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The Simpsons season 3

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The Simpsons
Season 3
DVD cover featuring (from left to right) Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Maggie Simpson and Bart Simpson
No. of episodes24
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 19, 1991 (1991-09-19) –
August 27, 1992 (1992-08-27)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 2
Next →
Season 4
List of episodes

The Simpsons' third season originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991 and August 27, 1992. The showrunners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes for the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon. An additional episode, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?", aired on August 27, 1992 after the official end of the third season and is included on the Season 3 DVD set. Season three won six Primetime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" and also received a nomination for "Outstanding Animated Program" for the episode "Radio Bart". The complete season was released on DVD in Region 1 on August 26, 2003, Region 2 on October 6, 2003, and in Region 4 on October 22, 2003.

Season 3 is the only season of The Simpsons to comprise 24 episodes. It is also one of only three seasons of the show to have a unique number of episodes, the other two being Season 1 (which comprises 13 episodes) and Season 19 (which comprises 20 episodes).

Production

Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had written for The Simpsons since the start of the show, took over as showrunners this season. Their first episode as showrunners was "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" and they felt a lot of pressure about running the show.[1] They also ran the following season and Jean would return as executive producer in season 13. There were two episodes, "Kamp Krusty" and "A Streetcar Named Marge", that were produced at the same time, but aired during season four as holdover episodes.[2] Two episodes that aired during this season, "Stark Raving Dad" and "When Flanders Failed", were executive produced during the previous season by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Sam Simon.

Carlos Baeza and Jeffrey Lynch received their first directing credits this season.[3] Alan Smart, an assistant director and layout artist, would receive his only directing credit. One-time writers from this season include Robert Cohen, Howard Gewirtz, Ken Levine and David Isaacs. Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, who would later become executive producers, became a part of the writing staff to replace Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky both of whom had decided to leave the next season.[4] The current arrangement of the theme song was introduced during this season.

A crossover episode with the live-action sitcom Thirtysomething, titled "Thirtysimpsons", was written by David Stern for this season, but was never produced because it "never seemed to work".[5] The crossover would involve Homer meeting a group of Yuppies and hanging out with them.

The season premiere episode was "Stark Raving Dad", which guest starred Michael Jackson as the speaking voice of Leon Kompowsky. One of Jackson's conditions for guest starring was that he voiced himself under a pseudonym.[6] While he recorded the voice work for the character, all of his singing was performed by Kipp Lennon,[7] because Jackson wanted to play a joke on his brothers.[6] Michael Jackson's lines were recorded at a second session by Brooks.[8] The January 30, 1992 rerun of the episode featured a brief alternate opening, which was written in response to a comment made by then-President of the United States George H. W. Bush. On January 27, 1992 Bush made a speech during his re-election campaign where he said, "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like The Waltons and a lot less like The Simpsons."[9] The writers decided that they wanted to respond by adding a response to the next broadcast of The Simpsons, which was a rerun of "Stark Raving Dad" on January 30. The broadcast included a new tongue-in-cheek opening where they watch Bush's speech. Bart replies, "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to the Depression, too".[10][11]

On April 30, The Simpsons aired a repeat episode opposite the final episode of The Cosby Show on NBC. After the episode was over, a short clip of new animation showed Bart and Homer happily watching The Cosby Show finale. Bart asks Homer why Bill Cosby took the show off the air when it is still very popular. Homer replies that, "Mr. Cosby wanted to end the show before the quality began to suffer." Bart replies, "Quality, shmality. If I had a TV show, I'd run that baby into the ground!"

