Difference between revisions of "Season 23"

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Season 23

Season Information Original run: September 25, 2011 – May 20, 2012 No. of episodes: 22 Previous season: 22 Next season: 24

Season 23 of The Simpsons is the season that aired during the 2011–12 United States network television schedule. It began on September 25, 2011 with "The Falcon and the D'ohman" and ended on May 20, 2012 with "Lisa Goes Gaga".

The season had the widely-publicized 500th episode "At Long Last Leave", which aired on February 19, 2012.

Description[edit]

"Entering its 23rd season and approaching its milestone 500th episode in 19 February 2012, in the upcoming season, America's favorite family continues to entertain us with their wild and outlandish adventures as Marge becomes a popular food blogger, Homer and Bart write a fantasy novel in the hopes of capitalizing on Tween culture and Krusty gets his own show on a premium cable channel. Guest stars paying Springfield a visit this season include Michelin-starred celebrity chef and MASTERCHEF judge Gordon Ramsay, legendary comic and talk show host Joan Rivers and Academy Award nominee Andy Garcia."

―FOX

Production[edit]

It was announced by 20th Century Fox on November 11, 2010 that The Simpsons was renewed for a twenty-third season.^[1] The cast of The Simpsons began recording the season on March 3, 2011.^[2]

Episodes[edit]

