Season 2

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Season 2

Season Information No. of episodes: 22 Original run: October 11, 1990 – July 11, 1991 Showrunner(s): Matt Groening James L. Brooks Sam Simon DVD boxset: The Complete Second Season Previous season: Next season: 1 3

Season 2 is the second broadcast season of The Simpsons. It originally ran on Fox from October 11, 1990, with "Bart Gets an "F"", to July 11, 1991, with "Blood Feud". The season was made up of production season 7F episodes. Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon served as the showrunners for the season.

History

"Bart Gets an "F"" was the first episode broadcast for the second season, although it was not the first produced (the first produced being "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"). The change was due to the popularity of Bart Simpson and his status as the main character of The Simpsons at this point in the show's history. (Later, Homer would assume that status.) Another reason was that the producers wanted a Bart-centered episode as the season premiere. The Fox Network decided to switch The Simpsons timeslot to Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST, to air at the same time as NBC's The Cosby Show. This competition led to the two shows being promoted as "Bill vs. Bart", referencing the main characters. While The Cosby Show earned slightly higher Nielsen ratings (an 18.5 rating compared to The Simpsons' 18.4 for "Bart Gets an "F""), Fox's show, however, finished eighth in the weekly ratings, watched by an estimated 33.6 million viewers, making it the number one show in terms of actual viewers and surpassing The Cosby Show in terms of viewing numbers that week. "Bart Gets an "F"" became the network's highest rated broadcast until January 1, 1995, and The Simpsons' highest rated episode of all time. "Three Men and a Comic Book" was the only episode from the second season to beat The Cosby Show by Nielsen ratings, finishing 23rd in weekly ratings opposite a rerun of a Cosby episode, which finished 26th. At the end of the second season, The Simpsons finished 38th while The Cosby Show finished 5th. It would not be until Season 3's "Homer at the Bat" where The Simpsons would garner more viewers than The Cosby Show. The Simpsons would remain in a Thursday timeslot until being moved back to its original Sunday timeslot in the sixth season, where the show has remained ever since.

Season 2 also introduced a new opening sequence, one which would be used for many seasons. The new opening sequence was significantly remade compared to its predecessor; for example, including many recurring characters such as Lionel Hutz, Mayor Quimby, and Troy McClure, who were introduced in this season but didn't appear in Season 1. Three versions of the new sequence were created, with different lengths: One which was 1 minute and 15 seconds long, another which was 45 seconds, and one which was only 25 seconds, with parts cut to fit the shorter time frames. These versions were created to adapt to the length of an episode, where some would be longer than others. That is, a short episode would have a long opening and vice versa to save or fill in time.

Awards

Award Episode Crew Result Environmental Media Award for Best Television Episodic Comedy "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" Won 43rd Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" Larina Jean Adamson, James L. Brooks, Gábor Csupó, Matt Groening, Sherry Gunther, Al Jean, Jay Kogen, George Meyer, Rich Moore, Steve Pepoon, Mike Reiss, Richard Sakai, Sam Simon, Wallace Wolodarsky 43rd Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation Brad Brock, Gary Montgomery, and Jim Fitzpatrick Nominated

