Wikipedia

The Simpsons (season 2)

season of television series

The 2nd season of The Simpsons first started showing on the Fox network from October 11, 1990 to July 11, 1991. It has 22 episodes. The season started with the episode "Bart Gets an "F"" and ended with "Blood Feud". The season was first put on DVD for Region 1 on August 6, 2002, Region 2 on July 8, 2002, and Region 4 on July 24, 2002.[1][2][3] The season's executive producers were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon. They were the executive producers for the first season. The episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" won a Primetime Emmy Award.[4]

The Simpsons
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseOctober 11, 1990 (1990-10-11) –
July 11, 1991 (1991-07-11)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 1
Next →
Season 3
List of The Simpsons episodes

Production

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"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" was the first episode made in the season. "Bart Gets an "F"" was broadcast first because Bart Simpson was liked by many people in 1990.[5] The 2nd season had a new opening sequence. It was shorter than the one before (which was about 90 seconds). In the opening sequence before, it showed Bart taking a bus stop sign. The opening sequence in the 2nd season shows Bart skateboarding past characters that were shown in the first season. There were three opening sequences made for this season. One was 75 seconds, one was 45 seconds, and one was 25 seconds. This was done so that editors of The Simpsons could do more with the length of each episode.[6]

Many new characters were first shown in this season: Mayor Quimby,[7] Kang and Kodos,[8] Maude Flanders,[9] Bill and Marty,[10] Dr. Hibbert,[11] Roger Meyers, Jr.,[12] Sideshow Mel,[12] Lionel Hutz,[13] Dr. Nick Riviera,[13] the Blue Haired Lawyer,[13] Rainier Wolfcastle,[14] Troy McClure,[15] Groundskeeper Willie,[16] Hans Moleman,[17] Professor Frink,[18] and Comic Book Guy.[19]

Ratings

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After the first season, Fox moved showings of The Simpsons from Sundays to Thursday so that more people would see it.[20] It was to be shown on 8:00 PM, which started competition with The Cosby Show.[21] Producers of The Simpsons thought that the competition would make their ratings lower.[22] In the summer of 1990, many news companies made stories about the competition.[22] In this time, NBC had 208 television stations. Fox only had 133.[23]

"Bart Gets an "F"" (the first episode of the season) got almost the same Neilsen rating as The Cosby Show. The episode got a rating of 18.4 and The Cosby Show got a rating of 18.5. "Bart Gets an "F"" was watched by 33.6 million people, which was more than the Cosby Show. It was the most watched show on that week. In that time, it was the most watched episode on the Fox network ever.[24] The next episode ("Simpson and Delilah") got a Nielsen rating of 16.2, and The Cosby Show got a rating of 18.5 again. "Simpson and Delilah" also had more people who watched it when it was first shown.[25]

The 3rd episode ("Treehouse of Horror") did not get as many people to watch it as The Cosby Show did.[26] After that, The Cosby Show had higher ratings than most of the other episode of The Simpsons' 2nd season.[5] "Three Men and a Comic Book" was the only episode of this season to get a higher Neilsen rating than The Cosby Show did.[27] That episode was 23rd and The Cosby Show was 26th in the ratings for that week.[20] The Simpsons did not get higher ratings again until in the 3rd season with the episode "Homer at the Bat".[28] The Simpsons stopped showing on Thursdays in the 6th season.[21]