"Homer at the Bat" is the first episode in the series to feature a large supporting cast of guest stars. The idea was suggested by Sam Simon, who wanted an episode filled with real Major League Baseball players.[8] They did manage to get nine players who agreed to guest star and they were recorded over a period of six months.[12] Several new characters were introduced this season, including Lunchlady Doris, Fat Tony, Legs and Louie, Rabbi Hyman Krustofski, Lurleen Lumpkin, and Kirk and Luann Van Houten.[13]

This season's production run (8F) was the last to be animated by Klasky Csupo, before the show's producers Gracie Films opted to switch domestic production of the series to Film Roman.[14][15] Sharon Bernstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Gracie executives had been unhappy with the producer Csupo had assigned to The Simpsons and said the company also hoped to obtain better wages and working conditions for animators at Film Roman."[15] Klasky Csupo co-founder Gábor Csupó had been "asked [by Gracie Films] if they could bring in their own producer [to oversee the animation production]," but declined, stating, "they wanted to tell me how to run my business."[15]

Reception

The season was critically acclaimed and remains popular among the show's fanbase. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly published a list of its 25 favorite episodes and placed "Homer at the Bat", "Flaming Moe's" and "Radio Bart" at 15th, 16th and 20th positions, respectively.[16] IGN.com made a list of the best guest appearances in the show's history, and placed Aerosmith at 24, Spinal Tap at 18, the "Homer at the Bat" baseball players at 17, Jon Lovitz at eight, and Michael Jackson at number five.[17] IGN would later name "Flaming Moe's" the best episode of the third season.[18] Chris Turner, the author of the book Planet Simpson, believes that the third season marks the beginning of "the Golden Age" of The Simpsons and pinpoints "Homer at the Bat" as the first episode of the era.[19] Bill Oakley has described the season as "the best season of any TV show of all time", pinpointing its success to the fact that "a lot of the stories were pretty grounded, but they took a couple of crazy leaps out into space with like, ‘Homer at the Bat’", stating that he and Josh Weinstein used the season as a model when they were The Simpsons' showrunners for seasons 7 and 8.[20]

Awards

1992 was The Simpsons' most successful year at the Primetime Emmy Awards, with the series receiving six Emmys, all for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance", a category which is juried rather than competitive. The recipients were: Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson in "Separate Vocations"; Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson in "Lisa's Pony"; Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson in "I Married Marge"; Jackie Mason as Rabbi Hyman Krustofski in "Like Father, Like Clown"; Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson in "Lisa the Greek"; and Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel in "Bart the Lover".[21] Mason is the only irregular guest star from the show to win an Emmy.[22] The series received three other Emmy nominations: for "Outstanding Animated Program" with the episode "Radio Bart"; for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" (Alf Clausen) and "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special" (Brad Brock, Peter Cole, Anthony D'Amico, Gary Gegan), both for the episode "Treehouse of Horror II".[21]

The series also won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production,[23] an Environmental Media Award nomination for "Best Television Episodic Comedy" for the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington",[24] and a People's Choice Award nomination for "Favorite Series Among Young People".[25]

