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The Simpsons — Season Ten

Lard of the Dance

Lard of the Dance »

P-code 5F20 • Index 10×01 • Aired Aug 23, 1998

Homer and Bart enter the grease recycling business, however, there is some serious competition. Meanwhile, Lisa is chosen to show a new student around the school, who is much more mature than Lisa.

The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace

The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace »

P-code 5F21 • Index 10×02 • Aired Sep 20, 1998

After hearing that the average life expectancy is now 76.2, Homer decides that at 38.1 years of age, it is time to do something worthwhile. So he becomes an inventor, modeling himself after Thomas Edison.

Bart, the Mother

Bart, the Mother »

P-code 5F22 • Index 10×03 • Aired Sep 27, 1998

When Bart accidentally kills a bird with Nelson Muntz's BB gun, he tries to save its eggs. However, when they hatch they turn out to be a pair of destructive lizards.

Treehouse of Horror IX

Treehouse of Horror IX »

P-code AABF01 • Index 10×04 • Aired Oct 25, 1998

Hell Toupee: Homer gets hair transplant which turns him against Bart. The Terror of Tiny Toon: Bart and Lisa are transported into an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon. Starship Poopers: Kang the alien is revealed to be Maggie's real father.

When You Dish Upon A Star

When You Dish Upon A Star »

P-code 5F19 • Index 10×05 • Aired Nov 08, 1998

Homer finds it difficult to keep a secret after stumbling upon Alec Baldwin & Kim Basinger's private hideout in Springfield.

D'oh-in' in the Wind

D'oh-in' in the Wind »

P-code AABF02 • Index 10×06 • Aired Nov 15, 1998

Homer sets out to determine what his middle initial stands for, but gets sidetracked as he decides to become a hippie, inspired by his mother.

Lisa Gets an "A"

Lisa Gets an "A" »

P-code AABF03 • Index 10×07 • Aired Nov 22, 1998

Lisa cheats on a test, and her high score raises the school's state average and qualifies it for financial aid, but Lisa feels guilty. Meanwhile, Homer raises a baby lobster.

Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble"

Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble" »

P-code AABF04 • Index 10×08 • Aired Dec 06, 1998

Grampa Simpson needs a kidney and Homer offers to donate one - until he realizes the operation will put his own life in jeopardy.

Mayored to the Mob

Mayored to the Mob »

P-code AABF05 • Index 10×09 • Aired Dec 20, 1998

The mayor's life is at risk when his new bodyguard, Homer Simpson, convinces him to take on the mafia for selling rat's milk to Springfield Elementary.

Viva Ned Flanders

Viva Ned Flanders »

P-code AABF06 • Index 10×10 • Aired Jan 10, 1999

When Ned Flanders reveals that he is in fact sixty years old, he realizes that he has never had any fun, so asks for Homer's help in having a good time.

Wild Barts Can't Be Broken

Wild Barts Can't Be Broken »

P-code AABF07 • Index 10×11 • Aired Jan 17, 1999

After Homer and the barflies get drunk and trash Springfield Elementary, Chief Wiggum immediately jumps to the conclusion that it was the work of kids, and so enforces a curfew for children.

Sunday, Cruddy Sunday

Sunday, Cruddy Sunday »

P-code AABF08 • Index 10×12 • Aired Jan 31, 1999

Homer meets a travel agent who offers him a free trip to the Super Bowl, but the tickets turn out to be counterfeit.

Homer to the Max

Homer to the Max »

P-code AABF09 • Index 10×13 • Aired Feb 07, 1999

Homer changes his name to Max Power after a dim-witted television character called Homer Simpson becomes an overnight sensation.

I'm With Cupid

I'm With Cupid »

P-code AABF11 • Index 10×14 • Aired Feb 14, 1999

When Apu showers his wife with expensive Valentine's Day gifts, he makes the rest of the men in Springfield look bad.

Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"

Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers" »

P-code AABF10 • Index 10×15 • Aired Feb 21, 1999

After Homer mistakenly purchases the female model of the Canyonero he gives it to Marge, who soon gets arrested for road rage.

Make Room for Lisa

Make Room for Lisa »

P-code AABF12 • Index 10×16 • Aired Feb 28, 1999

Lisa is forced to temporarily share a room with Bart, while Marge eavesdrops on mobile phone calls picked up by the baby monitor.

Maximum Homerdrive

Maximum Homerdrive »

P-code AABF13 • Index 10×17 • Aired Mar 28, 1999

Homer and Bart try to deliver a dead trucker's cargo on schedule, while Marge & Lisa have an adventure of their own - and purchase a new doorbell.