Episodes

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
141"Bart Gets an "F""David SilvermanDavid M. SternOctober 11, 1990 (1990-10-11)7F0333.6[30]
Bart Simpson fails a test in school. If he fails another test, he will have to do fourth grade again. The school's genius Martin Prince will not help him, making Bart pray for help. On the day after that, a very big blizzard makes the school close. Bart gets another day to study, but he fails another test. He cries and references an event in history. Mrs. Krabappel chooses not to fail him after what he said.[29]
152"Simpson and Delilah"Rich MooreJon VittiOctober 18, 1990 (1990-10-18)7F0229.9[32]
Homer buys a formula for growing hair. His hair grows one day while he was sleeping. He gets a promotion at the power plant he works at. He gets a new secretary named Karl. Karl helps Homer get better at his job. Waylon Smithers (Mr. Burns' assistant) learns that Homer has done insurance fraud to get the hair growing formula. Karl gets fired for saying that he was the one who did insurance fraud. On one night, Homer loses all of his hair. He gets demoted to the job he had before he got hair.[31]
163"Treehouse of Horror"Wes Archer
Rich Moore
David Silverman		John Swartzwelder
Jay Kogen
Wallace Wolodarsky
Edgar Allan Poe
Sam Simon		October 25, 1990 (1990-10-25)7F0427.4[34]

An episode about Halloween with three stories:
Bad Dream House - The Simpson family moves to another house. They later learn that the house is evil.
Hungry are the Damned - The family is abducted by aliens. They want to take the family to another planet.

