  
Season 4
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Season 4 is the fourth broadcast season of The Simpsons. It originally ran on Fox from September 24, 1992, with "Kamp Krusty", to May 13, 1993, with "Krusty Gets Kancelled". The season was mostly made up of production season 9F episodes, with two rollover episodes from production season 8F also airing. Al Jean and Mike Reiss served as the showrunners for the season.
History[edit]
The fourth season was executive produced by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who also were showrunners of the previous season. Some of The Simpsons' original writers, dubbed as the "original team"[1] as they had been writing for the show since the first season, had left after the completion of "Cape Feare", which was the final episode made in Season 4 though aired in the following season as a hold-over episode.[1] Jay Kogen, Wallace Wolodarsky, Sam Simon, Jeff Martin, David M. Stern, and Jon Vitti left The Simpsons following the season, though the latter three returned to write more episodes.
After their role as showrunners of The Simpsons ended in Season 4, Jean and Reiss left to produce their own animated series, The Critic. Director Rich Moore also left to work on Jean and Reiss' show. The former Simpsons staff eventually returned to work on The Simpsons after the failure of The Critic. Jean and Reiss returned to write more Simpsons episodes, with the former becoming showrunner since Season 13.[2] And Moore returning years later to assist the animation of The Simpsons Movie.[3] George Meyer and John Swartzwelder remained, while Conan O'Brien, Frank Mula, and future showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein received their first writing credits. One-time writers for the season include Adam I. Lapidus, Gary Apple, and Michael Carrington, the latter who returned to voice characters in "Simpson Tide" and "Million-Dollar Abie".[4]
Season 4 was also the conception of a feature length Simpsons film. The Simpsons' creator, Matt Groening, intended for a film to be made after the show ended, although came to deny this when he commented, "but that [The Simpsons] was undone by good ratings". The season's premiere and Season 3 hold-over, "Kamp Krusty", was attempted to be adapted into a film but was scrapped when the producers were unable to make the episode to a suitable length of a feature length film, which tends to be 80 minutes minimum while it was 18 minutes as stated.[5]
This was the final season that had episodes animated by Klasky Csupo, where the studio also animated The Simpsons shorts and the first three seasons of the show, including the two hold-over episodes of Season 4, "Kamp Krusty" and "A Streetcar Named Marge". The Simpsons would then be animated by Film Roman until season 28.
This was the first time the producers did not submit episodes for the "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)" award. By 1993, animated TV series were allowed to be nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, whereas previously the series could only be nominated for animated awards. "A Streetcar Named Marge" and "Mr. Plow" were submitted by producers, but neither had a nomination as voters deemed it unsuitable to have animation nominated alongside live action TV series. Nonetheless, the season was nominated for 6 awards and won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" by Dan Castellaneta in "Mr. Plow"; an Annie Award for "Best Animated Television Program"; a Genesis Award for "Best Television Prime Time Animated Series" for "Whacking Day"; and a Saturn Award for "Best Television Series."
Episodes[edit]
| Picture
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#
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Title
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Original airdate
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Directed by
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Written by
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Prod. code
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60 - 1
|
"Kamp Krusty"
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September 24, 1992
|
Mark Kirkland
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David M. Stern
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8F24
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| During the summer vacation, Bart and Lisa spend six weeks at Kamp Krusty. However, the camp is not what it seems, as Bart and Lisa quickly find out.
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61 - 2
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"A Streetcar Named Marge"
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October 1, 1992
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Rich Moore
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Jeff Martin
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8F18
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| Marge decides to volunteer at the Springfield Community Center's performance of Oh, Streetcar! directed by the flamboyant Llewellyn Sinclair. Meanwhile, Maggie squares off with her strict new daycare provider.
Guest starring: Phil Hartman as Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz, and Jon Lovitz as Llewellyn Sinclair and Ms. Sinclair.
