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Breaking the fourth wall

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
Revision as of 12:29, January 24, 2020 by Cdavymatias (talk | contribs) (Season 10)

This is a list of when the fourth wall is broken in the show. Breaking the fourth wall in The Simpsons occurs when the characters acknowledge that they are fictional or acknowledge the audience or sometimes the cast and crew. It can also occur when the cast and crew acknowledge the media and try to affect it.

Breaking the Fourth Wall

Season 1

Image Episode Description Ep #
Bart the General 4th wall.png "Bart the General" Bart sits on a table in a library and talks directly to the camera about the seriousness of war. 5

Season 5

Image Episode Description Ep #
200 px "Lady Bouvier's Lover" The Simpsons are singing the "Armour Hot Dogs" theme song and Homer shows a sign to the camera which reads "PLEASE BUY ARMOUR BRAND HOT DOGS". 102

Season 6

Image Episode Description Ep #
"A Star Is Burns" Jay Sherman invites the Simpson family to visit his show, referring to The Critic. However, Bart shoots the idea down. 121

Season 7

Image Episode Description Ep #
"The Day the Violence Died" Roger Meyers Jr. says Chief Wiggum is a rip-off of Edward G. Robinson. 146
Leonard Nimoy in The Springfield Files.png "The Springfield Files" Leonard Nimoy appears telling the story of the episode to the audience. Being replaced by the Squeaky-Voiced Teen at the end of the episode. 163

Season 9

Image Episode Description Ep #
Joe Namath - Bart Star.png "Bart Star" Joe Namath talks to the viewers about vaporlock. 184
Homer speaks during the end credits, cutting off the people in them as he does as a coach.

Season 10

Image Episode Description Ep #
AABF08 Fourth wall.png "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" John Madden and Pat Summerall have a "post-episode analysis", where they come to a conclusion that the episode cheated "the loyal fans who put up with so much nonsense from this franchise". 215
"Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"" In the end credits, Homer speaks directly to the audience about the channels they should watch. 218

Season 11

Image Episode Description Ep #
AABF21 Fourth wall.png "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?" Homer informs the viewers that the show will be back after the commercial break. 229
"The Mansion Family" Homer cries during the end credits, talking about the people in them being richer than him. 238
BABF09 Fourth wall.png "Saddlesore Galactica" Comic Book Guy wears a shirt that proclaims the ongoing episode to be the "worst ever". 239
BABF11 Fourth wall.png "Missionary: Impossible" A Fox pledge-a-thon presented by Betty White interrupts the ending of the episode. When Bart pledges the needed money, he receives a phone call telling him that he's saved the network. He comments that it "wouldn't be the first time". 241
BABF12 Fourth wall.png "Pygmoelian" Carl tells the viewers "You see, that's why I don't talk much", after starting a dialogue which ends in tears. 242

Season 12

Image Episode Description Ep #
"Treehouse of Horror XI" At the end of the episode, Kang and Kodos appear in their spaceship complaining that they have been left out of the Simpsons Halloween special. 249
CABF06 Fourth wall.png "Skinner's Sense of Snow" At the end of the episode, Lisa with a camel's head speaks to the audience saying "Merry Christmas from the Simpsons!". 256
CABF12 Fourth wall.png "New Kids on the Blecch" 'N Sync talks to the camera about the navy. 262
CABF14 Fourth wall.png "Trilogy of Error" Mr. Teeny murmurs in monkey language "this plot made no sense" to the camera. 266

Season 13

Image Episode Description Ep #
"Brawl in the Family" Marge tells Gabriel "At 18:00, we go live!", in reference to the time at which the episodes premiered during that part of the season. 276

Season 14

Image Episode Description Ep #
EABF09 Fourth wall.png "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington" A promo for Joe Millionaire appears on the screen, which Homer picks up and eats, then spits it out. 305
EABF14 Fourth wall.png "Old Yeller-Belly" Homer remarks to the camera about how the plan to get Santa's Little Helper back is working. 310

Season 18

Image Episode Description Ep #
JABF15 Fourth wall.png "You Kent Always Say What You Want" Homer tries to tell Lisa something that Kent Brockman told him about the Fox Network, but while doing so, a voiceover interrupts him, causing him to try to say it directly to the audience, but is interrupted by the 20th Century Fox Television logo. Immediately, he appears again on a white background trying again to speak to the audience, this time being interrupted by the Gracie Films logo. 400
JABF15 Fourth wall 2.png

The Simpsons Movie

Image Description
The Simpsons Movie Fourth wall.png While the characters are in the cinema at the beginning of the movie, Homer says "If you ask me, everybody in this theater is a giant sucker. Specially you.", pointing to the audience behind the screen while he finishes his comment.
The Simpsons Movie chalkboard gag.png In the chalkboard gag of the opening sequence, Bart writes "I will not illegally download this movie".