Simpsons Bible Stories

Simpsons Bible Stories »

P-code AABF14 • Index 10×18 • Aired Apr 04, 1999

During a boring sermon at church, Homer, Bart and Lisa fall asleep and envisage themselves as characters from the Bible: Homer & Marge are Adam and Eve, Milhouse is Moses in Lisa's dream, and Bart & Nelson are David and Goliath.

Mom and Pop Art

Mom and Pop Art »

P-code AABF15 • Index 10×19 • Aired Apr 11, 1999

Homer becomes a modern artist after his misshapen barbeque pit attracts the attention of a professional art dealer.

The Old Man and The "C" Student

The Old Man and The "C" Student »

P-code AABF16 • Index 10×20 • Aired Apr 25, 1999

After causing Springfield to lose the right to host the Olympic Games, Bart is forced to do community service at Springfield Retirement Home.

Monty Can't Buy Me Love

Monty Can't Buy Me Love »

P-code AABF17 • Index 10×21 • Aired May 02, 1999

Mr. Burns tries to become popular after seeing a fellow billionaire winning the public's admiration, so travels to Scotland to find the Loch Ness Monster.

They Saved Lisa's Brain

They Saved Lisa's Brain »

P-code AABF18 • Index 10×22 • Aired May 09, 1999

Lisa is invited to join MENSA, and the society takes over running Springfield after Mayor Quimby flees town.

Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo

Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo »

P-code AABF20 • Index 10×23 • Aired May 16, 1999

The Simpsons buy a mega-savings trip to Japan, however, after losing their money, they take part in a dangerous TV game show in exchange for air fare back home.

Season 10

Who could have predicted that at this point we were not even halfway through The Simpsons' life-span? It must be celebrated that a show can remain consistently funny for so long - or so they tell us.

Season Ten (1998-1999) and subsequent years have divided fans - some liked the new style, some were appalled at Homer's new "jerkass" qualities and the crazy plotlines. In fact, this Season could be the most Homer-centric to date - it seems that Homer is always the centre of attention in any scene where he appears.

I tend to sit on the fence here in regards to episode quality: there are a few clunkers that spring to mind (Homer running from a kidney transplant operation and a Superbowl-themed episode that just didn't go anywhere), but most of this Season's episodes are actually just as funny as Seasons that preceded it. Bart taking care of birds eggs, which hatch into lizards; Homer becoming Mayor Quimby's bodyguard; and Lisa joining Mensa are just a few of the highlights.

A final note: production codes in this Season changed from their old format (1F, 2F, etc) to a new one - AABF - as part of a standardization of codes for Fox shows. The first letter in this case denotes the Season - and so this format technically allows for another 24 Seasons (omitting I and O), up to Season 33... who knows if it'll happen!

Groening's DVD intro

Howdily doodily, Simpsons Obsessives!

Welcome to Season 10 of those mischievous animated rascals, the Simpsons, on DVD and in color!

This deluxe, bubbling pot of scraps is a good one - 23 freeze-frame-gag-filled episodes of rich, Simpsony goodness, sprinkled with zesty bon mots and topped with extra-chewy cartoon knee-slappers. I'm going to stop the stew metaphors now.

Highlights this time around include "Simpsons Bible Stories," with Homer and Marge au naturel as Adam and Eve, Milhouse whimpering to let his people go, and Bart doing battle with Goliath II. Then there's the heartwarming episode "Viva Ned Flanders," based on several thousand true stories, in which Homer and Flanders go to Las Vegas, get drunk, and wake up married to a couple of floozies. And of course we mustn't forget "Treehouse Of Horror IX," in which Krusty the Clown says, "Get ready for the violentest, disembowelingest, vomit-inducingest Itchy & Scratchy Halloween Special ever!"

OK, you mugs, can the chatter and listen up to these buzzworthy guest stars: Lisa Kudrow! Stephen Hawking! Dolly Parton! Jerry Springer! Isabella Rossellini! George Takei! Alec Baldwin! Mark Hamill! Fred Willard! Yo La Tengo! Martin Mull! Cyndi Lauper! Michael McKean! Elton John! Ed Begley, Jr.! Jasper Johns! Jack LaLanne! Rupert Murdoch! Kim Basinger! The Moody Blues! George Carlin! Hank Williams, Jr.! Ron Howard! And of course, the late, great Phil Hartman!

Plus, at no extra charge, you get the usual snickering audio commentaries on each and every episode; new-fangled illustrated lectures by the long-suffering animators at Film Roman; lots of deleted scenes that still haunt us; and a bunch of TV commercials, foreign-language features, and Hidden Easter Eggs.

So, on behalf of all the happy animation elves and giggly cartoon imps and magical acting pixies and ticklish comedy sprites and morose Hollywood gnomes at the Simpsons Fun Factory, I say, "Begone, ye scamps! Off to your DVD players with ye! And don't come back till Season 11!"

Your TV friend,
Matt Groening