The Simpsons season 15

Production

By early 2003, the show had already been picked up for a sixteenth season. This season set a record, making it the longest-running American primetime sitcom by number of seasons, surpassing The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

Al Jean continued as showrunner, a position he had held since season thirteen. Five episodes were carried over from the previous season's EABF production run. This season included John Swartzwelder's final scripts for the series, Michael Price's first, and the only contributions from Robin J. Stein and the duo Julie and David Chambers.

Reception

On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an 80% approval rating based on 5 reviews. High Def Digest gave a rating of 4 stars, writing that the show is one of only a handful that guarantees laughter at least once per episode, and that while the cutting wit of the first decade lost its edge a bit, the season remains an extremely enjoyable way to spend time. CraveOnline rated the season 8.5/10, noting that some fans gave up during a perceived rough patch around season 12, but that season 15 is a sweet spot with some highlight episodes.

DVDActive said the season is not one of the series' best but also not one of the worst. ScreenJabber gave a rating of 4 stars, expressing surprise at having never seen most of the episodes and joy at enjoying almost 22 episodes of factory-fresh Simpsons, noting that despite dated cultural references there is still much to laugh at. DIY wrote that while the season may not be golden from start to finish, it has a higher great-to-soggy episode ratio than more recent seasons.

Boxofficebuz gave it 4 stars, highlighting flashback episode 'The Way We [Weren't],' Pie-Man antics in 'Simple Simpson' and a Catch Me If You Can spoof in 'Catch 'Em If You Can' as contributing to a solid season and a definite uptick over the previous couple seasons. Bubbleblabber rated it 9.0 out of 10, concluding that season 15 was a highly underrated season that brought along a number of now well-known classics.

Did You Know?

• The boxart features Otto Mann.
• A special limited edition 'embossed head case' package was also released.
• The DVD and Blu-ray boxset was released eight years after the season completed broadcast on television.