| "Bye Bye Nerdie" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 12 Episode 16 |
| Directed by | Lauren MacMullan |
| Written by | John Frink Don Payne |
| Production code | CABF11 |
| Original air date | March 11, 2001 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Kathy Griffin as Francine Jan Hooks as Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon | |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will not scare the vice president" |
| Couch gag | The family enters the living room in bumper cars. Marge and Maggie bump Homer, then Bart and Lisa slam Homer repeatedly against the wall. |
| Commentary | Mike Scully Ian Maxtone-Graham Don Payne Matt Selman Tim Long Tom Gammill Yeardley Smith Lauren MacMullan Steven Dean Moore |
"Bye Bye Nerdie" is the sixteenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 11, 2001. In the episode, after Lisa becomes the target of a female bully named Francine, she discovers a scientific reason as to why bullies pick on nerds and demonstrates her findings at a science conference. Meanwhile, Homer goes into the childproofing business, causing baby-injury-related businesses to go in decline.
John Frink and Don Payne wrote "Bye Bye Nerdie" and their original idea for the episode saw Lisa being sent to juvenile hall after accidentally punching Principal Skinner when she was attempting to punch Francine. "Bye Bye Nerdie" was the first The Simpsons episode directed by Lauren MacMullan, who also made the design for Francine. Actress and comedian Kathy Griffin guest starred in the episode as this new bully character.
"Bye Bye Nerdie" has received generally positive reviews from critics and it was listed among "The Top Ten science moments in The Simpsons" by the editorial staff of Nature. Around 8.8 million American homes tuned in to watch the episode during its original airing, and in 2009 it was released on DVD along with the rest of the episodes of the twelfth season.