Episodes

Picture # Title Original airdate Directed by Written by Prod. code 14 - 1 "Bart Gets an "F"" October 11, 1990 David Silverman David M. Stern 7F03 Mrs. Krabappel warns Bart that his grades are slipping, and if he fails another test, he will probably have to repeat the fourth grade. In a last-ditch effort to avoid being held back, Bart enlists the aid of Martin to help him pass a history test. 15 - 2 "Simpson and Delilah" October 18, 1990 Rich Moore Jon Vitti 7F02 Homer tries a new hair growth formula, Dimoxinil, which works and leads him to a more successful life, including a big promotion at work. Guest starring: Harvey Fierstein as Karl. 16 - 3 "Treehouse of Horror" October 25, 1990 Wes Archer, Rich Moore and David Silverman John Swartzwelder, Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky, Sam Simon and Edgar Allan Poe 7F04 The first of the annual Halloween spook-fests. In "Bad Dream House", the family move into an old haunted house, are possessed by an evil spirit, and attempt to kill each other. In "Hungry are the Damned", the family are abducted by aliens Kang and Kodos and are fattened up to the extent Lisa questions their motives. In "The Raven", a poem by Edgar Allan Poe is recited with the family as characters. Guest starring: James Earl Jones as a moving man, Serak the Preparer, and The Raven narrator. 17 - 4 "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" November 1, 1990 Wes Archer Sam Simon & John Swartzwelder 7F01 After Bart catches a three-eyed fish named Blinky in the lake by the power plant, it makes headlines and state nuclear inspectors find numerous safety violations. They order Mr. Burns to fix the issues or face having the plant closed down, so Burns decides to run for governor so he can pass laws that keep the plant open. 18 - 5 "Dancin' Homer" November 8, 1990 Mark Kirkland Ken Levine & David Isaacs 7F05 Homer becomes a baseball mascot for the Springfield Isotopes, thanks to his butt-swinging dance. The team's subsequent high scores bring him to the attention of major league head hunters and big commercial sponsors. Guest starring: Tom Poston as the Capital City Goofball and Tony Bennett as himself. 19 - 6 "Dead Putting Society" November 15, 1990 Rich Moore Jeff Martin 7F08 When Homer and Bart bump into Ned and Todd Flanders at the mini golf course, Homer becomes convinced that his son can beat Todd in the upcoming miniature golf tournament. They both enter and place a bet on who will win—the loser having to mow the lawn in his wife's Sunday dress. 20 - 7 "Bart vs. Thanksgiving" November 22, 1990 David Silverman George Meyer 7F07 It's Thanksgiving at the Simpsons' place, but Bart gets the entire family mad at him and runs away from home. When he sees what life is like on the seedy side of town, he realizes how good things are for him at home. Guest starring: Carol Kane as Maggie Simpson (uncredited). 21 - 8 "Bart the Daredevil" December 6, 1990 Wes Archer Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky 7F06 Bart attempts to follow in the footsteps of his hero, a daredevil named Captain Lance Murdock. As part of becoming a daredevil himself, Bart does increasingly dangerous stunts, leading to his final stunt: jumping the Springfield Gorge. 22 - 9 "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" December 20, 1990 David Silverman John Swartzwelder 7F09 After watching an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, Maggie strikes Homer with a mallet. Horrified, Marge vows to put a stop to violence on children's television. Guest starring: Alex Rocco as Roger Meyers, Jr. 23 - 10 "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" January 10, 1991 Mark Kirkland John Swartzwelder 7F10 Bart is knocked off his skateboard by Mr. Burns in his car. With the help of dodgy lawyer Lionel Hutz, Homer tries to sue Burns for a million dollars. Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa discover there are many ways to arrive at the truth. Guest starring: Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz and the Heavenly voice. 24 - 11 "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" January 24, 1991 Wes Archer Nell Scovell 7F11 Lisa convinces the family to try a new sushi restaurant, The Happy Sumo. A menu mix-up leads to Homer eating a poisoned blowfish. After Dr. Hibbert gives him twenty-four hours to live, Homer sets about placing his affairs in order. Guest starring: Larry King as himself, Sab Shimono as the master sushi chef and George Takei as Akira Kurosawa. 