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|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|10|5}}
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|10|5}}
|ProdCode=KABF15
|ProdCode=KABF15
|ShortSummary=Bart feels left out after realizing he is the only kid in this day and age without a cell phone, so he tries to work in a country club as a golf ball finder to earn money for it -- and finds Denis Leary's phone instead.<br />'''Guest Stars''': [[Denis Leary]] and [[Brian Grazer]].<ref name="Verizon">{{cite news | first = Army | last = Archerd | title = Matt Damon & Bart Simpson! | publisher = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = 2007-08-16 | url = http://www.armyarcherd.com/2007/08/matt-damon---ba.html | accessdate=2007-10-23}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Official press release for "Lost Verizon" | publisher = FoxFlash | date = 2008-09-12 | url = http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings.aspx?id=20081024fox16 | accessdate=2008-09-12}}</ref>
|ShortSummary=Bart feels left out after realizing he is the only kid in this day and age without a cell phone, so he tries to work in a country club as a golf ball finder to earn money for it -- and finds Denis Leary's phone instead.<br />'''Guest Stars''': [[Denis Leary]] and [[Brian Grazer]].<ref name="Verizon">{{cite news|first=Army |last=Archerd |title=Matt Damon & Bart Simpson! |publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=2007-08-16 |url=http://www.armyarcherd.com/2007/08/matt-damon---ba.html |accessdate=2007-10-23 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20071009175342/http://www.armyarcherd.com/2007/08/matt-damon---ba.html |archivedate=October 9, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Official press release for "Lost Verizon" | publisher = FoxFlash | date = 2008-09-12 | url = http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings.aspx?id=20081024fox16 | accessdate=2008-09-12}}</ref>
|Viewers = 7.43<ref>{{cite news | author = Bill Gorman | title = Sunday Ratings: Desperate Housewives, 60 Minutes Win, CW Crashes | publisher = TV by the Numbers | date = 2008-10-06 | url = http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/10/06/sunday-ratings-desperate-housewives-nfl-steelers-win-cw-crashes/5720 | accessdate=2008-10-06}}</ref>
|Viewers = 7.43<ref>{{cite news | author = Bill Gorman | title = Sunday Ratings: Desperate Housewives, 60 Minutes Win, CW Crashes | publisher = TV by the Numbers | date = 2008-10-06 | url = http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/10/06/sunday-ratings-desperate-housewives-nfl-steelers-win-cw-crashes/5720 | accessdate=2008-10-06}}</ref>
|LineColor=E8E7E3
|LineColor=E8E7E3
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|ProdCode=KABF22
|ProdCode=KABF22
|ShortSummary=Lisa meets a new girl named Juliet and helps her write stories about a fantasy world called Equalia, but spending too much time with Juliet (and the story) begins to warp Lisa's sense of reality.<br />'''Guest Stars''': [[Emily Blunt]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2008/11/al-jean-puzzles.html|title=Al Jean puzzles over 'Simpsons' future|author=Feinberg, Daniel|publisher=[[Zap2it]]|date=2008-11-14|accessdate=2008-12-09}}</ref> and [[Fall Out Boy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-6-the-beat-goes-on/posts/2009-1-15-d-oh-fall-out-boy-records-simpsons-theme|publisher=HitFix|title=D'oh! Fall Out Boy Records 'Simpsons' Theme|author=Newman, Melinda|date=2009-01-15|accessdate=2009-01-07}}</ref><br>'''Note''': This is the last episode to be broadcast in standard definition and the last one to include the old opening (which was used ever since season two) and is also the first episode to begin immediately after the credits without a commercial break.
|ShortSummary=Lisa meets a new girl named Juliet and helps her write stories about a fantasy world called Equalia, but spending too much time with Juliet (and the story) begins to warp Lisa's sense of reality.<br />'''Guest Stars''': [[Emily Blunt]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2008/11/al-jean-puzzles.html|title=Al Jean puzzles over 'Simpsons' future|author=Feinberg, Daniel|publisher=[[Zap2it]]|date=2008-11-14|accessdate=2008-12-09}}</ref> and [[Fall Out Boy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-6-the-beat-goes-on/posts/2009-1-15-d-oh-fall-out-boy-records-simpsons-theme|publisher=HitFix|title=D'oh! Fall Out Boy Records 'Simpsons' Theme|author=Newman, Melinda|date=2009-01-15|accessdate=2009-01-07}}</ref><br>'''Note''': This is the last episode to be broadcast in standard definition and the last one to include the old opening (which was used ever since season two) and is also the first episode to begin immediately after the credits without a commercial break.