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
361"Stark Raving Dad"Rich MooreAl Jean & Mike ReissSeptember 19, 1991 (1991-09-19)7F2425.8[26]
372"Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington"Wes ArcherGeorge MeyerSeptember 26, 1991 (1991-09-26)8F0120.2[27]
383"When Flanders Failed"Jim ReardonJon VittiOctober 3, 1991 (1991-10-03)7F2322.8[28]
394"Bart the Murderer"Rich MooreJohn SwartzwelderOctober 10, 1991 (1991-10-10)8F0320.8[29]
405"Homer Defined"Mark KirklandHoward GewirtzOctober 17, 1991 (1991-10-17)8F0420.6[30]
416"Like Father, Like Clown"Jeffrey Lynch & Brad BirdJay Kogen & Wallace WolodarskyOctober 24, 1991 (1991-10-24)8F0520.2[31]
427"Treehouse of Horror II"Jim ReardonAl Jean, Mike Reiss, Jeff Martin, George Meyer, Sam Simon & John SwartzwelderOctober 31, 1991 (1991-10-31)8F0220[32]
438"Lisa's Pony"Carlos BaezaAl Jean & Mike ReissNovember 7, 1991 (1991-11-07)8F0623[33]
449"Saturdays of Thunder"Jim ReardonKen Levine & David IsaacsNovember 14, 1991 (1991-11-14)8F0724.7[34]
4510"Flaming Moe's"Rich Moore & Alan SmartRobert CohenNovember 21, 1991 (1991-11-21)8F0823.9[35]
4611"Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk"Mark KirklandJon VittiDecember 5, 1991 (1991-12-05)8F0921.1[36]
4712"I Married Marge"Jeffrey LynchJeff MartinDecember 26, 1991 (1991-12-26)8F1021.9[37]
4813"Radio Bart"Carlos BaezaJon VittiJanuary 9, 1992 (1992-01-09)8F1124.2[38]
4914"Lisa the Greek"Rich MooreJay Kogen & Wallace WolodarskyJanuary 23, 1992 (1992-01-23)8F1223.2[39]
5015"Homer Alone"Mark KirklandDavid M. SternFebruary 6, 1992 (1992-02-06)8F1423.7[40]
5116"Bart the Lover"Carlos BaezaJon VittiFebruary 13, 1992 (1992-02-13)8F1620.5[41]
5217"Homer at the Bat"Jim ReardonJohn SwartzwelderFebruary 20, 1992 (1992-02-20)8F1324.6[42]
5318"Separate Vocations"Jeffrey LynchGeorge MeyerFebruary 27, 1992 (1992-02-27)8F1523.7[43]
5419"Dog of Death"Jim ReardonJohn SwartzwelderMarch 12, 1992 (1992-03-12)8F1723.4[44]
5520"Colonel Homer"Mark KirklandMatt GroeningMarch 26, 1992 (1992-03-26)8F1925.5[45]
5621"Black Widower"David SilvermanStory by : Thomas Chastain & Sam Simon
Teleplay by : Jon Vitti		April 9, 1992 (1992-04-09)8F2017.3[46]
5722"The Otto Show"Wes ArcherJeff MartinApril 23, 1992 (1992-04-23)8F2117.5[47]
5823"Bart's Friend Falls in Love"Jim ReardonJay Kogen & Wallace WolodarskyMay 7, 1992 (1992-05-07)8F2219.5[48]
5924"Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?"Rich MooreJohn SwartzwelderAugust 27, 1992 (1992-08-27)8F2317.2[49]

DVD release

The DVD box set for season three was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in the United States and Canada on August 26, 2003, eleven years after it had completed broadcast on television. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including commentaries for every episode.

The Complete Third Season
Set details[50][51] Special features[50][51]
  • 24 episodes
  • 4-disc set
  • 1.33:1 aspect ratio
  • AUDIO
    • English 5.1 Dolby Digital
    • Spanish 2.0 Dolby Surround
    • French 2.0 Dolby Surround
  • SUBTITLES
    • English SDH
    • Spanish
  • Optional commentaries for all 24 episodes, plus four easter egg commentaries featuring either Al Jean or Mike Reiss
  • Trivia tracks for "Colonel Homer"
  • Storyboards
  • Commercials
  • Easter egg audio outtakes
  • Multi Language Featurette
    • Treehouse of Horror II
      • Czech 2.0
      • Polish 2.0
  • Clip from the 1991 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featuring a balloon of Bart
  • Jukebox Feature (11 songs)
  • Previously unseen promo footage of Colonel Homer
Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
August 26, 2003 October 6, 2003 October 22, 2003

