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Behind the Laughter
"Behind the Laughter" is the twenty-second and final episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 2000. In the episode, a parody of the VH1 series Behind the Music, the Simpsons are portrayed as actors on a sitcom, and their dramatic inner turmoil and struggles are detailed. Told in a mockumentary format, the episode presents a fictional version of how The Simpsons began.
The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by Tim Long, George Meyer, Mike Scully and Matt Selman. The idea was pitched by Long, and the writers wrote the episode quickly without a draft. VH1 and the producers of Behind the Music allowed the crew to use the show's visual graphics package, and Behind the Music narrator Jim Forbes recorded narrations. In addition, country musician Willie Nelson guest stars as himself.
The episode received critical acclaim, with many reviewers noting it as a highlight of the season and the series itself, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour) in 2000. In addition, composer Alf Clausen won an Annie Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Television Production".
In May 2004, the BBC chose it as the last episode to be aired, having lost the terrestrial broadcasting rights in February 2002 to Channel 4, who later aired the series in November 2004.
The episode is a parody of the VH1 biography series Behind the Music and shares its narrator, Jim Forbes. It begins with the Simpson family history and how they got into show business: believing that families depicted in the numerous TV shows they watch together bear no resemblance to their comparative dysfunctionalism, Homer writes and directs an inadequate video "pilot" that fails to attract the attention of the major networks except for Fox, as its president happens to be Marge's hairdresser. After much fine-tuning and on-set mishaps produce many of the show's running gags, The Simpsons' resounding ratings and merchandising success makes the family extraordinarily wealthy; having moved out of their house on Evergreen Terrace to live in MC Hammer's former mansion, "Hammertime" (renamed "Homertime"), they expand their scope by working with David Geffen on a series of Grammy-winning, "mega-platinum" novelty albums.
Problems begin to arise as the Simpsons' fame grows: they become reckless spendthrifts, alternating between buying their colleagues extravagant gifts and paying them to perform embarrassing acts for their amusement. When Homer is injured after plummeting into Springfield Gorge (as seen in "Bart the Daredevil"), he becomes addicted to prescription painkillers; Marge blows much of the family's fortune on licensing her likeness for use on diaphragms, and Bart goes into rehab after attacking flight attendants, with his role on the show being temporarily filled out by his friend Richie Rich. Following a tip from Apu, the IRS discovers that the Simpsons are evading tax payments and repossess Homertime. As tensions mount in the family, the show's writing and production team resort to gimmicky, nonsensical plots and shameless guest star appearances to maintain ratings. Finally, while performing with Jimmy Carter at the Iowa State Fair, the family gets into a big dispute and splits up.
Fox puts the show on hiatus since none of the Simpsons will talk to each other. The members pursue independent endeavors: Homer becomes a character actor in stage productions such as Rent II: Condo Fever; Bart replaces Lorenzo Lamas as the star of the syndicated action show Renegade; Marge creates a nightclub act performing Bob Marley's song "I Shot the Sheriff"; and Lisa writes Where Are My Residuals?, a tell-all book about her negative experiences from working on the show, such as Homer's spiking of her cereal with anti-growth hormones. Bringing the family back together seems impossible until Dr. Hibbert's old fraternity brother, country singer Willie Nelson, puts on a phony awards ceremony to reconcile the family. In an emotional reunion, they embrace and forgive their mistakes, and look forward to many more years of The Simpsons.
The episode ends with an epilogue, in which Forbes states, "...the future looks brighter than ever for this northern Kentucky family". Following the epilogue, the Simpson family is shown in a video editing room, viewing a scene from an upcoming episode from the next season, in which the family wins a trip to Delaware. Seemingly in response to the stilted and unfunny quality of the proceedings, Homer quietly assures the editor that the next season will be the last. The final scene is a mock teaser for an "upcoming episode" of Behind the Laughter about Huckleberry Hound, in which he reveals that he is gay.
