Season 5

This page is under construction. Please improve the article, or discuss improvements on the talk page.

	Season Episode
← "Season 4"	"Season 5"	"Season 6" →

Season 5

Season Information Original run: September 30, 1993 – May 19, 1994 No. of episodes: 22 Previous season: 4 Next season: 6 DVD boxset: The Complete Fifth Season

The fifth season began on September 30, 1993 with the first episode, "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," and ended on May 19, 1994 with "Secrets of a Successful Marriage." David Mirkin was the show runner through most of the season's episodes. Al Jean and Mike Reiss were show runners of two episodes, "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" and "Cape Feare," which had been produced for the previous season. Consequently, they have Season 4's production code, 9FXX, rather than Season 5's, with 1FXX.

The season received eight awards nominations. It won an Annie Award for "Best Animated Television Production", an Environmental Media Award for "Best Television Episodic Comedy" for "Bart Gets an Elephant," a Genesis Award for "Best Television Comedy Series". David Silverman earned a nomination for "Best Individual Achievement for Creative Supervision in the Field of Animation", Alf Clausen and Greg Daniels received a nomination in the "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" category for the song "Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?", a song from "Homer and Apu." Clausen had another nomination for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for the episode "Cape Feare" and the series was nominated for a Saturn Award for "Best Genre Television Series." The producers again tried to submit episodes for "Outstanding Comedy Series" category rather than the "Outstanding Animated Program" as they had previously done, but were still not nominated.

All 22 episodes of Season 5 including extras were released on DVD on December 21, 2004 in Region 1, March 21, 2005 in Region 2 and March 23, 2005 in Region 4.

History

David Mirkin was the showrunner in this season and the following season, with holdovers from the previous season executively produced by Al Jean and Mike Reiss;"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" and "Cape Feare".

"Feare" is the final episode written by the "original team", who wrote the first four seasons of The Simpsons. The episodes was considered to be "cartoonish" compared to their previous efforts, due to the fact that the writers became careless before their departure..

"Deep Space Homer" stired up some controversary as some deemed the episode to be too "large" of an idea. Matt Groening encouraged the writers to produce the episode as they had "nowhere [else] to go". As a result, every aspect of the show was worked on to make the concept work. The writers focused more upon the relationship between Homer and his family and Homer's attempts to be a hero.

"Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" was The Simpsons 100th episode broadcast (although "Lisa's Rival" was the 100th episode produced in production order, where that episode would air the following season.) "Baadasssss" was intentionally made the show's 100th episode because it heavily featured Bart and was promoted as "Bart's biggest prank ever," even though Bart did not actually pull any pranks in the episode; Cletus Spuckler and the Rich Texan were the only recurring characters to be introduced this season, first appearing in "Bart Gets an Elephant", and "$pringfield" respectively. Other minor characters who first appeared this season were Luigi Risotto and Baby Gerald.

Production of the fifth season ended aruptly when the Northridge earthquake affected the Film Roman building where the Simpsons writers and animators were working, forcing them to move temporarily while producing "Bart of Darkness" and "Lisa's Rival". Both episodes aired early in the following season as the staff of the show were given an extra month to complete them. The only staff members that came in expecting to work were future show runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein.

