Season 21

Season 21

Season Information Original run: September 27, 2009 - May 23, 2010 No. of episodes: 23 Previous season: 20 Next season: 22

Season 21 of The Simpsons aired from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010. It was the first season to air entirely in high-definition.

In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of The Simpsons, Fox announced a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever". It run from January 14, 2009 to January 14, 2010 and it included the documentary The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!.

Reception[edit]

The season received mainly positive reviews from critics, with the most praised episodes being "The Squirt and the Whale", "To Surveil with Love" and "The Bob Next Door". Some episodes made the series receive many award nominations, winning two: an Emmy Award for Anne Hathaway for her voicing of Princess Penelope in "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" and an Annie Award for "Treehouse of Horror XX".

Episodes[edit]

Picture # Original title Original airdate Directed by Written by Prod. code 442 - 1 "Homer the Whopper" September 27, 2009 Lance Kramer Seth Rogen Evan Goldberg LABF13 Comic Book Guy's comic book hero, Everyman, becomes a big hit in Springfield, and he agrees to a movie version. Comic Book Guy insists that he chooses who plays the lead role, and gives the part to Homer. However, the movie company hire a personal trainer for Homer, called Lyle, so that he can get fit for the part. When Lyle leaves, Homer puts on weight again, and the movie is a disaster. The company offer Comic Book Guy the chance to direct a sequel if he pretends he liked the movie, but he criticizes it. Guest starring: Seth Rogen as Lyle McCarthy, Matt Groening as himself and Kevin Michael Richardson as Ginormous Pictures security guard. 443 - 2 "Bart Gets a "Z"" October 4, 2009 Mark Kirkland Matt Selman LABF15 When Mrs Krabappel confiscates her students' mobile phones, they hatch a plan to get their teacher drunk to get her to "loosen up". When Principal Skinner fires her, she is replaced by a cool new teacher, Zachary Vaughn, who impresses the kids with his love of texting, Facebook and Twitter. Bart has a lingering guilt about getting Edna fired, and tries to help her. With the assistance of a self-help book-slash-DVD, she opens her own muffin store - but she still longs to be a teacher. 444 - 3 "The Great Wife Hope" October 11, 2009 Matthew Faughnan Carolyn Omine LABF16 The men and boys in Springfield become obsessed with Ultimate Punch Kick and Choke Championships, a violent sport where fighters inflict severe pain on each other. When Marge and her friends stage a protest against the spot, the show's promoter embraces the controversy and challenges Marge to a match, promising to shut down the competition if she wins. She begins to train with rhythmic gymnastics, but her family step in and get her professional martial arts help to give her a real chance at winning. Guest starring: Chuck Liddell as himself. 445 - 4 "Treehouse of Horror XX" October 18, 2009 Mike B. Anderson Matthew Schofield Daniel Chun LABF14 In "Dial 'M' for Murder or Press Main Menu," Lisa is forced into a Hitchcockian murder scheme by Bart, in "Don't Have a Cow, Mankind," Springfield is once again overrun by zombies thanks to Krusty Burger's latest sandwich, and in the Sweeney Toike Moe Biness," Moe the bartender bleeds Homer dry to create the perfect microbrewed beer. 446 - 5 "The Devil Wears Nada" November 15, 2009 Nancy Kruse Tim Long LABF17 Marge poses for a calendar for charity, but she is soon the talk of the town after she reveals a little too much during her photo shoot. Meanwhile, Carl receives a promotion at the plant. He then promotes Homer to be his executive assistant and drives him up the wall with requests. 447 - 6 "Pranks and Greens" November 22, 2009 Chuck Sheetz Jeff Westbrook LABF18 Groundskeeper Willie tells Bart about Andy Hamilton, a former student who was an even better prankster than Bart is. Bart tracks down Andy, now 19 and still pulling pranks, and the two become quick friends. Guest starring: Jonah Hill as Andy Hamilton. 448 - 7 "Rednecks and Broomsticks" November 29, 2009 Bob Anderson Rob Oliver Kevin Curran LABF19 After stumbling upon some teenage Wiccans, Lisa accepts an invitation to join their coven. Just before Lisa is inducted Clancy Wiggum arrives and arrests the three teens on charges of witchcraft; Lisa becomes the chief witness in the trial. Meanwhile, Homer starts to hang out with his new pal Cletus after discovering the slack-jawed yokel makes moonshine and becomes the local moonshine taste-tester. Guest starring: Neve Campbell as Cassandra. 