Pranks and Greens
| "Pranks and Greens" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 21 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Chuck Sheetz |
| Written by | Jeff Westbrook |
| Production code | LABF18 |
| Original air date | November 22, 2009 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
| Episode features | |
Couch gag | The family (dressed as Christmas carolers) sings a parody of the last verse of The Twelve Days of Christmas, featuring many ancillary characters. |
"Pranks and Greens" is the sixth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 22, 2009. In this episode, Bart tracks down an immature, college-aged man named Andy Hamilton who was once hailed Springfield Elementary's best prankster and encourages him to do something with his life.
The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Chuck Sheetz.
It was watched by approximately 7.03 million viewers during its original airing.
Plot
After
Bart meets Andy and discovers that he is unemployed and lives with his mother. When Lisa suggests Andy is a loser, Bart gets him a job as Krusty the Clown's assistant as a favor Krusty owes him, but is angry when Andy quits after one day. Bart gets him rehired and goes to check Andy's progress. When a truck full of earthworms labelled "Prank Grade" drives into the studio, Bart is terrified that Andy is repeating the "Night of the Wigglers" prank and that Krusty will end up a loser like Skinner. He discovers however that it is part of the show, and that Andy has been hired as a head writer for Krusty's show and has a girlfriend, much to Bart's delight. Despite Andy's success, Lisa still thinks that he is a loser, believing that writing for a comedy show is no better than the life of a prankster.
Meanwhile,
Production
In August 2009, Fox announced that Jonah Hill would guest star as Andy, the best prankster ever at Springfield Elementary.[1][2] Hill estimated that he had written 100 Simpsons scripts as a child. He sent letters with ideas to the show's writers but received no response. While recording, he was able to tour the writers' room.[3]
Reception
"Pranks and Greens" received generally positive reviews.
IGN's Robert Canning gave it a 6.9/10 saying that "the episode had a good start, but veered into a less than impressive direction and Marge's storyline, while cute in parts, was really just filler more than anything else".[4]
Jason Hughes of AOL TV said, "This was a pretty well-structured episode, in that it might even give Bart some hope and direction for his own life...It adds something to the character of Bart to have an older prankster in town, whether he's successful or not."[6]
The episode was viewed by 7.03 million viewers with a rating share of 3.3/8, making it the second most viewed episode on Animation Domination after Family Guy, making The Simpsons come in at 24th in the ratings for this week.[7][8] A later rerun got 8.14 million and a rating of 4.8/8 more than the original airing and was 20th in the weekly ratings and 9th in the 18 and 49 rating making it the highest rated show on Fox.[9]
References
- ^ Bruno, Mike (August 6, 2009). "'Simpsons' guest voices for upcoming season include Seth Rogen, Anne Hathaway". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ "Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Anne Hathaway, Chris Martin, Sarah Silverman, Angela Bassett, Chuck Liddell, Jackie Mason, Neve Campbell, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Bob Costas and the Late Eartha Kitt Among Guest Voices on 21st Season of "The Simpsons"". The Futon Critic. August 6, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ Ryan, Patrick (October 17, 2018). "How 'The Simpsons' inspired Jonah Hill to step behind the camera for 'Mid90s'". USA Today. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ Canning, Robert (November 23, 2009). "The Simpsons: "Pranks and Greens" Review". IGN. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- VanDerWerff, Emily (November 23, 2009). ""Pranks and Greens"/"A Brown Thanksgiving"/"Jerome is the New Black"/"My Morning Straitjacket"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ Hughes, Jason (November 23, 2009). "Review: The Simpsons - Pranks and Greens". HuffPost TV. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (November 23, 2009). "TV Ratings Sunday: American Music Awards Rivals Football; Cold Case No Better At 9pm". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (November 24, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football, AMAs, Grey's, Big Bang, House and NCIS top weekly broadcast charts". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (December 22, 2009). "TV Ratings: New episodes of Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Survivor and NCIS propel CBS to top of charts". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 25, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
External links
- "Pranks and Greens" at IMDb
