| "A Tale of Two Springfields" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 12 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Shaun Cashman |
| Written by | John Swartzwelder |
| Production code | BABF20 |
| Original air date | November 5, 2000 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Roger Daltrey as himself John Entwistle as himself Paul Townshend as his brother Pete Townshend Gary Coleman as himself | |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will not plant subliminAL messaGOREs" |
| Couch gag | Bart reaches the couch first and slips a whoopee cushion under Homer's cushion. When the rest of the family runs in, Homer triggers the whoopee cushion's farting sound, causing him to grin sheepishly at a frowning Marge and Lisa while Bart laughs uproariously. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Mike Scully George Meyer Al Jean Ian Maxtone-Graham Don Payne Matt Selman Dan Castellaneta Shaun Cashman Roger Daltrey David Silverman |
"A Tale of Two Springfields" is the second episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 250th episode of the series overall in both broadcast and production order. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 5, 2000. In the episode, Homer discovers that Springfield has two different area codes and ends up leading a revolt that splits the town in two.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Shaun Cashman and guest starred the Who. The episode was inspired by Don Payne, based on the area where his mother lived, where one side of town would spread rumors about the other side. Larry Doyle then pitched that the two sides of Springfield would be divided because of a telephone area code. The episode features cultural references to the Who and the Norman Rockwell painting Freedom of Speech, and has received positive reviews from critics.
In November 2004, Channel 4 chose this episode to be the first episode to be broadcast on the channel, having taken the terrestrial rights to air the show from BBC Two.