Picture # Original title Original airdate Directed by Written by Prod. code 487 - 1 "The Falcon and the D'ohman" September 25, 2011 Matthew Nastuk Justin Hurwitz NABF16 Homer makes friends with a new security guard at the power plant, but it is revealed he has a hidden past. Meanwhile, Marge daydreams that she has become a contestant on a cooking show called Master Chef: Extreme Snack Edition. Also, the result of Nedna is revealed. Guest starring: Kiefer Sutherland as Wayne Slater, Tom Colicchio as himself and Kevin Michael Richardson as SendEx employee. 488 - 2 "Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts" October 2, 2011 Steven Dean Moore Tim Long NABF17 Principal Skinner challenges superintendent Gary Chalmers to take over Bart's education after one of Bart's pranks leads to a school fundraiser debacle. Chalmers takes an unconventional approach to teaching American history which sparks a fascination in President Teddy Roosevelt. Encouraged by Bart's educational renaissance, Chalmers takes Bart and his band of "Rough Riders" on an overnight excursion to Springfield Forest, but after a minor accident, the school administration fires Chalmers for taking the boys on an unauthorized field trip. Determined to get Chalmers' job back, Bart and the boys hold the school hostage until the administration reinstates Chalmers, and they stand up for the teacher who made a meaningful impact. Guest starring: Theodore Roosevelt as himself, via archival audio. 489 - 3 "Treehouse of Horror XXII" October 30, 2011 Matthew Faughnan Carolyn Omine NABF19 In the spooky opener, Homer takes a dangerous dive into an isolated canyon on Candy Eating Peak, but when a crashing boulder traps his arm, he gnaws through it to free himself. In "The Diving Bell and Butterball", the first of three hair-raising Halloween tales, a venomous spider bite leaves Homer paralyzed, but when Lisa discovers Homer's ability to communicate through natural gases, he is able to express his love for Marge. The killer spells continue in "Dial D for Diddly", when Ned Flanders, devout preacher by day, transforms into a cold-blooded vigilante by night. In the final terrifying tale, "In the Na'Vi", Bart and Milhouse are assigned on a mission to access a sacred extract on a distant planet. They morph into the land's indigenous one-eyed avatars, but when Bart finds love and an eternal mate abroad, he is caught in planet warfare. Guest starring: Jackie Mason as Hyman Krustofsky and Aron Ralston as a 911 dispatcher. 490 - 4 "Replaceable You" November 6, 2011 Mark Kirkland Stephanie Gillis NABF21 Bart's science fair project, a mechanical baby seal, outshines Lisa's brainy asteroid model and quickly becomes a popular pet among the retirement home patrons. Meanwhile, Homer's new and eager assistant, Roz Davis (guest voice Jane Lynch), steals Homer's job, forcing him to team up with Ned Flanders to reveal her true colors and evil past. Guest starring: Jane Lynch as Roz Davis. 491 - 5 "The Food Wife" November 13, 2011 Timothy Bailey Matt Selman NABF20 Bart and Lisa visit the E4 video game convention, leaving Marge to feel like she's not a cool mom. Marge, Bart and Lisa then become foodies and make a blog called The Three Mouthketeers, leaving Homer feeling left out. Guest starring: Tim Heidecker as Amuse Bruce, Eric Wareheim as Fois Garth, Anthony Bourdain as himself, Gordon Ramsay as himself and Mario Batali as himself. 492 - 6 "The Book Job" November 20, 2011 Bob Anderson Dan Vebber NABF22 After Lisa finds out that author T. R. Francis is a fake, she decides to write her own book, also giving the idea to Homer who then creates a writing group in order to become rich. However, when they grow attached to the book and have it changed by TweenLit Inc. they decide to throw away their money and steal the book back. Guest starring: Neil Gaiman as himself and Andy García as Slick. 493 - 7 "The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants" November 27, 2011 Steven Dean Moore Jeff Westbrook PABF01 The Simpsons host a tastemaker party at their home to promote Absolut Krusty, Krusty the Clown's own brand of liquor. Mr. Burns takes notice of the party's success and decides to promote Homer to "Account Man" for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Robert Marlowe, a seasoned account veteran, takes Homer under his wing and shows Homer what the high life is like in the corner office. When Homer's long hours at the office become the norm, a family vacation with Marge and the kids help him realize that family always comes before work. Guest starring: John Slattery as Robert Marlowe, Kevin Michael Richardson as Smitty and Matthew Weiner as nuclear regulator. 494 - 8 "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution" December 4, 2011 Michael Polcino Deb Lacusta and Dan Castellaneta PABF02 Krusty the Clown is stuck in a rut when the television network pulls his show from the air and his talent agency drops him as a client. But when the Simpsons introduce him to seasoned agent Annie Dubinsky, they are surprised to learn that Annie was Krusty's very first agent. Despite their rocky relationship, Annie is convinced to re-sign Krusty and craft his career comeback. But when Krusty's retro comedy show reboot is deemed a critical success, Krusty must decide to stay with his agent or side with the network executives. Guest starring: Kevin Dillon as himself, Janeane Garofalo as herself, Jackie Mason as Hyman Krustofsky and Joan Rivers as Annie Dubinsky. 495 - 9 "Holidays of Future Passed" December 11, 2011 Rob Oliver J. Stewart Burns NABF18 It's Christmas thirty years in the future, and Marge and Homer learn that the kids are all coming home for Christmas. Bart is a divorced deadbeat dad with two sons; Lisa is married to Milhouse and concerned about the time their daughter spends online; and Maggie is a rock star and pregnant by one of the men in her band. Bart and Lisa ask their parents for parenting advice and Homer spends time with his two grandsons. Meanwhile, Maggie goes into labor on her way to the family dinner. Guest starring: Matt Groening as soccer announcer (uncredited). 496 - 10 "Politically Inept, with Homer Simpson" January 8, 2012 Mark Kirkland John Frink PABF03 Homer lands his own political talk show after a video featuring his impassioned rant on poor treatment at the airport goes viral. As his talk show quickly gains popularity nationwide, Homer becomes the spokesperson for the Gravy Movement and the voice of America's newest political party. But when ill-informed Homer is asked to select the next Republican nominee for President and officially endorses right-wing rock star Ted Nugent, Marge and Lisa worry that Homer's opinion and influence might be more powerful than he realizes. Guest starring: Ted Nugent as himself and Dana Gould as air marshal. 