ORIGINAL RUN[]
March 1, 2004 – April 18, 2004
NO. OF EPISODES[]
25
PREVIOUS SEASON[]
6
NEXT SEASON[]
8
DVD BOXSET[]
The Complete Seventh Season
The seventh season began airing on March 1, 2004 with the first episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)" and ended on April 18, 2004 with "Summer of 4 Ft. 2", which the season premiere is also the concluding part of the only two part episode from the first part which aired as the season finale of the previous season. David Mirkin executive produced four holdover episodes, "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)" and "Radioactive Man", the latter which is the series first episode to be digitally colored (A technique that would not be repeated until Season 12's "Tennis the Menace" and permanently with and after Season 14's "The Great Louse Detective") before Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein would executive produced the remaining 21 episodes and the following season and its holdovers. Season 7 is also the first season to use CGI as the third segment of "Treehouse of Horror VI" had Homer computer animated as well as Bart.
The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program and had won an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Program.
All 25 episodes of Season 7 including extras were released on DVD on October 2005 in Region 1, January 2006 in Region 2 and March 2006 in Region 4. Like the last one, there were two editions, one with the normal box, and this time, a Marge shaped clam shell box-set.
Episodes
| Picture | # | Title | Original airdate | Directed by | Written by | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 129 - 1 | "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)" | 3/1/2004 | Wes Archer | Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein | 2F20 | |
| Smithers is convinced that he was the one who pulled the trigger that wounded Mr. Burns while drunk, so he confesses to a priest who turns out to be a police officer, and he is arrested, then released when he recalls more. The Simpsons car is searched and the police find a gun covered with fingerprints, so Homer is made the prime suspect. He escapes from the prison van, and advances on Burns, who wakes up in the hospital and finally reveals the culprit's identity. | ||||||
| 130 - 2 | "Radioactive Man" | 3/3/2004 | Susie Dietter | John Swartzwelder | 2F17 | |
| A movie based on comic book character Radioactive Man is filmed in Springfield. Much to Bart's chagrin, the coveted part of the hero's sidekick, Fallout Boy, goes to not him, but to Milhouse. | ||||||
| 131 - 3 | "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" | 3/5/2004 | Susie Dietter | Jon Vitti | 3F01 | |
| After a series of misadventures, the Simpson children are put in the custody of Ned and Maude Flanders. Learning that none of the children have been baptized, Ned sets up a baptism - which Homer and Marge thwart just in time. | ||||||
| 132 - 4 | "Bart Sells His Soul" | 3/7/2004 | Wes Archer | Greg Daniels | 3F02 | |
| After perpetrating a prank on the First Church of Springfield, Bart sells his soul to Milhouse for $5. Bart comes to regret his decision, and goes on a desperate quest to regain his soul. In the end, he gets it back with the help of an unexpected source. | ||||||
| 133 - 5 | "Lisa the Vegetarian" | 3/9/2004 | Mark Kirkland | Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein | 3F03 | |
| After a trip to a petting zoo, Lisa finds herself unable to eat lamb exposing her to ridicule and resentment from her father and friends. But with help from Apu and Paul and Linda McCartney, she makes an effort to stick to her new vegetarian view. | ||||||
| 134 - 6 | "Treehouse of Horror VI" | 3/11/2004 | Jim Reardon | Bob Kushell, Greg Daniels, Dan McGrath and David S. Cohen | 3F04 | |
| As with the other Treehouse of Horror episode, it contains three self-contained segments. In "Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores", an ionic storm brings Springfield's oversized advertisements and billboards to life and they begin attacking the town. The second segment, "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace" is a parody of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" film series, in which Groundskeeper Willie attacks schoolchildren in their sleep. In the third and final segment, "Homer³", Homer finds himself trapped in a three dimensional world. | ||||||
| 135 - 7 | "King-Size Homer" | 3/13/2004 | Susie Dietter | Jonathen Collier | 3F05 | |
| Homer tries everything to get out of the plant's new exercise program and discovers that being on disability would do just that. With Bart's help, Homer starts eating everything he can, until he's overweight enough to work at home. | ||||||
