The Simpsons season 13

Production

Mike Scully served as executive producer for the show for seasons nine to twelve. Five of the episodes produced for season 12 were held over and aired as part of the thirteenth season. He left the show following season 12 and was replaced by Al Jean. Jean was one of the original writers for The Simpsons, and served as executive producer of the third and fourth seasons with Mike Reiss before leaving the show in 1993. Jean returned full-time to The Simpsons during the tenth season (1998), this time without Reiss. Jean called it "a great job with a lot of responsibility," and cited "the fact that people love it so much" as "great".

This is the last full season to use cel animation, though five episodes from this season's production cycle would air during the following season as holdover episodes. "Treehouse of Horror XIII", a season 13 holdover, tested the method, and the series permanently switched to digital animation in the 14th production season, starting with "The Great Louse Detective."

Writers credited with episodes in the thirteenth season included Joel H. Cohen, John Frink, Don Payne, Carolyn Omine, George Meyer, Mike Scully, Dana Gould, John Swartzwelder, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, Tim Long, Jon Vitti, Matt Warburton, Deb Lacusta, Josh Lieb and cast member Dan Castellaneta. Freelance writers included Bill Freiberger. Animation directors included Bob Anderson, Mike B. Anderson, Mark Kirkland, Jen Kamerman, Lance Kramer, Nancy Kruse, Lauren MacMullan, Michael Marcantel, Pete Michels, Steven Dean Moore, Matthew Nastuk, Michael Polcino, Jim Reardon and Chuck Sheetz.

Voice cast & characters

Main article: List of The Simpsons characters

Main cast

• Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Leprechaun, Kodos, Bill, Snake, Hans Moleman, Barney Gumble, Sideshow Mel, Krusty the Clown, Louie, Benjamin, Count Dracula, Rich Texan, Groundskeeper Willie, Grampa Simpson, Mayor Quimby, Gil Gunderson, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Yes Guy, Itchy, Santa's Little Helper, Arnie Pye and various others
• Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier, Selma Bouvier and various others
• Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Kearney, Todd Flanders, Ralph Wiggum and various others
• Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
• Hank Azaria as Moe Szyslak, Carl Carlson, Kang, Professor Frink, Chief Wiggum, Kirk Van Houten, Lou, Captain McCallister, Cletus Spuckler, Doug, Comic Book Guy, Dr. Nick Riviera, Bumblebee Man, Apu, Disco Stu, Drederick Tatum, Duffman, Luigi Risotto, Johnny Tightlips and various others
• Harry Shearer as Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Lenny Leonard, Principal Skinner, Marty, Ned Flanders, Judge Snyder, Kent Brockman, Eddie, Gary, Reverend Lovejoy, Dr. Hibbert, Otto Mann, Rainier Wolfcastle, Scratchy, Principal Dondelinger and various others.

Recurring

• Pamela Hayden as Milhouse Van Houten, Jimbo Jones, Ginger Flanders, Rod Flanders and various others
• Tress MacNeille as Lindsey Naegle, Dolph, Amber Simpson, Agnes Skinner and various others
• Marcia Mitzman Gaven as Miss Hoover and various others
• Russi Taylor as Martin Prince and Sherri and Terri
• Karl Wiedergott as additional characters

Guest stars

• Jane Kaczmarek as Judge Constance Harm (2 episodes)
• Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony (2 episodes)
• Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel (5 episodes)
• Pierce Brosnan as Ultrahouse 3000's Pierce Brosnan voice and himself ("Treehouse of Horror XII")
• Matthew Perry as Ultrahouse 3000's Matthew Perry voice ("Treehouse of Horror XII")
• Jess Harnell as Poncho the Seal ("The Parent Rap")
• R.E.M. as themselves ("Homer the Moe")
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Gloria ("A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love")
• George Takei as the waiter ("A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love")
• Paul Newman as himself ("The Blunder Years")
• Judith Owen as herself ("The Blunder Years")
• Richard Gere as himself ("She of Little Faith")
• Delroy Lindo as Gabriel ("Brawl in the Family")
• Ben Stiller as Garth Motherloving ("Sweets and Sour Marge")
• Jon Lovitz as Artie Ziff ("Half-Decent Proposal")
• Wolfgang Puck as himself ("The Bart Wants What It Wants")
• Reese Witherspoon as Greta ("The Bart Wants What It Wants")
• Dennis Weaver as Buck McCoy ("The Lastest Gun in the West")
• Frank Welker as Dog ("The Lastest Gun in the West")
• Olympia Dukakis as Zelda ("The Old Man and the Key")
• Bill Saluga as Ray Jay Johnson ("The Old Man and the Key")
• Phish as themselves ("Weekend at Burnsie's")
• Stan Lee as himself ("I Am Furious (Yellow)")
• James Lipton as himself ("The Sweetest Apu")
• Robert Pinsky as himself ("Little Girl in the Big Ten")
• Carmen Electra as herself ("The Frying Game")
• Frances Sternhagen as Mrs. Bellamy ("The Frying Game")

