11, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  35. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 9-15)". The Los Angeles Times. February 19, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  36. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 16-22)". The Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  37. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 23-March 1)". The Los Angeles Times. March 4, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  38. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 2–8)". The Los Angeles Times. March 11, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  39. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 16–22)". The Los Angeles Times. March 25, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  40. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 23–29)". The Los Angeles Times. April 1, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  41. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 30-April 5)". The Los Angeles Times. April 8, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  42. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 13–19)". The Los Angeles Times. April 22, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  43. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 20–26)". The Los Angeles Times. April 29, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  44. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 27-May 3)". The Los Angeles Times. May 6, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  45. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 4–10)". The Los Angeles Times. May 13, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  46. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 11–17)". The Los Angeles Times. May 20, 1998. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  47. ^ "Final Ratings for '97-'98 TV Season". May 25, 1998.
  48. ^ "The Final Countdown". Entertainment Weekly. No. 434. May 29, 1998. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  49. ^ "The Simpsons — The Complete 9th Season (Lisa Head)". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2005.
  50. ^ a b Lacey, Gord (October 11, 2005). "Season 9 - List of Extras include Sneak Peak (sic) at the Movie!". TV Shows on DVD.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2005.
  51. ^ a b c "The Simpsons Season 9 DVD". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2005.
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