497 - 11 "The D'oh-cial Network" January 15, 2012 Chris Clements J. Stewart Burns PABF04 As the mastermind and creator of the online social networking phenomenon SpringFace, Lisa is called to trial when Springfield's obsession with the site becomes chaotic and dysfunctional. Lisa recounts her story and explains that she created the site after realizing she had no real friends. But as SpringFace expands and Springfield's fixation with the site causes mass hysteria, Lisa begins to realize that adding thousands of friends online did not compare to having real friendships. Later, Patty and Selma compete against the Winklevoss Twins in the rowing event at the 2012 Olympic Games. Guest starring: Armie Hammer as Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. 498 - 12 "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" January 29, 2012 Bob Anderson Tim Long PABF05 After Moe is heckled for not having any real companions, Moe's best friend and beloved bar rag narrates his incredible thousand-year journey to Springfield. Beginning in the Middle Ages, the bar rag was loomed into a beautiful and ornate medieval tapestry and traveled around the globe through the hands of royalty before finding himself found himself at Moe's Tavern. Meanwhile, Bart begs Milhouse for forgiveness after the two friends get into a tiff, and when the bar rag goes missing, Moe realizes that he has more friends than he thought. Guest starring: Jeremy Irons as Moe's bar rag. 499 - 13 "The Daughter Also Rises" February 12, 2012 Chuck Sheetz Rob LaZebnik PABF06 Marge and Lisa's mother-daughter Valentine's Day plans take a turn when Lisa meets Nick, an intellectual romantic who shares the same passion for culture, history and literature. Lisa and Nick fall head over heels for each other in a fairytale romance and make a secret getaway to Mulberry Island to profess their eternal love. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse are inspired by the hosts of "MythCrackers" to "crack" Springfield Elementary's own legends. Guest starring: Michael Cera as Nick, Jamie Hyneman as himself and Adam Savage as himself. 500 - 14 "At Long Last Leave" February 19, 2012 Matt Nastuk Michael Price PABF07 In the 500th episode, the Simpsons sneak into a secret town meeting to which they aren't invited and discover it's about whether to ban the family from Springfield. Guest starring: Alison Krauss, Julian Assange as himself, Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob and Jackie Mason as Hyman Krustofsky. 501 - 15 "Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart" March 4, 2012 Steven Dean Moore Marc Wilmore PABF09 In order to get back at his dad, Bart goes undercover as a graffiti street artist and plasters Homer's unflattering image all over Springfield. But one night, Bart and Milhouse get caught in the act by established street artists Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Kenny Scharf and Robbie Conal (guest voicing as themselves), and to Bart's surprise, they invite him to exhibit his satirical artwork in his very own gallery show. Meanwhile, a hip, new health food superstore opens in Springfield that threatens to put Apu and the Kwik-E-Mart out of business. Guest starring: Shepard Fairey as himself, Ron English as himself, Kenny Scharf as himself and Robbie Conal as himself. 502 - 16 "How I Wet Your Mother" March 11, 2012 Lance Kramer Billy Kimball Ian Maxtone-Graham PABF08 Karma gets the best of Homer after he gets his friends in trouble, and as a result, his bedwetting problem worsens. The family goes on a mission to infiltrate his dreams to search for clues in his subconscious to determine the source of his problem. But just as things take a dangerous turn in the dream, a figure from Homer's past appears, and he is finally reassured that the fond memories of his mother Mona (guest voice Glenn Close) remain alive, giving him just the right amount of reassurance to cure him of his problem. Guest starring: Glenn Close as Mona Simpson and David Byrne as end credits singer. 503 - 17 "Them, Robot" March 18, 2012 Michael Polcino Michael Price PABF10 Mr. Burns replaces all of Springfield Power Plant's employees with robots but decides to keep Homer as the sole human worker. With unemployment at an all-time high and mechanical arms operating the workplace, Springfield becomes a dismal and humorless place. But when Homer's machine-programmed peers start to turn on the community and his former real-life employees come to the rescue, they all realize that robots can't replace human friends. Guest starring: Brent Spiner as A9000 Robots. 504 - 18 "Beware My Cheating Bart" April 15, 2012 Mark Kirkland Ben Joseph PABF11 When Bart is forced to chaperone Jimbo's girlfriend to a movie, she ends up developing feelings for him, resulting in a whole bunch of trouble with the bullies at school. Meanwhile, Homer is persuaded to buy a state-of-the-art treadmill, fully equipped with a television. When Lisa shows Homer that he can access television shows wirelessly, he develops an obsession with watching an old television show from the treadmill, but not actually working out, until Marge decides to intervene. Guest starring: Kevin Michael Richardson as Springfield Mall security guard. 505 - 19 "A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again" April 29, 2012 Chris Clements Matt Warburton PABF12 When Bart sees a commercial for the ultimate cruise, he begs his parents for a family vacation. Low on cash, the only way they can go is if each family member sells one valuable. Once they're away, Bart is determined to make the vacation last forever. So he comes up with a plan to make sure they never have to return home. Guest starring: Treat Williams as himself and Steve Coogan as Rowan Priddis. 506 - 20 "The Spy Who Learned Me" May 6, 2012 Bob Anderson Marc Wilmore PABF13 Stradivarius Cain is a suave Hollywood superspy whom Homer sees as an illusion after suffering a head injury. Cain has a very important mission: to make Homer into a man that Marge can't resist. Guest starring: Bryan Cranston as Stradivarius Cain. 507- 21 "Ned 'n Edna's Blend Agenda" May 13, 2012 Chuck Sheetz Jeff Westbrook PABF15 When the town of Springfield discovers that Ned and Edna have secretly gotten hitched, Marge offers to throw them a congratulatory reception. However, bringing everyone together makes them all realize that no marriage is perfect. Meanwhile, Edna tries to help Ned's children become more socially acceptable by changing some of the rules. 508 - 22 "Lisa Goes Gaga" May 20, 2012 Matthew Schofield Tim Long PABF14 Lady Gaga makes a pit stop in Springfield after learning that it's teeming with low self-esteem, and winds up trying to cheer up a dejected Lisa through the power of speech, song, and a flash mob. Guest starring: Lady Gaga as herself and Kevin Michael Richardson as the Lady Gaga Express conductor.

Season 23 episodes script covers[edit]

References[edit]