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Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious
The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
Homer's Phobia

You did it! You saved "Itchy & Scratchy"!
Roger Meyers, Jr.
Please sign these papers, indicating you did not save "Itchy & Scratchy".
―The Blue-haired Lawyer to Lisa

"The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" is the fourteenth episode of Season 8.

Synopsis[]

Following a slight fall in the ratings and Lisa telling Roger Meyers, Jr. that The Itchy & Scratchy Show might be getting a little stale, the staff at I&S Studios create a new character, Poochie the dog, and hire Homer to voice him. But when Poochie's premiere episode focuses on him to the exclusion of Itchy and Scratchy's normal violent antics and comes off as annoying and pandering, fans of the show get in an uproar and Homer feels that he's the only one who sees potential in the new character.

Full Story[]

When the ratings for "Itchy and Scratchy" are dropping, Roger Meyers, Jr. gets a suggestion from Lisa that they should rejuvenate the show with the addition of a new character. They follow the animal enemy chain by going "mouse-cat-dog", and then a new character, Poochie is born. Lisa remarks that new characters are just a desperate effort to boost shows with low ratings, and at this point a character named Roy walks into the living room. It is suggested that he has been living with the Simpsons for some time.

Still, at the encouragement of the rest of his family, Homer auditions for the voice of Poochie, and he gets the job. Homer then meets June Bellamy, who does the voices for Itchy and Scratchy. He makes friends with her when he fires back at nerds and engrossed fans at a comic book convention.

When the debut cartoon premieres, it gets the worst reviews ever. For once this is not Homer's fault, but due to poor writing Poochie prevented the violence that the viewers love, causing everyone to hate Poochie, he overhears the staff saying they should kill him off.

Homiereadspppch

When Roger Meyers, Jr. says that Homer is too much trouble and he could be laid off, June Bellamy comes to his defense by putting her foot down. At the next episode's recording, Homer reads lines that he wrote himself about how no one likes him (Poochie) initially, but they should give him another chance. By the time the episode airs, the company had amateurishly substituted Homer's speech with new dialogue, saying Poochie has returned to his home planet and died along the way. Everyone is excited about Poochie dying except for Homer. He soon gets over his disappointment, Roy declares that he is moving out, Itchy and Scratchy go back to their basics and their ratings are better than ever, but Bart and Lisa soon become bored with the show and ask what else is on. The episode ends with Lisa clicking the TV to static.

Behind the Laughter[]

Production[]

The addition of Roy is a reference to a suggestion made by Fox executives that the writers add a new character to the show to live with the Simpsons and "liven up the show". The staff rejected the idea and inserted Roy, without explanation, as a joke. Roy was previously planned to appear in one of the alternate universes of "Time and Punishment".

The original plan for Poochie was that he would be incredibly rich and would enslave Itchy and Scratchy in his gold mine. Itchy and Scratchy would plan to kill Poochie, but fail and die themselves.

Steven Dean Moore's cel with the episode number was lifted up after Poochie (dubbed by Roger Myers) proclaimed, "I have to go now. My planet needs me," according to the audio commentary. He told them how to the lift the cel up. 

Reception[]

This episode is often seen as a metaphor for The Simpsons' own issues with quality and trying to keep fresh and relevant as a long-running show.

Citations[]

Krusty The ClownKrusty the Clown Show Characters, Locations and Key Episodes
Krusty the Clown | Sideshow Bob | Sideshow Mel | Sophie Krustofsky | Mr. Teeny

Krusty Burger | Clown College | Kamp Krusty
Krusty Gets Busted | Itchy & Scratchy & Marge | Like Father, Like Clown | Kamp Krusty | Krusty Gets Kancelled | Bart Gets Famous | Homie the Clown | Bart the Fink | The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show | The Last Temptation of Krust | Insane Clown Poppy | Day of the Jackanapes | Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington | Today, I Am a Clown | Yokel Chords | All About Lisa | Once Upon a Time in Springfield | The Ten-Per-Cent Solution | Clown in the Dumps | The Nightmare After Krustmas | Fears of a Clown | Krusty the Clown (episode) | The Clown Stays in the Picture

Season 7 Season 8 Episodes Season 9
Treehouse of Horror VIIYou Only Move TwiceThe Homer They FallBurns, Baby BurnsBart After DarkA Milhouse DividedLisa's Date with DensityHurricane NeddyEl Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)The Springfield FilesThe Twisted World of Marge SimpsonMountain of MadnessSimpsoncalifragilisticexpiala-D'oh-ciousThe Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie ShowHomer's PhobiaBrother from Another SeriesMy Sister, My SitterHomer vs. the Eighteenth AmendmentGrade School ConfidentialThe Canine MutinyThe Old Man and the LisaIn Marge We TrustHomer's EnemyThe Simpsons Spin-Off ShowcaseThe Secret War of Lisa Simpson
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