Season 20

Image Episode Description Ep #
LostVerizon Commercial.png "Lost Verizon" When Bart first takes hold of Denis Leary’s phone after he throws it away, he explaims that you can watch commercials on it. He then holds the phone up to the camera as it cuts to commercial. 422
"Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" While solving crossword puzzles, Lisa thinks of B.A.R.T. and describes it as a San Francesco people mover, Bart then looks at the camera and says "Speaking of San Francesco people movers", the scene then cuts to Homer in a gay bar with Julio. 426
LABF08 Fourth wall.png "Father Knows Worst" Homer tells the viewers he's a "great dad to both his kids". 438

Season 22

Image Episode Description Ep #
NABF15 Fourth wall.png "The Ned-liest Catch" In the cliffhanger ending, Homer and Marge remind the viewer to join TheSimpsons.com and vote on whether Ned and Edna Krabappel should stay together.
Note:This scene was extended into the credits in later airings.
486

Season 23

Image Episode Description Ep #
Comic Book Guy Room.png "The Falcon and the D'ohman" Comic Book Guy tells the viewers that the result of Nedna will be revealed in the episode. 487
TFATD Fourth Wall.png When Ned and Edna are in bed together, Edna winks at the camera.
MGFRTR promo 1.jpg "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" Moe's bar rag tells the viewers his life story throughout the whole episode 498

Season 24

Image Episode Description Ep #
"A Test Before Trying" After making wishes at the well, Marge says she hopes Bart to pass his exam, what makes Homer mention the way to get them back on topic, referring to back to the main plot of the episode. 518
RABF05 Fourth wall.png "Hardly Kirk-ing" Homer says that Bart's comment about not wanting to look like his dad is "not a heartwarming thing to end [the episode] on". 521

Season 25

Image Episode Description Ep #
Four Regrettings and a Funeral marquee.png "Four Regrettings and a Funeral" The church marquee refers to Chip Davis as "Springfield's most beloved character that you never saw". 533

Season 26

Image Episode Description Ep #
TMWCTBD Fourth Wall.png "The Man Who Came to Be Dinner" Kang turns to the camera and says "As if this never happened", referring to the episode being non-canon. 562

Season 27

Image Episode Description Ep #
TMC Fourth Wall.png "The Marge-ian Chronicles" After giving Marge the reason to open a G-rated comedy club, with the goal that she abandon the idea, Homer raises his thumb while looking at the camera. 590

Season 28

Image Episode Description Ep #
TCC Fourth Wall.png "The Caper Chase" Robert McKee breaks the fourth wall by talking about the time cut that happened after the introduction to the clones. 615
Moho House Gracie Films.png "Moho House" A hand drawn Gracie Films gag is seen in Homer's flip-book. 617
In "Stogie's Song", Stogie sang the line "that's the ending of the show, except for the tag."

Season 29

Image Episode Description Ep #
"Singin' in the Lane " Lenny says "This episode has a lot of music." 625

Music videos

Image Episode Description Ep #
Do the Bartman - Fourth wall.png "Do the Bartman" Bart tells the viewers about his story of how he invented the Bartman dance moves. SPECIAL
Deep Deep Trouble - Fourth wall.png "Deep, Deep Trouble" Bart talks to viewers the whole short on how he got in prison. SPECIAL

The Simpsons: Tapped Out

The Simpsons: Tapped Out frequently breaks the fourth wall, with the characters referring to being in a game.

Leaning on the Fourth Wall

Leaning on the fourth wall is where something almost breaks the fourth wall, only for it to be an in-media effect, such as the camera panning to reveal that the character was talking to another character rather than the audience.

Season 4

Image Episode Description Ep#
Duffless - Leaning 4th Wall.png "Duffless" When Homer turns down a glass of beer and runs off, Moe says that he will be back and so will several other barflies which whom he points to and he seems to point to the viewer, who is actually Barney. 75

Season 6

Image Episode Description Ep #
Richard fourthwall.png "Bart of Darkness" Richard briefly appears to be throwing a beach ball at the camera, only for it to then show someone else catching it. 104
2F16 Fourth Wall.png "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)" Dr. Hibbert, with his trademark chuckle says "Well I couldn't possibly solve this mystery. Can YOU?" pointing at the screen, at what is thought to be the viewer. The camera zooms out to show that he is pointing to Chief Wiggum, who says he will give it a shot, since it is his job. 128

Season 10

Image Episode Description Ep #
AABF15 Fourth Wall.png "Mom and Pop Art" After insulting Matt Groening by saying "What's he doing in a museum? He can barely draw!", Homer is attacked by the eraser of a giant pencil, as if Matt Groening is trying to erase Homer. It is then revealed that two museum employees are carrying the giant pencil, which is actually a work of art by Claes Oldenburg, and trying to put it on its display stand. 222

Season 13

Image Episode Description Ep #
"Brawl in the Family" While the Simpsons happily return home, Lisa comments "Could this be the end of our series...". After the others look at her, she ends the sentence saying "...of events?". 276

Season 20

Image Episode Description Ep #
GoneMaggieGone Fourth Wall.png "Gone Maggie Gone" After a return to commercial when Lisa is trying to figure out Springfield's biggest ring, she looks at the camera asking "Well? Did you get it?" The scene then changes to show that she was asking Milhouse, who says that he doesn't know. 433

Season 27

Image Episode Description Ep #
HalloweenOfHorror - Kirk.png "Halloween of Horror" During the "Grown-Up Halloween" musical number several characters look like their singing to the audience when they're really addressing Marge and Bart. 578

Season 28

Image Episode Description Ep #
Moho House Fourth Wall Lean.png "Moho House" Moe said "Me thinks I see my opportunity" to the camera, only to reveal he was talking to Sideshow Mel, who he said he considered his friend. 617