| 136 - 8 | "Mother Simpson" | 3/15/2004 | Mark Kirkland | Mike Scully | 3F06 | |
| To get out of cleaning a part as community service, Homer fakes his own death. When this results in the family's utilities being cut off, Marge puts pressure on him to reveal that he is alive. However, the spurious news of his "death" brings his long-lost mother - a hippie who is on the run from the law because of her activism against Mr. Burns - back to Springfield. | ||||||
| 137 - 9 | "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" | 3/17/2004 | Jeffery Lynch | Greg Daniels | 3F08 | |
| Sideshow Bob slips away from prison detail, steals an atomic bomb and threatens to detonate it unless the town of Springfield gives up television. | ||||||
| 138 - 10 | "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" | 3/19/2004 | Wes Archer | Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein | 3F31 | |
| Troy McClure hosts this behind the scenes style show. We start with a brief history, showing some classic Tracey Ullman clips, and then Troy goes on to answer viewers' questions about Smithers sexuality and Homer's stupidity. We then see never-before-seen deleted scenes from various episodes up to this point, and we are shown an alternate ending to 'Who Shot Mr Burns?' where Smithers actually is the culprit. | ||||||
| 139- 11 | "Marge Be Not Proud" | 3/21/2004 | Steven Dean Moore | Mike Scully | 3F07 | |
| Bart is caught attempting to shoplift a video game. He tries to keep his failed "four-finger discount" trip a secret from Homer and Marge, and initially succeeds. But unfortunately, Marge finds out when the family returns to the same store to have the family Christmas photo taken. | ||||||
| 140 - 12 | "Team Homer" | 3/23/2004 | Jim Reardon | John Swartzwelder | 3F10 | |
| Homer convinces a light-headed Mr. Burns to give him $500 to register his bowling team in a league, but when Mr. Burns finds out what he has done he demands a spot on the team. Meanwhile, Bart influences a riot at school and as a result, everyone is forced to wear uniforms. | ||||||
| 141 - 13 | "Two Bad Neighbors" | 3/25/2004 | Swinton O. Scott III | Jennifer Crittenden | 3F09 | |
| Homer's jealousy at all the attention his new neighbors, George and Barbara Bush, receive turns to rage when the former President gives Bart a spanking. | ||||||
| 142 - 14 | "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield" | 3/27/2004 | Bob Anderson | John Swartzwelder | 3F11 | |
| Marge gets an expensive "new" dress at the outlet mall. While wearing it she meets a former schoolmate who invites her and the family to the country club. Marge becomes obsessed with trying to fit in. Homer takes up golf at the club and Mr. Burns challenges him to a game. After Homer catches him cheating, Mr. Burns agrees to help Homer's family become members of the country club if he doesn't tell anyone. | ||||||
| 143 - 15 | "Bart the Fink" | 3/29/2004 | David Silverman | John Swartzwelder | 3F12 | |
| When Bart accidentally finks on him to the IRS, it leads Krusty the Clown to fake his own death. But Bart convinces him to come back to television, which he eventually does. | ||||||
| 144 - 16 | "Lisa the Iconoclast" | 3/31/2004 | Wes Archer | Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein | 3F13 | |
| As Springfield's bicentennial celebration approaches, Lisa discovers the real truth behind town founder, Jebediah Springfield and finds herself at odds with a protective museum curator who wants to keep Jebediah's unattractive past a secret. Meanwhile, Homer becomes obsessed with being the official town crier for the bicentennial celebration. | ||||||
| 145 - 17 | "Homer the Smithers" | 4/2/2004 | Mark Kirkland | Brent Forrester | 3F14 | |
| Smithers takes a much needed vacation and to insure his position at the nuclear plant, he hires Homer as his temporally replacement. | ||||||
| 146 - 18 | "The Day the Violence Died" | 4/4/2004 | Susie Dietter | Ken Keeler | 3F16 | |
| With the help of Lionel Hutz, Bart unwittingly bankrupts the studio that produces Itchy & Scratchy when he and Hutz successfully prove the idea for Itchy was stolen some 70-80 years ago. | ||||||
| 147 - 19 | "A Fish Called Selma" | 4/6/2004 | Jim Reardon | Greg Daniels | 3F15 | |
| Troy McClure's sagging film career is given a boost when he is seen in public with a woman. And to stay in the public eye, Troy must do more than merely date this woman, who happens to be Selma. | ||||||
| 148 - 20 | "Bart on the Road" | 4/8/2004 | Bob Anderson | Mike Scully | 3F17 | |
