The Simpsons season 17

The seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons began airing on Sunday, September 11, 2005, and finished airing on Sunday, May 21, 2006. It broke Fox's tradition of pushing its shows' season premieres back to November to accommodate the Major League Baseball games airing on the network during September and October of each year.^[1] Season 17 was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on December 2, 2014, Region 2 on December 1, 2014, and Region 4 on December 3, 2014.

The Simpsons
Season 17
DVD cover featuring Sideshow Bob
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	September 11, 2005 (2005-09-11) – May 21, 2006 (2006-05-21)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 16 Next → Season 18
List of episodes

Production

Al Jean remained show runner, with this being his fifth year in the position since he started it in season 13, while the season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. David Silverman was the supervising director of animation. New writers included Patric Verrone (previously a writer for The Critic, Futurama, and current president of the Writers Guild of America, Western Division), Daniel Chun, and Stephane Gillis. During this season, there were no episodes that aired during the month of October.

Seven hold-over episodes from the season 16 (GABF) production line aired as part of this season. One of these episodes, "The Girl Who Slept Too Little", was intended to air as the season 16 finale on May 15, 2005, but after "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star", an episode satirizing the Catholic Church, was postponed due to Pope John Paul II's death, it was moved into this season.^[2]

Reception

Reviews

The season was met with mixed-to-positive reviews. Jeffry Kauffman of Blu-ray.com gave the season 4/5. He said the season was "arguably an incremental step downward" but he still thought "There are still delights galore to be sampled throughout the season,"^[3] Shadowlocked gave the season 4/5 stars. Luke Connolly said that the season did a great job at tying things together and praised "Girls Just Want to have Sums" and "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere" as highlights. He concluded by saying "While season 17 shows its age in certain places, its continual pursuit of originality and familiar comedy more than makes up for this, and one cannot help but be impressed."^[4] Fanboy Nation's Sean Mukvihill was positive on the season saying "Even though it isn't as a great as it once was, the show still boast some very clever writing and the best voice cast of any animated program in history."^[5] Capsule Computers was more critical of the season giving the season 5.5/10 and commented "As a long time fan of the early Simpsons that involved great episodes with hilarious, tightly developed plots, it is hard to stomach what the show has become."^[6] Spotlight Report gave the season 3.0/5 criticizing that it wasn't as funny as previous seasons.^[7]

Awards

"The Seemingly Neverending Story" won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, the first Simpsons episode to win since season 14's "Three Gays of the Condo" and the ninth time in the history of the show.^[8] Kelsey Grammer received the Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for "The Italian Bob".^[9]

Nielsen ratings

The show ranked 56th in the seasonal ratings tied with Invasion, America's Funniest Home Videos, and The Amazing Race with a viewership 9.2 million viewers and an 18–49 Nielsen Rating of 4.4/11.^[10]

