The Simpsons (season 27)

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The Simpsons
Season 27
Digital purchase image featuring Selma Bouvier
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 27, 2015 (2015-09-27) –
May 22, 2016 (2016-05-22)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 26
Next →
Season 28
List of episodes

The twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons began airing on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2015, and ended on May 22, 2016. On October 28, 2014, executive producer Al Jean announced that Season 27 went into production, renewing the series through the 2015–16 season.[1]

The season premiere deals with Homer being diagnosed with narcolepsy, his breaking up with Marge, and falling for a pharmacist. Guest stars for this season include Blake Anderson, Kristen Bell, David Copperfield, Lena Dunham, Kelsey Grammer, Nick Kroll, Yo-Yo Ma, Edward James Olmos, Kevin Michael Richardson, and George Takei. Carl Zealer, who won a competition to be animated into The Simpsons, appeared in the episode "Halloween of Horror".

This is the last season to be produced by Film Roman and the only season not to credit Sam Simon as producer for a few episodes due to his death in 2015.

Starting with the episode Paths of Glory (The Simpsons), which began a new production cycle, voice actresses Pamela Hayden and Tress MacNeille were given their own "Also Starring" credit.

On May 14, 2015, showrunner Al Jean announced that veteran Simpsons voice actor Harry Shearer had left the show to pursue other work after his contract expired. However, on July 7, he returned to the show after signing a new deal with five other cast members.[2]

Episodes[edit]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)
5751"Every Man's Dream"Matthew NastukJ. Stewart BurnsSeptember 27, 2015 (2015-09-27)TABF143.28[3]

After Homer uses his narcolepsy diagnosis as an excuse to be lazy, he and Marge go through a trial separation, during which Homer dates a pharmacist and Marge dates the pharmacist's father.

Guest stars: Adam Driver as Adam Sackler, Lena Dunham as Candace/Hannah Horvath, Laura Ingraham as Therapist and Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet and Allison Williams as Candace's friends
5762"Cue Detective"Timothy BaileyJoel H. CohenOctober 4, 2015 (2015-10-04)TABF176.02[4]

Homer is assigned to buy a new washing machine to replace the family's old molding one, but finds a barbecue grill and buys that instead. Later, Bart and Lisa search for the grill when it is stolen right after he was challenged to a cookoff.

Guest stars: Alton Brown as himself, Bobby Moynihan as Tyler Boom, Edward James Olmos as Pit Master and Ben Schwartz as Clerk
5773"Puffless"Rob OliverJ. Stewart BurnsOctober 11, 2015 (2015-10-11)TABF193.31[5]

Jacqueline decides to reveal the truth: her husband died because of lung cancer, but didn't say so before because back then, people were reluctant to admit it. This revelation shocks Patty and Selma, who decide to quit smoking once and for all and burn all their cigarettes, which unfortunately causes Jacqueline's house to burn down. However, Selma resumes smoking shortly after, causing an angry Patty to move in with Marge and Homer, much to the latter's dismay. Meanwhile, when Maggie makes some new animal friends, she must go on a rescue mission when one of them is taken by Cletus.

Guest stars: Jon Lovitz as Cigarette and Yo-Yo Ma as himself
5784"Halloween of Horror"Mike B. AndersonCarolyn OmineOctober 18, 2015 (2015-10-18)TABF223.69[6]

After costing salesmen their job, they invade the Simpson household to get revenge on Homer. Meanwhile, Lisa starts becoming scared of everything after she experiences Horror Night at Krustyland, so Homer takes down his Halloween Everscream Terrors decorations to avoid scaring Lisa. In another subplot, Marge takes Bart to a trick-o-treating party because Homer had to take down the decorations, but Bart gets upset when she can't get in due to the party being for residents only.

Guest stars: Blake Anderson as Dickie and Nick Kroll as Lem

Note: Unlike the Treehouse of Horror episodes, this episode takes place in the normal series timeline.
5795"Treehouse of Horror XXVI"Steven Dean MooreJoel H. CohenOctober 25, 2015 (2015-10-25)TABF186.75[7]

In the twenty-sixth annual Simpsons Halloween special, Sideshow Bob finally kills Bart, Homer appears as a sea monster in a parody of Godzilla, and Lisa and Milhouse get superpowers from radiation, with poor Bart somehow missing out and Maggie joining the fun.

Guest stars: Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob and Chris Wedge as Scrat
5806"Friend with Benefit"Matthew FaughnanRob LaZebnikNovember 8, 2015 (2015-11-08)TABF213.48[8]

Lisa becomes friends with a rich girl named Harper, whose father becomes friends with Homer, but Lisa becomes concerned that Harper is a little too entitled.

