Pip pip and cheerio listeners, we're here to discuss the Simpsons' visit to London in this star-studded episode with more famous people than great jokes. Yes, they prioritize getting famous Brits in it from war criminal Tony Blair to hatemonger JK Rowling (plus a couple of UK citizens who aren't terrible people). But before that, we still get a couple of funny moments in the final episode written by John Swartzwelder. So grab your fish & chips for a podcast that goes deep into this era of US-UK relations!

Support this podcast, experience it ad-free, and get over 200 bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Happy day after Election Day! We've reached the beginning of the month, which means it's once again time for another installment of our community podcast! Join us we discuss the first four episodes of season 36, the new Sideshow Bob-based short, Simpsons Movie sequel news, and more. And, as always, we read and respond to your questions and comments from the most recent round of episodes. It's all happening on this month's Talk to the Audience, the podcast that's chock-full of heady goodness!

It's time for the David Mirkin Era to begin on Talking Simpsons officially, and we're kicking it off with comedian/writer Mike Lawrence! After Mike shares fun stories of working with Simpsons legend Greg Daniels, we discuss the show's deepest tribute to Citizen Kane. In this absolute classic, Burns searches for Bobo, The Ramones sing "Happy Birthday," Homer eats a lot of cheese, and too many other beloved moments to name in one description. Plus, Mike gives us insights in Homer's debut as a roast comedian and much more in this deep dive. So look out Smithers, and listen to this podcast!

Support this podcast and get over 180 ad-free bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

As Lisa gets another makeover, we welcome back Merritt K (check out her new game, Fledgling Manor) to help us make sense of this 2003 satire! It's primarily a lengthy parody of the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita, and we do our best to figure out which songs are being referenced. Plus, this musical episode features Michael Moore, leading us all to reflect on the politics of 2003, 2013, and today. Not to mention a history of Elvis kissing bats and theme park zombies in this melodic podcast!

Support this podcast and get nearly 200 bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

For the third time, we take our show on the road to Portland alongside Bill Oakley, former Simpsons showrunner and Steamed Hams Society boss. Recorded live on October 2, 2024, at Kelly's Olympian in Portland, OR!

We all dissect a favorite ep from Bill's time on the series, The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show. Bill has many fun memories and digressions about how this episode happened, with tales of the show you'll only hear on this extra-large live podcast. How is Poochie like Mac Tonight & Cousin Oliver combined? Who was their greatest enemy in the '90s Simpsons fan sites? Learn all that here, and then check out our previous live shows with Bill Oakley, both our 2018 edition, as well as our 2023 one!

Support this podcast and get over 180 bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

As we head into production season 5 and a huge changeover for the series, we're joined by first-time guest, writer/podcaster Evan Susser! The Doughboys Commissioner helps us explore Conan O'Brien's final full ep of The Simpsons, as we give a timeline of how his unprecedented hiring to Late Night impacted the show. Then we dig into Homer's incredible trip to college,  one of the best eps ever, with nerds, pigs, and top-notch animation. Listen before the crusty old dean finds out!

 Support this podcast, hear it ad-free, and get 180+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

As autumn begins, we have a whole month of Simpsons events to look back on, while also looking forward to our October 2nd Portland live show with Bill Oakley (get your tickets HERE before it sells out). Then, we've got a trip report from Orlando, lots of chat about newly released video games, and replies to some of our favorite Patreon comments. Prepare for Halloween/Treehouse season with the newest community podcast!

Now that the Halloween fun is over, it's time for the proper "season premiere" of season 15, as Homer reconnects with his mother. After we dig into the career of writer Michael Price, we discuss how this second appearance of Glenn Close on the series compares to the first. Plus, we chat about viral headlines, collectible t-shirts, the surveillance state of 2003, and the overuse of songs from the '60s in this week's groovy podcast!