25 - 12 "The Way We Was" January 31, 1991 David Silverman Al Jean, Mike Reiss & Sam Simon 7F12 When the TV breaks down, Marge and Homer decide to tell their children the story of how they met in high school, and how Marge almost went out with a nerd named Artie Ziff. Guest starring: Jon Lovitz as Artie Ziff and Mr. Seckofsky. 26 - 13 "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" February 7, 1991 Rich Moore Steve Pepoon 7F13 Homer becomes the most popular guy in town when he gets an illegal cable hook-up. But Lisa doesn't approve and fears that Homer will go to hell for violating the Eighth Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." Guest starring: Phil Hartman as Troy McClure, the cable guy and Moses 27 - 14 "Principal Charming" February 14, 1991 Mark Kirkland David M. Stern 7F15 Marge enlists Homer's help to find Aunt Selma a husband and accidentally ends up pairing Principal Skinner with Aunt Patty. Meanwhile, Bart gets in trouble for using herbicide to spell his name out in the grass at school. 28 - 15 "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" February 21, 1991 Wes Archer Jeff Martin 7F16 Fearing death, Grampa tells Homer that he has a half-brother, Herb Powell. Herb turns out to be a successful businessman in Detroit and wants Homer to design a car for the average man to save his company. Guest starring: Danny DeVito as Herb Powell. 29 - 16 "Bart's Dog Gets an "F"" March 7, 1991 Jim Reardon Jon Vitti 7F14 After Santa's Little Helper gets in trouble for destroying several belongings of the family, Bart enrolls the dog into an obedience school, which Santa's Little Helper must pass if he wants to continue being The Simpsons' pet. Guest starring: Tracey Ullman as Emily Winthrop. 30 - 17 "Old Money" March 28, 1991 David Silverman Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky 7F17 Grampa falls in love with Bea Simmons, a fellow resident of the Springfield Retirement Castle. During the course of their brief romance, Bea passes away and leaves Grampa her entire savings. Grampa must then decide what to do with the money. Guest starring: Audrey Meadows as Beatrice Simmons and Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz. 31 - 18 "Brush with Greatness" April 11, 1991 Jim Reardon Brian K. Roberts 7F18 Marge's interest in art is reawakened when Homer finds old portraits of Ringo Starr that Marge painted when she was a teenager. This leads to her getting commissioned to paint a portrait of Mr. Burns. Meanwhile, Homer begins exercising after getting stuck in a water park ride and humiliated on the evening news. Guest starring: Ringo Starr as himself and Jon Lovitz as Professor Lombardo. 32 - 19 "Lisa's Substitute" April 25, 1991 Rich Moore Jon Vitti 7F19 When Lisa's teacher Miss Hoover gets Lyme disease, Mr. Bergstrom takes over the class. Mr. Bergstrom allows Lisa to discover an entirely new love for learning. Meanwhile, Bart runs against Martin Prince for class president. Guest starring: Dustin Hoffman as Mr. Bergstrom. 33 - 20 "The War of the Simpsons" May 2, 1991 Mark Kirkland John Swartzwelder 7F20 Marge and Homer host a dinner party, and Homer gets drunk and makes an oaf of himself. Angry and embarrassed, Marge signs the two of them up for a marriage retreat. Meanwhile, Grampa babysits Bart and Lisa, who trick the old man into letting them do whatever they want. 34 - 21 "Three Men and a Comic Book" May 9, 1991 Wes Archer Jeff Martin 7F21 Bart becomes obsessed with buying the first issue of Radioactive Man, but can't scrape together the $100 he needs to make it his own. Enlisting Milhouse and Martin, Bart is finally able to buy the comic, but ends up fighting with his two friends over who gets to keep it. Guest starring: Cloris Leachman as Mrs. Glick and Daniel Stern as the narrator. 35 - 22 "Blood Feud" July 11, 1991 David Silverman George Meyer 7F22 When Homer discovers that Bart has a rare blood type that can save Mr. Burns' life, Homer convinces Bart to give blood in the hopes that Burns will give the Simpsons a cash reward. But when all Mr. Burns gives Bart is a "Thank You" card, Homer becomes angry at his boss.

Release

All 22 episodes of Season 2, including extras such as optional commentaries of all the episodes, were released on The Complete Second Season on August 6, 2002 in Region 1, July 8, 2002 in Region 2 and September 2002 in Region 4.

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References

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 • Season 37* • Season 38* • Season 39* • Season 40* Disney+ exclusive episodes • Upcoming episodes • Special episodes • Unproduced episodes