The Simpsons (season 17)

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The Simpsons celebrate Labor Day in this promotional artwork for the series' 17th season.

The Simpsons' 17th season (September 2005 - May 2006) began on Sunday, September 11, 2005, breaking Fox's tradition of pushing its shows' season premieres back to November to accommodate the Major League Baseball games airing on the network during September and October of each year. ^[1]

The show runner for season 17 is Al Jean, his sixth year in the position since his start in season 13 (2001), and supervising director of animation is David Silverman. New writers this season include Patric Verrone (previously a writer on Futurama and president of the Writers Guild of America), Daniel Chun, and Stephane Gillis.

The season contains seven hold-over episodes from the season 16 (GABF) production line. One of these episodes, "The Girl Who Slept Too Little", was intended to air as the season 16 finale on May 15, 2005, but after "The Father, The Son, and The Holy Guest Star", an episode satirizing the Catholic Church – which was originally scheduled to air on April 10, 2005 – was postponed due to Pope John Paul II's death the previous week ^[2], it was pushed back to air in this season.

This season, The Seemingly Never-Ending Story won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Series, the first Simpsons episode to win since Season 14's Three Gays of the Condo and the ninth time in the history of the show.

[edit] List of episodes

#	Airdate	Prod. Code	Viewers (millions)	Title
357 - 1701	September 11	GABF18	11.1	Bonfire of the Manatees
After Homer allows the Mob to shoot a "snuggle" film in the house without Marge's permission, she leaves him and meets a marine biologist. Alec Baldwin guest stars

358 - 1702	September 18	GABF16	9.99	The Girl Who Slept Too Little
Lisa suffers from insomnia when a cemetery is built next to the Simpsons household.

359 - 1703	September 25	GABF19	10.46	Milhouse of Sand and Fog
Homer tries to capitalize on a "pox party" after Maggie is infected with chicken pox. After Milhouse's parents get back together, he tries to separate them to get more attention.

360 - 1704	November 6	GABF17	11.65	Treehouse of Horror XVI
B.I.: Bartificial Intelligence – After Bart falls into a possibly-permanent coma, the family decide to get a robot boy to replace him. Survival of the Fattest – Homer and others are unwilling contestants on "The World Series of Manhunter", a survival game where Mr Burns tries to kill them all. I've Grown a Costume on Your Face – A witch turns the townspeople into their Halloween costumes, and only Maggie has the power to change them back. Terry Bradshaw and Dennis Rodman guest star

361 - 1705	November 13	GABF20	11.41	Marge's Son Poisoning
Bart finds himself increasingly spending time with Marge until school bullies accuse him of being a "mama's boy". Homer purchases a dumb-bell, and after his right arm becomes muscular after thousands of reps, Moe encourages him to enter an arm-wrestling tournament.

362 - 1706	November 20	GABF21	10.31	See Homer Run
In order to win back Lisa's love, Homer takes a job as a costumed "Safety Salamander," in the process winning public acclaim for saving numerous lives after an auto pile-up. Emboldened, he runs against Mayor Quimby after the citizens of Springfield demand a recall election.

363 - 1707	November 27	GABF22	11.46	The Last of the Red Hat Mamas
Marge joins a woman's group after Homer gets distanced from her. Lisa is taught Italian by Milhouse in order to enjoy a vacation there. Lily Tomlin guest stars

364 - 1708	December 11	HABF02	10.39	The Italian Bob
After Mr. Burns crashes his car, he sends Homer and the family off to Italy to pick up his new fancy sports car. While on their Italian adventure, the Simpsons end up stranded in a small Italian village where a rehabilitated Sideshow Bob reigns as mayor. Sideshow Bob impresses the Simpsons enough so that they keep his sordid past a secret until one of the family members, in a wine-induced state, spills the beans. Maria Grazia Cucinotta and Kelsey Grammer guest star

365 - 1709	December 18	HABF01	9.93	Simpsons Christmas Stories
A Christmas episode, consisting of three stories: The First (Annoyed Grunt)-El - Homer gives a nativity sermon in church. I Saw Grampa Cussing Santa Claus - Mr. Burns and Grampa are stranded on an island, in a World War II flashback. The Nutcracker...Sweet - A parody of The Nutcracker.