The Raven - A reading of the poem "The Raven".[33]
174"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"Wes ArcherSam Simon
John Swartzwelder		November 1, 1990 (1990-11-01)7F0126.1[36]
Bart finds a fish with three eyes near the power plant Homer works at. Inspectors look at the power plant and learn that it is not safe. Mr. Burns will have to pay $56 million. Burns does not want to lose his power plant, so he tries to be a governor. He starts a campaign that helps him get known. He chooses to have dinner with the Simpson family. Marge shows him the fish with three eyes. Burns does not want to eat it and then loses the election.[35]
185"Dancin' Homer"Mark KirklandKen Levine
David Isaacs		November 8, 1990 (1990-11-08)7F0526.1[38]
Homer makes people excited at a baseball game. He becomes Springfield's new baseball mascot. He becomes well known and helps Springfield's baseball team win games. He is taken to a bigger and nicer city. However, the people there do not like him.[37]
196"Dead Putting Society"Rich MooreJeff MartinNovember 15, 1990 (1990-11-15)7F0825.4[40]
Homer goes to his neighbor Ned Flanders' house. Homer gets jealous because of how nice Ned's house is. Ned gets angry, but he feels sorry. Bart and Todd (Ned's son) go in a miniature golf tournament. Homer and Ned make a bet that if their son loses, they will have to mow their neighbor's lawn in their wife's dress. Bart and Todd draw in the tournament. Homer and Ned both have to do what the bet tells them to.[39]
207"Bart vs. Thanksgiving"David SilvermanGeorge MeyerNovember 22, 1990 (1990-11-22)7F0725.9[42]
Bart breaks a centerpiece that Lisa made. He is told that he ruined Thanksgiving. He runs away to a soup kitchen with homeless people. After some time, Bart wants to go back to his house. He gets on the roof of the house because he is worried that the family will not like him. He sees Lisa crying and says sorry to her. He gets leftovers and is happy to be back with his family.[41]
218"Bart the Daredevil"Wes ArcherJay Kogen
Wallace Wolodarsky		December 6, 1990 (1990-12-06)7F0626.2[44]
The Simpson family goes to a monster truck rally and sees a stuntman. Bart wants to do dangerous stunts similar to the stuntman. Bart gets injured trying to do a stunt. He still wants to do stunts even if his family does not want him to. He thinks of jumping over a very big gorge. Homer makes Bart promise that he will not jump a gorge. He breaks the promise and goes to a gorge. Homer stops him before it is too late. Homer accidentally falls off of the gorge.[43]
229"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"David SilvermanJon VittiDecember 20, 1990 (1990-12-20)7F0922.2[46]
While the Simpsons are Christmas shopping, Bart sneaks off and gets a tattoo. Marge soon discovers this and uses the family's Christmas savings to get it removed. Meanwhile, Homer discovers that he will not be getting a Christmas bonus from Mr. Burns and thus the family has no money to buy Christmas presents. He decides to keep their financial troubles a secret and get a job as a department store Santa, but later discovers that the job does not pay enough. Desperate for a miracle, Homer and Bart go to the dog track on Christmas Eve in hopes of earning some money. He bets it all on a long shot named Santa's Little Helper, who loses. Angry that he lost, the dog's owner disowns him. Homer lets Bart keep him. Later, Homer attempts to come clean to everyone, but Bart exclaims that they have a dog and everyone happily welcomes the newest member of the Simpson family..[45]
2310"Bart Gets Hit by a Car"Mark KirklandJohn SwartzwelderJanuary 10, 1991 (1991-01-10)7F1024.8[48]
Bart gets hit by Mr. Burns' car. An attorney named Lionel Hutz wants the Simpson family to sue Mr. Burns. He says that they will get a large number of money. They try to make up a story about the event and they take him to a suspicious doctor. Marge does not want to sue Burns. She thinks that it would be better if he gave money for Bart's bills. In the trial, Marge tells the truth about the event. Her testimony makes them lose the trial.[47]
2411"One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish"Wes ArcherNell ScovellJanuary 24, 1991 (1991-01-24)7F1124.2[50]
The Simpson family goes to a sushi bar. Homer wants to eat fugu, which is poisonous if it is not cut right. Homer eats a poisonous fugu. At the hospital, he is told that he only has 22 hours left of his life. Homer makes a list of what he wants to do. He ends the day helping his grandfather. On the day after that, he learns that the fugu he ate was not poisonous. He says that he wants to live his life better.[49]
2512"The Way We Was"David SilvermanAl Jean
Mike Reiss
Sam Simon		January 31, 1991 (1991-01-31)7F1226.8[52]
Marge tells the story of how she met Homer in high school. In 1974, they met when they were both in detention. Homer tries to get Marge to be his prom date. She goes to the prom with Artie Ziff. After the prom, she wishes she did not go with Artie. She shows that she is in love with Homer.[51]
