The Simpsons (season 25)

The Simpsons (season 25)
Digital download cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	September 29, 2013 – May 18, 2014

The Simpsons' twenty-fifth season began airing on Fox on September 29, 2013 and ended on May 18, 2014.

In this season, Homer sells his Mapple stock to buy a bowling ball; Marge blames herself and Kiss for Bart's rebellious streak ("Four Regrettings and a Funeral"); Lisa becomes a cheerleader for Springfield's football team; and Homer delivers a baby ("Labor Pains"). Guest stars for this season include Judd Apatow, Will Arnett, Anderson Cooper, Harlan Ellison, Zach Galifianakis, Stan Lee, Eva Longoria, Rachel Maddow, Elisabeth Moss, Joe Namath, Daniel Radcliffe, Aaron Sorkin, and Kristen Wiig. This is Al Jean's 13th consecutive season as showrunner and 15th overall. Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Matt Selman, and John Frink serve as executive producers.^[1] Executive producer Al Jean stated that Edna Krabappel will be retired from the show following the death of Marcia Wallace on October 25, 2013.^[2]

February 2014 held back Simpsons episodes, due to the transmission of the Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States; the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia; the 2014 Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida, US; and the 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.^[3]

This season The Simpsons won three Primetime Emmy Awards out of four nominations. Including an Primetime Emmy Award for Character Voice-Over Performance to Harry Shearer, who was the last member of the main cast to earn the award.^[4]

