Season 23 Information Thread

[qwerasdf]

http://www.daytonainternationalspeed...ytona-500.aspx

26th-Feb-2012

[qwerasdf]

[lionelhutz123]

I'll admit we are on the verge of witnessing history this season. For once the association of '500' in the Daytona 500 will now be the second most tedious thing to sit through.

[Ray Jay Jonah]

The Do'hcial Network eh? I've already moaned about the name but I have so much more left to do...

[Alex_Of_Darkness]

Cool picture

[Gran2]

Shit Jean Sez at Comic-Con (via Twitter and elsewhere):

- Guest stars: previously announced: Gordon Ramsay, Joan Rivers, Michael Cera, Kiefer Sutherland, Neil Gaiman, Andy Garcia, Jane Lynch
- New ones: Jeremy Irons will voice Moe's bar rag in an episode about Moe's Tavern through time, it was previously used by Michelangelo, for some reason
- Fan asks if series finale is planned. Al Jean says no, so "Guess we can't end".
- Premiere features sequence similar to those online animated Korean news clips/a video game
- Sideshow Bob will be in the THOH, although no Bob ep this season
- THOH features Flanders/Dexter thing
- The crazy hobo from "Bart Sells his Soul" will not be returning.
- Actually interesting: The musical number in the movie about Alaska that got cut was written by Dave Stewart and The Eurythmics, and will be included on a future DVD release of the movie.
- Burns has an iPad app called 'Angry Burns' in an episode. Ha. They wrote a joke.
- There will be plenty more overly long couch gags.
- Some bullshit about 'Nedna'...
- 500th on February 19
- Jean: "It's never easy. The hardest thing after 500 episodes is thinking of new ideas. We sit around the room going 'did that, did that'. It's not easy and we take it very seriously." - Yeah, I'm sure this really happens.
- And the unthinkable: apparently, the Simpsons will go to Antarctica this year, for some reason.

[lionelhutz123]

I'm actually interested in the Flanders/dex thing and not because I'm a fan, but I always thought something along that premise would make a cool THOH short.

- Jean: "It's never easy. The hardest thing after 500 episodes is thinking of new ideas. We sit around the room going 'did that, did that'. It's not easy and we take it very seriously."

-Antarctica

This quote feels like something out of a future-themed episode from the classic era.

[biffwestwood]

Shit Jean Sez at Comic-Con (via Twitter and elsewhere):

- Guest stars: previously announced: Gordon Ramsay, Joan Rivers, Michael Cera, Kiefer Sutherland, Neil Gaiman, Andy Garcia, Jane Lynch
- New ones: Jeremy Irons will voice Moe's bar rag in an episode about Moe's Tavern through time, it was previously used by Michelangelo, for some reason
- Fan asks if series finale is planned. Al Jean says no, so "Guess we can't end".
- Premiere features sequence similar to those online animated Korean news clips/a video game
- Sideshow Bob will be in the THOH, although no Bob ep this season
- THOH features Flanders/Dexter thing
- The crazy hobo from "Bart Sells his Soul" will not be returning.
- Actually interesting: The musical number in the movie about Alaska that got cut was written by Dave Stewart and The Eurythmics, and will be included on a future DVD release of the movie.
- Burns has an iPad app called 'Angry Burns' in an episode. Ha. They wrote a joke.
- There will be plenty more overly long couch gags.
- Some bullshit about 'Nedna'...
- 500th on February 19
- Jean: "It's never easy. The hardest thing after 500 episodes is thinking of new ideas. We sit around the room going 'did that, did that'. It's not easy and we take it very seriously." - Yeah, I'm sure this really happens.
- And the unthinkable: apparently, the Simpsons will go to Antarctica this year, for some reason.

Guest Stars previously announced is nothing worth commenting about.

Jeremy Irons voicing Moe's bar rag in the episode about Moe's Tavern through time sounds "Meh!" The actual episode sounds unimaginative.

No series finale planned means Al Jean and is determined to extend the contract and FOX wants to offer the voice actors big pay raises.

Those sequences in the premier episode similar to Korean news clips/video game sound bland.

Sideshow Bob being in the upcoming Treehouse of Horror episode is something I figured would evantually happen and I'm looking forward to it. But does Kelsey Grammer reprise the role or is Bob silent?

The Flanders/Dexter thing sounds like it could work.

No one cares about the crazy hobo but was it needed for them to say he's not returning?

The musical number about Alaska being on a re-release of The Simpsons Movie DVD is an attempt to get us to buy the "much better" DVD just so FOX can get more money in their pockets. Dave Stewart and the Eurythmics writing it is just sone random trivia.