2613"Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment"Rich MooreSteve PepoonFebruary 7, 1991 (1991-02-07)7F1326.2[54]
Homer illegally gets cable television. Lisa sees it as stealing. She talks to Reverend Lovejoy about it and starts to protest. She says she will not watch the television. Homer brings many of his friends to watch boxing on television. Lisa's protests make him stop watching and take out the cable.[53]
2714"Principal Charming"Mark KirklandDavid M. SternFebruary 14, 1991 (1991-02-14)7F1523.9[55]
Selma wants Marge to help her find a husband. Homer must see Principal Skinner because Bart keeps getting in trouble in school. Homer thinks that Skinner would start a good relationship with Selma. Homer brings Skinner to his house for dinner. Skinner starts to love Selma's sister Patty. Patty and Skinner start dating, which makes Selma sad. Skinner proposes to Patty, but she leaves him because she wants Selma to be happy.[17]
2815"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"Wes ArcherJeff MartinFebruary 21, 1991 (1991-02-21)7F1626.8[57]
Grampa tells Homer that he has a half-brother. They find where he is and learn that he is Herbert Powell. Herbet is the owner of a car manufacturing company in Detroit. Herbert starts to know Bart and Lisa well. He wants Homer to make the design of a new car. The car design Homer made is very bad and makes Herbert bankrupt.[56]
2916"Bart's Dog Gets an "F""Jim ReardonJon VittiMarch 7, 1991 (1991-03-07)7F1423.9[59]
The family's dog Santa's Little Helper keeps breaking things. Homer is angry and says that he will make him leave if he is not put in an obedience school. Bart, Lisa, and Maggie love Santa's Little Helper, so they start to train him. At the obedience school, Bart and Santa's Little Helper do not do well. Bart does not want to use a choke chain on the dog. Bart and Santa's Little Helper try playing. Santa's Little Helper starts to know what Bart is saying to him. They do well in the obedience school after that.[58]
3017"Old Money"David SilvermanJay Kogen
Wallace Wolodarsky		March 28, 1991 (1991-03-28)7F1721.2[60]
Grampa starts to love a wealthy woman named Beatrice Simmons. Grampa tries to be with Bea on her birthday, but Homer takes him somewhere else. Bea dies on that night. Grampa is angry at Homer for making him miss her last day in life. Grampa gets the money she has ($106,000). A ghost of Bea says to Grampa that he should say sorry to Homer and to give her money to people who need it.[18]
3118"Brush with Greatness"Jim ReardonBrian K. RobertsApril 11, 1991 (1991-04-11)7F1820.6[62]
Marge finds old paintings she made of Ringo Starr. She takes an art class. She is very good in the class and wins a competition. Mr. Burns wants Marge to make a painting of him. She first has trouble trying to paint him because he is not a good person. She chooses to paint him naked and weak. Mr. Burns and all of the people who saw the painting liked it. While this happened, Homer tried to go on a diet because he got stuck on a water slide.[61]
3219"Lisa's Substitute"Rich MooreJon VittiApril 25, 1991 (1991-04-25)7F1917.7[64]
Lisa's teacher Ms. Hoover feels ill. A substitute teacher named Mr. Bergstrom comes in to teach her class. Lisa likes the way Mr. Bergstrom teaches because it is not the same as normal. Lisa wants Mr. Bergstrom to come to her house for dinner. Ms. Hoover comes back before she can talk to him. While this happens, Bart and Martin Prince are the candidates for their class president. Bart loses because he only got two votes.[63]
3320"The War of the Simpsons"Mark KirklandJohn SwartzwelderMay 2, 1991 (1991-05-02)7F2019.7[66]
Homer gets drunk at a party. Marge makes him go with her to a retreat for marriage counseling. Homer learns that the retreat will be at a lake full of catfish. At the retreat, Homer tries to get away from the counseling to go to the lake. Marge sees him and makes him go away from the lake. He sees a fishing rod and catches a legendary catfish. He sees that Marge is sad. He puts the fish back in the lake to show that he still loves her.[65]
3421"Three Men and a Comic Book"Wes ArcherJeff MartinMay 9, 1991 (1991-05-09)7F2121[68]
Bart finds the first issue of the comic book he likes the most. He does not have enough money to buy it. He gets his friends Milhouse and Martin Prince to buy it together. They can not share it and they accidentally break it.[67]
3522"Blood Feud"David SilvermanGeorge MeyerJuly 11, 1991 (1991-07-11)7F2217.3[70]
Mr. Burns gets ill and needs a blood transfusion. Homer learns that Bart has Burns' blood type. He says to Bart that if he gives his blood to Burns, he will have a great reward. When Burns gets Bart's blood, he gives the family a card that thanks them. Homer is angry and writes a rude message to Burns. Marge does not want Homer to give it to him. Bart gives the message to Burns anyway. Burns is very mad and wants Homer to be beaten. Burns' assistant Waylon Smithers does not let it happen. He makes Burns give the family a better reward.[69]