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
531	1	"Homerland"	Bob Anderson	Stephanie Gillis	September 29, 2013	RABF20	6.37[5]
An FBI agent helps Lisa solve the mystery of why Homer's personality has changed after attending a nuclear plant convention. Guest star: Kevin Michael Richardson and Kristen Wiig[6]
532	2	"Treehouse of Horror XXIV"	Rob Oliver	Jeff Westbrook	October 6, 2013	RABF16	6.42[7]
The twenty-fourth annual Simpsons Halloween episode features an opening directed by Guillermo del Toro and the following segments: "Oh, the Places You'll D'oh!": In this twisted parody of Dr. Seuss's children's books, Homer abducts Bart, Lisa, and Maggie and rides around Springfield wreaking havoc as "The Fat in the Hat". "Dead and Shoulders": In this parody of The Thing with Two Heads, after Bart is decapitated during a kite accident, his head is attached to Lisa's body and the two must live together as one -- until Bart discovers that he can fully function whenever Lisa is asleep, and sets out to incapacitate her so he can have her body. "Freaks, No Geeks": In this parody to the 1932 horror film, Freaks, Homer and Marge are circus performers (a strong man and a trapeze artist respectively) with Burnsum and Bailey, and Homer has a plan to marry Marge off to a circus freak (Moe) so he can rob him of an emerald ring.
533	3	"Four Regrettings and a Funeral"	Mark Kirkland	Marc Wilmore	November 3, 2013	RABF18	5.43[8]
At the funeral of a beloved Springfielder, four residents remember events in their lives they would like to do over. Homer regrets selling his stock in Apple to buy a bowling ball. Marge blames her taste in music for Bart's rebelliousness. Mr. Burns remembers his relationship with a Parisienne. Kent Brockman regrets not taking a job as a cable news anchor. Guest star: Rachel Maddow and Joe Namath[9]
534	4	"YOLO"	Michael Polcino	Michael Nobori	November 10, 2013	RABF22	4.20[10]
Marge invites an old pen pal to stay with Homer and cross items off his "to-do" list from when he was 10 years old, so that Homer can embrace his "You-Only-Live-Once" spirit. Meanwhile, Lisa starts an honor code for the school to combat cheating. Guest star: Jon Lovitz as Llewellyn Sinclair[11]
535	5	"Labor Pains"	Matthew Faughnan	Don Payne & Mitchell H. Glazer	November 17, 2013	RABF19	4.08[12]
After a night of playing poker with Moe, Lenny, and Carl, Homer finds himself in an elevator with a young mother named Gretchen, who is in labor and needs someone to help her keep calm. Meanwhile, Lisa helps the local football cheerleading team unionize and negotiate for better wages and working conditions. Guest star: Elisabeth Moss as Gretchen[13]
536	6	"The Kid Is All Right"	Mark Kirkland	Tim Long	November 24, 2013	SABF02	6.78[14]
Lisa makes friends with a new girl in school, who turns out to be a conservative Republican (a George W. Bush one rather than an Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan one) with connections to Springfield's Republican party. Guest star: Anderson Cooper as himself, Maurice LaMarche, and Eva Longoria as Isabel Guiterrez[15]
537	7	"Yellow Subterfuge"	Bob Anderson	Joel H. Cohen	December 8, 2013	SABF04	6.85[16]
When Principal Skinner promises that the most well-behaved at Springfield Elementary will get to ride in a submarine, Bart does everything possible to become a model student. Meanwhile, Krusty, on Lisa's advice, sells the foreign rights to his show in order to rake in more money, but the international Krustys soon become more popular than the domestic ones. Guest star: Kevin Michael Richardson
538	8	"White Christmas Blues"	Steven Dean Moore	Don Payne	December 15, 2013	SABF01	8.48[17]
Springfield becomes a tourist hotspot after an accident involving the nuclear plant and the Springfield tire fire causes snow to fall for the first time in a long time -- and when Springfield's stores raise their prices, Marge turns their house into a bed and breakfast for the out-of-towners.
539	9	"Steal This Episode"	Matthew Nastuk	J. Stewart Burns	January 5, 2014	SABF05	12.04[18]
To combat the poor quality of today's movie theaters, Homer and Bart begin to illegally download movies and exhibit them in a makeshift theater in the backyard, but Homer ends up arrested when Marge sends the FBI a check and an apology note. Guest star: Judd Apatow, Will Arnett, Rob Halford, Leslie Mann, Kevin Michael Richardson, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Channing Tatum[19]
540	10	"Married to the Blob"	Chris Clements	Tim Long	January 12, 2014	SABF03	4.83[20]
The Comic Book Guy falls for a Japanese manga artist, but Homer's advice and the woman's father may ruin his chances at true love. Guest star: Harlan Ellison, Maurice LaMarche and Stan Lee
541	11	"Specs and the City"	Lance Kramer	Brian Kelley	January 26, 2014	SABF06	3.87[21]
Mr. Burns gives his workers Google Glass-style computer glasses so he can spy on them, but Homer gives the glasses to Marge, and discovers that Marge has been going to therapy to discuss her life. Meanwhile, Nelson bullies Bart into giving him the best Valentine's Day gift ever. Guest star: Maurice LaMarche and Will Lyman
