|ProdCode=JABF15
|ProdCode=JABF15
|ShortSummary=Due to [[Ned Flanders]]’ meddling, [[Kent Brockman]] gets in trouble for blurting a horrible curse word during a soft-news interview about Homer winning Phineas Q. Butterfat’s 1,000,000th ice cream cone, and gets fired for allegedly being a cocaine addict. While living with the Simpsons, Brockman teams up with Lisa to create a [[YouTube]] video revealing why a politically conservative media empire like Fox would create raunchy television shows. To stop him, Brockman is offered his job back with a raise, and he accepts. Homer consoles a disappointed Lisa while Fox censors him from telling a secret about the network.
|ShortSummary=Due to [[Ned Flanders]]’ meddling, [[Kent Brockman]] gets in trouble for blurting a horrible curse word during a soft-news interview about Homer winning Phineas Q. Butterfat’s 1,000,000th ice cream cone, and gets fired for allegedly being a cocaine addict. While living with the Simpsons, Brockman teams up with Lisa to create a [[YouTube]] video revealing why a politically conservative media empire like Fox would create raunchy television shows. To stop him, Brockman is offered his job back with a raise, and he accepts. Homer consoles a disappointed Lisa while Fox censors him from telling a secret about the network.
””’Note:””’This episode takes place before the events of ”[[The Simpsons Movie]]”
”Guest stars”: [[Ludacris]] and [[Maurice LaMarche]].
”Guest stars”: [[Ludacris]] and [[Maurice LaMarche]].
Season of television series
Season of television series
The eighteenth season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons aired on Fox between September 10, 2006, and May 20, 2007.[1] The season contained seven hold-over episodes from the seventeenth season’s HABF production line. Al Jean served as the showrunner, a position he has held since the thirteenth season, while the season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television.
The season finale, “You Kent Always Say What You Want“, was the series’ 400th episode. Additionally, the Simpsons franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary, as it has been on the air since April 19, 1987, beginning with shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show.
Voice cast & characters
Main cast
- Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Hans Moleman, Groundskeeper Willie, Louie, Squeaky-Voiced Teen, Krusty the Clown, Sideshow Mel, Gil Gunderson, Snowball II, Mayor Quimby, Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, Kodos, Santa’s Little Helper, Rich Texan, Mr. Teeny, Bill, Arnie Pye, and various others
- Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier, and Selma Bouvier
- Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, Database, Todd Flanders, and various others
- Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
- Hank Azaria as Johnny Tightlips, Moe Szyslak, Carl Carlson, Sea Captain, Cletus Spuckler, Professor Frink, Chief Wiggum, Wiseguy, Superintendent Chalmers, Comic Book Guy, Disco Stu, Officer Lou, Snake, Kirk Van Houten, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Mr. Costington, Old Jewish Man, Gabbo, Drederick Tatum, Dr. Nick Riviera, Luigi Risotto, and various others
- Harry Shearer as Otto Mann, Principal Skinner, Dewey Largo, Dr. Hibbert, Ned Flanders, Lenny Leonard, Reverend Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Kang, Rainier Wolfcastle, Judge Snyder, Marty, Officer Eddie, and various others
Supporting cast
- Pamela Hayden as Milhouse Van Houten, Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Janey Powell, and various others
- Tress MacNeille as Lunchlady Dora, Lindsey Naegle, Dolph Shapiro, Opal, Agnes Skinner, Brandine Spuckler, Crazy Cat Lady, and various others
- Russi Taylor as Martin Prince, Sherri and Terri and various others
- Karl Wiedergott as additional characters
- Maggie Roswell as Helen Lovejoy and various others
- Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel
Season 18 included guest appearances by Metallica, Tom Wolfe, Gore Vidal, Michael Chabon, Ludacris, Jonathan Franzen, Fran Drescher, The White Stripes, Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Richard Lewis, Dr. Phil, Elvis Stojko, Natalie Portman, Jon Lovitz, Betty White, Eric Idle, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Stephen Sondheim, Ronaldo, Meg Ryan, Andy Dick, Peter Bogdanovich, James Patterson and others.[2]
Episodes
Production
This season and the following season were ordered in March 2006.[25] Al Jean remained as showrunner, a role he had since the thirteenth season.[26] This season included the 400th episode of the series and marked the 20th anniversary of the Simpson characters’ debut on The Tracey Ullman Show. Regarding the show’s longevity, executive producer James L. Brooks commented that the fan base of the show was being “replenished” with younger fans as current fans become older. He thought the work environment remained the same as it was in the beginning but with more creative independence.[27]
Reception
Critical response
Robert Canning of IGN gave the season a 6.6 saying it was “Passable” and that “Now in its eighteenth season (go ahead, say that out loud: ‘eighteen seasons’), The Simpsons continues to supply America with a decent half-hour of comedy every Sunday night. However, most long-time fans of the show agree that the last several years have seen the program in constant decline. Looking back at this particular season, there’s little evidence to prove them wrong. Though we were treated with at least a few hilarious gems this year, the mediocre (to the downright terrible) heavily outweighed the great.”[28]
Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide called the season “lackluster” and said it was a step back from the previous season. He attributed this to The Simpsons Movie “absorbing much of the show’s talent” and concluded, “Season 18 will be a must-see for Simpsons fans, but it’s not a great offering.”[29] Stuart Galbraith IV of DVD Talk wrote, “Season 18 on DVD certainly has some evidence of that, but almost every episode still offers at least a laugh, and some of the episodes in that collection are quite funny.”[30] John Schwarz of Bubbleblabber gave it a nine out of ten, saying, “For both die-hard Simpsons fans and seasoned series stalwarts alike, this collection is a must-have. If you like the special features, you might want more at the end, but there’s so much commentary on the episodes that it’ll keep you busy for a while.”[31]
Awards
At the 35th Annie Awards, Alf Clausen and Michael Price won the award for “Best Music in an Animated Television Production” for “Yokel Chords” while Ian Maxtone-Graham and Billy Kimball won “Best Writing in an Animated Television Production” for “24 Minutes“[32] Jeff Westbrook won a WGA Award for “Kill Gil, Volumes I & II“[33] while Matt Selman was nominated for “The Haw-Hawed Couple” and John Frink received a nomination for “Stop, or My Dog Will Shoot!“.[34]
The series also received a British Comedy Award nomination for “Best International Comedy”[35] a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Animated Program for “The Haw-Hawed Couple“[36] and an Environmental Media Award nomination for “Best Television Episodic Comedy” for “The Wife Aquatic“.[37]
Nielsen ratings
The show ranked 60th in the seasonal ratings with an average of 8.6 million watching it and a Nielsen rating of 4.1/10.[38][39]
DVD release
Series showrunner Al Jean reported in April 2015 that The Simpsons would no longer see home media releases after the seventeenth season, claiming an inability for DVD sales to keep up with the rise in streaming and downloads, as well as a boom in FXX reruns, and Fox’s on-demand video service, FXNOW. Jean reassured that bonus features commonly featured on the DVDs, such as commentaries for each episode, would still be available, now packaged with the digital format.[40][41][42]
In 2016, audio commentary for the 18th season was made available exclusively through FXNOW.