Episodes

Picture	#	Title	Original airdate	Directed by	Written by	Prod. code
100px	82 - 1	"Homer's Barbershop Quartet"	September 30, 1993	Mark Kirkland	Jeff Martin	9F21
Homer tells the story of when he was a member of a barbershop quartet called The Be Sharps, consisting of himself, Principal Skinner, Apu and Chief Wiggum (later replaced by Barney). The group became popular very fast, largely due to their hit song, "Baby on Board," which earned them a Grammy. However, Homer missed his family while the Be Sharps were touring, and the group's popularity began to decline. Eventually the group broke up and the members returned to their regular lives. Back in the present, Homer calls the other members and the group reunites to perform "Baby on Board" on the roof of Moe's Tavern.
100px	83 - 2	"Cape Feare"	October 7, 1993	Rich Moore	Jon Vitti	9F22
Bart is worried when he receives anonymous threatening letters written in blood, and even more worried when he learns that the sender is Sideshow Bob, and Bob has recently been released from prison. For their protection, the Simpsons are placed on the Witness Relocation Program, given new identities, and moved to Terror Lake to live on a houseboat. Unbeknownst to them, Bob has followed them to Terror Lake. He breaks into the boat, ties up the family, sets the boat adrift, and advances on Bart to kill him. Thinking quickly, Bart appeals to Bob's vanity by asking him to sing the entire score of H.M.S. Pinafore. While Bob sings, the boat drifts downriver back into the jurisdiction of the Springfield Police, where Bob is arrested and sent back to jail.
100px	84 - 3	"Homer Goes to College"	October 14, 1993	Jim Reardon	Conan O'Brien	1F02
Homer learns that he is underqualified for his own job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant because he has no college training in nuclear physics. He enrolls at Springfield University, where he tries to live the stereotypical college life of pranks and parties and gets his three nerd tutors to go along with him. When one prank gets the nerds expelled, they move in with the Simpsons and cause all kinds of problems for the family. Homer is able to get the nerds back into school, but fails his class. The nerds hack into the college computer and give Homer a passing grade, but Marge finds out and makes him retake the class.
100px	85 - 4	"Rosebud"	October 21, 1993	Wes Archer	John Swartzwelder	1F01
Mr. Burns remembers his long-lost childhood toy, a teddy bear named Bobo, and wants to retrieve it. Maggie is discovered to be in possession of the bear, and Burns offers the Simpsons a large reward to give the bear back. They decline, however, when they see how attached Maggie is to Bobo. Burns and Smithers try threats and begging to get Bobo back, but nothing succeeds. When the next step (cutting off beer and TV) affects all of Springfield, the whole town forces Homer to return the bear, but they relent when they see the expression on Maggie's face. Finally, Burns confronts Maggie in person and persuades her to gives Bobo back to him. Now reunited with Bobo, Burns snuggles up with him and wonders what the future holds for Bobo.
100px	86 - 5	"Treehouse of Horror IV"	October 28, 1993	David Silverman	Conan O'Brien, Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein, Greg Daniels & Don McGrath,Bill Canterbury	1F04
Prologue: Bart talks to the viewers in a room with paintings lampooned by the Simpsons. Marge tells him that he should warn viewers that the episode is scary, and leaves Maggie with him while she goes to buy some earrings. Bart ignores her, continuing to present the episode and telling three scary stories. The Devil and Homer Simpson: Homer laments that he would sell his soul for a donut. The Devil promptly appears, producing a contract (which Homer signs) and a donut. Thinking he's outsmarted the Devil, Homer leaves one segment of the donut uneaten to keep the Devil from claiming his soul. However, that same night, Homer eats it anyway while half-asleep raiding the fridge. The Devil returns to collect, but Marge insists on having a trial, to which the Devil reluctantly agrees. After Homer spends a day in hell, the trial is held. Homer wins, but for revenge the Devil turns Homer's head into a donut. He is then unable to leave the house, as police officers with coffee are expectantly waiting outside for him. Terror at 5½ Feet: Bart witnesses a gremlin attacking the school bus and tries to warn everyone, but nobody believes him because they don't see the gremlin. With each warning, Bart gets deeper into trouble while the gremlin further damages the bus. Bart manages to get the gremlin off the bus, and it falls into the road and is picked up by Ned Flanders. When the bus finally gets to school, everyone sees the damage but they still think Bart is crazy. When Bart is sent to a mental hospital in an ambulance, the gremlin re-appears in the ambulance's rear window, holding Ned's