| With fake drivers ID in hand, have Bart will travel. In this case, Nelson, Martin and Milhouse come along for the ride when Bart hits the wide open road. Meanwhile, Lisa spends some quality time with Homer at the power plant. | ||||||
| 149 - 21 | "22 Short Films About Springfield" | 4/10/2004 | Swinton O. Scott III | Jennifer Crittenden | 3F18 | |
| It is about the untold stories of many people of Springfield, focusing mainly on recurring characters. This is one of several episodes which are considered anthology episodesthat features mini-stories. | ||||||
| 150 - 22 | "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish" | 4/12/2004 | Steven Dean Moore | Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia |
3F19 | |
| Buried World War II treasure is the prize in a tontine, in which Grandpa Simpson and Mr. Burns are the last two surviving members. But Burns is determined that he'll be the one who collects the prize. | ||||||
| 151 - 23 | "Much Apu About Nothing" | 4/14/2004 | Mark Kirkland | Jonathan Collier | 3F20 | |
| When a bear wanders down Evergreen Terrace, Mayor Quimby proposes tax raises to fund a new bear patrol. To distract people, he blames the taxes on illegal immigrants, and calls for the deportation of all illegal immigrants from Springfield. Apu realizes that he will have to be deported, as his visa is expired, and gets a fake ID off Fat Tony. Lisa realizes that he can apply for amnesty, he takes a test and is allowed to stay in the country. | ||||||
| 152 - 24 | "Homerpalooza" | 4/16/2004 | Jim Reardon | Brent Forrester | 3F21 | |
| After Bart and Lisa inform Homer that his taste in music has become old, he decides to get into the current music scene and takes the kids to a music festival, Lalapalooza, where he accidentally discovers he has a talent for taking a canon ball to the gut. Soon Homer finds himself traveling with the festival and putting his health in danger as he continues performing his amazing feat for cheering crowds. | ||||||
| 153 - 25 | "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" | 4/18/2004 | Jeffery Lynch | Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein | 3F22 | |
| In the hopes of making friends on the latest family vacation, Lisa packs an empty suitcase, determined to leave her 'nerdy' self behind. | ||||||
- This season does not use the season 3 intro for any of the episodes.
- Eleven episodes use the short intro first introduced in season 5, thirteen episodes use the shorter intro first introduced in season 3, and the tenth episode does somewhat play the full regular intro, but show a couch gag montage in place of the regular sequence of the intro.
Disco Stu, Brandine Spuckler
- Try-N-Save
- Tidy Piano Movers
Season 7 was released on DVD in its entirety as The Complete Seventh Season Boxset on October 2005 in region 1, January 2006 in Region 2 and March 2006 in Region by 20th Century Fox. While primarily containing the original 22 episodes, the boxset also consists on bonus features such as storyboards.
| The Complete Seventh Season | ||||||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||||
| Release Dates | ||||||||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||||
| October 2005 | January 2006 | March 2006 | ||||||
In 2004, "Treehouse of Horror VI" was submitted for the Primetime Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)" category. They had submitted it because it had a 3D animation sequence, which the producers felt gave them an edge. However, the episode lost to Pinky and the Brain that year, and Bill Oakley later regretted submitting the episode because he felt that a more emotional episode like "Mother Simpson", "Lisa the Vegetarian" or "Bart Sells His Soul" would have had a better chance of winning. Alf Clausen, Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein were also nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" for the song "Señor Burns" from "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)".
The series won several other awards for this season, including an Annie Award for "Best Animated Television Program". "Lisa the Vegetarian" won both an Environmental Media Award for "Best Television Episodic Comedy" and a Genesis Award for "Best Television Comedy Series, Ongoing Commitment".[22] Although "Treehouse of Horror VI" failed to win the Emmy, the "Homer³" segment was awarded the Ottawa International Animation Festival grand prize.[23]
In 2004, The Simpsons became the first animated series to win a Peabody Award, and won it "for providing exceptional animation and stinging social satire, both commodities which are in extremely short supply in television today."