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62 - 3
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"Homer the Heretic"
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October 8, 1992
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Jim Reardon
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George Meyer
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9F01
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| Homer skips church one cold Sunday morning. After realizing the freedom he can obtain from having the house all to himself, Homer decides to stop going to church altogether, despite Marge's disapproval.
|
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63 - 4
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"Lisa the Beauty Queen"
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October 15, 1992
|
Mark Kirkland
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Jeff Martin
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9F02
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| Homer tries to boost Lisa's confidence by entering her into a beauty pageant. By default, Lisa earns the crown and uses her new platform to inundate Springfield with public service announcements.
Guest starring: Bob Hope as himself.
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64 - 5
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"Treehouse of Horror III"
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October 29, 1992
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Carlos Baeza
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Al Jean and Mike Reiss (Part 1)
Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky (Part 2)
Sam Simon and Jon Vitti (Part 3)
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9F04
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| In the third annual Treehouse of Horror, Homer buys Bart an evil talking Krusty doll, King Homer's captured by Mr. Burns, and Bart and Lisa inadvertently cause zombies to attack Springfield.
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65 - 6
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"Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie"
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November 2, 1992
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Rich Moore
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John Swartzwelder
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9F03
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| Bart's constant misbehavior is even worse than usual. Homer and Marge come up with the ultimate punishment: they ban him from going to see the newly released Itchy & Scratchy Movie.
Guest starring: Neil Armstrong as himself (via uncredited archived audio).
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66 - 7
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"Marge Gets a Job"
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November 5, 1992
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Jeff Lynch
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Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein
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9F05
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| When the house needs expensive repairs, Marge is forced to get a job to help make ends meet. She is hired at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and Mr. Burns quickly becomes attracted to her. Meanwhile, Bart tries to get out of taking a test at school.
Guest starring: Phil Hartman as Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz, and Tom Jones as himself.
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67 - 8
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"New Kid on the Block"
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November 12, 1992
|
Wes Archer
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Conan O'Brien
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9F06
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| Bart falls for his new next-door neighbor, young teenager Laura Powers. However, Bart can't get Laura to take interest in him romantically and feels heartbroken when he finds out that Laura is dating school bully Jimbo Jones.
Guest starring: Sara Gilbert as Laura Powers and Pamela Reed as Ruth Powers.
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68 - 9
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"Mr. Plow"
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November 19, 1992
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Jim Reardon
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Jon Vitti
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9F07
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| After Homer wrecks both of the family cars in a snowstorm, he buys a snowplow truck and uses it to start a business as "Mr. Plow", which proves to be surprisingly successful. Things go well for Homer until Barney starts his own snowplow business, competing with Homer.
Guest starring: Linda Ronstadt as herself, and Adam West as himself.
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69 - 10
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"Lisa's First Word"
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December 3, 1992
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Mark Kirkland
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Jeff Martin
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9F08
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| While trying to get Maggie to say her first words, Homer recalls what happened a few years back when Lisa was born, when they first moved into their present home, and what Lisa said as her first words.
Guest starring: Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie Simpson.
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70 - 11
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"Homer's Triple Bypass"
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December 17, 1992
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David Silverman
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Gary Apple and Michael Carrington
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9F09
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| Homer is diagnosed with clogged arteries and needs a triple bypass heart surgery. However, the $40,000 price tag on the operation forces Homer to turn to Dr. Nick as a cheap alternative.
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71 - 12
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"Marge vs. the Monorail"
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January 14, 1993
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Rich Moore
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Conan O'Brien
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9F10
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| After collecting a $3 million fine from Mr. Burns for illegal disposal of nuclear waste, Springfield is convinced by a smooth-talking stranger named Lyle Lanley to spend the money on a needless monorail, with Homer serving as the conductor.
Guest starring: Phil Hartman as Lyle Lanley and Leonard Nimoy as himself.
