| "Treehouse of Horror XIX" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
 | |
| Episode no. | Season 20 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Bob Anderson |
| Written by | Matt Warburton |
| Featured music | "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads |
| Production code | KABF16[1] |
| Original air date | November 2, 2008 |
"Treehouse of Horror XIX" is the fourth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 2, 2008. This is the nineteenth Treehouse of Horror episode, and, like the other Treehouse of Horror episodes, contains three self-contained segments: in "Untitled Robot Parody", Transformer robots run amok in Springfield; in "How to Get Ahead in Dead-Vertising", Homer is hired by advertising agents to kill celebrities so their images can be used for free; and in "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse", Milhouse summons a man-eating pumpkin in a parody of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Bob Anderson. Shortly after airing, the episode was criticized by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) because a Nelson Muntz uses "gay" as an insult.
A total of 12.48 million viewers tuned in to watch during its first airing, more than any other episode since "The Wife Aquatic". The episode received mixed reviews from critics, with "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" generally regarded as the best segment; critic Matt Zoller Seitz cited the segment as one of The Simpsons' "flashes of greatness" in the later seasons.
- ^ "Listings - SIMPSONS, THE on FOX". The Futon Critic. October 11, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.