severed head, Bart Simpson's Dracula: When a series of mysterious attacks occurs in Springfield, Lisa suspects that a vampire is responsible and that the vampire is Mr. Burns, but no one believes her. Lisa becomes more suspicious when Mr. Burns invites the family over for dinner and serves blood for drinks. Lisa and Bart then discover vampires in Burns' basement, and Bart is caught and turned into one. Later that night, Bart and several other children of Springfield try to attack Lisa. She tells the family that they have to kill the head vampire to get Bart back, so they return to the mansion and kill Burns (who fires Homer just before he dies). They return home, where Lisa discovers that the whole family (except herself) are vampires, and the head vampire is actually Marge ("I do have a life outside this house, you know"). They all swoop in to attack Lisa, but they stop at the last second and everyone wishes the viewers a happy Halloween. Then, in a parody of the Peanuts special A Charlie Brown Christmas, they sing while Santa's Little Helper dances and Milhouse plays the piano.
100px	87 - 6	"Marge on the Lam"	November 4, 1993	Mark Kirkland	Bill Canterbury	1F03
Marge and the family's neighbor, Ruth Powers, have a girls' night out, hanging out at a country bar and doing some target shooting using a farmer's antique cans as targets. Homer hires Lionel Hutz to babysit the children and goes out to have some fun on his own. He meets up with Chief Wiggum, who offers him a ride home. Then Wiggum sees a car with a broken taillight and tries to pull it over, but it speeds away: It's Ruth and Marge, and Ruth doesn't want to pull over because she's driving her ex-husband's car, which she stole from him to get even for his failing to pay child support. A high-speed pursuit follows, and the police eventually catch up to Ruth and Marge. The car theft charges against Ruth are dropped, but Marge is fined for shooting the farmer's cans.
100px	88 - 7	"Bart's Inner Child"	November 11, 1993	Bob Anderson	George Meyer	1F05
Marge realizes she is addicted to nagging and consults a self-help guru, Brad Goodman, to overcome it. Marge later takes the family to hear Goodman speak, hoping that he can do something about Bart's bad behavior. Instead, Goodman uses Bart as an example of how people should behave: "Do what you feel." The whole town starts acting like Bart, which Bart at first enjoys, but later finds annoying. The town then holds a "Do what you feel" festival, but it causes a number of dangerous mishaps due to people not feeling like doing their jobs. The festival flops, and things in Springfield return to normal.
100px	89 - 8	"Boy-Scoutz 'N the Hood"	November 18, 1993	Jeffrey Lynch	Don McGrath	1F06
Bart and Milhouse go on an all-syrup Squishee bender, and Bart awakens the next morning to find that he's joined a Boy Scouts-esque group called the Junior Campers. Bart at first hates the group and wants to quit (especially when he learns the patrol leader is Ned Flanders), but comes to enjoy it when he discovers that the skills he learns are highly useful for pranking Homer. On a father-son rafting trip, Homer's bumbling causes the raft with himself, Bart, Ned and Rod to be separated from the group, ending up adrift at sea with no supplies. Homer saves the day, however, when he smells hamburgers and leads them to a Krusty Burger restaurant on an oil rig, where they are rescued.
100px	90 - 9	"The Last Temptation of Homer"	December 9, 1993	Carlos Baeza	Frank Mula	1F07
Homer finds himself highly attracted to Mindy Simmons, a new employee at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, but is torn because having an affair with her would ruin his marriage to Marge. It gets worse when Homer discovers that he and Mindy have very similar traits (such as a fondness for beer, TV, naps and junk food), and when they're sent on an out-of-town overnight business trip. In the end, Homer and Mindy acknowledge their feelings for each other, but Homer stays faithful to Marge. Meanwhile, a series of medical treatments temporarily transforms Bart into a nerd, making him a target for the school bullies.
100px	91 - 10	"$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)"	December 16, 1993	Wes Archer	Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein	1F08
A declining economy prompts Springfield to legalize gambling, and Mr. Burns opens a casino. Homer is hired as a blackjack dealer, and becomes popular among customers when they realize he always loses. Marge, however, becomes addicted to gambling, ignoring her family in favor of playing slot machines. She realizes she has a problem when Homer confronts her about breaking a promise to Lisa. Meanwhile, Mr. Burns becomes a reclusive clean freak (a. la. Howard Hughes), and Bart, after being kicked out of Burns' casino due to being underage, takes revenge by opening his own casino in his treehouse.