On Saturday, July 22, 2017, it was announced during the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con panel that, due to fan demand, the eighteenth season DVD would be released after all on Tuesday, December 5, 2017, in the United States and Canada by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, ten years after it had completed broadcast on television.[43]
| The Complete Eighteenth Season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
|
|
|||
| Release Dates | ||||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| Tuesday, December 5, 2017[44] | Monday, December 11, 2017 | Wednesday, December 13, 2017 | ||
References
- ^ Fox Broadcasting Company (June 21, 2006). “FOX Announces Fall Premiere Dates For the 2006-2007 Season”. The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ Fox Broadcasting Company (July 24, 2006). “Guest Voices Next Season on ‘The Simpsons’“. The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings Report (Sept. 4-10, 2006)”. ABC Medianet. September 12, 2006. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Sept. 11-17, 2006)”. ABC Medianet. September 19, 2006. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ unknown (September 26, 2006). “Ratings: Please Homer Don’t Hammer Em”. Posted by Adam. Simpsons Channel. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2006)”. ABC Medianet. November 7, 2006. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ unknown (November 14, 2006). “Ratings: G.I.D’oh!”. Posted by Adam. Simpsons Channel. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings Report (Nov. 13-19, 2006)”. ABC Medianet. November 21, 2006. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Nov. 20-26, 2006)”. ABC Medianet. November 28, 2006. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Dec. 4-10, 2006)”. ABC Medianet. December 12, 2006. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 11-17, 2006)”. The Los Angeles Times. December 20, 2006.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Jan. 1-7, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. January 9, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Vejvoda, Jim (July 26, 2008). “SDCC 08: Simpsons Footage Screened”. IGN. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Jan. 22-28, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. January 30, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 5-11, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. February 13, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 12-18, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. February 21, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 26-Mar. 4, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 5-11, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. March 13, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 19-25, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. March 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 16-22, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. April 24, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ unknown (April 30, 2007). “Ratings: The Boys Of Bummer”. Posted by Adam. Simpsons Channel. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 30-May 6, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. May 8, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Weekly Program Rankings (May 7–13, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. May 15, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ a b “Weekly Program Rankings (May 14–20, 2007)”. ABC Medianet. May 30, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ “Another two seasons for ‘The Simpsons’“. Today. March 20, 2006. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 30, 2020). “‘The Simpsons’ Showrunner Al Jean Signs With Gersh”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Pierce, Scott D. (May 19, 2007). “Scott D. Pierce: ‘Simpsons’ speaks truth”. Deseret News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Canning, Robert (June 14, 2007). “The Simpsons: Season 18 Review”. IGN. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Jacobson, Colin (December 19, 2017). “The Simpsons: The Complete Eighteenth Season (2006-07)”. DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ Galbraith IV, Stuart (December 5, 2017). “Simpsons – The Eighteenth Season, The”. DVD Talk. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
- ^ Schwarz, John (December 9, 2017). “DVD Review: The Simpsons Season 18”. Bubbleblabber. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
- ^ “Legacy: 35th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2008)”. ASIFA-Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
- ^ “Awards Winners”. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on April 12, 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
- ^ “2008 Writers Guild Awards Television & Radio Nominees Announced”. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
- ^ “British Comedy Awards nominations”. The Guardian. London. November 7, 2007. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
- ^ Variety staff (July 18, 2007). “Emmy nominations list — part I”. Variety. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
- ^ “17th Annual Environmental Media Awards”. Environmental Media Association. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
- ^ unknown (May 25, 2006). “2006-07 primetime wrap”. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Toni (September 24, 2007). “Star power: Fox’s ‘Family Guy’ roars in. Hour-long ‘Star Wars’ spoof pulls a 5.5 in 18-49s”. Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
Fox’s premiere of The Simpsons fell 13 percent from last year’s premiere, from a 5.3 to a 4.7, but it was up nicely from the show’s 4.1 average last year.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (April 9, 2015). “Fox to End ‘The Simpsons’ Seasonal DVD Production”. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Westlake, Adam (April 12, 2015). “The Simpsons to no longer see Blu-ray, DVD releases”. SlashGear. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Gonzales, Dave (April 11, 2015). “The death knell for optical media: There will be no more Simpsons DVDs | News”. Geek.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Animation on FOX (July 23, 2017). “THE SIMPSONS Panel At Comic-Con 2017 – Season 28 – THE SIMPSONS”. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Lacey, Gord (July 22, 2017). “NO NEED TO GET STABBY – “THE SIMPSONS” IS BACK ON DVD!”. TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- Bibliography
