Judge Me Tender
"Judge Me Tender" | |
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Allen Glazier | |
Production code | MABF15[1] |
Original air date | May 23, 2010 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
Episode features | |
Couch gag | Bart and Homer play puppet show versions of themselves fighting in front of the couch (in the style of Punch and Judy), ending with the real Homer strangling the real Bart in the chamber beneath. |
"Judge Me Tender" is the twenty-third and final episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The 464th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 23, 2010. In the episode, Moe discovers his talent for judging in competitions and is invited to appear on the show American Idol. Meanwhile, Homer drives Marge crazy when he starts spending too much time at home, and Lisa tries to comfort Santa's Little Helper.
The episode was written by
"Judge Me Tender" has received mixed reviews from critics, with many criticizing the cameos from the American Idol judges. They especially criticized Ellen DeGeneres, since she had experience as a voice artist from the movie Finding Nemo. Ratings for the episode were down 14% from the previous week's episode due to competition from the Lost clip show, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Plot
Moe flies to Los Angeles and becomes a protégé of Simon Cowell, who then explains all the details of his job, but before his first show, Cowell shows several clips of people (including Mr. Burns) who think the judgments of Moe are very offensive and became angry with him (with even the usually innocent and good-natured Ralph talking so boldly about Moe that most of his words have to be censored). Cowell warns him to not "become the mean judge, like I did," since he himself does not have many friends. He tries to be more positive, but when Cowell mocks his judgment of a contestant, he realizes that Cowell tricked him; angered, Moe threatens Cowell's life on air, but is apprehended by security and expelled from the building.
Meanwhile, Homer feels bored after Moe closed
Production
"Judge Me Tender" was written by
Cultural references
The title was based on Elvis Presley song's title "Love Me Tender." The chalkboard gag makes a reference to the fact that the episode aired against the series finale of Lost.[4] The couch gag is a parody of the English puppet show, Punch and Judy.[5] The ending of the episode features Jay Leno making a joke about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on The Jay Leno Show.[4] Moe mistakes American Idol with Armenian Idol (Hay Superstar) which, he states, is his favourite show. Upon being informed he is to judge the American one, he inquires who stands for Egor Glumov (one of the judges of the Armenian version). The song playing during the Springfield Annual Classic Car Contest, the Bonsai Tree Contest and the Bully Competition is "Why Can't You Be Nicer to Me?" by
Reception
Ratings and viewership
In its original American broadcast "Judge Me Tender" was viewed by an estimated 5.73 million American households with a 2.5 rating/8 share coming second in its timeslot after a Lost special, becoming the second highest rated show on "Animation Domination" after Family Guy. This represents a 14% decline from the previous episode.[6] The show also came first in its timeslot with teenaged audiences.[7]
The finale was watched by 1.13 million Canadian viewers, making it the 27th highest watched program of the week.[8]
Critical reception
Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a 6.5, stating that it was "Passable" and criticized the fact that while many other episodes take funny jokes at Los Angeles and Fox Broadcasting Company's expense, the ones in this episode fell flat. Canning also said all the guest spots were too "wooden and unfunny," although he remarked that he liked the opening acts.[9]
Sharon Knolle of
TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.0/5, stating, "The show certainly did its job of making us laugh, but we really had high hopes for the finale to a great season."[11]
References
- ^ "U.S. Copyright Office". Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Schedule: May 16 - May 22". FoxFlash. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Scully, Mike. (2007). Commentary for "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday," in The Simpsons: The Complete Tenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c Knolle, Sharon (May 24, 2010). "'The Simpsons' - 'Judge Me Tender' Recap (Season Finale)". HuffPost TV. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ Ponywether, Ariel (May 24, 2010). "Review -- The Simpsons: "Judge Me Tender"". Firefox News. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (May 24, 2010). "TV Ratings: Lost Finale Ratings Season High, But Not Epic, Celebrity Apprentice Finale Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
- ^ "Breaking News - FOX Closes in on Another Season Win". The Futon Critic. May 25, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Canning, Robert (May 24, 2010). "The Simpsons: "Judge Me Tender" Review". IGN. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- VanDerWerff, Emily (May 24, 2010). ""Judge Me Tender"/"You're the Best Man, Cleveland Brown"/"Something, Something, Something, Dark Side"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Hochberger, Eric (May 24, 2010). "The Simpsons Season Finale Review: "Judge Me Tender"". TV Fanatic. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
External links
- "Judge Me Tender" at IMDb