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72 - 13
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"Selma's Choice"
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January 21, 1993
|
Carlos Baeza
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David M. Stern
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9F11
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| Selma decides to test her maternal instincts before having kids of her own, so she takes Bart and Lisa to Duff Gardens to try out her parenting skills.
Guest starring: Phil Hartman as Troy McClure.
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73 - 14
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"Brother from the Same Planet"
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February 4, 1993
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Jeff Lynch
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Jon Vitti
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9F12
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| Bart, fed up with Homer's neglect, joins the Bigger Brothers Agency posing as an abandoned child so he can have a better father figure. Homer finds out about Bart's cool new friend, Tom, and exacts his revenge by donating his time as a big brother to a real orphan named Pepi.
Guest starring: Phil Hartman as Tom.
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74 - 15
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"I Love Lisa"
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February 11, 1993
|
Wes Archer
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Frank Mula
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9F13
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| On Valentine's Day, Lisa takes pity on Ralph and gives him a Valentine's card when she sees he hasn't received any. However, Ralph reads too much into Lisa's gesture and, much to Lisa's dismay, relentlessly pursues her.
|
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75 - 16
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"Duffless"
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February 18, 1993
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Jim Reardon
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David M. Stern
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9F14
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| Homer is arrested for drunk driving, and Marge persuades him to stop drinking beer for a month, which gives him a whole new outlook on life. Meanwhile, after Bart ruins Lisa's science fair project, she comes up with a new experiment: to determine who is smarter, Bart or a hamster.
Guest starring: Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure.
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76 - 17
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"Last Exit to Springfield"
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March 11, 1993
|
Mark Kirkland
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Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky
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9F15
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| Homer finds himself filling in for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's union leader when it comes time to negotiate their new contract with Mr. Burns. Homer turns out to be a tougher negotiator than Burns expects.
Guest starring: Joyce Brothers as herself.
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77 - 18
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"So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show"
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April 1, 1993
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Carlos Baeza
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Jon Vitti
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9F17
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| Bart's April Fools' prank backfires and lands Homer in the hospital in a coma. At Homer's bedside, the Simpson family reminisces about all the good times they've had over the years.
|
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78 - 19
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"The Front"
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April 15, 1993
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Rich Moore
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Adam I. Lapidus
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9F16
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| Convinced they can write better Itchy & Scratchy scripts than the current writers, Bart and Lisa set out to write their own shows. Their scripts are rejected by Roger Meyers, the show's producer, until Bart and Lisa use Grampa's name as their pseudonym.
Guest starring: Brooke Shields as herself.
|
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79 - 20
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"Whacking Day"
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April 29, 1993
|
Jeff Lynch
|
John Swartzwelder
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9F18
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| Everyone in Springfield is excited for Whacking Day, but as the holiday approaches, Lisa condemns it as violent. Lisa decides to save the snakes from the senseless violence.
Guest starring: Barry White as himself.
|
|
80 - 21
|
"Marge in Chains"
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May 6, 1993
|
Jim Reardon
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Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein
|
9F20
|
| Marge gets arrested for shoplifting at the Kwik-E-Mart and is sentenced to a month in prison. Her absence is felt by the Simpsons and across the whole town as she misses the annual bake sale.
Guest starring: David Crosby as himself and Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure.
|
|
81 - 22
|
"Krusty Gets Kancelled"
|
May 13, 1993
|
David Silverman
|
John Swartzwelder
|
9F19
|
| When The Gabbo Show causes Krusty to get cancelled, Krusty quickly hits the skids. However, Bart and Lisa work to make a Comeback Special featuring many celebrity guests.
Guest starring: Johnny Carson as himself, Hugh Hefner as himself, Bette Midler as herself, Luke Perry as himself, Red Hot Chili Peppers as themselves, Elizabeth Taylor as herself, and Barry White as himself.
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Release[edit]
All 22 episodes of Season 4, including extras, were released on DVD on June 15, 2004 in Region 1, August 2, 2004 in Region 2 and August 25, 2004 in Region 4.
References[edit]
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