AlthoughThe Simpsonsseason 9, episode 11 features one of my favorite jokes the show has ever done, that did not stop the outing from becoming infamously unpopular among viewers.The Simpsonsis officially the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show in history, so it is hardly a surprise that not all the show’s episodes work. I have some issues with themodern humor ofThe Simpsons, even though seasons 34-36 have seen a massive improvement on their predecessors in many regards.
Still, asThe Simpsonsseason 37’s renewalapproaches, it is worth looking back on the episodes that fans truly couldn’t stand. Even theGolden Age ofThe Simpsonshas a handful of outings that viewers despised, despite how comparatively inoffensive they may now seem.The Simpsonsis one of the most influential shows in TV history and a major precedent for later hits likeBob’s Burgers,Family Guy,Rick and Morty, andSouth Park. However, even this classic series misses the mark on occasion.
Why The Simpsons Season 9 Episode 11 Is So Hated
The Simpsons’ Musical Clip Show Proved Incredibly Divisive
Most of the time,episodes ofThe Simpsonsthat earn low ratings onIMDbusually have obvious, famous flaws. There is the infamous season 9, episode 2, “The Principal and the Pauper,” which retconned Principal Skinner’s entire personality in an instant. There is season 13, episode 17, “Gump Roast,” the last clip show thatThe Simpsonsproduced and the most negatively received of the five. Then there are episodes that relied heavily on cameos from famous guest stars and didn’t provide a compelling plot to back up their presence.
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Outings like season 26, episode 12, “The Musk Who Fell to Earth,” and season 23, episode 22, “Lisa Goes Gaga” were reviled by the fan base for failing to feel like more than mere celebrations of their guest stars. While some of thedarkest episodes ofThe Simpsonshave also been criticized for taking things too far and episodes like season 11, episode 13, “Saddlesore Galactica,” earned opprobrium for being too silly, season 9, episode 11, “All Singing, All Dancing,” is a standout in terms of the show’s reception.
The fan base’s overwhelmingly negative reaction is weirdly extreme considering how funny the episode is.
With a rating of 5.0 onIMDb, “All Singing, All Dancing” has a worse critical reception than every other infamously bad episode outside “Lisa Goes Gaga.” This is striking considering how popular and acclaimed season 9 is as a whole, and is seemingly due to the fact that “All Singing, All Dancing” is a clip show and a musical, both of which can be divisive. However, the fan base’s overwhelmingly negative reaction is still weirdly extreme considering how funny the episode is.
The Simpsons Season 9 Episode 11 Features An All-Time Great Gag
“All Singing, All Dancing” Is The Simpsons’ First Musical Clip Show
Most of the episode “All Singing, All Dancing” is sung through, consisting of Marge and Lisa reminding Bart and Homer that they love musicals, while the duo try to deny this. This conversation sets up the many flashbacks to earlier musical numbers that make up the episode’s clips. However, near the start of the episode,the entire conflict begins because Homer picks up the wrong movie at the video store. Whilemany classicSimpsonsgags like Sideshow Bob’s rakesrely on cartoonish slapstick, my favorite one-liner from the episode is a verbal gag.
Homer apologizes for getting a Western for a family movie night instead of a melodrama because, “Well, they put us on the Waiting to Exhale waiting list, but they said don’t hold your breath.” This layered pun is a testament to the show’s Golden Age writing and the level of effortThe Simpsonsput into even the show’s clip shows during its prime. There’s the “Waiting to Exhale waiting list” joke, the “Don’t hold your breath" punchline, and the inherent comedy value of picturing Bart and Lisa watching such a distinctly mature melodrama with their parents.
Why “All Singing, All Dancing” Actually Gets Better Upon Rewatch
The Simpsons’ Musical Episode Is Almost Entirely Sung Through
The “Waiting to Exhale waiting list” gag alone proves that“All Singing, All Dancing” is far from a low-effort clip show like “Gump Roast.”However, when I re-watched the episode for the article, I was struck by just how much effort went into the outing. “All Singing, All Dancing” is entirely sung through save for a few lines of dialogue at the start and end of the episode, which is a wild achievement for any series. What makes this even more notable is just how few shows had attempted musical episodes before this point.
In the decades that followed, the musical episode would become a TV staple thanks to the likes ofGrey’s Anatomy,Scrubs, and, of course, the iconicBuffy the Vampire Slayerepisode “Once More, With Feeling.”However, it is vital to note that “All Singing, All Dancing” predates that seminalBuffy the Vampire Slayerouting by years. Almost the entire episode is a functional musical and the clip show arrived three years before “Once More, With Feeling” became arguably the most acclaimedBuffy the Vampire Slayerepisode in the show’s history.
Can The Simpsons Replicate “All Singing, All Dancing” in 2025?
The Cultural Shift In Attitudes Toward Clip Shows Makes This Hard To Pull Off
“All Singing, All Dancing” isn’t perfect, and its songs admittedly aren’t as memorable as those found in other show’s musical episodes. When viewed as a musical episode, it is an undeniably low-effort affair compared to “Once More With Feeling,” orScrubsseason 6, episode 6, “My Musical.” However, when viewed as a clip show, it is fair to say that“All Singing, All Dancing" is one of the best clip shows ever, and one of the most unfairly maligned episodes ofThe Simpsons.
I can’t see howThe Simpsonsseason 36 would replicate the episode in 2025, even if the show’s creators were willing to face the same poor reception as before.
That being said, I can’t see howThe Simpsonsseason 36 would replicate the episode in 2025, even if the show’s creators were willing to face the same poor reception as before.The Simpsonsseason 36’s Disney+ specialsprove the show isn’t averse to taking creative risks, but there is a reason the series hasn’t attempted another clip show since 2002.
Clip shows fell out of fashion in the early ‘00s and never returned to popularity, most likely due to the perceived low effort of their production. This wasn’t helped byRick and Mortyseason 3, episode 8, “Morty’s Mind Blowers,”Communityseason 2, episode 21, “Paradigms of Human Memory,” andSit Down Shut Upepisode 4, “Back in Time,” all parodying the very premise of clip shows and mocking their apparent laziness. These shows would make it even harder forThe Simpsonsto find a fresh take on clip shows decades after the underrated “All Singing, All Dancing.”