Burns and his "Angry Burns" iPad app sounds like a throwaway gag so it's too early to comment on that.

Plenty more overly long couch gags is what I figured we would be getting since they have been more frequent since the HD switch. Frankly, it must be getting more common for recent episodes to run short so they extend the couch gags for filler.

Nedna results seems to be something few people are caring about.

500th episode on Feb. 19th but the type of hype it gets will be more interesting than anything else about it.

Al Jean says that the hardest thing about 500 episodes is trying to think of new ideas. When will they discover that they have run out?

The Simpsons going to Antarctica sounds like a new contender for "Worst Episode Ever". They need to stop taking throwaway gags from previous episodes and turning them into full lenght episodes because this sounds like the "Worst Attempt Ever". In other words, please tell me this is a joke.

[Jesse Pinkman]

i assume if Al Jean felt the need to tell us all Bob would be in the THOH, then he'd speak. but maybe not.

The Ned/Dexter thing could be interesting. it would be interesting if Michael C. Hall appeared.

if there's 'some bullshit about Nedna', does this mean they will probably be a couple in the season?

the rest of the news doesn't interest me a lot.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Well we're getting the Nedna result regardless of the outcome in some way during the premiere. I would hope Kelsey would voice Bob in the TOH unless they just decided to do the entire segment like a silent movie....which I hope they're not....whenever the Movie is re-released they'd better put on the many deleted scenes we know exist. Other than that interesting info. so far.

EDIT: Looking at the info more though I mean I assume Kelsey would return if Bob is actually significant in the segment in which he appears. If he's just there to die or in the back or something then yeah, I could see him with no dialogue, but I hope that isn't the case.

[irvine_11]

I'm actually looking forward to the Christmas episode. Sounds interesting.

[McClure]

A Dexter parody THOH segment should be awesome. But I don't think Flanders would make a good Dexter, he would be better suited as the Trinity Killer (with Homer as Dexter).

I wonder if Sideshow Bob is connected to that segment? He could be one the criminals that whoever is Dexter can go after.

[McClure]

Digital Spy summarizes the panel, from http://www.digitalspy.ca/ustv/tubeta...live-blog.html

1.12pm: It's non-stop today! We're continuing now with live coverage of the panel for The Simpsons. If you missed our Futurama panel just now, click here.

1.14pm: The panel begins with two preview clips. The first is a computer game style sequence involving Homer at Moe's and the second is a recreation of the Dexter opening titles featuring Flanders.

1.16pm: No cast here. Instead it's supervising producer Mike Anderson, co-exec Rob Lazebnik, co-exec Matt Warburton, showrunner Al Jean and Matt Groening.

1.18pm: Jean says that the Halloween episode will air October 30 and the 500th episode on February 19. He reveals that guest stars will include Kiefer Sutherland, Andy Garcia, Neil Gaiman, Joan Rivers and Jane Lynch. There were plenty more but he said them very quickly.

1.20pm: Groening is full of praise for The Simpsons theme park ride. "I told my kids, 'your minds will be blown in the first three seconds'. I was right." And I would concur - I've been and it's immense.

1.21pm: Comic Book Guy is apparently tweeting live from this year's Comic-Con, getting into fights with the plebs.

1.22pm: Audience questions. Was it always the intention not to have them age? Groening: "Yes, that's the great thing about animation. We may do it when we run out of ideas. That may be the last sad season. Bart will turn 11."

1.23pm: The questioner wins a prize - a limited edition figurine of Poochie.

1.24pm: Where do they get the ideas for Bart's pranks from? Jean: "There was an episode recently where Bart loosened all the screws in school. Didn't you once do that Matt?" Groening: "My buddies did."

1.25pm: Do they struggle to get new ideas? Jean: "It's never easy. The hardest thing after 500 episodes is thinking new ideas. We sit around the room going 'did that, did that'. It's not easy and we take it very seriously."

1.26pm: Lazebnik complains about the extra work caused by switching to widescreen and HD.

1.27pm: Weird question - do they hope the show will have a long-lasting impact on the way religion is perceived in America? Jean: "If there's anything, I hope it would make people more tolerant of others. We like to explore things from a different point of view - if there is a God, if there isn't."

1.28pm: Groening: "We do take a lot of shots at every authority and religious dogma, but we also monitor the characters and their religious beliefs. We poke fun at Flanders, but we honor him."