449 - 8 "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?" December 13, 2009 Steven Dean Moore Matt Selman MABF01 When Lisa tells Bart he'll never have the special bond that she has with Maggie because he doesn't have any brothers, he tries to get Homer and Marge to make him a baby brother, but when that doesn't work, he goes to the orphanage - where a young boy follows him home. Guest starring: Peyton Manning as himself, Eli Manning as himself, Cooper Manning as himself, Smothers Brothers as themselves, Kim Cattrall as the Dream Simpson sister, Huell Howser as himself and Jordan Nagai as Charlie. 450 - 9 "Thursdays with Abie" January 3, 2010 Michael Polcino Mitchell H. Glazer Don Payne MABF02 A Springfield Shopper reporter takes an interest in Grampa's stories, making him front-page news, which makes Homer jealous. But when he discovers what the reporter has in store for the final column, Homer must race to find Grampa before it is published and his life is changed forever. Meanwhile, Lisa loses the classroom stuffed lamb she was watching for Bart - down a sewer drain. Guest starring: Mitch Albom as himself. 451 - 10 "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" January 10, 2010 Matthew Nastuk Stephanie Gillis LABF20 Krusty is forced to add a female character named Princess Penelope to his show in order to attract more female viewers. She immediately overshadows Krusty as the ratings improve. Bart and Milhouse want to get the show back to the way it was, but the situation gets more complicated when Krusty and Penelope fall in love and decide to get married. Meanwhile, Homer, Lenny, and Carl consider working at a competing nuclear plant when Mr. Burns cuts off their daily doughnut service. Guest starring: Jackie Mason as Hyman Krustofsky, Anne Hathaway as Princess Penelope, Eartha Kitt as herself, Gary Larson as himself, and Maurice LaMarche as the Power plant guard supervisor. 452 - 11 "Million Dollar Maybe" January 31, 2010 Chris Clements Bill Odenkirk MABF03 Homer skips a date with Marge so he can buy a lottery ticket; when he wins a million dollars, he fears Marge's reaction to having blown off the date for a chance at fortune and he keeps his winnings a secret while showering the family with anonymous gifts. Meanwhile, Lisa helps to keep the senior citizens at the Springfield Retirement Castle stimulated with some video games. Guest starring: Chris Martin as himself. 453 - 12 "Boy Meets Curl" February 14, 2010 Chuck Sheetz Rob LaZebnik MABF05 After discovering their love of curling, Marge and Homer try out for the Olympic team and actually make it to the 2010 Vancouver Games. Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Lisa develops an addiction to collecting Olympic pins. Guest starring: Bob Costas as himself. 454 - 13 "The Color Yellow" February 21, 2010 Raymond S. Persi Billy Kimball Ian Maxtone-Graham MABF06 When researching her family tree for someone who isn't a total boob or criminal, Lisa finds the 1860 diary of Eliza Simpson, a young girl who was in the Underground Railroad and tried to help a slave escape to Canada, but a diary by one of Milhouse's ancestors casts doubt on just what Eliza accomplished. Guest starring: Wren T. Brown as Virgil Simpson. 455 - 14 "Postcards from the Wedge" March 14, 2010 Mark Kirkland Brian Kelley MABF04 When Homer receives a letter from Mrs. Krabappel saying that Bart is way behind in his studies, he tries to take a hard line with him, but Marge thinks he has too much work, so Bart finds a way to turn their difference of opinion into a full-blown fight, only for it to end up with the two of them deciding that they need to worry about themselves more than Bart - at least until Bart discovers that running trains on the old Springfield Subway is causing the school's structure to crumble. 456 - 15 "Stealing First Base" March 21, 2010 Steven Dean Moore John Frink MABF07 When Springfield Elementary's two fourth grade classes have to share desks rather than pay for a substitute teacher, Bart falls for his new deskmate, but after he kisses her, she starts sending him mixed signals. Meanwhile, Lisa's classmates ostracize her for being an overachiever, and First Lady Michelle Obama, a self-professed nerd, comes to Lisa's defense. Guest starring: Sarah Silverman as Nikki McKenna and Angela Bassett as Michelle Obama. 