Marge vs. the Monorail

"Marge vs. the Monorail"
The Simpsons episode
Promotional artwork for the episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 12
Directed byRich Moore
Written byConan O'Brien
Featured music"The Monorail Song"
by Conan O'Brien and Al Jean
Production code9F10
Original air dateJanuary 14, 1993 (1993-01-14)
Guest appearances
Episode features
Chalkboard gag"I will not eat things for money"[1]
Couch gagThe Simpsons sit on the couch, followed by four rows of Springfield's residents sitting in front of the family.[2]
CommentaryMatt Groening
Al Jean
Mike Reiss
Rich Moore
David Silverman
Conan O'Brien
Episode chronology
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"Selma's Choice"
The Simpsons season 4
List of episodes

"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 14, 1993. The plot revolves around Springfield's impulse purchase of a faulty monorail from a conman, and how it subsequently falls to Marge to stop the train from destroying the town.

The episode was written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Rich Moore. Recurring guest star Phil Hartman provided the voice of Lyle Lanley, while Leonard Nimoy made a guest appearance as himself. "Marge vs. the Monorail" has been widely praised by fans and critics and is generally considered one of the best episodes of The Simpsons.[3] Showrunner Josh Weinstein called it "the best episode of television ever".[4] O'Brien has said that, of the episodes he wrote, this was his favorite.[5] Nimoy's unexpected guest appearance was also widely praised.[6] Despite this, the episode attracted some criticism when it was first aired due to the somewhat abstract and less situational nature of the plot, particularly from voice actor Yeardley Smith who in 1995 described the episode as "truly one of our worst".[7]

  1. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0495-2.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Moran, Michael (January 14, 2010). "The 10 best Simpsons episodes ever". The Times. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Vice was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference O'Brien was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Reiss was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Schembri, Jim (July 6, 1995). "My life as Lisa". The Age (Green Guide). Melbourne, VIC. p. 10.