References

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  1. ↑ "The Simpsons – The Complete 2nd Season DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Simpsons, The – Season 2 (DVD)". Blockbuster.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Simpsons, The – Season 2". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  4. ↑ Emmy Awards official site Archived February 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine "The Simpsons" "1991–1991" emmys.org. Retrieved on August 28, 2020
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jean, Al (2002). The Simpson season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart Gets an "F"" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  6. ↑ Silverman, David (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart Gets an F" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  7. ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Bart Gets an F". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "The Simpsons Hallowe'en Special". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Dead Putting Society". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Bart vs. Thanksgiving". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  11. ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Bart the Daredevil". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Itchy and Scratchy and Marge". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Bart Gets Hit By a Car". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  14. ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "The Way We Was". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  15. ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  16. ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Principal Charming". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 49.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 52.
  19. ↑ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Two Men and a Comic Book". BBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Daniel Cerone (May 9, 1991). "'Simpsons' steals away Cosby viewers". Los Angeles Times. p. 4.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Reiss, Mike (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart Gets an F" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Groening, Matt (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart Gets an F" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  23. ↑ Belcher, Walt (October 18, 1990). "" The Simpsons ,' "Cosby' square off in second round". The Tampa Tribune. p. 6F.
  24. ↑ Scott D. Pierce (October 18, 1990). "Don't have a cow, man! More viewers watch 'The Simpsons' than 'Cosby'!". Deseret News. p. C5.
  25. ↑ "Bart vs. Bill results in a split decision!". The Record. October 23, 1990. p. B8.
  26. ↑ Hastings, Deborah (November 1, 1990). "'Satanic Verses' author boon to 60 Minutes". Sun-Sentinel. p. 4E.
  27. ↑ Jean, Al (2002). The Simpson season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart Gets an "F"" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  28. ↑ Jean, Al (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Homer at the Bat" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  29. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 34.
  30. ↑ Eugene Sloan (October 17, 1990). "NIELSENS; For CBS, baseball's a grounder". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  31. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 35.
  32. ↑ Brian Donlon (October 24, 1990). "NIELSENS; CBS slides easily into first place". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  33. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, pp. 36–37.
  34. ↑ Brian Donlon (October 31, 1990). "NIELSENS; CBS, no longer the long shot". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  35. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 38.
  36. ↑ Brian Donlon (November 7, 1990). "NIELSENS; NBC wins with fewer viewers". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  37. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 39.
  38. ↑ Brian Donlon (November 14, 1990). "NIELSENS; 'Cheers' sweeps up for NBC". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  39. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 40.
  40. ↑ Brian Donlon (November 21, 1990). "NIELSENS; ABC pulls past CBS in sweeps". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  41. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 41.
  42. ↑ Brian Donlon (November 28, 1990). "NIELSENS; ABC's 'It' confirms competitors' fears". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  43. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 42.
  44. ↑ Brian Donlon (December 12, 1990). "NIELSENS; ABC wins a sub-par week". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  45. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 43.
  46. ↑ Brian Donlon (December 28, 1990). "NIELSENS; Special help in ABC win". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  47. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 44.
  48. ↑ Brian Donlon (January 16, 1991). "NIELSENS; NBC wins with season best". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  49. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 45.
  50. ↑ Brian Donlon (January 30, 1991). "NIELSENS; ABC super-bowls over its rivals". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  51. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, pp. 46–47.
  52. ↑ Brian Donlon (February 6, 1991). "NIELSENS; Where are the dominant series?". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  53. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 48.
  54. ↑ Brian Donlon (February 13, 1991). "NIELSENS; A good Friday fuels ABC win". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  55. ↑ Brian Donlon (February 20, 1991). "NIELSENS; CBS mines past and hits gold". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  56. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 50.
  57. ↑ Brian Donlon (February 27, 1991). "NIELSENS; NBC has a week of ratings ups and downs". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  58. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 51.
  59. ↑ Brian Donlon (March 13, 1991). "NIELSENS; 'Baby Talk' helps ABC toddle past CBS to 2nd". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  60. ↑ Brian Donlon (April 3, 1991). "NIELSENS; Oscar wins big for ABC". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  61. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 53.
  62. ↑ Brian Donlon (April 17, 1991). "CBS ends the year with a win". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  63. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 54.
  64. ↑ Brian Donlon (May 1, 1991). "'Switched' sweeps the week". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  65. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 55.
  66. ↑ Brian Donlon (May 8, 1991). "Sweeps lure straying viewers". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  67. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, pp. 56–57.
  68. ↑ Brian Donlon (May 15, 1991). "Movies are NBC's ace". USA Today. p. 03.D.
  69. ↑ Richmond & Coffman 1997, pp. 58–59.
  70. ↑ Brian Donlon (July 17, 1991). "CBS has all-star rating". USA Today. p. 03.D.

Bibliography

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