Support this podcast, experience it ad-free, and get over 200 bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

If you missed our 2018 Portland live show with Bill Oakley, or our 2023 show, good news: we'll soon be putting on another one of equal or greater value! And our beloved patrons have first dibs on tickets! (General public folks reading this later—we respect you as well.) Here are the details:

WHAT: Our Talking Simpsons Live Show about "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" with Special Guest, Bill Oakley

WHERE: Kelly's Olympian in Portland, OR

WHEN: Wednesday, October 2nd at 8:00pm

And you can buy your tickets RIGHT HERE!

Also, if you'll be in Portland the previous weekend, I (Bob) will also be hosting a Retronauts panel at 5:00pm on Saturday, September 28th at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. It's a great convention that's worth going to, even for non-podcasting reasons.

Thanks in advance; we hope to see you at the show!

- Bob

Poster art by Nina Matsumoto.

It's the end of the first era of Simpsons writers as we welcome back returning favorite, comedy writer Mike Drucker (pre-order his upcoming book, Good Game, No Rematch)! In a full-length parody of 1991's Cape Fear remake, Bart evades murder by the talented singer, Sideshow Bob. Learn how this episode was written, how Jon Vitti looks back on it, why the animation is so gorgeous, and even the secret of Poor Little Buttercup. Grab a pan of brownies and watch out for rakes while listening to this podcast!

Support this podcast and get over 180 ad-free bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Season 15 begins with a big Halloween special, and we're joined by Will Sloan, Jerry Lewis expert and cohost of podcasts The Important Cinema Club and Michael And Us! After we chat about how this debuted in November, we chat through one segment that unintentionally copies Family Guy, a story of Frink/Hank Azaria meeting their comedy patriarch, and another Twilight Zone parody. You'll also learn a lot about Oscar De La Hoya and comic books in this week's podcast!

Support this podcast, hear it ad-free, and get 180+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We've reached the end of the month, which means it's once again time for another installment of our community podcast! Join us we discuss the incredible amount of Simpsons news from San Diego Comic-Con and D23, including updates about new Treehouse of Horror and Disney+ exclusive episodes, a new Christmas two-parter, and more. And, as always, we read and respond to your questions and comments from the most recent round of episodes. It's all happening on this month's Talk to the Audience, where we're taking podcasting to strange, new places!

Just as we did for The Simpsons Sing The Blues, we're joined by Alex Navarro from Nextlander to discuss the other novelty album from Springfield. Yes, it's time for us to cover the barely-released oddity The Yellow Album! And we're chatting about it just when it was planned to be released, between the fourth and fifth seasons. But why was it released in 1998? How was there a lost Prince song on it? Who worked on it and who held it back for six years? After a lot of research, we have answers to all that, and then we review all the songs in one epic podcast full of love and commandments!

 Support this podcast, hear it ad-free, and get 180+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We start season five with a first-time guest to help us with this Beatles parody: Katie Plattner, from the podcast Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About The Beatles and Screw It, I'm Just Gonna Talk About Music Or Whatever! As we dive into the magical time of the '80s, we'll guide you through all of the copious Beatles references in this one, as well as the history of how it happened and its ties to Disneyland musicians. So grab some funny foam and listen now!

Support this podcast, hear it ad-free, and get 180+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We welcome back podcaster/comedy writer Mark Malkoff—host of the new podcast Inside Late Night, as well as the very fitting The Carson Podcast—for an epic discussion of the season 4 finale. We dig into SO MUCH of the TV history in this episode, including a ton about Johnny Carson, his relationship to The Simpsons, and how this was one of his final TV appearances. Not to mention so many details on the creation of this episode, like multiple drafts with different guest stars. Is Gabbo fabbo and Krusty rusty? Listen now to learn... that ought to satisfy the little S.O.B.s, hehe. Wait, is this still being written down?

Support this podcast, hear it ad-free, and get 180+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

While The Simpsons news wasn't as busy as the real news this month, there's still a ton to catch up on in the July edition of our monthly community podcast. Not only that, but we had a month full of cool podcast guest appearances mixed with personal annoyances that took up more than a week of our lives. Then we catch up on all the movies/TV/games we experienced in July, tease some special upcoming podcasts, and (as always) respond to our favorite Patreon comments!