366 - 1710	January 8	HABF03	10.11	Homer's Paternity Coot
Marge uncovers a 40-year old letter to Homer's mother which suggests that Grampa may not be Homer's real father. Michael York, William H. Macy and Joe Frazier guest stars

367 - 1711	January 29	HABF04	8.97	We're on the Road to D'ohwhere
After Bart steals a key from Principal Skinner's office and gets himself into hot water, Marge and Homer send him to a "behavior modification camp." Homer is forced to cancel his much-anticipated trip to Las Vegas in order to drive Bart to the camp, but on the way there, Homer decides it's a great time to bond with Bart.

368 - 1712	February 26	HABF05	9.51	My Fair Laddy
When Bart accidentally destroys Groundskeeper Willie's shack, Marge takes in the homeless janitor. Lisa decides to offer Willie a better life by refining him for her upcoming science fair, and after an arduous regimen, she turns the curmudgeon into the talk of the town. Meanwhile, Homer fears changing trouser styles when he discovers the factory that makes his classic blue pants is going out of business.

369 - 1713	March 12	HABF06	9.71	The Seemingly Never-Ending Story
While cave exploring with his family, Homer causes the cave to crumble and finds himself stuck upside down in the ceiling. Marge and Bart search for help while Lisa passes the time by telling Homer a story, which turns into a chain of narrated tales. Emmy Award winning episode for Season 17.

370 - 1714	March 19	HABF07	8.66	Bart Has Two Mommies
Ned Flanders wins a new computer and offers it to Marge, as he has no use for it. In return, Marge babysits the Flanders children. With Marge spending so much time at The Flanders', Homer must look after Bart and Lisa. Homer takes the kids to an animal retirement home, but the trip goes awry when Toot-Toot the monkey pulls Bart into her cage and holds him hostage. Marge learns of the kidnapping when it is a breaking news report and she must figure out a way to get her son back. Susan Sarandon and Randy Johnson guest star

371 - 1715	March 26	HABF08	10.09	Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife
Homer's obsession with Lenny's new plasma TV prompts Marge to enter the family in a sweepstakes, and they win a trip to the Fox Studio Lot. Against Marge's wishes, Homer signs them up for a "Trading Spouses"-type show and is forced to take in a controlling wife, while Marge moves in with a beaten-down husband, Charlie, and his perfect son. Charlie quickly develops a crush on Marge, while she tries to give him the strength to stand up to his own wife. Written by and guest-starring Ricky Gervais.

372 - 1716	April 2	HABF09	7.84	Million Dollar Abie
When Springfield builds a new stadium for a new NFL team, Grampa is driven to suicide when he makes the new NFL team go to another place. However, Grampa is given a second chance and he intends to live his life to the fullest as a bullfighter in Springfield's new bullring.

373 - 1717	April 9	HABF10	8.27	Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore
Patty and Selma abduct their long-loved MacGyver star, Richard Dean Anderson, when he visits Springfield. Meanwhile, Mr. Burns outsources the nuclear plant to India. Richard Dean Anderson guest stars

374 - 1718	April 23	HABF11	7.04	The Wettest Stories Ever Told
A dinner at the Frying Dutchman gone wrong turns into an excuse for another anthology show, this time with a nautical theme - Lisa tells about the Mayflower voyage, Bart tells about mutiny in Tahiti, and Homer tells about capsizing cruise ships

375 - 1719	April 30	HABF12	8.7	Girls Just Want To Have Sums
Frances McDormand guest voices as the new principal at Springfield Elementary (after Skinner is fired following a sexist remark made at a performance of Itchy & Scratchy: The Musical) - or at least, what was Springfield Elementary, before she turns it into separate boys-only and girls-only schools, prompting Lisa, who realizes that the girls aren't being taught very much (especially in math) to masquerade as a boy so she can attend the boys' school and actually learn something important. Frances McDormand guest stars

376 - 1720	May 7	HABF13	8.52	Regarding Margie
Marge did not read those "use only in a well-ventilated area" warnings on the cleaning bottles carefully enough while she was spring cleaning, as she can no longer remember a few things, like the fact that she is married

377 - 1721	May 14	HABF14	8.31	The Monkey Suit
Lisa is arrested for defying the new law in Springfield against teaching evolution after Reverend Lovejoy is appointed by Mayor Quimby (at Ned Flanders's request) to be the town's new "morality czar" in charge of promoting creationism; can a comment made in the show's first season come back to save her? Melanie Griffith and Larry Hagman guest star

378 - 1722	May 21	HABF16	8.23	Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play
The Springfield Isotopes's star second baseman sees Homer and Marge kissing on the Jumbotron and asks them to help him with his marriage, but when Homer gets caught giving a neck massage to the player's wife, it's a twin bill of marital ill. Mandy Moore guest stars