The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show/References

Cultural references

 * The episode is a commentary on "" — doing outlandish things to a show, like adding a new character, in order to boost ratings and save the show from cancellation.
 * June Bellamy, voiced by Simpsons regular Tress MacNeille, is a reference to veteran voice actress June Foray.
 * The scene where Homer hides in a closet and hears that Poochie will be killed-off is a reference to Jay Leno supposedly hiding in a closet and hearing that he would replace Johnny Carson on .
 * Roy is largely based on from , calling Homer and Marge Mr. and Mrs. S, similar to how Fonzie refers to Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham.
 * Roy's announcement that he will move in with "two sexy ladies" is a reference to the sitcom .
 * The affidavit that Krusty shows the audience (declaring that Poochie will never return) resembles a.

Trivia

 * Many of the Itchy and Scratchy staff members are caricatures of the actual Simpsons staff.
 * The episode features the first appearance of Comic Book Guy's catchphrase "Worst. Episode. Ever".
 * June, the voice of Itchy and Scratchy, claims she did the voice of the . Instead of doing "Meep-meep", she did one "meep" and the studio then doubled it, so that they wouldn't have to pay her for the second "meep".
 * This episode features the first appearance of Lindsey Naegle.

Itchy & Scratchy cartoons
Several Itchy & Scratchy cartoons are shown during the episode:
 * "Why Do Fools Fall in Lava?" -- A poorly rated cartoon which prompted the I&S executives to revamp the show.
 * An untitled cartoon shown to a kids' focus group.
 * "The Beagle Has Landed" -- Introduction of Poochie.
 * An untitled cartoon in which Poochie was killed off (he died "on the way back to his home planet").
 * An untitled cartoon which was the first one made after Poochie's demise.

Continuity

 * In Marge Simpson Living, Marge reminds Homer that he has tried snowplowing ("Mr. Plow"), webhosting ("The Computer Wore Menace Shoes"), trucking ("Maximum Homerdrive"), fortune cookie writing ("A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love"), cartoon voiceovers ("The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show"), food critic ("Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?"), screen writer ("Beyond Blunderdome"), mixologoist ("Flaming Moe's"), bootlegger ("Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment") and astronaut ("Deep Space Homer") when he was searching for a new job.