100px	92 - 11	"Homer the Vigilante"	January 6, 1994	Jim Reardon	John Swartzwelder	1F09
A wave of burglaries hits Springfield, and many items, such as Lisa's saxophone, are stolen from people's homes. When the police can't catch the cat burglar, Homer forms a neighborhood watch group. However, it too is ineffective due to Homer's bungling. Finally, Grampa Simpson reveals that the cat burglar is Malloy, a fellow resident of Springfield Retirement Castle. When the townspeople confront Malloy, he confesses, returns the stolen items, and says he's hidden a treasure worth millions of dollars in town. Everyone races to dig up the treasure, but they find only a note where Malloy says that there is no treasure and he tricked everyone so he could make his escape. Mayor Quimby, however, insists they keep digging just in case there really is a treasure.
100px	93 - 12	"Bart Gets Famous"	February 3, 1994	Susie Dietter	John Swartzwelder	1F11
Bart sneaks away from a school field trip and ends up getting a job assisting Krusty the Clown. When Krusty puts Bart into a sketch as a last-minute replacement for Sideshow Mel, Bart flubs his line and accidentally trashes the stage. He then says, "I didn't do it," which the audience finds hilarious. Krusty then puts Bart into more sketches to say "I didn't do it," and Bart's catchphrase catapults him to instant stardom. Bart, however, finds fame to be dissatisfying, and becomes tired of being known for only one line. Eventually his popularity fades and Bart returns to being average.
100px	94 - 13	"Homer and Apu"	February 10, 1994	Mark Kirkland	Greg Daniels	1F10
Homer gets food poisoning twice from expired products at the Kwik-E-Mart. When Kent Brockman does an exposé on the store, Apu is fired and replaced by actor James Woods. Apu moves in with the Simpsons, and Homer decides to help Apu by going with him to India so he can ask the Kwik-E-Mart chain owner for his job back. However, the trip is unsuccessful as Homer's bumbling spoils Apu's chance to talk to the owner. Apu then visits the Kwik-E-Mart and saves James Woods from being shot in a robbery (by taking the bullet himself). A grateful Woods then helps Apu get his job back.
100px	95 - 14	"Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy"	February 17, 1994	Jeffrey Lynch	Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein	1F12
Lisa is dissatisfied with the new Malibu Stacy doll because everything it says is demeaning to women. Lisa visits Stacy Lovell, the doll line's reclusive creator, and persuades her to make a doll to be a more positive role model for girls. Together they make the doll, named "Lisa Lionheart" after Lisa. The Malibu Stacy executives see Lisa Lionheart as a threat, and sabotage her roll-out by distracting the customers with a Mailbu Stacy doll that has a new hat. Meanwhile, Grampa worries that he is getting old and tries to make the most of life by working at Krusty Burger. Grampa does not do well at the job, however, and when he sees how the restaurant treats seniors, he quits his job and leads a group of seniors in a boycott of Krusty Burger.
	96 - 15	"Deep Space Homer"	February 24, 1994	Carlos Baeza	David Mirkin	1F13
Homer is passed over yet again for the "Worker of the Week" award at the nuclear plant, the award going this time to an inanimate carbon rod. At the same time, NASA decides to launch an average American into space to improve TV ratings for space missions. Homer and Barney are selected as candidates, and Homer is chosen to make a shuttle flight. During the mission, an emergency arises when Homer accidentally breaks an ant farm (sending ants and sand into the controls) and breaks the handle of the shuttle's hatch. Homer saves the day, albeit purely serendipitiously, by using a carbon rod as an improvised latch to seal the hatch. The shuttle lands safely, and the rod is hailed as a hero—which disappoints Homer, but he wins his family's respect for making the trip.
100px	97 - 16	"Homer Loves Flanders"	March 17, 1994	Wes Archer	David Richardson	1F14
Homer is unable to get tickets to the Pigskin Classic football game, but Ned Flanders has an extra and invites Homer to come to the game as his guest, They have a good time and Homer is grateful, but his gratitude turns annoying when he constantly hangs out around Ned. Ned realizes he can't stand Homer when the two families go to the lake and the Simpsons start a food fight. In an attempt to get away from Homer, Ned drives off in his car and is pulled over and given a sobriety field test. The incident causes the Flanders family to be shunned at church, but Homer intervenes, lecturing the congregation for misjudging Ned. The churchgoers back off, and Homer and Ned finish up as friends—but things are back to normal within a week the next time Ned gets on Homer's nerves.
100px	98 - 17	"Bart Gets an Elephant"	March 31, 1994	Jim Reardon	John Swartzwelder	1F15