|Viewers= 5.75<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2009/01/ratings-all-time-low-for-drama-queen/ |title=Ratings: Drama Queen’s All Time Low &#124; Simpsons Channel |publisher=Simpsonschannel.com |date=2009-01-27 |accessdate=2009-03-02}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref>
|Viewers= 5.75<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2009/01/ratings-all-time-low-for-drama-queen/ |title=Ratings: Drama Queen’s All Time Low &#124; Simpsons Channel |publisher=Simpsonschannel.com |date=2009-01-27 |accessdate=2009-03-02 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20090302234045/http://www.simpsonschannel.com:80/2009/01/ratings-all-time-low-for-drama-queen/ |archivedate=March 2, 2009 }}</ref>
|LineColor=E8E7E3
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|ProdCode=LABF09
|ProdCode=LABF09
|ShortSummary=While at a nail salon, Marge and Lisa argue over whether or not a woman can be smart, beautiful, and powerful all at once, which leads to yet another ''Simpsons'' anthology show, featuring four stories of women trying to survive in a man's world: Aunt Selma defending England as Queen Elizabeth I, Lisa in a non-copyright-infringing retelling of ''[[Snow White]]'', Marge pushing Homer to be a great Shakespearean actor in a modern-day version of ''[[Macbeth]]'', and Maggie fighting against conformity in a parody of Ayn Rand's ''[[The Fountainhead]]''.<br />'''Guest Star''': [[Jodie Foster]].<ref name=FF/><br />'''Absent''': [[Nancy Cartwright]] as Bart Simpson
|ShortSummary=While at a nail salon, Marge and Lisa argue over whether or not a woman can be smart, beautiful, and powerful all at once, which leads to yet another ''Simpsons'' anthology show, featuring four stories of women trying to survive in a man's world: Aunt Selma defending England as Queen Elizabeth I, Lisa in a non-copyright-infringing retelling of ''[[Snow White]]'', Marge pushing Homer to be a great Shakespearean actor in a modern-day version of ''[[Macbeth]]'', and Maggie fighting against conformity in a parody of Ayn Rand's ''[[The Fountainhead]]''.<br />'''Guest Star''': [[Jodie Foster]].<ref name=FF/><br />'''Absent''': [[Nancy Cartwright]] as Bart Simpson
|Viewers = 5.16<ref>[http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2009/05/ratings-four-great-women-and-an-all-time-low Ratings: Four Great Women and Another All Time Low!]{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref>
|Viewers = 5.16<ref>[http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2009/05/ratings-four-great-women-and-an-all-time-low Ratings: Four Great Women and Another All Time Low!] {{wayback|url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2009/05/ratings-four-great-women-and-an-all-time-low |date=20100209074641 }}</ref>
|LineColor=E8E7E3
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|ProdCode=LABF12
|ProdCode=LABF12
|ShortSummary=The citizens of Ogdenville swarm into Springfield in search of work after their local economy plummets (thanks, in no small part, to Krusty's veggie burgers, which contain tainted Ogdenville barley), but when the Ogdenvillians' Norwegian culture begins rubbing off on (and annoying) others, Mayor Quimby hires citizens to act as border patrol.<ref name=FF/>
|ShortSummary=The citizens of Ogdenville swarm into Springfield in search of work after their local economy plummets (thanks, in no small part, to Krusty's veggie burgers, which contain tainted Ogdenville barley), but when the Ogdenvillians' Norwegian culture begins rubbing off on (and annoying) others, Mayor Quimby hires citizens to act as border patrol.<ref name=FF/>
|Viewers = 5.86<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2009/05/ratings-coming-to-homerica|title=Ratings: Coming to Homerica|publisher=SimpsonChannel}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref>
|Viewers = 5.86<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2009/05/ratings-coming-to-homerica |title=Ratings: Coming to Homerica |publisher=SimpsonChannel |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20120723225237/http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2009/05/ratings-coming-to-homerica/ |archivedate=July 23, 2012 }}</ref>
|LineColor=E8E7E3
|LineColor=E8E7E3
}}
}}

