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The Simpsons season 15

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The Simpsons
Season 15
DVD cover featuring Otto Mann
ShowrunnerAl Jean
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseNovember 2, 2003 (2003-11-02) –
May 23, 2004 (2004-05-23)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 14
Next →
Season 16
List of episodes

The fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons aired from Sunday, November 2, 2003, to Sunday, May 23, 2004. The season contains five hold-over episodes from the season 14 (EABF) production line. The most watched episode had 16.2 million viewers and the least watched had 6.2 million viewers. Season 15 was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on December 4, 2012, Region 2 on December 3, 2012, and Region 4 on December 12, 2012.

Response

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Critical reception

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Season 15 received positive reviews, though many reviewers commented that while the episodes were generally enjoyable, they were of a lesser quality than those of the series' first decade. The general consensus is that this marked an improvement over the early teen seasons.

High Def Digest gave a rating of 4 stars, writing "The Simpsons' is one of only a handful of shows that I know I'm guaranteed to laugh out loud at least once an episode (usually more). Even though the cutting wit of the first decade lost its edge a bit, I still find 'The Simpsons' an extremely enjoyable way to spend my time. There aren't many things that are better than sitting down with a new season of 'The Simpsons' on Blu-ray and watching every episode back to back as fast as I possibly can. While the episodes sort of blend together, the humor is still there, and I still end up having quite a few genuine laughs".[1] CraveOnline rated the season 8.5/10, noting "Some "Simpsons" fans gave up during a perceived rough patch around season 12, and boy have they missed out. Season 13 was a particular favorite of mine, but now we're over the hump on the DVD releases. Season 15 is kind of a sweet spot, because it's got some highlight episodes I love, but also plenty that I don't remember."[2] DVDActive said "The Simpsons season 15 isn't one of the series' best, but I'm pretty sure it isn't one of the worst either".[3] ScreenJabber gave a rating of 4 stars, writing "Imagine my surprise when I sat down to review Season 15...and realised that I had never seen most of its episodes. Imagine, then, my joy at being able to enjoy almost 22 episodes of factory-fresh Simpsons, even though they were made about a decade ago. And even though some of the cultural references are a little dated, there's still an awful lot to laugh at and enjoy here. As always, this season of The Simpsons features a stellar line-up of guest stars. And, as always, there are some standout episodes. All in all, a more than decent season of this long, long-running show."[4] DIY wrote "While Season 15 of The Simpsons may not be golden from start to finish it has a higher great to soggy episode ratio than more recent seasons. In fact, there are some real gems amongst the 22 episodes".[5] Boxofficebuz gave it 4 stars, and said "...Throw in flashback episode 'The Way We [Weren't],' Pie-Man antics in 'Simple Simpson' and a Catch Me If You Can spoof in 'Catch 'Em If You Can,' you have a solid, solid season. A definite uptick over the previous couple seasons".[6] BubbleBlabber rated it 9.0 out of 10, and concluded "In terms of the content, Season 15 was a highly underrated season for The Simpsons and brought along a number of now well-known classics".[7] DVDMg gave the season a B, and wrote "Should viewers expect greatness from Season 15 of The Simpsons? No, as the year comes with some mediocre shows. Still, it delivers a reasonable number of good episodes and seems worthwhile overall...S15 won't win over new fans, but it's usually fun".[8]

Nielsen ratings

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The season ranked 42 in the seasonal ratings below its repeat timeslot at 36. The average viewership was 10.59 million viewers.[9]