Bart wins a radio contest where the prize is either $10,000 or an elephant. Bart insists on the elephant, even though it's obviously a gag prize. When the announcers are threatened with being fired, they give Bart the elephant, which he names Stampy. Taking care of Stampy proves to be too expensive for the family finances, and the Simpsons look for a new home for him. They consider donating Stampy to a nature preserve, which Homer rejects in favor of selling him to an ivory dealer. Stampy escapes and wreaks havoc on Springfield, but when he's caught again, Homer relents and sends Stampy to the nature preserve.
100px	99 - 18	"Burns' Heir"	April 14, 1994	Mark Kirkland	Jace Richdale	1F16
Mr. Burns nearly drowns in his bathtub and decides he needs an heir to inherit his wealth. He holds auditions and rejects many local children, including Bart, but when Bart takes revenge by vandalizing Burns' mansion, Burns decides that Bart is what he's looking for and selects Bart to be his heir. Marge encourages Bart to spend time with Burns, which turns into Bart living at the Burns mansion full-time. Bart misses his family, but Burns shows him a video showing that they no longer care about him. (The "family", however, are obviously actors.) Bart then enjoys life with Mr. Burns, and Burns has Bart fire power plant workers for fun. As a loyalty test, Burns tells Bart to fire Homer, but Bart refuses, gives up being Burns' heir, and returns home to live with his family.
100px	100 - 19	"Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song"	April 28, 1994	Bob Anderson	Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein	1F18
Bart brings Santa's Little Helper to school for show and tell. The dog is a hit with the children, but he escapes and causes a series of mishaps, resulting in Principal Skinner being fired. Ned Flanders is hired as principal and Skinner rejoins the Army. At school, Flanders proves to be ineffective at discipline and the school turns into a madhouse. Bart, meanwhile, befriends Skinner and enjoys their friendship, but he realizes that the school needs Skinner, which means they need to be enemies again. Bart persuades Skinner to return to the school if Flanders is fired, and Superintendent Chalmers fires Flanders when he hears him saying "Thank the Lord" over the school's PA system. Skinner is re-hired as principal, and he and Bart return—reluctantly—to being enemies.
100px	101 - 20	"The Boy Who Knew Too Much"	May 5, 1994	Jeffrey Lynch	John Swartzwelder	1F19
Deeming the day too beautiful to stay inside, Bart ditches school. Principal Skinner nearly catches him, but Bart escapes by stowing away in a car driven by the mayor's nephew Freddy Quimby, who is on his way to his birthday party. Bart witnesses a confrontation between Freddy and a waiter, after which the waiter is injured in a bizarre series of mishaps. When Freddy is put on trial for assaulting the waiter, only Bart knows that Freddy is innocent; everyone else believes Freddy to be guilty. However, in order to reveal the truth, Bart will have to admit to ditching school. In the end, Bart decides to testify. Freddy is acquitted, but Bart gets four months' detention for ditching school. Meanwhile, Homer serves on the jury and takes advantage of the situation, getting the jury sequestered and put up in a fancy hotel.
100px	102 - 21	"Lady Bouvier's Lover"	May 12, 1994	Wes Archer	Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein	1F21
Grampa falls for Marge's mother, Jacqueline, and they begin dating. However, when they go to a dance, Mr. Burns cuts in and Jacqueline decides to date Burns instead. She and Burns become engaged, and Grampa interrupts their wedding to win her back. Jacqueline says she doesn't want to marry either man. Grampa says that's good enough for him, and the two of them board a bus and ride off together. Meanwhile, Bart uses Homer's credit card to buy an Itchy & Scratchy animation cel and is disappointed to find it only shows Scratchy's hand. Taking advantage of Burns' dating his grandmother, Bart extorts $350 from Mr. Burns to pay Homer back.
100px	103 - 22	"Secrets of a Successful Marriage"	May 19, 1994	Carlos Baeza	Greg Daniels	1F20
Tired of being called "slow", Homer teaches a class at the Adult Education Annex on how to build a successful marriage. He discovers, however, that the only way he can hold his students' interest is by telling them stories about his and Marge's love life. When Marge finds out, she asks Homer to stop, but when the students threaten to walk out of the class, Homer resumes telling intimate stories and invites them to the house for dinner to see their marriage in action. At this, Marge has had enough and throws Homer out of the house. After only one day of living in Bart's treehouse, Homer realizes he can't survive without Marge and begs her forgiveness on the grounds that he can't afford to lose her trust again. Marge admits that Homer does make her feel needed, and she forgives him and lets him move back into the house.