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Behind the Laughter
"Behind the Laughter" is the twenty-second and final episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 2000. In the episode, a parody of the VH1 series Behind the Music, the Simpsons are portrayed as actors on a sitcom, and their dramatic inner turmoil and struggles are detailed. Told in a mockumentary format, the episode presents a fictional version of how The Simpsons began.
The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by Tim Long, George Meyer, Mike Scully and Matt Selman. The idea was pitched by Long, and the writers wrote the episode quickly without a draft. VH1 and the producers of Behind the Music allowed the crew to use the show's visual graphics package, and Behind the Music narrator Jim Forbes recorded narrations. In addition, country musician Willie Nelson guest stars as himself.
The episode received critical acclaim, with many reviewers noting it as a highlight of the season and the series itself, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour) in 2000. In addition, composer Alf Clausen won an Annie Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Television Production".
In May 2004, the BBC chose it as the last episode to be aired, having lost the terrestrial broadcasting rights in February 2002 to Channel 4, who later aired the series in November 2004.
The episode is a parody of the VH1 biography series Behind the Music and shares its narrator, Jim Forbes. It begins with the Simpson family history and how they got into show business: believing that families depicted in the numerous TV shows they watch together bear no resemblance to their comparative dysfunctionalism, Homer writes and directs an inadequate video "pilot" that fails to attract the attention of the major networks except for Fox, as its president happens to be Marge's hairdresser. After much fine-tuning and on-set mishaps produce many of the show's running gags, The Simpsons' resounding ratings and merchandising success makes the family extraordinarily wealthy; having moved out of their house on Evergreen Terrace to live in MC Hammer's former mansion, "Hammertime" (renamed "Homertime"), they expand their scope by working with David Geffen on a series of Grammy-winning, "mega-platinum" novelty albums.
Problems begin to arise as the Simpsons' fame grows: they become reckless spendthrifts, alternating between buying their colleagues extravagant gifts and paying them to perform embarrassing acts for their amusement. When Homer is injured after plummeting into Springfield Gorge (as seen in "Bart the Daredevil"), he becomes addicted to prescription painkillers; Marge blows much of the family's fortune on licensing her likeness for use on diaphragms, and Bart goes into rehab after attacking flight attendants, with his role on the show being temporarily filled out by his friend Richie Rich. Following a tip from Apu, the IRS discovers that the Simpsons are evading tax payments and repossess Homertime. As tensions mount in the family, the show's writing and production team resort to gimmicky, nonsensical plots and shameless guest star appearances to maintain ratings. Finally, while performing with Jimmy Carter at the Iowa State Fair, the family gets into a big dispute and splits up.
Fox puts the show on hiatus since none of the Simpsons will talk to each other. The members pursue independent endeavors: Homer becomes a character actor in stage productions such as Rent II: Condo Fever; Bart replaces Lorenzo Lamas as the star of the syndicated action show Renegade; Marge creates a nightclub act performing Bob Marley's song "I Shot the Sheriff"; and Lisa writes Where Are My Residuals?, a tell-all book about her negative experiences from working on the show, such as Homer's spiking of her cereal with anti-growth hormones. Bringing the family back together seems impossible until Dr. Hibbert's old fraternity brother, country singer Willie Nelson, puts on a phony awards ceremony to reconcile the family. In an emotional reunion, they embrace and forgive their mistakes, and look forward to many more years of The Simpsons.
The episode ends with an epilogue, in which Forbes states, "...the future looks brighter than ever for this northern Kentucky family". Following the epilogue, the Simpson family is shown in a video editing room, viewing a scene from an upcoming episode from the next season, in which the family wins a trip to Delaware. Seemingly in response to the stilted and unfunny quality of the proceedings, Homer quietly assures the editor that the next season will be the last. The final scene is a mock teaser for an "upcoming episode" of Behind the Laughter about Huckleberry Hound, in which he reveals that he is gay.