Episodes

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See also: List of The Simpsons episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
3141"Treehouse of Horror XIV"Steven Dean MooreJohn SwartzwelderNovember 2, 2003 (2003-11-02)EABF2116.23[10]
Reaper Madness – Homer enjoys his new life as The Grim Reaper after killing the old one and plaguing the world with immortality, but becomes conflicted when Marge is next on his death list.
Frinkenstein – Prof. Frink wins the Nobel Prize in science, but is sad that his dead father is not with him to share in his success, so Frink rebuilds him out of his father's real body with mechanical parts, but the latter is not happy with this and he will steal the body parts of other corpses.
Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off – Bart and Milhouse order a stopwatch from the back of a comic book that possesses the power to manipulate time.
Guest star: Jerry Lewis, Dudley Herschbach, Jennifer Garner and Oscar De La Hoya
3152"My Mother the Carjacker"Nancy KruseMichael PriceNovember 9, 2003 (2003-11-09)EABF1812.38[11]
Homer's mother returns, and after being cleared of all charges, is re-imprisoned on a technicality.
Guest star: Glenn Close
3163"The President Wore Pearls"Mike B. AndersonDana GouldNovember 16, 2003 (2003-11-16)EABF2012.74[12]
In this loose parody of the musical/movie Evita, Lisa is elected Student Body president, but is unaware that the school staff is using her for their own devices and as a scapegoat if something goes wrong.
Guest star: Michael Moore
3174"The Regina Monologues"Mark KirklandJohn SwartzwelderNovember 23, 2003 (2003-11-23)EABF2212.17[13]
After making over $3000 from his own museum featuring a $1000 bill, Bart takes the family to London (on the suggestion of Grampa), where Homer is arrested for treason after crashing into the Queen.
Guest star: Tony Blair, J.K. Rowling, Ian McKellen, Jane Leeves and Evan Marriott
3185"The Fat and the Furriest"Matthew NastukJoel H. CohenNovember 30, 2003 (2003-11-30)EABF1911.70[14]
Homer is humiliated when he appears on the news running from a bear that nearly attacks him at the city dump. After Grampa scolds him, he swears to fight the bear himself.
Guest star: Charles Napier
3196"Today I Am a Clown"Nancy KruseJoel H. CohenDecember 7, 2003 (2003-12-07)FABF0110.50[15]
Krusty discovers that he never had a bar mitzvah as a child. He quits his show to have it as an adult, with the help of his father, Rabbi Krustofski. Meanwhile, Homer hosts a late-night talk show à la Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher as a replacement for Krusty's show.
Guest star: Jackie Mason and Mr. T
3207"'Tis the Fifteenth Season"Steven Dean MooreMichael PriceDecember 14, 2003 (2003-12-14)FABF0211.28[16]
Homer realizes how selfish he is after he spends all the family's Christmas money on a present for himself. He becomes the nicest guy in town, making Ned Flanders jealous.
3218"Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays"Bob AndersonJon VittiJanuary 4, 2004 (2004-01-04)FABF0312.00[17]
When a group of singles, seniors, childless couples, teens and gays band together to protest having to accommodate families (including paying property taxes used to teach children they do not have) after a riot at a children's concert, Marge takes up the cause for the families, with some help from Bart and Lisa.
3229"I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot"Lauren MacMullanDan Greaney & Allen GlazierJanuary 11, 2004 (2004-01-11)FABF0416.30[18]
Homer builds a battle robot to win Bart's respect, and places it in a tournament against other robots. What Bart does not know, though, is that the robot is actually Homer in costume. Meanwhile, Snowball II dies and Lisa tries to find a replacement cat.
32310"Diatribe of a Mad Housewife"Mark KirklandRobin J. SteinJanuary 25, 2004 (2004-01-25)FABF0510.63[19]
Marge writes a romance novel with characters based on Homer and Ned Flanders that becomes a hit. Meanwhile, Homer gets fired from the power plant again and becomes an ambulance driver.
Guest star: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Thomas Pynchon and Tom Clancy
32411"Margical History Tour"Mike B. AndersonBrian KelleyFebruary 8, 2004 (2004-02-08)FABF068.87[20]