References

  1. ^ Jean, Al & Reiss, Mike. (2003). Commentary for "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  2. ^ Richmond & Coffman 1997, pp. 92–93.
  3. ^ Lynch, Jeffrey. (2003). Commentary for "Like Father, Like Clown", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  4. ^ Oakley, Bill & Weinstein, Josh. (2006). Easter egg Commentary for "Lisa the Simpson", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  5. ^ Oakley, Bill (2005-10-25). "Ask Bill and Josh Q&A Thread – Post #24". NoHomers.net. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
  6. ^ a b Brooks, James L. (2003). Commentary for "Stark Raving Dad", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  7. ^ Reiss, Mike. (2003). Easter Egg Commentary for "Stark Raving Dad", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  8. ^ a b Jean, Al (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer at the Bat" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  9. ^ Brooks, James L. (2004). "Bush vs. Simpsons", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  10. ^ Turner 2004, pp. 230–231.
  11. ^ Ortved, John (August 2007). "Simpson Family Values". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
  12. ^ Reiss, Mike (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer at the Bat" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  13. ^ Reiss, Mike. (2003). Commentary for "Homer Defined", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  14. ^ Kirkland, Mark (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Kamp Krusty" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  15. ^ a b c Bernstein, Sharon (1992-01-21). "'The Simpsons' Producer Changes Animation Firms". Los Angeles Times. p. 18. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
  16. ^ "The best Simpsons episodes, Nos. 11-15". Entertainment Weekly. 2003-02-02. Retrieved 2017-11-01. "The best Simpsons episodes, Nos. 16-20". Entertainment Weekly. 2003-02-02. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  17. ^ Goldman, Eric; Iverson, Dan; Zoromski, Brian. "Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances". IGN. Archived from the original on June 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  18. ^ Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski (2006-09-08). "The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes". IGN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  19. ^ Turner 2004, p. 39.
  20. ^ Fox, Jesse David (13 July 2017). "An Oral History of The Simpsons' Classic Planet of the Apes Musical". vulture.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  21. ^ a b "Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search". Emmys.org. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  22. ^ Castellaneta, Dan (2003). Commentary for the episode "Like Father, Like Clown". The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  23. ^ "Legacy: 20th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1992)". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  24. ^ "'Dinosaurs', 'Trials' up for environmental nods". Daily Variety. 1992-08-06.
  25. ^ "Roberts, Costner among nominees for 18th People's Choice Awards". The Pantagraph. Associated Press. 1992-02-06.
  26. ^ Eugene Sloan (September 25, 1991). "New faces try to save 'One Life to Live'". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  27. ^ Brian Donlon (October 2, 1991). "'Roseanne' comes out on top". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  28. ^ Brian Donlon (October 9, 1991). "Cable pulls network's plug". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  29. ^ Brian Donlon (October 16, 1991). "Hearings score a win for NBC". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  30. ^ Brian Donlon (October 23, 1991). "CBS bats one out of the park". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  31. ^ Brian Donlon (October 30, 1991). "Close Series wins big for CBS". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  32. ^ Brian Donlon (November 6, 1991). "Ratings contest narrows". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  33. ^ Brian Donlon (November 13, 1991). "NBC's hurricane windfall". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  34. ^ Brian Donlon (November 20, 1991). "'60 Minutes' clocks a 3rd win". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  35. ^ Brian Donlon (November 27, 1991). "CBS scores a strong win". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  36. ^ Brian Donlon (December 11, 1991). "Football a winner for NBC". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  37. ^ Brian Donlon, Graham Jefferson; Matt Roush (December 31, 1991). "'Cheers' stays open; cartoons all day". USA Today. p. 03.D. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ "Pigskin plays in to CBS win". USA Today. January 15, 1992. p. 03.D.
  39. ^ Peter Johnson, Donna Gable, Brian Donlon and Tom Green (January 30, 1992). "'Murder,' she writes on: Lansbury to return". USA Today. p. 03.D.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ Brian Donlon (February 13, 1992). "CBS mines Olympic gold". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  41. ^ Brian Donlon (February 21, 1992). "CBS wins, but ABC gets silver". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  42. ^ Brian Donlon (February 26, 1992). "CBS' all-around Olympic win". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  43. ^ Brian Donlon (March 4, 1992). "Last-place Fox is rising fast". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  44. ^ "Hit comedies lift ABC". USA Today. March 18, 1992. p. 03.D.
  45. ^ Brian Donlon (April 1, 1992). "'Room' in the top 10 for ABC". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  46. ^ Donna Gable (April 15, 1992). "CBS' historic jump". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  47. ^ Donna Gable (April 29, 1992). "ABC wins with news, goodbyes". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  48. ^ Brian Donlon (May 13, 1992). "Finales put NBC in first". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  49. ^ Donna Gable (September 2, 1992). "Storm blows in CBS' favor". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  50. ^ a b "Simpsons, The — The Complete 3rd Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  51. ^ a b "The Simpsons Season 3 DVD". The Simpsons Shop. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-14.

Further reading

Wikiquote has quotations related to The Simpsons' season 3.

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