Release

Critical reception

Some critics felt season 13 was an improvement over the previous Scully seasons. On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an 86% approval rating. DVDDizzy rhetorically asked how the season "stand[s] up for someone just looking to jump into a full, semi-recent year of episodes", answering "Pretty darn well". It explained "Nearly everything that makes "The Simpsons" what it is can be found here. Most important is the large cast of Springfield residents used to perfection...Clearly, real thought and lots of it goes into each episode's creation", and added "it's almost miraculous how fresh and sharp "The Simpsons" remains in its thirteenth year on air". The site explained "Not every moment here is brilliant. After a rocky start, the season really hits its groove a few episodes in. Even though jokes don't always land, there are guaranteed to be at least a few amusing moments per episode. The stylings haven't changed all that much. There are tasteful homages and cultural references, including loving parodies of classic movies, television, and literature [and] as usual, tons of famous guest stars lend their voices, some as themselves and others as fictional characters". Adam Rayner of WhatCulture wrote that "Season thirteen represents a time when the show was clinging to the classic humour that was derived from situations that were rooted in a reality—albeit a heightened reality—which could happen to you and your family, while slowly descending into the surreal and farcical." Matt Wheeldon of GoodFilmGuide said "the 13th Season another solid, and fairly memorable, effort from the world's best loved cartoon; even if it isn't the be all and end all of Simpsons cartooning. DVD Talk's Ryan Keefer gave a season 3.5/5 stars and said "While Jean might not have brought things to previous glory, he certainly righted the ship in Season 13." Blu-Ray.com gave season 13 a 3.5/5 and Casey Broadwater's sentiment was "The hit-to-miss ratio is much better here than in the previous three seasons, and while the episodes are never quite as hilarious as the Simpsons of old—from way back in the early 1990s—season 13 does mark a turning point for the series." Ron Martin of 411 Mania was more critical giving the season a 6.5/10. Part of the verdict was "Season 13 is representative of the chaotic scatterbrained nature the show would take on from here on out." Casey Burchby of DVD Talk gave the season a 3/5 and wrote "the thirteenth season is further proof of the regrettable change in comic tone that the series took on in the early part of the last decade."

Awards and nominations

In 2002, The Simpsons won its eleventh consecutive Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production.

"She of Little Faith" was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour). The song "Ode to Branson" from "The Old Man and the Key" by Alf Clausen and Jon Vitti was nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics. "Brawl in the Family" was nominated for the Environmental Media Award for Best Television Episodic Comedy. Three episodes were nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award in the animation category: "Blame It on Lisa" (written by Bob Bendetson), "The Bart Wants What It Wants" (written by John Frink and Don Payne) and "Jaws Wired Shut" (written by Matt Selman). The award was won by the Futurama episode "Godfellas". It marked the only time since the introduction of the category that a show other than The Simpsons won the award.

In 2003, the show was the first and only animated program to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award, for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, which it lost to Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Episodes

Hex and the City – While on a day trip through Ethnictown, Homer's bumbling catches the ire of a gypsy, who curses Homer's family and friends into receiving nothing but bad luck. House of Whacks – In this mixed parody of Demon Seed and 2001: A Space Odyssey, Marge buys an automated house and customizes it with the Pierce Brosnan personality, who falls for Marge and attempts to murder Homer. Wiz Kids – In this Harry Potter parody, Bart and Lisa go to a school for wizards, and Lord Montemort (Mr. Burns) uses Bart to capture Lisa's magic. Note: This episode was dedicated to Ron Taylor the voice of Bleeding Gums Murphy.

Blu-ray and DVD release

The DVD and Blu-ray box set for season thirteen was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in the United States and Canada on Tuesday, August 24, 2010, 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 Ralph Wiggum, and a special limited-edition "embossed head case" package was also released. The Blu-ray set is also available on Region 4. In Region 2, the set is only available on DVD.

References

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