When the local library proves to be useless for the kids' class project, Marge tells Milhouse, Bart, and Lisa three Simpsons-style historical accounts: Henry VIII's (Homer's) attempts at siring a son, Lewis and Clark (Lenny and Carl) exploring the USA's wilderness with Sacagawea (Lisa), and Salieri (Lisa again) out to ruin piano-playing virtuoso Mozart (Bart).
32512"Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore"Matthew NastukJulie Chambers & David ChambersFebruary 15, 2004 (2004-02-15)FABF079.43[21]
Bart finds a friend in his own sister Lisa after Milhouse moves away to Capitol City to live with his divorced mom. Meanwhile, Homer goes into panhandling to buy anniversary gifts for Marge. Later on Milhouse returns and Bart goes back being friends with him.
Guest star: Isabel Sanford, Nick Bakay, William Daniels, Dick Tufeld and Casey Kasem
32613"Smart & Smarter"Steven Dean MooreCarolyn OmineFebruary 22, 2004 (2004-02-22)FABF0912.60[22]
When Maggie does better than Lisa on an IQ test, Lisa becomes upset over no longer being the smart one and tries to lead Maggie astray.
Guest star: Simon Cowell
32714"The Ziff Who Came to Dinner"Nancy KruseDeb Lacusta & Dan CastellanetaMarch 14, 2004 (2004-03-14)FABF0810.67[23]
The Simpsons go on a late-night attic search after Bart and Lisa (who are freaked out over a horror movie Homer let them watch) begin hearing voices — and find Marge's ex-prom date Artie Ziff, who's on the run for cheating the shareholders of his company.
Guest star: Jon Lovitz
32815"Co-Dependents' Day"Bob AndersonMatt WarburtonMarch 21, 2004 (2004-03-21)FABF1011.24[24]
Homer and Marge's bond becomes stronger when they both get drunk on wine, but soon the bond unravels when Homer blames Marge for crashing the car and Marge gets sent to rehab. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa complain to Randall Curtis (a George Lucas-esque science fiction movie director) about his latest film.
Guest star: Brave Combo
32916"The Wandering Juvie"Lauren MacMullanJohn Frink & Don PayneMarch 28, 2004 (2004-03-28)FABF1110.52[25]
Bart gets sent to juvenile hall after faking a wedding to keep the gifts from the wedding registry. He then breaks out and goes on the lam with Gina, a cool girl he meets inside.
Guest star: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jane Kaczmarek and Charles Napier
33017"My Big Fat Geek Wedding"Mark KirklandKevin CurranApril 18, 2004 (2004-04-18)FABF129.21[26]
After hearing that Skinner is getting cold feet about their wedding, Edna leaves Skinner at the altar and, after sending back one marriage gift, hooks up with Comic Book Guy. Meanwhile, Homer and Marge have an argument about if their marriage is still solid or not.
Guest star: Matt Groening
33118"Catch 'em if You Can"Matthew NastukIan Maxtone-GrahamApril 25, 2004 (2004-04-25)FABF149.28[27]
After a ruined movie night, thanks to Bart and Lisa, Homer and Marge take a vacation away from them, but decide to go to Miami instead of going to see an uncle. When Bart and Lisa catch wind of their parents' secret plan, Bart steals Rod's credit card (just like Homer stole Ned's) and go after them.
33219"Simple Simpson"Jim ReardonJon VittiMay 2, 2004 (2004-05-02)FABF159.51[28]
Homer becomes "Pie Man", a masked vigilante who delivers a pie in the face of justice to evildoers. However, after attacking Mr. Burns, Burns hires him as a personal hitman, until Homer is ordered to attack the Dalai Lama.
Guest star: Nichelle Nichols
33320"The Way We Weren't"Mike B. AndersonJ. Stewart BurnsMay 9, 2004 (2004-05-09)FABF136.64[29]
Homer and Marge recall the story of their first kiss at a summer camp when they were children—an event which was not all happy, as Homer (unwillingly) betrayed Marge by standing her up on their second date.
33421"Bart-Mangled Banner"Steven Dean MooreJohn FrinkMay 16, 2004 (2004-05-16)FABF178.69[30]
After receiving an injection from Dr. Hibbert, Bart becomes temporarily deaf, which makes him impervious to being bullied, until he accidentally moons the American flag during a donkey basketball game, prompting everyone in town to accuse the Simpsons of being unpatriotic under the new "Government Knows Best" Act.
33522"Fraudcast News"Bob AndersonDon PayneMay 23, 2004 (2004-05-23)FABF189.40[31]
Mr. Burns buys out Springfield's media outlets after the local news mistakenly reports his death, and Lisa's homemade newspaper is next on his list.