457 - 16 "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" March 28, 2010 Michael Polcino Kevin Curran MABF10 When Homer is playing noisily in the yard, it disrupts Flanders' bible-study group. Coaxed by the reverend, a frustrated Flanders takes it upon himself to redeem Homer by inviting the Simpson family on his church retreat to Jerusalem in an attempt to save his soul, but unappreciative of the history and culture, the latter would rather hang out at the hotel's breakfast buffet rather than tour the city. And when an eccentric tour guide takes the group to famous monuments, including the Dome of the Rock and the Wailing Wall, Homer finally proves he is not beyond salvation. Guest starring: Sacha Baron Cohen as Jakob and Yael Naim as Dorit. 458 - 17 "American History X-cellent" April 11, 2010 Bob Anderson Michael Price MABF08 When the police are called to diffuse a rowdy crowd at Mr. Burns' estate, one of the officers recognizes priceless stolen paintings on the walls, and the maniacal billionaire is taken downtown for questioning. With Mr. Burns gone, Smithers takes charge of the power plant. But when employees take advantage of his good nature, he exacts revenge by forcing the employees to work night and day. These unfair working conditions prompt Homer and his crew to devise a plan to bust out Mr. Burns. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa bond over one ant that survives an accident involving Lisa's ant farm. Guest starring: Kevin Michael Richardson as Burns' Cellmate and Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony. 459 - 18 "Chief of Hearts" April 18, 2010 Chris Clements Carolyn Omine William Wright MABF09 Homer and Chief Wiggum become close friends during Homer's community service stint, but when Homer leaves Wiggum's side during his recuperation to go to Moe's, the Chief takes offense. Meanwhile, Bart becomes addicted to Battle Ball, a Japanese game made up of plastic balls and magnetic cards, and his family and teachers try to help him kick the habit. Guest starring: Jane Kaczmarek as Judge Constance Harm, Maurice LaMarche as cop 1 and Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony. 460 - 19 "The Squirt and the Whale" April 25, 2010 Mark Kirkland Matt Warburton MABF14 Fed up with high electric bills, Homer puts up a windmill generator in the backyard. When he sees that the excess energy goes back to the power company, he takes the house off the power grid, making it entirely dependent on the windmill. Then a violent windstorm hits Springfield, and among the victims are the windmill and a whale which ends up beached, prompting Lisa, Homer, and many other townspeople to attempt to save it. 461 - 20 "To Surveil with Love" May 2, 2010 Lance Kramer Michael Nobori MABF12 Thanks to Homer leaving a gym bag with radioactive waste (planted there by Smithers) unattended in a train station, Springfield has surveillance cameras installed throughout the town, but when citizen video monitor scanner Ned abuses his ability to speak through the cameras' speakers, Homer uses the camera blind spot Bart discovers to the town's advantage. Meanwhile, Lisa becomes fed up with being blonde, so she dyes her hair a dark color. Guest starring: Eddie Izzard as Queen Elizabeth II, Nigel Bakerbutcher and Prince Charles. 462 - 21 "Moe Letter Blues" May 9, 2010 Matthew Nastuk Stephanie Gillis MABF13 Homer, Apu, and Reverend Lovejoy take a day trip with their kids on Mother's Day so their wives can have a day to themselves, but the three of them receive a message from Moe saying that he's leaving Springfield...with one of their wives. While the trio tries to determine whose wife Moe is referring to, Homer, Lovejoy and Apu flashback to the intimate moments they initially ignored between Moe and Marge, Manjula and Helen Lovejoy. But when the boys return from their trip, they're in for the surprise of their lives. Guest starring: Don Pardo as himself. 463 - 22 "The Bob Next Door" May 16, 2010 Nancy Kruse John Frink MABF11 Bart becomes convinced that his new neighbor, Walt, is his archenemy, Sideshow Bob, disguised and back for revenge. But when Marge tries to convince Bart otherwise by taking him to the state penitentiary, a disturbing truth is revealed, leading to danger for the spiky-haired boy. Guest starring: Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob. 464 - 23 "Judge Me Tender" May 23, 2010 Steven Dean Moore Dan Greaney Allen Glazier MABF15 American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen DeGeneres welcome a new judge to the show - Moe, who displays an exceptional talent in judging things. While Moe is away, Homer has more time to spend at home with Marge, and ends up driving her crazy when he begins hanging around the house. Guest starring: Ryan Seacrest as himself, Randy Jackson as himself, Ellen DeGeneres as herself, Kara DioGuardi as herself, Simon Cowell as himself and Rupert Murdoch as himself.

Season 21 episodes script covers[edit]