1.29pm: Any Futurama crossover in the pipeline? Jean: "We have an episode this Christmas where we see the Simpsons family Christmas set 30 years in the future. It's not a crossover but it's written by one of the writers from Futurama." Riiight.

1.30pm: Groening: "The problem for me is, Futurama is real and The Simpsons is just a cartoon."

1.31pm: Any more Ralph Wiggum episodes in the pipeline? Jean: "It's really hard to write dialogue for him. We spend all day writing one line per episode. But we love him, he's such a cute kid."

1.33pm: Any plans for second Simpsons spinoff showcase episode, to follow up from season eight? Jean: "We try not to repeat, but we do have a format changer episode coming up, where we follow Moe's bar through history - it was once used by Michaelangelo - and it's voiced by Jeremy Irons."

1.34pm: Weird question asking if the raving derelict bum, from the ep where Milhouse sells his soul to Bart, will ever return. NO.

1.36pm: Why no musical numbers in the movie? Jean: "There was a big song about Alaska, with music by Dave Stewart and The Eurythmics. We got a long way along with the animation but then we got scared that it would drag. But in our next DVD release of the movie you'll see it."

1.37pm: Ronan Parke from Britain's Got Talent asks: Will Sideshow Bob return? Jean: "There won't be one this upcoming season. We always wait for a really good idea. Kelsey always comes back and does them. I would bet there will be at least one more but not this year."

1.39pm: How do they feel about d'oh being added to the dictionary? Groening: "The origin of d'oh is actually from the character actor James Finlayson, who acted in a lot of Laurel and Hardy movies. He used to say it as 'd'ohhhhhh' and Dan Castellaneta shortened it to d'oh. It's great that it's in the dictionary."

1.40pm: Pronedna or Nonedna? Jean: "I think it's hard for Ned to be alone this long and Mrs Krabappel deserves some happiness." Groening: "And Bart deserves his teacher living next door."

1.41pm: South Park and Family Guy have digged at the show, but they've never returned it. Why? Warburton: "We're too classy." Groening: "Because we like them. Why don't they love us?"

1.43pm: Groening says that in an upcoming episode, Burns has an iPad app called 'Angry Burns'.

1.44pm: If Flanders and Krabappel get married, will Flanders' name change to Ned Krabappel? Jokes!

1.45pm: Will there ever be a Simpsons or Futurama musical? Jean: "I think that would be a great idea. There are no plans in the works though." Groening adds: "I wrote it. It's very hard to write a script of great wit and depth for people wearing giant Homer Simpson heads, skating around an ice rink. There was a lot of Homer chasing Bart around the ice."

1.46pm: Final question. In the movie, what happened to the Irish boy afterwards? Jean: "It was in the Alaska song. Lisa's lovelife seems to never end well. This season, Michael Cera plays a boy she likes briefly. Based on an episode last season, I think if she ends up with anyone it will be Milhouse. And he will change his name to Milhouse Simpson."

1.50pm: ... and that's a wrap on this panel.



Comments from myself
They can't get any cast members at the panel anymore? It's been a few years since they've had one (Yeardley was at a panel in 2007 or 2008, and I don't think there have been any since) Most panels have at least one (and many have more) star. It seems like The Simpsons is the only show that can get away with just having writers.

Any plans for second Simpsons spinoff showcase episode, to follow up from season eight? Jean: "We try not to repeat"

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Good one, Al.

"we do have a format changer episode coming up, where we follow Moe's bar through history - it was once used by Michaelangelo - and it's voiced by Jeremy Irons."

I think the recapper mixed up bar and dishrag. Either way, this could be an interesting episode. It sounds like that segment with Bobo and Lindenburg/Hitler/Antarctica in "Rosebud" but stretched to a whole episode.

1.41pm: South Park and Family Guy have digged at the show, but they've never returned it. Why? Warburton: "We're too classy." Groening: "Because we like them. Why don't they love us?"

Wait, what? They've taken numerous shots at Family Guy, and they've had a few South Park jokes too (Bart and Milhouse watch South Park in "Bart of War", that random South Park segment in a recent episode) although they haven't been as mean.

[Jesse Pinkman]

one of my least favorite family guy jokes is the 'gag' where quagmire has sex with marge, and then he proceeds to kill the entire simpson family. even if i didn't like the simpsons that joke is still pretty awful.

the 'we always wait for a good idea' thing about Bob episodes. is that why they had an episode where Bob switches faces? yep... "good" idea.

the Alaska song sounds interesting. I wonder when the movie will be rereleased.

