Template:Use mdy dates Template:Short description Template:Infobox television season 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. The season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. Executive producer Al Jean remained the showrunner. Work from this season won two Emmy Awards, was nominated for six Writers Guild of America Awards, winning one, and won an Annie Award.
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.
Voice cast & characters
Main cast
- Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Snowball II, Groundskeeper Willie, Santa's Little Helper, Krusty the Clown, Kodos, Barney Gumble, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Mayor Quimby, Sideshow Mel, Hans Moleman, Grampa Simpson, Rich Texan, Squeaky-Voiced Teen, Mr. Teeny, Itchy, Gil Gunderson, and various others
- Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson, Selma Bouvier, and Patty Bouvier
- Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Todd Flanders, Database, and various others
- Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
- Hank Azaria as Johnny Tightlips, Moe Szyslak, Carl Carlson, Dr. Nick, Chief Wiggum, Lou, Kirk Van Houten, Wiseguy, Comic Book Guy, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Old Jewish Man, Disco Stu, Professor Frink, Superintendent Chalmers, Cletus Spuckler, Drederick Tatum, Luigi Risotto, Snake, Coach Krupt, Bumblebee Man, Sea Captain, Duffman, and various others
- Harry Shearer as Lenny Leonard, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman, Eddie, Scratchy, Reverend Lovejoy, Dr. Hibbert, Kang, Principal Skinner, Otto Mann, Dewey Largo, Rainier Wolfcastle, Jasper Beardley, Judge Snyder, and various others
Supporting cast
- Pamela Hayden as Milhouse Van Houten, Jimbo Jones, Janey Powell, Rod Flanders, and various others
- Tress MacNeille as Agnes Skinner, Dolph Shapiro, Brandine Spuckler, Bernice Hibbert, Cookie Kwan, Brunella Pommelhorst, Lindsey Naegle, Booberella, and various others
- Karl Wiedergott as additional characters
- Maggie Roswell as Luann Van Houten, Helen Lovejoy, Maude Flanders, Elizabeth Hoover, and various others
- Russi Taylor as Martin Prince, Sherri, Terri, and various others
Guest stars for the season included Alec Baldwin, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Rodman, Terry Bradshaw, Randy Johnson, Joe Frazier, Ricky Gervais, William H. Macy, Lily Tomlin, Frances McDormand, Rob Reiner, and Richard Dean Anderson.[2]
Episodes
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Production
By April 2005, the series was renewed for a seventeenth season.[3] Al Jean remained show runner, with this being his fifth year in the position since he started it in season 13,[4] 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 then-current president of the Writers Guild of America, Western Division), Daniel Chun, and Stephanie Gillis. The season featured an episode from guest writer and guest star Ricky Gervais.[5] 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.[6]
By March 2006, the series had been renewed for an eighteenth and nineteenth season.[7]
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,"[8] 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."[9] 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."[10] 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."[11] Spotlight Report gave the season 3.0/5 criticizing that it wasn't as funny as previous seasons.[12]
Awards
"The Seemingly Never-Ending 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.[13] Kelsey Grammer received the Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for "The Italian Bob".[14]
At the 59th Writers Guild of America Awards, John Frink won the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation for his script for “The Italian Bob”.[15] The writers for "Simpsons Christmas Stories", "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore", and "Girls Just Want to Have Sums" were nominated for the same award.[16] The writers for "The Girl Who Slept Too Little" and "See Homer Run" were nominated for the same award at the 58th Writers Guild of America Awards.[17]
At the 34th Annie Awards, Ian Maxtone-Graham won the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production for his script for “The Seemingly Never-Ending Story”.[18] At the 16th Environmental Media Awards, “The Bonfire of the Manatees” won the award for Television Episodic Comedy.[19]
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.[20]
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 | |||
|
| |||
| Release Dates | ||||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| Tuesday, December 2, 2014[21] | Monday, December 1, 2014[22] | Wednesday, December 3, 2014[23] | ||
References
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- Bibliography
External links
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