Revision as of 05:59, 22 January 2016

The Simpsons (season 20)
Season 20
DVD cover
No. of episodes21
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 28, 2008 (2008-09-28) –
May 17, 2009 (2009-05-17)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 19
Next →
Season 21
List of episodes

The Simpsons' twentieth season aired on Fox from September 28, 2008 to May 17, 2009.[1] With this season, the show tied Gunsmoke as the longest-running American primetime television series in terms of total number of seasons.[2] The season was released on BD January 12, 2010, making this the first season released on BD. It was released on DVD in Region 1 on January 12, 2010, and in Region 4 on January 20, 2010.[3] The season was only released on DVD in Region 2 in a few areas.

Production

It contained nine holdover episodes from the season 19 (KABF) production line.[4]

Production on the season was delayed because of contract negotiations with the six main voice actors.[5] The dispute was resolved, and the actors' salary was raised to $400,000 (US) per episode. The delay in production caused the planned 22 episodes to be shortened to 20.[6] In addition, voice actor Dan Castellaneta was credited as a consulting producer for the first time.[6] The main cast consisted of Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, and Harry Shearer. The recurring cast consisted of Marcia Wallace, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Russi Taylor and Karl Wiedergott.

The Simpsons began high-definition production in season 20. The first episode in HD, "Take My Life, Please", aired on February 15, 2009. "Take My Life, Please" is also the first to feature the new opening sequence.

Also, more episodes were given the TV-14 rating than any other season. The episodes that were given this rating were "Sex, Pies, and Idiot Scrapes", "Treehouse of Horror XIX", "Gone Maggie Gone", "No Loan Again, Naturally", "Dangerous Curves", "Wedding For Disaster", and "Four Great Women and a Manicure".

20th anniversary

In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of The Simpsons, Fox announced that a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever." would run from January 14, 2009 to January 14, 2010. Several contests were run, including the "Unleash Your Yellow" contest in which entrants designed a poster for the show[7] and "Best. Couch Gag. Ever." where fans created their own live-action couch gag video.[8]

As part of the celebration, the Irish-themed episode "In the Name of the Grandfather" premiered on Sky1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland on March 17, 2009. It was the first-ever episode of the show to air in Europe before being seen in the United States. The American debut of the episode was on March 22.[9]

Reception

Critical reception

Robert Canning of IGN gave the season a 7.9 out of 10 improving 1.3 from the past season. He gave it a positive review saying that it was "Good" and that "With at least two more years of The Simpsons guaranteed, this unexpected but very welcome resurgence has come at a perfect time. If they can keep the momentum moving, the series is primed to once again approach perfection and go out at the top of its game."[10]

Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by The Simpsons

Episodes from the twentieth season received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations. "Gone Maggie Gone" was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour) and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series. Dan Castellaneta won the Outstanding Voice-Over Performance Emmy for voicing Homer in the episode "Father Knows Worst"; Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer were also nominated for the episodes "Eeny Teeny Maya Moe" and "The Burns and the Bees" respectively. The winners were announced on September 12, 2009.[11] The Simpsons was the only series to be nominated in the Animation category at the Writers Guild of America Awards in 2010. The nominees were: Stephanie Gillis for "The Burns and The Bees", John Frink for "Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe", Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham for Gone Maggie Gone", Don Payne for "Take My Life, Please", and Joel H. Cohen for "Wedding for Disaster".[12] The award was won by Joel H. Cohen.[13]

Nielsen ratings

The season ranked 77th in ratings with an average of 6.930 million viewers and an 18/49 rating of 3.4/9 and the rerun timeslot ranking 113th.[14] The most viewed episode was "Treehouse of Horror XIX", with 12.48 million watching it and a 4.9 Nielsen rating.[15] The least viewed episode was "Four Great Women and a Manicure" which is the second least viewed episode of the series, after Season 21's "Million Dollar Maybe".[16]

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes
No. in
series 		No. in
season 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code 		U.S. viewers
(millions)
4211"Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes"Lance KramerKevin CurranSeptember 28, 2008 (2008-09-28)KABF179.3[17]
4222"Lost Verizon"Raymond S. PersiJohn FrinkOctober 5, 2008 (2008-10-05)KABF157.43[18]
4233"Double, Double, Boy in Trouble"Nancy KruseBill OdenkirkOctober 19, 2008 (2008-10-19)KABF148.09[19]
4244"Treehouse of Horror XIX"Bob AndersonMatt WarburtonNovember 2, 2008 (2008-11-02)KABF1612.48[20]
4255"Dangerous Curves"Matthew FaughnanBilly Kimball & Ian Maxtone-GrahamNovember 9, 2008 (2008-11-09)KABF1815.85[21]
4266"Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words"Michael PolcinoTim LongNovember 16, 2008 (2008-11-16)KABF198.52[22]
4277"MyPods and Boomsticks"Steven Dean MooreMarc WilmoreNovember 30, 2008 (2008-11-30)KABF20N/A
4288"The Burns and the Bees"Mark KirklandStephanie GillisDecember 7, 2008 (2008-12-07)KABF216.19[23]
4299"Lisa the Drama Queen"Matthew NastukBrian KelleyJanuary 25, 2009 (2009-01-25)KABF225.75[24]
43010"Take My Life, Please"Steven Dean MooreDon PayneFebruary 15, 2009 (2009-02-15)LABF016.82[25]
43111"How the Test Was Won"Lance KramerMichael PriceMarch 1, 2009 (2009-03-01)LABF02N/A
43212"No Loan Again, Naturally"Mark KirklandJeff WestbrookMarch 8, 2009 (2009-03-08)LABF03N/A
43313"Gone Maggie Gone"Chris ClementsBilly Kimball & Ian Maxtone-GrahamMarch 15, 2009 (2009-03-15)LABF045.99[26]
43414"In the Name of the Grandfather"Ralph SosaMatt MarshallMarch 17, 2009 (2009-03-17) (Sky1)
March 22, 2009 (Fox)		LABF116.15[27]
43515"Wedding for Disaster"Chuck SheetzJoel H. CohenMarch 29, 2009 (2009-03-29)LABF056.58[28]
43616"Eeny Teeny Maya Moe"Nancy KruseJohn FrinkApril 5, 2009 (2009-04-05)LABF06N/A
43717"The Good, the Sad and the Drugly"Rob OliverMarc WilmoreApril 19, 2009 (2009-04-19)LABF076.50[29]
43818"Father Knows Worst"Matthew NastukRob LaZebnikApril 26, 2009 (2009-04-26)LABF085.94[30]
43919"Waverly Hills, 9-0-2-1-D'oh"Michael PolcinoJ. Stewart BurnsMay 3, 2009 (2009-05-03)LABF106.75[31]
44020"Four Great Women and a Manicure"Raymond S. PersiValentina L. GarzaMay 10, 2009 (2009-05-10)LABF095.16[32]
44121"Coming to Homerica"Steven Dean MooreBrendan HayMay 17, 2009 (2009-05-17)LABF125.86[33]

