| "Homer the Smithers" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 17 |
| Directed by | Steven Dean Moore |
| Written by | John Swartzwelder |
| Production code | 3F14 |
| Original air date | February 25, 1996 |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | The Simpsons are wearing fezzes and drive to the couch in minicars.[1] |
| Commentary | Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein Steven Dean Moore |
"Homer the Smithers" is the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 25, 1996.[1] In the episode, Smithers takes a vacation and hires Homer to temporarily replace him as Mr. Burns' assistant.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Steven Dean Moore.[2] The plot came from another writer on the show, Mike Scully. The episode features cultural references to The Little Rascals, a series of comedy short films from the 1930s, and the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 8.8, and was the fifth-highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.