542	12	"Diggs"	Michael Polcino	Dan Greaney & Allen Glazier	March 9, 2014	SABF08	2.69[22]
Bart makes friends with a transfer student named Diggs, an expert in falconry who saves Bart from the wrath of the Springfield Elementary bullies – and who intends to take to the sky himself, which makes Bart worry about Diggs' sanity. Guest star: Daniel Radcliffe
543	13	"The Man Who Grew Too Much"	Matthew Schofield	Jeff Westbrook	March 9, 2014	SABF07	3.75[22]
Lisa discovers that Sideshow Bob has become the chief scientist of a massive chemical engineering company, but the two of them bond over their appreciation for high-culture. Meanwhile, Marge ends up a church volunteer to help horny teenagers become abstinent. Guest star: Kelsey Grammer
544	14	"The Winter of His Content"	Chuck Sheetz	Kevin Curran	March 16, 2014	SABF09	4.02[23]
When the Retirement Castle is closed for health violations, Marge invites Grampa and two other old people to live at the Simpsons' house, only to get frustrated with Homer embracing the "old person lifestyle". Meanwhile, Bart defends Nelson's decision to wear his mother's underwear, and ends up part of a bully gathering a la The Warriors. Guest star: Kevin Michael Richardson
545	15	"The War of Art"	Steven Dean Moore	Rob LaZebnik	March 23, 2014	SABF10	3.98[24]
Marge buys a painting at a yard sale. She decides to auction it off when it appears to be valuable, but it turns out to be a forgery. Guest star: Max von Sydow
546	16	"You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee"	Mark Kirkland	Michael Price	March 30, 2014	SABF11	3.91[25]
At the school assembly, Principal Skinner presents a skit about living history. The kids begin heckling them and the assembly devolves into a disaster. Chalmers suggests holding a speech contest on the students' heroes. After Martin beats her to the punch using her first idea, Marie Curie, Lisa changes her speech to one on Homer. Lisa wins over the crowd and both kids' speeches are posted online. Lisa's goes viral, so much so that Homer is called to referee games in the World Cup in Brazil. Guest star: Andrés Cantor
547	17	"Luca$"	Chris Clements	Carolyn Omine	April 6, 2014	SABF12	4.30[26]
Back at school, Lisa sees a boy choking on pizza. She performs the Heimlich maneuver on him, reveals his name is Lucas Bortner and he's a competitive eater. She doesn't think that competitive eating is for him, and suddenly gets a crush on him. She then thinks about changing him. Meanwhile, Snake, grateful for Bart's actions, steals a PlayStadium 4 and leaves it in Bart's room. Guest star: Zach Galifianakis
548	18	"Days of Future Future"	Bob Anderson	J. Stewart Burns	April 13, 2014	SABF13	3.64[27]
A sequel to "Future-Drama" and a continuation of "Holidays of Future Passed," set 30 years from now. In this futuristic installment, Bart goes to a clinic to rid himself of his feelings for his ex-wife Jenda (who is now dating a xenomorph-esque alien named Jerry), Lisa must choose whether or not to cure her zombie husband Milhouse after he gets bitten by a homeless zombie, and Marge (after putting up with years of Homer dying and being cloned back to life by Professor Frink) loads Homer onto a flatscreen monitor and throws him out of the house. Guest star: Amy Poehler
549	19	"What to Expect When Bart's Expecting"	Matthew Nastuk	John Frink	April 27, 2014	SABF14	3.45[28]
Bart makes a voodoo doll of his hippie art teacher when he gets sick of art class and cast a spell to make her sick, but when he inadvertently gets her pregnant, he becomes a savior to Springfield couples trying to conceive - and is subsequently kidnapped to help conceive a thoroughbred race horse. Guest star: Tavi Gevinson and Joe Mantegna
550	20	"Brick Like Me"	Matthew Nastuk	Brian Kelley	May 4, 2014	RABF21	4.39[29]
Homer wakes up to a world made out of LEGO bricks and grows to like this new world, where everything fits in and no one gets hurt — until he begins seeing flashes of a previous life and, with help from The Comic Book Guy, discovers how he ended up in the LEGO world.
551	21	"Pay Pal"	Michael Polcino	David H. Steinberg	May 11, 2014	SABF15	3.66[30]
Marge swears off befriending any more couples when Homer offends their charming new British neighbors. But when Lisa declares that she, too, doesn't need friends, Marge reconsiders. Guest star: Carl Kasell, John Oliver and Peter Sagal
552	22	"The Yellow Badge of Cowardge"	Timothy Bailey	Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham	May 18, 2014	SABF18	3.28[31]
Bart is plagued with guilt when he wins the annual "last day of school" race around Springfield Elementary, with an assist from Nelson, who beats up frontrunner Milhouse. Meanwhile, Homer tries to bring back the annual 4th of July fireworks display after it's canceled for budget reasons. Guest star: Glenn Close and Edwin Moses

