Behind the Laughter (21 May 2000)

The Simpsons discuss their fame in a behind the scenes look at the show.

Director:

Mark Kirkland

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator), James L. Brooks (developer),

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / Grampa / Krusty / Ozzy Osbourne / Kodos / Woody Allen (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Moe Szyslak / Director / Carl / Comic Book Guy / Chief Wiggum / Apu / Bobby / Lawyer (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Lenny / Principal Skinner / Second Director / Kang / Dr. Hibbert (voice)
Marcia Wallace	...	Edna Krabappel (voice) (archive footage)
Tress MacNeille	...	Queen Elizabeth II / Richie Rich / Actress / Woman Partner / Gloria Allred (voice)
Karl Wiedergott	...	Jimmy Carter / Huckleberry Hound (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Buzz Aldrin	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Gary Coleman	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Jim Forbes	...	Narrator (voice)
Stephen Hawking	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Tom Kite	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Willie Nelson	...	Himself (voice)

Storyline

A parody documentary in the style of the show 'Behind the Music' uses clips from previous episodes to show how the Simpsons first became famous and the problems that the fame brought them, culminating in an acrimonious break-up. However they all get back together again to appear in a supposed awards show hosted by Willie Nelson but specifically designed to engineer their reunion.

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Plot Keywords:

behind the scenes | clip show | mock documentary | bleeped dialogue | 2d animation

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 May 2000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The narrator announces "this northern Kentucky family...", so with this information, Springfield is generally thought to be in Kentucky. However, the narrator was indicating that the family originally came from Kentucky, but that is not where they live currently. Furthermore, the DVD subtitles say "southern Missouri" instead of "northern Kentucky", emphasizing the gag that the location of Springfield is unknown.

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Quotes

Narrator: For the Simpsons, everything was coming up roses. But those roses contained ready-to-sting bees.

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Connections

Features The Simpsons: The Principal and the Pauper (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Simpsons Boogie"
(uncredited)
Performed by Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, and Yeardley Smith

User Reviews

One of my favourite episodes-TOP 10!

The Simpsons episode "behind the laughter"is one of my all time favourite Simpsons episodes and it is without a doubt in my top ten,the episode is a parody of V.H.1s behind the music saying that Homer decided to make a show of his family and tried to get it onto a major network,but he wasn't able to get past the guards but Marge then found out that her hairdresser was the owner of Fox studios,so Fox then ordered 13 episodes for their first season and the show was an instant hit,Bart first knew that the show was a hit when he came into school and saw a kid wearing a Bart Simpson t-shirt,and all the Simpsons merchandise were selling like crazy,but on their second season their show started facing problems,fame was going over their heads and the family splits up and Fox puts the show on hiatus,behind the laughter is a brilliant Simpsons and it is a absolute must see.