"The Simpsons" Tennis the Menace (2001)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Jen Kamerman

Writers:

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

TV Series:

"The Simpsons" (1989)

Original Air Date:

11 February 2001 (Season 12, Episode 12)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Human Chess Board | Nuclear Power | Dysfunctional Family | Pacifier | Baby

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)

Runtime:

Argentina:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003) (VG)

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.