DVD Release

Season 5 was released on DVD in its entirety as The Complete Fifth Season on December 21, 2004 in Region 1, March 21, 2005 in Region 2 and March 23, 2005 in Region by 20th Century Fox. While primarily containing the original 22 episodes, the boxset also consists on bonus features such as storyboards.

The Complete Fifth Season
Set Details			Special Features
22 episodes 4-disc set 1.33:1 aspect ratio Languages: English (Dolby Digital 5.1, with subtitles) Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, with subtitles) French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo) Special language feature for "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song" (Czech, Italian, Polish and Hungarian)			Optional commentaries for all 22 episodes Introduction from Matt Groening Animation Showcases "A Look Back" with James L. Brooks Deleted Scenes for 14 episodes Commercials Illustrated commentaries Audio outtakes Original sketches
Release Dates
Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
December 21, 2004	March 21, 2005	March 23, 2005

Awards

The season received eight awards nominations. It won an Annie Award for "Best Animated Television Production", an Environmental Media Award for "Best Television Episodic Comedy" for "Bart Gets an Elephant," a Genesis Award for "Best Television Comedy Series". David Silverman earned a nomination for "Best Individual Achievement for Creative Supervision in the Field of Animation", Alf Clausen and Greg Daniels received a nomination in the "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" category for the song "Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?", a song from "Homer and Apu." Clausen had another nomination for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for the episode "Cape Feare" and the series was nominated for a Saturn Award for "Best Genre Television Series." The producers again tried to submit episodes for "Outstanding Comedy Series" category rather than the "Outstanding Animated Program" as they had previously done, but were still not nominated.

Seasons

Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7 • Season 8 • Season 9 • Season 10 • Season 11 • Season 12 Season 13 • Season 14 • Season 15 • Season 16 • Season 17 • Season 18 • Season 19 • Season 20 • Season 21 • Season 22 • Season 23 • Season 24 Season 25 • Season 26 • Season 27 • Season 28 • Season 29 • Season 30 • Season 31 • Season 32 • Season 33 • Season 34 • Season 35 • Season 36* Upcoming episodes Special episodes

	Season Episode
← "Season 4"	"Season 5"	"Season 6" →