Home media

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The DVD and Blu-ray boxset for season fifteen was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in the United States and Canada on Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 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 boxart features Otto Mann, and a special limited edition "embossed head case" package was also released.

The Complete Fifteenth Season
Set Details Special Features
  • 22 episodes
  • 3-disc set (Blu-ray)
  • 4-disc set (DVD)
  • 1.33:1 aspect ratio
  • AUDIO (DVD)
    • English 5.1 Dolby Digital
    • Spanish 2.0 Dolby Surround
    • French 2.0 Dolby Surround
  • AUDIO (Blu-Ray)
    • English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio
    • Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
    • French 5.1 Dolby Digital
  • SUBTITLES
    • English SDH
    • Spanish
Release Dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Tuesday, December 4, 2012[32] Monday, December 3, 2012[33] Wednesday, December 12, 2012[34]

References

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  1. ^ "The Simpsons: The Fifteenth Season Blu-ray Review | High Def Digest". Bluray.highdefdigest.com. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  2. ^ "THE SIMPSONS Season 15 DVD Review". CraveOnline.com.au. November 28, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  3. ^ "Review: Simpsons: Season 15, The (US - DVD R1)". DVDActive.com. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  4. ^ Stuart OConnor. "The Simpsons: Season 15 review (DVD)". Screenjabber.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "Review: The Simpsons Season 15 | DIY TV | DIY". January 6, 2013. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013.
  6. ^ "The Simpsons Season 15 DVD Review - Box Office Buz". Reviews.boxofficebuz.com. November 30, 2012. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  7. ^ In terms of the content, Season 15 was a highly underrated season for The Simpsons and brought along a number of now well-known classics
  8. ^ "The Simpsons: The Complete Fifteenth Season (2003)". Dvdmg.com. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  9. ^ "ABC Medianet". September 30, 2007. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  10. ^ Fitzgerald, Toni (November 5, 2003). "What Fox must do to fix Mondays". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  11. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. November 12, 2003. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  12. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. November 19, 2003. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  13. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. November 26, 2003. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  14. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 24-30)". The Los Angeles Times. December 3, 2003. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  15. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times. December 10, 2003. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  16. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 8-14)". The Los Angeles Times. December 17, 2003. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  17. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 29-Jan. 4)". The Los Angeles Times. January 7, 2004. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  18. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 5-11)". The Los Angeles Times. January 14, 2004. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  19. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 19-25)". The Los Angeles Times. January 28, 2004. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  20. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 2-8)". The Los Angeles Times. February 11, 2004. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  21. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 9-15)". The Los Angeles Times. February 20, 2004. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  22. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 16-22)". ABC Medianet. February 24, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  23. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 8-14)". ABC Medianet. March 16, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  24. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 15-21)". ABC Medianet. March 23, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  25. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 22-28)". ABC Medianet. March 30, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  26. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 12-18)". ABC Medianet. April 20, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  27. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 19-25)". ABC Medianet. April 27, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  28. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 26-May 2)". ABC Medianet. May 4, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  29. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (May 3–9)". ABC Medianet. May 11, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  30. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (May 10–16)". ABC Medianet. May 18, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  31. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (May 17–23)". ABC Medianet. May 25, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  32. ^ "The Simpsons DVD news: Announcement for The Simpsons — The Complete 15th Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. May 25, 2007. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  33. ^ "The Simpsons — Season 15 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  34. ^ "Simpsons, The - Season 15". Sanity. Retrieved November 12, 2012.

Bibliography

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