Tennis the Menace (11 Feb. 2001)

Homer installs a tennis court in the backyard, but his lousy playing creates a rift in the family.

Director:

Jen Kamerman

Writers:

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

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / Grampa / News Director / Rook / King / Sideshow Mel / Krusty (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Moe Szyslak / Chief Wiggum / Yiddisha Guy / Director / Carl / Lou (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Montgomery Burns / Waylon Smithers / Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Comedian / Jasper / Lenny / Hibbert (voice)
Marcia Wallace	...	Edna Krabappel (voice)
Tress MacNeille	...	Stephanie (voice)
Pamela Hayden	...	Weeping Widow (voice)
Karl Wiedergott	...	Pawn (voice)
Marcia Mitzman Gaven	...	Helen Lovejoy (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andre Agassi	...	Himself (voice)
Pete Sampras	...	Himself (voice)
Serena Williams	...	Herself (voice)
Venus Williams	...	Herself (voice)

Storyline

Homer builds a tennis court and plays the game with Marge. However he is predictably dreadful so that,when the family enter Krusty the Klown's pro-am charity tournament,she dumps him and partners the superior Bart instead. As the game progresses they are joined on court by the Williams sisters,Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras,to whose professional superiority they ultimately bow down and take their seats in the audience. Homer has,however,lifted fifty dollars from Sampras's wallet.

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Plot Keywords:

human chess board | 2d animation

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 February 2001 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Homer asks if Andre Agassi is "the wrestler", it is a reference to the late wrestler André the Giant.

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Quotes

[in Homer's dream]
Bart: He thought that trip to the guillotine factory was just for fun, but it was the perfect place to shoot him.

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Connections

References What's New Pussycat (1965)

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Soundtracks

"The Sabre Dance"
(uncredited)
Composed by Aram Khachaturyan

User Reviews

Ask not for whom the bell tolls...

This was the episode that killed The Simpsons for me.

Up to this one, I has happy enough to keep believing that The Simpsons was the greatest show ever. But thanks to this truly unfunny and pointless episode I was able to finally see that the emperor was, in fact, naked, and I'd been fooling myself for years.

Now, it's possible that there have been some excellent episodes since, but I wouldn't know because I don't care any more. Every couple of months I'll watch a new episode just in case, but it's been many, many years since I've seen one that contains actual jokes. Most of them are painful to watch - though of course that could just be because I'm remembering how good the show used to be, when it was genuinely funny and not merely "funny-esque" (that is: it has all the set-ups, punch-lines and slapstick of actual humour, but without all that tedious laughing and enjoyment).

I realise that The Simpsons is a cash cow for everyone involved, but I just wish that that Mr Groening and co. could see that said cow isn't producing milk of any noticeable quality.

There is an old comedy adage that goes "Leave 'em laughing" - the idea being that it's better to go out on top than to out-stay one's welcome. Too late for that now, of course, but perhaps it would be better if The Simpsons was to stop now and leave us disappointed, before it gets to the stage where we actually start to get angry at it.