Jean, just do another spinoff showcase. at this point in time, it really doesn't matter.

the recreation of the Dexter opening title sounds like it could be good.

is the iPad app going to be an iPad app, or is it going to be a 'myPad' app?

a lot of interesting things in that panel.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

As I'm sure most know, J. Stewart Burns is writing the Christmas episode. I've said it numerous times by now but he's my favorite Simpsons writer Season 14 and up. I believe he wrote the Roswell episode of Futurama as well, which won the emmy. Sounds like he might be returning to Futurama so this might be his last Simpsons script. Just a guess on that, but I'm really looking forward to the Christmas episode.

Also, did I miss it or was there no Bob in the ToH mention in that recap McClure posted? If so his appearance probably will just be a cameo, but still just a guess. Although I do like the episode airing so close to and actually before Halloween. No cast members being there doesn't really bother me at this point. The only one I might've even been interested in hearing from would've been Dan anyway...interesting stuff overall though.

[The Governor]

Guest Stars previously announced is nothing worth commenting about.

Jeremy Irons voicing Moe's bar rag in the episode about Moe's Tavern through time sounds "Meh!" The actual episode sounds unimaginative.

Move over inanimate carbon rod! At least he's not Moe's goo rag.

No series finale planned means Al Jean and is determined to extend the contract and FOX wants to offer the voice actors big pay raises.

Translation = Another wave a Simpsons crap is on the way and more direct-to-dumpster, post Season 14 DVDs that will delayed. At least the cases are recyclable.

Those sequences in the premier episode similar to Korean news clips/video game sound bland.

So? They can't be any worse than the actual episode.

Sideshow Bob being in the upcoming Treehouse of Horror episode is something I figured would evantually happen and I'm looking forward to it. But does Kelsey Grammer reprise the role or is Bob silent?

Oh, "Silent Bob", but with Sideshow Bob! Man, that would've been clever back in the 90s! (And in the 90s, the show had better writers anyway!)

(Also, I said I wanted to see a THoH where Bart is actually murdered but comes back from the grave wanting revenge, so we'll see if my idea comes true.)

The Flanders/Dexter thing sounds like it could work.

It could, but look at how well the current staff handles ANY ideas, not to mention writing a Simpsons review these days feels like an autopsy rather than examining a piece of art. Those two or three episodes a season worth watching don't write themselves.

No one cares about the crazy hobo but was it needed for them to say he's not returning?

I thought pointless exposition was confined to the actual episodes.

The musical number about Alaska being on a re-release of The Simpsons Movie DVD is an attempt to get us to buy the "much better" DVD just so FOX can get more money in their pockets. Dave Stewart and the Eurythmics writing it is just sone random trivia.

Translation = Voice Actor pay raises. Woot. BTW, was the song: "Double-Dips are made of these."?

Burns and his "Angry Burns" iPad app sounds like a throwaway gag so it's too early to comment on that.

The only way that joke would even be remotely funny is if Homer turns it on his (shudder) myPhone and it shows clips of Mr. Burns from Seasons 1-8. Otherwise, the "Senile Clown App" would be a good parody of the modern Mr. Burns, or the "how to make airbags out of your lungs" app is more Homer's speed.

But the app I really want is the "Al Jean Pun-isher" app. Like a breath mint, you'll never know when you'll need it.

Plenty more overly long couch gags is what I figured we would be getting since they have been more frequent since the HD switch. Frankly, it must be getting more common for recent episodes to run short so they extend the couch gags for filler.

No, it's so the writers don't have to look at each other as much. Less actual episode time means less time to in the same room together, and I thought my workplace had a hostile work enviorment!

WRITER: Al's being a dick again. We need more couch gag, damnit--I know, let's have an extended couch gag in SLOW MOTION! That'd be hillarious! Thank you, Dave Chappelle!

Nedna results seems to be something few people are caring about.

"SEX! Now that I've got your attention, watch the season premier, we've got families to feed, too, ya'know!" -- Al "WIC" Jean.

500th episode on Feb. 19th but the type of hype it gets will be more interesting than anything else about it.

Hell, fuck the title "NASCAR" and just call it the "SIMPSONS 500" that night. As a tie-in, the S14 DVD should come with a coupon for buy-one, get-one tattoo and a free wife beater with the "SIMPSONS 500" logo.

Al Jean says that the hardest thing about 500 episodes is trying to think of new ideas. When will they discover that they have run out?

MARKET RESEARCH GUY:
Al, the audience is tired of the show and wants something fresher and more original.

AL JEAN:
I want a new audience.