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
357	1	"The Bonfire of the Manatees"	Mark Kirkland	Dan Greaney	September 11, 2005 (2005-09-11)	GABF18	11.10^[12]
When Homer allows Fat Tony to shoot an explicit movie in the Simpson home, angry Marge leaves and meets Caleb Thorn, an attractive marine biologist.^[11] Guest star: Alec Baldwin as Caleb Thorn
358	2	"The Girl Who Slept Too Little"	Raymond S. Persi	John Frink	September 18, 2005 (2005-09-18)	GABF16	10.00^[14]
When a graveyard is relocated to the lot next to the Simpsons, Lisa has nightmares that prevent her from sleeping.^[13]
359	3	"Milhouse of Sand and Fog"	Steven Dean Moore	Patric Verrone	September 25, 2005 (2005-09-25)	GABF19	10.46^[16]
When Maggie gets chicken pox, Homer tries to capitalize on it by throwing a pox party and inviting parents to infect their children. At the party, Milhouse's parents get back together, but Milhouse feels neglected and Bart helps break them up again.^[15]
360	4	"Treehouse of Horror XVI"	David Silverman	Marc Wilmore	November 6, 2005 (2005-11-06)	GABF17	11.66^[18]
B.I. Bartificial Intelligence – Bart falls into a coma after trying to jump into the swimming pool at Patty and Selma's apartment complex. With Bart incapacitated, the Simpsons buy a robot son, who proves to be a better son than Bart ever was, leaving the real Bart to befriend a group of traveling robots. Survival of the Fattest – Mr. Burns hunts down Homer and a small collection of male ancillary characters as part of a new reality show called "The World Series of Manslaughter." I've Grown a Costume on Your Face – After she loses a Halloween costume contest, a witch turns the townspeople into their Halloween costumes, and Lisa (who is now Albert Einstein) finds out that Maggie (who is dressed as a witch) is the key to revert the spell.^[17] Guest stars: Terry Bradshaw and Dennis Rodman
361	5	"Marge's Son Poisoning"	Mike B. Anderson	Daniel Chun	November 13, 2005 (2005-11-13)	GABF20	11.41^[20]
Realizing that Marge is lonely, Bart decides to spend extra time with her, causing his classmates to call him a mama's boy. Meanwhile, Homer begins exercising and becomes an arm wrestler, with Moe as his coach.^[19]
362	6	"See Homer Run"	Nancy Kruse	Stephanie Gillis	November 20, 2005 (2005-11-20)	GABF21	10.31^[22]
Homer's reaction to Lisa's Father's Day book causes her to develop a disappointment disorder. To get her respect back, Homer dresses up as a mascot known as the Safety Salamander.^[21]
363	7	"The Last of the Red Hat Mamas"	Matthew Nastuk	Joel H. Cohen	November 27, 2005 (2005-11-27)	GABF22	11.46^[24]
Looking for new friends, Marge joins a group of women, whom she gets along with. However, she is conflicted when they plan a heist on Mr. Burns's mansion.^[23] Guest Star: Lily Tomlin
364	8	"The Italian Bob"	Mark Kirkland	John Frink	December 11, 2005 (2005-12-11)	HABF02	10.30^[26]
Homer brings the whole family along when he is sent to Italy to pick up a new sports car for Mr. Burns. There, he runs into Sideshow Bob and his family.^[25] Guest Stars: Maria Grazia Cucinotta and Kelsey Grammer
365	9	"Simpsons Christmas Stories"	Steven Dean Moore	Don Payne	December 18, 2005 (2005-12-18)	HABF01	9.93^[28]
The Simpsons re-enact the Nativity; a World War II tale stars Grampa, Mr. Burns, and Santa; a musical features "The Nutcracker Suite."^[27]
366	10	"Homer's Paternity Coot"	Mike B. Anderson	Joel H. Cohen	January 8, 2006 (2006-01-08)	HABF03	10.11^[30]
Marge's rage against the new toll road system leads to the discovery of a frozen mailman and his 40-year-old mail. A letter addressed to Abe Simpson shows that Homer is not his son, and Homer sets out to find his real father.^[29] Guest Stars: Michael York, William H. Macy and Joe Frazier
367	11	"We're on the Road to D'ohwhere"	Nancy Kruse	Kevin Curran	January 29, 2006 (2006-01-29)	HABF04	8.97^[32]
After Bart steals a key from Principal Skinner's office and gets himself into hot water, Marge and Homer send him to a behavior modification camp. Meanwhile, Lisa and Marge have a yard sale.^[31]
368	12	"My Fair Laddy"	Bob Anderson	Michael Price	February 26, 2006 (2006-02-26)	HABF05	9.51^[34]
When Bart accidentally destroys Willie's shack with a game of solid-ice dodgeball, Marge takes in the homeless janitor in a parody of My Fair Lady.^[33]
369	13	"The Seemingly Never-Ending Story"	Raymond S. Persi	Ian Maxtone-Graham	March 12, 2006 (2006-03-12)	HABF06	9.71^[36]
While exploring with his family, Homer causes a cave to crumble and finds himself stuck upside-down on the ceiling. To pass the time, Lisa tells him a story, with many layers of nested storytelling involved.^[35] Emmy Award winning episode.