Guest stars: Kristen Bell as Harper and David Copperfield as himself
5817"Lisa with an 'S'"Bob AndersonStephanie GillisNovember 22, 2015 (2015-11-22)TABF205.64[9]
Homer loses $5,000 that he doesn't have in a poker bet, and is forced to loan Lisa out to Broadway star Laney Fontaine to pay back his debt. Laney finds out Lisa is extremely talented at the saxophone and has her perform at an auditorium. Later, Marge and Homer realize they've made a terrible mistake and must go to New York to retrieve Lisa.
5828"Paths of Glory"Steven Dean MooreMichael FerrisDecember 6, 2015 (2015-12-06)VABF015.53[10]
Lisa tries to better the reputation of Springfield's first female inventor by searching an asylum for her first invention. While in the asylum, she and Bart find a sociopath's notebook, causing Bart to take the notebook home and show it to his friends, which causes Chief Wiggum to mislead Bart's parents that he may be a sociopath. As a result, Homer and Marge give Bart a sociopath test under a label which Bart would find interesting. The label then falls off and Bart finds out that the test is for his parents to know if he's a sociopath; so he pretends to be one.
5839"Barthood"Rob OliverDan GreaneyDecember 13, 2015 (2015-12-13)VABF025.97[11]
The story of Bart's life, spanning from the age of six to his adulthood, is told. Throughout the story, Bart learns that his shattered, yet lovable relationships with his father Homer, who looks down on him due to his laziness and negativity, and his little sister Lisa, who beats Bart at everything, help to shape who he truly is.
58410"The Girl Code"Chris ClementsRob LaZebnikJanuary 3, 2016 (2016-01-03)VABF034.41[12]

When Homer loses his job due to Marge's social media post, he resumes working as a dishwasher at a Greek restaurant he worked when he was in high school. Meanwhile, Lisa works with her new coding teacher to create an app that can predict the effects that any post on social media will have.

Guest stars: Stephen Merchant as Conrad and Kaitlin Olson as Quinn
58511"Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles"Timothy BaileyJoel H. CohenJanuary 10, 2016 (2016-01-10)VABF048.33[13]

Bart experiences early puberty after drinking a milk substitute filled with bad hormones, and ends up competing with Skinner for the affections of his new teacher, Mrs. Berrera. Lisa experiences early puberty as well from the milk, and starts to wear makeup and gets a new hairstyle to look more feminine, netting her popularity from her classmates.

Guest star: Sofía Vergara as Mrs. Berrera
58612"Much Apu About Something"Bob AndersonMichael PriceJanuary 17, 2016 (2016-01-17)VABF053.95[14]

Sanjay's son Jay takes over the Kwik-E-Mart, but Apu is displeased when he turns it into a food market. Meanwhile, in an attempt to get Apu his store back, Homer tries to get Bart to prank the new store, despite the fact that he told him he wouldn't prank anymore.

Guest star: Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay
58713"Love Is in the N2-O2-Ar-CO2-Ne-He-CH4"Mark KirklandJohn FrinkFebruary 14, 2016 (2016-02-14)VABF072.89[15]

On Valentine's Day, Professor Frink makes himself attractive to women by using science to transform himself into a more attractive man. Meanwhile, Marge, Bart, and Lisa visit Grampa and try to rescue the old folks from a drug-induced hallucination that allows them to relive their happiest memories.

Guest star: Glenn Close as Mona Simpson
58814"Gal of Constant Sorrow"Matthew NastukCarolyn OmineFebruary 21, 2016 (2016-02-21)VABF063.10[16]

Bart and Lisa take in a homeless woman to live with them, where they discover that she is a talented folk singer. Meanwhile, Homer accidentally traps the cat in the walls of the house.

Guest stars: Bob Boilen, Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob, Natalie Maines as Hettie (singing voice) and Kate McKinnon as Hettie
58915"Lisa the Veterinarian"Steven Dean MooreDan VebberMarch 6, 2016 (2016-03-06)VABF083.09[17]

Lisa becomes a veterinarian after performing CPR on a raccoon, and learns a harsh lesson when the neglected class hamster, Nibbles, dies. Meanwhile, Marge makes a little extra money cleaning up crime scenes.

Guest star: Michael York as Dr. Budgie
59016"The Marge-ian Chronicles"Chris ClementsBrian KelleyMarch 13, 2016 (2016-03-13)VABF093.07[18]

Lisa signs up for the Mars One Space Colony, and Marge comes along to try and talk her out of it.

Guest stars: Tom Scharpling as Paul and Jon Wurster as Barry
59117"The Burns Cage"Rob OliverRob LaZebnikApril 3, 2016 (2016-04-03)VABF102.32[19]

After Smithers is crushed by Mr. Burns' lack of affection towards him, other characters attempt to find a boyfriend for him. Meanwhile, Milhouse competes against a new boy for the lead role in a school production of Casablanca, so he can act alongside his own unrequited love, Lisa.

