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Treehouse of Horror XV

Cultural References[]

  • The title of the episode is a play on the name of James L. Brooks' 1987 film, Broadcast News. Brooks is also a co-developer and producer of The Simpsons. Gracie Films produced Broadcast News. Another parody of the film's title appears in the Season 2 episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment", where Bart invites a bunch of his fellow school students to watch "Broadcast Nudes" on cable television.
  • The Squeaky-Voiced Teen jumps off Geezer Rock, depressed due to the cancellation of Futurama, a show that was created by Simpsons creator Matt Groening.
    • It should be noted that the joke has since aged well and aged horribly simultaneously, as Futurama would later be shown in reruns on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim line-up and have four made-for-DVD films released before Comedy Central offered Groening the chance to make new episodes of the show in 2008. However, Futurama would be canceled again in 2013, but not before the crossover episode "Simpsorama" would air as a Simpsons episode. As of 2023, Futurama will once again be revived with a 20-episode run on the streaming service Hulu.
  • The collapse of Geezer Rock is a reference to when the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in 2003.
  • The title of the Itchy and Scratchy short, What's Nuked, Pussycat? is a play on What's New, Pussycat?
  • This is the second episode of the series to have the hit song from the Spice Girls, Wannabe to be played, the first was from "Maximum Homerdrive".
  • The band Blood, Sweat, and Tears plays one of its songs (Spinning Wheel, 1968) during Geezer Rock's birthday, although Mayor Quimby made a comment that indicated that Sweat had died recently.

Censorship[]

  • The UK syndicated version censors Groundskeeper Willie's comment about the new tractors being "shite". In the US, the same line is edited, only "shite" is bleeped out (as opposed to the UK version where the line is just cut down to "I finished reviewing the new tractors.") The full line is: "I finished reviewing the new tractors - they're all shite!"
  • The UK syndicated version also cuts out the Squeaky-Voiced Teen committing suicide over Futurama getting canceled (at the time) and landing in another teenager's car, and Mr. Burns' suckling on a mother mole during his harrowing story of how he escaped getting crushed by rocks.

Trivia[]

  • Mr. Burns is shown to be physically weaker than an ant in this episode.
  • The promo image for the episode parodies the headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead", a headline from a 1975 edition of the New York Daily News covering President Gerald Ford's refusal to bail out a near-bankrupt New York City.
  • This was the last Simpsons episode to be broadcast by the BBC, two years before they lost the broadcasting rights to Channel 4.
  • Lisa says Homer's annoyed grunt in this episode.
  • This episode reveals that Mr. Burns had a league in his office, who unfortunately died due to lack of air.
  • Marge and Homer's anniversary seems to take place in this episode, and Homer spends it making a better paper for Lisa.

Goofs[]

  • When the astronaut is shown reading the Red Dress Press during a space walk, the shot is reversed, with Florida and Cuba shown on the west coast of North America.
  • In Skinner's flashback, he is captured in 1968. However, in "I Love Lisa", he is shown to be a free soldier in 1969. Considering how the episode The Principal and the Pauper (and, to a lesser extent, the flashback from Skinner's Sense of Snow where Skinner saw his friend get eaten by an elephant) threw Principal Skinner's Vietnam War days for a loop, it's best not to take this goof seriously. Also, he could have been captured in 1968 and escaped before 1969.
  • After Burns sticks his tongue to eat the cockroach, only its body falls off while he eats the legs, but when he ate a caterpillar and another cockroach, he ate their whole bodies entirely.
  • It is unknown how the shrew was brought to Burn's mansion.
  • During the scene where Ralph starts to run in circles, he looks a lot bigger than normal.

Production Notes[]

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October 3, 2003

  • The final draft of this episode is dated October 3, 2003.[1]

References[]


Season 14 Season 15 References/Trivia Season 16
Treehouse of Horror XIVMy Mother the CarjackerThe President Wore PearlsThe Regina MonologuesThe Fat and the FurriestToday, I Am a Clown'Tis the Fifteenth SeasonMarge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and GaysI, D'oh-BotDiatribe of a Mad HousewifeMargical History TourMilhouse Doesn't Live Here AnymoreSmart and SmarterThe Ziff Who Came to DinnerCo-Dependent's DayThe Wandering JuvieMy Big Fat Geek WeddingCatch 'Em if You CanSimple SimpsonThe Way We Weren'tBart-Mangled BannerFraudcast News
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