370	14	"Bart Has Two Mommies"	Michael Marcantel	Dana Gould	March 19, 2006 (2006-03-19)	HABF07	8.67^[38]
A monkey holds Bart hostage while under Homer's care, leaving Marge to figure out how to get her son back. Meanwhile, Marge babysits for Rod and Todd Flanders, conflicting with Ned's overly-safe lifestyle.^[37] Guest Stars: Susan Sarandon, Antonio Fargas, Dave Thomas and Randy Johnson
371	15	"Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife"	Matthew Nastuk	Ricky Gervais	March 26, 2006 (2006-03-26)	HABF08	10.09^[40]
Homer's obsession with Lenny's new plasma TV prompts Marge to enter the family in a sweepstakes, and they win a trip to the Fox Studio Lot. Against Marge's wishes, Homer signs them up for a Trading Spouses/Wife Swap-style reality show and is forced to take in a controlling wife, while Marge moves in with a beaten-down husband, Charlie, and his perfect son.^[39] Guest Star: Ricky Gervais
372	16	"Million Dollar Abie"	Steven Dean Moore	Tim Long	April 2, 2006 (2006-04-02)	HABF09	7.84^[42]
Grampa is shunned by the town and nearly commits suicide after foiling Homer's plans to make Springfield home to a professional football franchise. However, he gains a new purpose in life as a matador, while Lisa protests him harming animals.^[41] Guest stars: Rob Reiner and Michael Carrington
373	17	"Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore"	Mark Kirkland	Deb Lacusta & Dan Castellaneta	April 9, 2006 (2006-04-09)	HABF10	8.27^[44]
Homer learns the nuclear power plant is being shut down and outsourced to India, where the new workers worship him as a god. Meanwhile, Patty and Selma kidnap MacGyver, but soon grow annoyed by his antics.^[43] Guest Star: Richard Dean Anderson
374	18	"The Wettest Stories Ever Told"	Mike B. Anderson	Jeff Westbrook	April 23, 2006 (2006-04-23)	HABF11	7.10^[46]
When the Simpsons' plans for a nice family outing at the Frying Dutchman turn into a dining disaster, the family (and show writers) try to salvage the night by telling three tales of disasters at sea: in "Mayflower Madman," Pilgrims Moe and Homer fight for the hand of Goody Marge while sailing to Plymouth Rock; in "The Whine-Bar Sea," Bart leads a mutiny against Captain Principal Skinner; and in "Watership D'ohn," The Simpsons (and a collection of ancillary characters) re-enact The Poseidon Adventure.^[45]
375	19	"Girls Just Want to Have Sums"	Nancy Kruse	Matt Selman	April 30, 2006 (2006-04-30)	HABF12	8.74^[48]
Principal Skinner is replaced by a women's education expert after making a sexist statement about women's math skills during a musical (which was written by a former female Springfield Elementary school student who was a math whiz), who segregates the school by gender. At first, Lisa loves the arrangement, but when she discovers that the girls' classes are more about self-esteem boosting than actual learning, Lisa disguises herself as a boy and attends the boys' classes.^[47] Guest Star: Frances McDormand as Melanie Upfoot
376	20	"Regarding Margie"	Mike Frank Polcino	Marc Wilmore	May 7, 2006 (2006-05-07)	HABF13	8.47^[50]
Marge goes nuts trying to clean the kitchen in time for a best house contest, but when she inhales the fumes of one too many cleaning solvents, she passes out and bangs her head on a stool. When Marge comes to at the hospital, she is stricken with amnesia, which does not last when she immediately remembers everyone in the family through their quirks—except for Homer. With Marge's memory of Homer erased, Patty and Selma help their sister find a new man.^[49] Guest Stars: Sal Bando and Gene Tenace
377	21	"The Monkey Suit"	Raymond S. Persi	J. Stewart Burns	May 14, 2006 (2006-05-14)	HABF14	8.41^[52]
Reverend Lovejoy is appointed to spread the word of creationism in Springfield after Flanders complains about a new museum display about evolution, leading creationism to be taught in schools—and Lisa to fight back with secret classes about Charles Darwin and his theories of evolution. However, she is quickly arrested and a trial against her is initiated.^[51] Guest Stars: Melanie Griffith and Larry Hagman
378	22	"Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play"	Bob Anderson	Joel H. Cohen	May 21, 2006 (2006-05-21)	HABF16	8.22^[54]
A first baseman for the Springfield Isotopes calls upon Homer and Marge to help him with his marriage to a stripper/pop singer named Tabitha Vixx, who upstages him with a racy musical number during one of his games.^[53] Guest Stars: Mandy Moore and Stacy Keach

