| "The Springfield Connection" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 6 Episode 23 |
| Directed by | Mark Kirkland |
| Written by | Jonathan Collier |
| Production code | 2F21 |
| Original air date | May 7, 1995 |
| Guest appearance | |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will not mock Mrs. Dumbface"[1] |
| Couch gag | Homer enters as James Bond while the theme plays, spoofing the gun barrel sequence.[2] |
| Commentary | Matt Groening David Mirkin Jonathan Collier Dan Castellaneta Yeardley Smith Mark Kirkland |
"The Springfield Connection" is the twenty-third episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 7, 1995.[1] In the episode, Marge deals with corruption and crime when she joins the Springfield police force.
The episode was written by Jonathan Collier, with input from David Mirkin, and directed by Mark Kirkland. The episode's story was inspired by executive producer Mike Reiss' wife, who had debated becoming a police officer. "The Springfield Connection" drew on influences from the 1980s police drama Hill Street Blues and the 1971 film The French Connection, and includes references to McGruff the Crime Dog and the theme music to Star Wars.
Reviews in The Sydney Morning Herald and DVD Movie Guide were favorable, and the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide cited Marge's police training as the highlight of the episode.
Contributors to compilation works analyzing The Simpsons from philosophical and cultural perspectives have cited and discussed the episode. Marge's experiences in the episode are compared to the character Rita from the stage comedy Educating Rita by Willy Russell in a literary analysis of the play.