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Season 19
Season 20
Season 21

The twentieth season began airing on September 28, 2008 with "Sex, Pies, and Idiot Scrapes" and ended on May 17, 2009 with "Coming to Homerica". Al Jean is the showrunner of this season and previous seasons since Season 13. The season had officially been confirmed to air by the network in May 2008. The show is now tied with Gunsmoke as the longest running American primetime television series.

Season 20 Promo

Season 20 Promo Card

Production on the season was delayed because of contract negotiations with the six main voice actors, but was resolved and the actors' salary was raised to $400,000 per episode. The delay in production has caused the planned 22 episodes to be shortened to 20.

Season 20 iTunes logo

Old icon

Voice actor Dan Castellaneta is to be credited as a consulting producer for the first time.

The Complete Twentieth Season was released on DVD on January 12, 2010, just a few weeks after the series' 20th anniversary. This is the last season to produce episodes in the original 4:3 ratio, plus also the first season to produce 16:9 widescreen episodes from this season's second half onwards.

Transition to HD[]

Season 20 also marks the transition to the HD broadcast format. Starting with the episode "Take My Life, Please", more elaborate Opening Sequences were developed that could change from episode to episode. For example, a three-eyed crow flies from left to right at the beginning of this episode, then flies in the opposite direction every other episode. The chalkboard gag for "Take My Life, Please" reads "HDTV is worth every cent".

The Opening Sequence would have even more variations, starting with "Bart Gets a "Z"" in Season 21.

Episodes[]

Image # Original airdate Prod. Code Title Title Reference
Sexpiesidiotscrapes 1 - 421 September 28, 2008 KABF17 "Sex, Pies, and Idiot Scrapes" Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Lost verizon 2 - 422 October 5, 2008 KABF15 "Lost Verizon" Lost Horizon
DoubleDoubleBoyinTrouble 3 - 423 October 19, 2008 KABF14 "Double, Double, Boy in Trouble" Double, Double, Toil and Trouble
THOHXIX 4 - 424 November 2, 2008 KABF16 "Treehouse of Horror XIX" N/A
Kabf18-shot-small 5 - 425 November 9, 2008 KABF18 "Dangerous Curves" N/A
Kabf19 6 - 426 November 16, 2008 KABF19 "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" N/A
250px-BartMina 7 - 427 November 30, 2008 KABF20 "Mypods and Boomsticks" Bedknobs and Broomsticks
200px-The Burns and the Bees 8 - 428 December 7, 2008 KABF21 "The Burns and the Bees" The Birds and the Bees
LisaTheDramaQueen 9 - 429 January 25, 2009 KABF22 "Lisa the Drama Queen" Lisa the Beauty Queen
HD opening 10 - 430 February 15, 2009 LABF01 "Take My Life, Please" Take My Wife, Please
HowtheTestwasWon 11 - 431 March 1, 2009 LABF02 "How the Test Was Won" How the West Was Won
No Loan Again, Naturally 12 - 432 March 8, 2009 LABF03 "No Loan Again, Naturally" Alone Again, Natura-Diddily
GoneMaggieGone 13 - 433 March 15, 2009 LABF04 "Gone Maggie Gone" Gone Baby Gone
In the Name of the Grandfather 14 - 434 March 22, 2009 LABF11 "In the Name of the Grandfather" In the Name of the Father
Wedding for Disaster 15 - 435 March 29, 2009 LABF05 "Wedding for Disaster" Recipes for Disaster
EenyTeenyMayaMoe1 16 - 436 April 5, 2009 LABF06 "Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe" Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe
The Good, the Sad and the Drugly 17 - 437 April 19, 2009 LABF07 "The Good, the Sad and the Drugly" The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Father Knows Worst 18 - 438 April 26, 2009 LABF08 "Father Knows Worst" Father Knows Best
WaverlyHills9021Doh 19 - 439 May 3, 2009 LABF10 "Waverly Hills, 9-0-2-1-D'oh" Beverly Hills, 90210
FourGreatWomanAndAManicure1 20 - 440 May 10, 2009 LABF09 "Four Great Women and a Manicure" Four Weddings and a Funeral
ComingToHomerica 21 - 441 May 17, 2009 LABF12 "Coming to Homerica" Coming to America

Trivia[]

  • This is the last season to produce episodes in the original 4:3 fullscreen ratio.
  • This is the only season where episodes are produced in 4:3 and 16:9 combined in one season as the next season has all it's episodes in 16:9 widescreen.
  • This is the last season to feature the 1990-2009 intro/1990-2009 intro sequence and 1990 intro/1990 intro sequence.
  • This is the first season to use the 16:9 widescreen ratio, and the first ever season to use the new intro from 2009 onwards.
  • The HD intro features more jokes and more couch gag ideas for years for the show to come.
    • Also during the HD intro this is the only season to feature the TV falling off the wall after when the intro stops playing.
  • This is the last season to feature a "Treehouse of Horror" episode to be produced in 4:3 fullscreen ratio.
  • This season marks the 20th anniversary of "The Simpsons" as of 2009.
  • This is the only season to feature a Christmas segment/episode in a "Treehouse of Horror" episode.
  • The first 9 episodes of this season are in the 4:3 ratio while the rest of the 12 are in the 16:9 ratio.
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