Home media

The DVD and Blu-ray box set for season seventeen was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in the United States and Canada on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, eight years after it had completed broadcast on television. As well as every episode from the season, the Blu-ray and DVD releases feature bonus material including deleted scenes, animatics, and commentaries for every episode. The box art features Sideshow Bob, and a special limited-edition "embossed head case" package was also released.

This is the only season of The Simpsons to receive a 15 rating in the UK, but this is due to the additional material (the episodes are only a 12 rating).

The Complete Seventeenth Season
Set Details			Special Features
22 episodes 3-disc set (Blu-ray) 4-disc set (DVD) 1.33:1 aspect ratio AUDIO (DVD) English 5.1 Dolby Digital Spanish 2.0 Dolby Surround French 2.0 Dolby Surround AUDIO (Blu-ray) English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital French 5.1 Dolby Digital SUBTITLES English SDH Spanish			Optional commentaries for all 22 episodes Buogiorno, Simpsons Lovers Deleted Scenes Special Language Feature Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife Hungarian 2.0 Ukrainian 2.0 German 2.0 Italian 2.0 The Great ones Live! It's The Simpsons Sketch Gallery 1 & 2 Easter Egg Let there be Music! Animation Showcase Bonus Episodes: "Krusty Gets Busted" (Blu-ray exclusive) "Cape Feare" (Blu-ray exclusive) "The Man Who Grew Too Much"
Release Dates
Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
Tuesday, December 2, 2014	Monday, December 1, 2014	Wednesday, December 3, 2014

References

1. "FOX Announces Fall Premiere Dates For the 2005-2006 Season". The Futon Critic. July 11, 2005. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
2. Pierce, Scott (May 14, 2005). "Saturday and Sunday on TV". Deseret News (Salt Lake City), at Findarticles.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
3. "The Simpsons: The Seventeenth Season Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
4. Connolly, Luke. . www.shadowlocked.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
5. "Blu-Ray Review: The Simpsons Season 17". fanboynation.com. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
6. "The Simpsons Season 17 Review | Capsule Computers - Gaming & Entertainment News, Reviews, Interviews & Competitions". www.capsulecomputers.com.au. December 2, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
7. "The Simpsons Season 17 – DVD Review". Spotlight Report "The Best Entertainment Website in Oz". Retrieved March 26, 2016.
8. "Simpsons wins ninth cartoon Emmy". BBC News. August 20, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
9. Todd Leopold (August 24, 2006). "Welcome to the Emmy 'mess'". CNN. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
10. . May 26, 2006. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010.
11. "Bonfire of the Manatees". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
12. unknown (September 12, 2005). . Posted by Adam. Simpsons Channel. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
13. "The Girl Who Slept Too Little". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
14. . ABC Medianet. September 20, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
15. "Milhouse of Sand and Fog". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
16. . ABC Medianet. September 27, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
17. "Treehouse of Horror XVI". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
18. . ABC Medianet. November 8, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
19. "Marge's Son Poisoning". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
20. . ABC Medianet. November 15, 2005. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
21. "See Homer Run". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
22. . ABC Medianet. November 22, 2005. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
23. "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
24. Ratings: The Last of the Red Hat Mamas Archived 2013-08-11 at archive.today at The Simpsons Channel. (archive)
25. "The Italian Bob". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
26. . ABC Medianet. December 13, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
27. "Simpsons Christmas Stories". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
28. . ABC Medianet. December 20, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
29. "Homer's Paternity Coot". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
30. "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 2-8)". The Los Angeles Times. January 11, 2006. Retrieved June 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
31. "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
32. . ABC Medianet. January 31, 2006. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
33. "My Fair Laddy". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
34. Ratings: My Fair Laddy Archived 2013-08-27 at archive.today at The Simpsons Channel. (archive)
35. "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
36. . ABC Medianet. March 14, 2006. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
37. "Bart Has Two Mommies". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
38. "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 13-19)". ABC Medianet. March 21, 2006. from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
39. "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
40. "By the numbers". The Dallas Morning News. March 29, 2006. p. 3G.
41. "Million Dollar Abie". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
42. "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 26-Apr. 2)". ABC Medianet. April 4, 2006. from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
43. "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
44. . ABC Medianet. April 11, 2006. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
45. "The Wettest Stories Ever Told". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
46. . ABC Medianet. April 25, 2006. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
47. "Girls Just Want To Have Sums". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
48. . ABC Medianet. May 2, 2006. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
49. "Regarding Margie". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
50. . ABC Medianet. May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
51. "The Monkey Suit". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
52. . ABC Medianet. May 16, 2006. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
53. "Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
54. "Weekly Program Rankings (May 15–21)". ABC Medianet. May 23, 2006. from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2023.

Bibliography

• Turner, Chris (2004). 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.

External links

• Official website
• The Simpsons at IMDb