| "Simpsons Bible Stories" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 10 Episode 18 |
| Directed by | Nancy Kruse |
| Written by | Tim Long Larry Doyle Matt Selman |
| Production code | AABF14 |
| Original air date | April 4, 1999 |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | (first) "I cannot absolve sins"/(second) "I will not deface" (in hieroglyphics) |
| Couch gag | The family run in and slip up on banana peels. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Mike Scully George Meyer Tom Martin Larry Doyle Matt Selman Nancy Kruse |
"Simpsons Bible Stories" is the eighteenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on Easter Sunday, April 4, 1999. It is the first of The Simpsons' now annual trilogy episodes, and consists of four self-contained segments.[nb 1] In the episode, the Simpson family falls asleep during a sermon in church. Marge dreams that she and Homer are Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Lisa dreams that she and her fellow Springfield Elementary School students are Hebrew slaves in Ancient Egypt and guides Moses to lead them to freedom, Homer dreams that he is King Solomon called to resolve a dispute between Lenny and Carl over the ownership of a pie, and Bart dreams he is King David, who has to fight Goliath's son, Goliath II.
"Simpsons Bible Stories" was written by Matt Selman, Larry Doyle and Tim Long, and was the first episode Nancy Kruse directed for The Simpsons. While executive producer and former showrunner Mike Scully stated that the idea for the episode came after Fox requested an Easter-themed episode, co-writer Selman argued that it was conceived by former staff writers Dan Greaney and Donick Cary while they were pitching ideas for the tenth season. Because the episode mostly takes place outside Springfield, the animators had to design completely new sets. While the episode mostly features references to the Old Testament and Christianity, it also parodies children's television programs, American politicians and action films by Jerry Bruckheimer.
In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by approximately 12.2 million viewers, Following its broadcast, the episode received mixed reviews from critics, but won an Annie award in the category of Best Animated Television Production.
In 2007, the episode was released as part of The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season DVD box set, and a promotional poster for the episode was included in an exhibition in Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The episode's ending scene is one of series creator Matt Groening's favorite moments on The Simpsons. The episode has been credited with fostering a critical literacy towards religion and the Bible among its viewers.[3]
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