Blu-ray and DVD release

The Complete Twentieth Season
Set Details Special Features
  • Hand-drawn menus by Matt Groening
  • The 20th Anniversary Special Sneak Peak (US DVD/Blu-ray Only)
Release Dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
January 12, 2010 September 17, 2010[34] January 20, 2010

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference FF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Keveney, Bill (2008-09-28). "'The Simpsons' Hits a Landmark". ABC. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
  3. ^ "The Simpsons DVD news: Announcement for The Simpsons — The Complete 20th Season". TvShowsOnDVD. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  4. ^ "Fox Announces Primetime Slate for 2008–2009". FoxFlash. 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  5. ^ Michael Schneider (2008-05-19). "Still no deal for 'Simpsons' cast". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  6. ^ a b "Simpsons cast sign new pay deal". BBC News. 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  7. ^ Wallace, Lewis (2009-01-13). "Simpsons Poster Contest Will Have Fans Seeing Yellow". Wired. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  8. ^ "Unleashe more of your yellow with "The Simpsons" video contest". Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  9. ^ Schneider, Michael (2009-03-16). "Ireland, U.K. to air 'The Simpsons'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  10. ^ The Simpsons: Season 20 Review - IGN Entertainment
  11. ^ "The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards and 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees are..." Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2009-07-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)[dead link]
  12. ^ "2010 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced". Writers Guild of America. 2009-12-14. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  13. ^ "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  14. ^ ABC Medianet
  15. ^ "TV Ratings: NFL, 'Simpsons' Lead the Way Sunday". Zap2it. 2008-11-03. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  16. ^ Ratings: Four Great Women and Another All Time Low![dead link]
  17. ^ Bierly, Mandy (2008-09-29). "Ratings: 'Desperate Housewives' returns to win Sunday night". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-09-29. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Bill Gorman (2008-10-06). "Sunday Ratings: Desperate Housewives, 60 Minutes Win, CW Crashes". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  19. ^ Ratings: Double, Double, Boy in Trouble[dead link] Simpsons Channel. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  20. ^ unknown (3 November 2008). "Ratings: Treehouse Of Horror XIX". Posted by Adam. Simpsons Channel. Retrieved 6 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)[dead link]
  21. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 11, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  22. ^ Mitovich, Matt (2008-11-17). "Ratings: Obama Is a Winner for 60 Minutes". TV Guide. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
  23. ^ Seidman, Robert (2008-12-08). "Sunday Ratings: NFL, 60 Minutes, Housewives and Hallmark Movie". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  24. ^ "Ratings: Drama Queen's All Time Low | Simpsons Channel". Simpsonschannel.com. 2009-01-27. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (2009-02-16). "TV Ratings: ABC splits sluggish Sunday with CBS". HitFix. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  26. ^ (March 9, 2009) TV Ratings: CBS and ABC split Sunday Zap2it Retrieved 2010-06-25
  27. ^ "TV ratings: NCAA, '60 Minutes' score Sunday". Zap2It. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
  28. ^ Simpsons Channel | Your Source For Simpsons News
  29. ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-04-20). "Housewives Keys ABC Win; Sit Down, Shut Up Premieres Mixed". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  30. ^ "TV ratings: Another split verdict for CBS, ABC". Zap2It. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
  31. ^ Seidman, Robert (2009-05-06). "Desperate Housewives win delayed Sunday". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  32. ^ Ratings: Four Great Women and Another All Time Low! Archived 2010-02-09 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ "Ratings: Coming to Homerica". SimpsonChannel. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ http://www.amazon.de/dp/B003TNJS58
Bibliography
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