The Simpsons going to Antarctica sounds like a new contender for "Worst Episode Ever". They need to stop taking throwaway gags from previous episodes and turning them into full lenght episodes because this sounds like the "Worst Attempt Ever". In other words, please tell me this is a joke.

Damn, this upcoming season is sounding like it'll become the new armpit of the show's legacy. I wonder with the selective senility that plagues the island of misfit writers (AKA the Simpsons writing room) is if that gag was actually credited as being "original" or if the writers remember that was a joke from yore.

I'd love to go to the panel and ask the writers: "Could you please stop saying how funny and creative you are and start acting like it?".

[Nebuchanezzar]

if al jean is concerned about running out of ideas - which seems legit to me - then maybe he could consider going back and re-doing some of the concepts from the shitter of his seasons, and maybe scully's seasons. i'd want to see a better, funnier version of a concept from an old episode than a just-as-shit-as-the-others new concept episode.

take the concept of say, last of the red hat mamas, or any of those forgotten season 17-18 episodes, and tweak it. re-writing the episode would kinda be like...a re-write. hell, isn't re-writing one of those things that made original simpsons great? maybe they could make new simpsons funny again! LOL! (even if it was an old idea)

[biffwestwood]

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/07/23/si...con-season-23/

We got a comic-con report from entertainment weekly about season 23 and the following information that hasn't been posted in this thread:

Additional information includes 2 More Banksy-eseque gags. (Looking forward to that)

500th episode will involve a meeting in Springfield that The Simpsons aren't invited to and when they sneak in to it, we find out it is the city deciding whether to ban them from Springfield. (Sounds too moronic and unoriginal) (It especially sounds mean-spirited)

In an upcoming episode, we learn that Superintendent Chalmers hero is Theodore Roosevelt and this episode will have an actual audio of a 1918 speech from this historical figure. (Could be a good episode)

[Financial Panther]

Oh joy.

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

Some interesting info in that EW article. It is still far too early to tell, but that bit about the 500th episode actually sounds pretty interesting/encouraging.

EDIT: Also I'd give the show some credit if Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts WASN'T that Chalmers episode and had nothing to do with it. Wasn't part of an FDR speech already used in Wild Barts Can't Be Broken?

[biffwestwood]

Some interesting info in that EW article. It is still far too early to tell, but that bit about the 500th episode actually sounds pretty interesting/encouraging.

EDIT: Also I'd give the show some credit if Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts WASN'T that Chalmers episode and had nothing to do with it. Wasn't part of an FDR speech already used in Wild Barts Can't Be Broken?

Yes, they did use a portion of Franklin D Roosevelt's speech in "Wild Bart's Can't Be Broken".

[Nebuchanezzar]

500th episode will involve a meeting in Springfield that The Simpsons aren't invited to and when they sneak in to it, we find out it is the city deciding whether to ban them from Springfield. (Sounds too moronic and unoriginal)

sounds decent imo...

[Jesse Pinkman]

how does an episode where the Simpsons find out that the rest of Springfield may try to ban them (aka a plot that hasn't been done before) seem 'unoriginal'?

[alex_on_ice]

Well, thanks for all this information . I would've really liked Al Jean to say something like: "We're planning to buckle up the show in the next couple of years. Maybe get to a nice Season 25 and call it a day" but it doesn't look like things are going that way.

It's nice to know the Simpsons Horror show will be close to Halloween this year. I'm interested to find out how the Antartica episode is going to turn out.

[Nebuchanezzar]

i don't want the show to end unless there's no possibility that it might become good again. i'd rather the lot of the writers step down, maybe keep al in a non-creative role, and let a new batch of talented writers get a go at it.

if it fails after that last ditch effort, then shut it down.

[lionelhutz123]

Maybe they get banned from springfield and no other place wants them, therefore the simpsons are going to antarctica. It will be a great satire on how everyone wants them to wrap things up and how they're running out of ideas, yet the simpsons won't quit no matter how cold and sterile things get.

[The Governor]

Reminds me of the Simpsons movie, but replace "angry mob" with "town referendum."

[McClure]

Yes, they did use a portion of Franklin D Roosevelt's speech in "Wild Bart's Can't Be Broken".

They also played a clip of Richard Nixon's resignation during Homer's food flashback in "Worst Episode Ever".

[Captain Squid]

If the Simpsons Movie DVD/blu-ray double dip includes ALL the deleted scenes then I'd be down for it. I'd also be up for an extended version so they could add in some bits like Patty, Selma, Kang, Kodos and the sausage truck.

[qwerasdf]