Difference between revisions of "Season 23"

Latest revision as of 15:49, June 9, 2025

Season 23

Season Information No. of episodes: 22 Original run: September 25, 2011 – May 20, 2012 Showrunner(s): Al Jean Matt Selman Previous season: Next season: 22 24

Season 23 is the twenty-third broadcast season of The Simpsons. It originally ran on Fox from September 25, 2011, with "The Falcon and the D'ohman", to May 20, 2012, with "Lisa Goes Gaga". The season was mostly made up of production season PABF episodes, with seven rollover episodes from production season NABF also airing. Al Jean served as the showrunner for most of the season, with Matt Selman serving as the showrunner for NABF20, NABF22, and PABF12.

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]

Awards[edit]

Episodes[edit]

Picture # 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 discovers the Power Plant has a new security guard called Wayne. Homer tries to become friends with him, but discovers Wayne has a hidden past as a CIA agent. Wayne's past trauma from his CIA days causes him to struggle with his new ordinary life. Guest starring: Tom Colicchio as himself, Kevin Michael Richardson as the SendEx employee, and Kiefer Sutherland as Wayne Slater. 488 - 2 "Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts" October 2, 2011 Steven Dean Moore Tim Long NABF17 Superintendent Chalmers takes over Bart's education after another one of Bart's pranks causes trouble for the school. Chalmers' teaching sparks a fascination in Theodore Roosevelt for Bart. Encouraged by this, Chalmers takes Bart and his band of "Rough Riders" on an overnight excursion to Springfield Forest. A minor accident causes Chalmers to get fired, and Bart and his group try to get him reinstated. Guest starring: Theodore Roosevelt as himself (via archive audio). 489 - 3 "Treehouse of Horror XXII" October 30, 2011 Matthew Faughnan Carolyn Omine NABF19 In the opening, Homer gets trapped in Candy Eating Peak and has to bite his own arm off to escape. In "The Diving Bell and Butterball", Homer becomes paralyzed after being bitten by a spider, but finds he can communicate by farting. In "Dial D for Diddily", Ned becomes a vigilante when Homer, pretending to be God, gets him to murder his enemies. Finally, in "In the Na'vi", Bart and Milhouse go on a mission at Rigel 7 and take on the form of Rigellians, where Bart finds an unlikely love in Kamala. Guest starring: Jackie Mason as Hyman Krustofsky and Aron Ralston as the 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. However, a programming error causes them to have some dangerous issues. Meanwhile, Homer's new and eager assistant, Roz Davis, steals Homer's job, forcing him to team up with Ned Flanders to reveal her true colors. Guest starring: Jane Lynch as Roz Davis. 491 - 5 "The Food Wife" November 13, 2011 Timothy Bailey Matt Selman NABF20 After the car breaks down in Little Ethiopia, Marge, Bart, and Lisa discover the joys of trying new foods, so they start a food blog where they review different restaurants together. However, Homer starts to get jealous at being left out. Guest starring: Mario Batali as himself, Anthony Bourdain as himself, Tim Heidecker as Amuse Bruce, Gordon Ramsay as himself, and Eric Wareheim as Fois Garth. 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, and teams up with several other Springfielders and Neil Gaiman to write the book. However, when they get the book back from the publishers, they find that the whole concept has been changed. The team then work together to steal their 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 When Homer hosts a successful party promoting Absolut Krusty, Mr. Burns promotes him to "Account Man" for the Power Plant. Seconded account veteran Robert Marlowe takes Homer under his wing. However, his longer work hours mean he spends less time at home with his family. Guest starring: Kevin Michael Richardson as a party guest, John Slattery as Robert Marlowe, and Matthew Weiner as a nuclear regulator. 494 - 8 "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution" December 4, 2011 Michael Polcino Deb Lacusta and Dan Castellaneta PABF02 After The Krusty the Clown Show is pulled from the air and Krusty is dropped as a client, he signs up with his former agent, Annie Dubinsky. Annie helps plan for Krusty's comeback, and The Krusty the Clown Show Retro Reboot! proves to be a massive hit. But Annie's personality proves to be too much for Krusty's new network. 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 In a flash-forward to thirty years in the future, Bart and Lisa have children of their own and decide to spend Christmas as one big family at their parents' house. The two of them ask their parents for parenting advice. Meanwhile, a heavily pregnant Maggie tries to get home for the holidays. 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 that proves to be a hit, leading to Homer becoming the spokesperson for the Gravy Boat Movement. But when 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: Dana Gould as the air marshal and Ted Nugent as himself. 