Guest star: George Takei as himself
59218"How Lisa Got Her Marge Back"Bob AndersonJeff MartinApril 10, 2016 (2016-04-10)VABF112.55[20]

When Marge tells Homer that she doesn't like Lisa's jazz, Lisa overhears this and gets mad at Marge for lying. Marge wants to restore her relationship with her daughter, so they take a weekend trip to Capital City to attend a performance of Bad News Bears: The Musical, however, Lisa becomes depressed during the trip. Meanwhile, Bart teams up with Maggie to trick people, after he becomes frustrated that everyone knows his pranks.

Guest star: Andrew Rannells as himself
59319"Fland Canyon"Mike Frank PolcinoJ. Stewart BurnsApril 24, 2016 (2016-04-24)VABF122.77[21]
Homer recalls the story of when the Simpson family went on a vacation to the Grand Canyon with the Flanders family.
59420"To Courier with Love"Timothy BaileyBill OdenkirkMay 8, 2016 (2016-05-08)VABF142.52[22]

The Simpson family goes on a trip to Paris, and Homer becomes the courier of a secret briefcase.

Guest star: Jay Leno as himself
59521"Simprovised"Matthew NastukJohn FrinkMay 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)VABF132.80[23]
After messing up a speech at work, Homer tries improv comedy. Meanwhile, Marge helps rebuild Bart's treehouse. For the last three minutes of the episode, Homer does a live Q&A for fans on the East/West Coast.
59622"Orange Is the New Yellow"Matthew FaughnanEric HorstedMay 22, 2016 (2016-05-22)VABF152.54[24]

Marge gets arrested after Bart goes to the park unsupervised, which leaves Homer struggling to manage the household.

Guest star: Kevin Michael Richardson as Prison Guard

References[edit]

  1. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (May 4, 2015). "'The Simpsons' Renewed for Two More Seasons". Variety. Archived from the original on December 2, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  2. ^ Snierson, Dan (July 7, 2015). "Harry Shearer returning to The Simpsons". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  3. ^ Dixon, Dani (September 29, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Bob's Burgers' Adjusted Down, '60 Minutes' Adjusted Up + 'Sunday Night Football'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Porter, Rick (October 6, 2015). "Sunday final ratings: 'Blood & Oil,' 'The Simpsons' adjusted up, 'Madam Secretary' adjusted down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  5. ^ Porter, Rick (October 13, 2015). "Sunday final ratings: 'The Good Wife' and 'Last Man on Earth' adjusted up, plus final NFL numbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  6. ^ Porter, Rick (October 20, 2015). "Sunday final ratings: 'The Good Wife', 'Madam Secretary' and 'The Simpsons' adjusted up, plus Final NFL Numbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  7. ^ Porter, Rick (October 27, 2015). "Sunday final ratings: 'The Simpsons,' 'The Good Wife' and 'Last Man on Earth' adjust up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  8. ^ Porter, Rick (November 10, 2015). "Sunday final ratings: 'Family Guy' and 'Once Upon a Time' adjust up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  9. ^ Porter, Rick (November 24, 2015). "Sunday final ratings: AMAs and scripted shows steady, plus final NFL numbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  10. ^ Porter, Rick (December 8, 2015). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time' and 'The Simpsons' adjust down, 'Quantico' adjusts up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  11. ^ Porter, Rick (December 15, 2015). "Sunday final ratings: 'Blood & Oil' finale adjusts up (not that it matters)". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  12. ^ Porter, Rick (January 6, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Undercover Boss' adjusts up, premieres stay low". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  13. ^ Porter, Rick (January 12, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Simpsons' still at a season high after downward adjustment". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  14. ^ Porter, Rick (January 20, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'The Good Wife' and 'Family Guy' adjust up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  15. ^ Porter, Rick (February 17, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Bachelor' special and 'Cooper Barrett' adjust up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  16. ^ Porter, Rick (February 23, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Shark Tank' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  17. ^ Porter, Rick (March 8, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Madam Secretary' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  18. ^ Porter, Rick (March 15, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: '60 Minutes' adjusts up, 'Carmichael Show' and 'Hollywood Game Night' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  19. ^ Porter, Rick (April 5, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: ACM Awards and all scripted shows hold". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  20. ^ Porter, Rick (April 12, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time,' 'Simpsons,' 'Quantico' adjust up; 'Carmichael' and 'Crowded' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  21. ^ Porter, Rick (April 26, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time,' 'Simpsons' and all others hold". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  22. ^ Porter, Rick (May 10, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Good Wife' finale adjusts up, 'Once Upon a Time' and 'Carmichael Show' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 11, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  23. ^ Porter, Rick (May 17, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time' finale, everything else hold". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  24. ^ Porter, Rick (May 24, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: Billboard Awards, 'Simpsons' finale, 'Undercover Boss' adjust up; 'AFV' and 'Bordertown' finales adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.

External links[edit]