References

1. Shows A-Z - Simpsons, the on Fox
2. "'Simpsons' star Marcia Wallace dies at 70". Chicago Tribune. Reuters. October 26, 2013.
3. No Simpsons on February 2014 - Chris Ledesma's Twitter
4. "Harry Shearer becomes final 'Simpsons' main cast member to win Emmy". LA Times. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
5. Bibel, Sara (October 1, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons' & 'Bob's Burgers' Adjusted Up; 'Revenge' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
6. "Get Ready for Star-Filled "Animation Domination" Sundays This Fall on FOX". FOX Flash.
7. Kondolojy, Amanda (October 8, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time' & 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Up + Final NFL Ratings & Unscrambled CBS". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
8. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 5, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Amazing Race' Adjusted Up; 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Down + Final NFL Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
9. The Simpsons Episode Guide - TVGuide.com
10. Bibel, Sara (November 12, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Revenge' & 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Down, Plus Unscrambled CBS & Football Numbers". TV by the Numbedrs. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
11. TheFutonCritic.com - The Simpsons Listings
12. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 19, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'Once Upon a Time' or 'Almost Human'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
13. "'The Simpsons' Gets Peggy Pregnant Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss to Guest". Screencrush.com. 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
14. Bibel, Sara (November 26, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons' The Amazing Race', 'American Dad' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
15. The Simpsons Episode Guide - The Kid is All Right
16. Bibel, Sara (December 10, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons', 'Family Guy', 'Revenge' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; 'Once Upon a Time', 'Betrayal' & '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
17. "Sunday Final Ratings: '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down, No Adjustment for 'Revenge' or 'Survivor'". Tvbythenumbers. 2013-12-08. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
18. Bibel, Sara (January 7, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Family Guy', '60 Minutes' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; 'The Simpsons', 'Bob's Burgers', 'The Best of Jimmy Fallon' & 'Betrayal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
19. 'Simpsons' episode to feature voices of Judd Apatow, Channing Tatum, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann and Seth Rogen | Inside TV | EW.com
20. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Mentalist', 'American Dad', 'Family Guy', 'Bob's Burgers' & 'Bachelor Special Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down + 'Golden Globe' Finals". Tvbythenumbers. 2014-01-14. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
21. "Sunday Final Ratings: '60 Minutes' & 'The Bachelor: Sean and Catherine's Wedding' Adjusted Down + Final Pro Bowl & Grammy Awards Ratings". Tvbythenumbers. 2014-01-29. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
22. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 11, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Resurrection', 'Once Upon a Time' & 'The Amazing Race' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
23. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon A Time', 'Resurrection', 'America's Funniest Home Videos', 'Cosmos', 'American Dad' & 'Believe' Adjusted Up". Tvbythenumbers. 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
24. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'America's Funniest Home Videos', 'Once Upon a Time', 'American Dad' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes', 'Revenge' & 'The Good Wife' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
25. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Good Wife', 'Resurrection', 'Crisis', '60 Minutes' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. 2014-03-23. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
26. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'American Dream Builders', 'America's Funniest Home Videos' & 'Resurrection' Adjusted Up". Tvbythenumbers. 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
27. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Resurrection', 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Simpsons', 'The Amazing Race', 'Cosmos', 'The Mentalist' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
28. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon A Time', 'Revenge' & 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Up; 'Believe', '60 Minutes', 'Dateline' & 'American Dream Builders' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
29. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Simpsons', 'Dateline' & 'Resurrection' Adjusted Up; 'The Good Wife' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
30. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'American Dad' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; 'Revenge', 'Cosmos' & 'Dateline' Adjusted Down". TVbytheNumbers. 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
31. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Amazing Race' & 'American Dream Builders' Adjusted Up". TVbytheNumbers. 2014-05-20. Retrieved 2014-05-20.

Bibliography

• Turner, Chris (2005). Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. Foreword by Douglas Coupland. (1st ed.). Toronto: Random House Canada. ISBN 978-0-679-31318-2. OCLC 55682258.