Support this podcast, hear it ad-free, and get 180+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We're covering an allegedly prophetic ep of Simpsons, and for that, we're joined once more by Stephen Sajdak, cohost of the We Hate Movies podcast! After the Osaka Flu ravages Springfield, Marge is arrested for shoplifting, and we discuss how much it might mirror the 2020 lockdown. Then we dig into the best Lionel Hutz sequence in the entire series, followed by trying to figure out all the changes in the weird third act. You won't be saying "malaise forever" after this podcast!

Support this podcast, hear it ad-free, and get 180+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

As we close out season 14, we've got returning guest Chris Cabin from the podcast We Hate Movies! Together we celebrate what most call the best episode of the season, thanks to Emmy-winning acting by Hank Azaria, not to mention the stunning direction of Lauren MacMullan. But can this sweet tale of Moe connecting with Maggie survive a whacky third act with the mafia? Grab an orange peel and listen along to find out!

Support this podcast, hear it ad-free, and get 180+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Bart is expelled from school as animal cruelty is celebrated, and for such heady topics we welcome back the cohost of The Flop House Podcast/Emmy-winning writer, Dan McCoy! After Dan explains to us how he won the same award as this episode did, we then detail the origins of Superintendent Chalmers. Then we talk about the less-fun IRL origins of whacking day, explain the many dirty jokes in this ep, and much more, so listen now to see if the bullies win mountain bikes!

Support this podcast, hear it ad-free, and get 180+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

The Talking Simpsons Network is taking a week off, so to fill the content gap, we've decided to post an episode of our Patreon-exclusive Talking Futurama podcast miniseries! If you like this episode and want to hear the rest (with more to come every month), head over to Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up at the $5 level. Once you do, you'll have immediate access to all of our limited miniseries, covering animated shows like King of the Hill, Mission Hill, The Critic, and Batman: The Animated Series. So visit Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up today!

The Talking Simpsons Network is taking a week off, so to fill the content gap, we've decided to post an episode of our Patreon-exclusive Blabbin 'Bout Batman: The Animated Series podcast miniseries! If you like this episode and want to hear the other 20 installments, head over to Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up at the $5 level. Once you do, you'll have immediate access to all of our limited miniseries, covering animated shows like King of the Hill, Mission Hill, The Critic, and Futurama. So visit Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up today!

We've reached the end of the month, which means it's once again time for another installment of our community podcast! Join us as we discuss Bluey taking on The Simpsons, the not-so-mysterious origins of Duff, theme park rumors, and more. And, as always, we read and respond to your questions and comments from the most recent round of episodes. It's all happening on Talk to the Audience?!?, where we are NOT crackpots.

We're joined again by journalist/podcaster Brendan James, cohost of the leftist history podcast Blowback, just in time for an episode inspired by America's wars. After the unexpected reveal that Ned love The Beatles, Bart joins the Pre-Teen Braves. That then leads to an extensive F Troop parody that's a gateway to the secrets of one lead actor on the show. Then it all comes to a head with a line that Fox tried to censor. All that, plus Ralph crashing through a window is born in this week's nondenominational podcast!

Support this podcast and get over 150 bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

In an episode parodying the process of TV comedy writing, we welcome back WGA writer Nick Wiger (also from the podcasts Doughboys and Get Played)! Bart and Lisa get hired to secretly write Itchy & Scratchy in a plot referencing Tiny Toons/the blacklist, all while Abe does the iggy. Meanwhile, Homer goes back to high school for a short time before a Ned Flanders adventure. Listen now to learn all the big changes and deleted scenes in this classic show!

Support this podcast and get over 150 bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

In an ep about asking questions about health and relationships, we're lucky to be joined by Alex Ptak and Jeremy Kaplowitz to answer these queries just like they do on their podcast, Quorators! After Homer takes up walking, Marge takes up an understandable amount of repressed rage leading to a horrible injury. Can the random appearances of Steve Buscemi and Jackson Browne save the day? Listen to this in your own backyard party (or Montana) and find out!

Support this podcast and get over 150 bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!