497 - 11 "The D'oh-cial Network" January 15, 2012 Chris Clements J. Stewart Burns PABF04 After creating the social network SpringFace, Lisa is called to trial when Springfield's obsession with the site becomes dysfunctional. Lisa recounts the story of how she created the site and how she learned to realize that having thousands of online friends doesn't equate to having real friendships. Guest starring: Armie Hammer as Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, David Letterman as himself, and The Tiger Lillies as the end credits performers. 498 - 12 "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" January 29, 2012 Bob Anderson Tim Long PABF05 Moe is laughed at as his bar rag is his best friend. The bar rag then begins to tell its tale of how it has crossed seas and continents to get to where it is today. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse have a falling out after Bart insults his best friend one too many times. Guest starring: Jeremy Irons as Moe's bar rag. 499 - 13 "The Daughter Also Rises" February 12, 2012 Chuck Sheetz Rob LaZebnik PABF06 Lisa falls in love with a boy named Nick, who shares the same passion for culture, history, and literature as her. However, Marge misses the time spent together with her daughter when Lisa spends more time with Nick than with her. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse are inspired by the show 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 The Simpsons are exiled from Springfield and join an off-the-grid community outside of town. No longer welcomed by their old neighbors, the Simpsons settle into their new life until Springfield residents also go in search of a better life. Guest starring: Julian Assange as himself, Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob, Alison Krauss as the end credits performers, 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 starts plastering Homer's unflattering image all over Springfield. But one night, Bart and Milhouse get caught in the act by established street artists, 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, Swapper Jack's, opens in Springfield that threatens to put Apu and the Kwik-E-Mart out of business. Guest starring: Robbie Conal as himself, Ron English as himself, Shepard Fairey as himself, and Kenny Scharf as himself. 502 - 16 "How I Wet Your Mother" March 11, 2012 Lance Kramer Billy Kimball Ian Maxtone-Graham PABF08 After a fishing trip with Bart, Homer starts to wet the bed again. With the help of his family, Professor Frink, and his deceased mother, Homer tries to overcome his bed-wetting problems by exploring his dreams. Guest starring: David Byrne as the "Dream Operator" singer and Glenn Close as Mona Simpson. 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. But when Homer accidentally removes their prime directive to preserve human life, the robots turn on Homer and Burns, and it's up to the former employees to save them. Guest starring: Brent Spiner as the A9000 Robots. 504 - 18 "Beware My Cheating Bart" April 15, 2012 Mark Kirkland Ben Joseph PABF11 Bart is forced to chaperone Shauna to a movie, and they both start developing feelings for each other. This angers Shauna's boyfriend Jimbo, and he and the bullies go after Bart. Meanwhile, Homer uses his new treadmill to watch an old TV show, Stranded, which he gets hooked on. Guest starring: Kevin Michael Richardson as the Springfield Mall security guard. 505 - 19 "A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again" April 29, 2012 Chris Clements Matt Warburton PABF12 Bored of his mundane life, Bart does whatever he can to get his family to go on a cruise. When they are on the cruise, Bart becomes determined to make it so they never return home. So, he pulls a prank on the ship's occupants, tricking them into believing that a viral outbreak is happening across the world. Guest starring: Steve Coogan as Rowan Priddis and Treat Williams as himself. 506 - 20 "The Spy Who Learned Me" May 6, 2012 Bob Anderson Marc Wilmore PABF13 Homer and Marge have marriage problems again, and when Homer suffers a concussion at work and gets two months off, he imagines fictional super spy Stradivarius Cain to help him be a better man. Meanwhile, Bart learns a way to stop Nelson stealing his lunch money—giving him Krusty Burgers until he's too fat to punch anyone. Guest starring: Bryan Cranston as Stradivarius Cain and Eric Idle as Declan Desmond. 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 pulls Rod and Todd out of Christian school and into Springfield Elementary. 508 - 22 "Lisa Goes Gaga" May 20, 2012 Matthew Schofield Tim Long PABF14 After it's found out that Lisa is the one behind positive social media posts about her, her popularity reaches a new low and she becomes depressed. Lady Gaga comes to Springfield to help her feel better. Soon, the entire town is feeling a lot more positive and upbeat through Gaga's music and life lessons. Guest starring: Lady Gaga as herself and Kevin Michael Richardson as the Lady Gaga Express conductor.

Script covers[edit]

References[edit]