The Simpsons season 22

Voice cast & characters

Dan Castellaneta voiced Homer Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Grampa Simpson, Itchy, Gil Gunderson, Benjamin, Kodos, Lance Murdock, Sideshow Mel, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Barney Gumble, Squeaky-Voiced Teen, Louie, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Frankie the Squealer, Hans Moleman and various others. Julie Kavner performed as Marge Simpson, Selma Bouvier and Patty Bouvier. Nancy Cartwright voiced Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, Database and various others.

Yeardley Smith voiced Lisa Simpson. Hank Azaria voiced Wiseguy, Moe Szyslak, Julio Franco, Chief Wiggum, Lou, Carl Carlson, Superintendent Chalmers, Professor Frink, Doug, Comic Book Guy, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chazz Busby, Snake, Luigi Risotto, Cletus Spuckler, Old Jewish Man, Ian the Very Tall Man, Johnny Tightlips, Sea Captain, Kirk Van Houten, Disco Stu, Duffman and various others. Harry Shearer voiced Kent Brockman, Otto Mann, Dewey Largo, Scratchy, Principal Skinner, Lenny Leonard, Ned Flanders, Gary, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Reverend Lovejoy, Dr. Hibbert, Jasper Beardly, Judge Snyder, Legs, Dr. J. Loren Pryor and various others.

Pamela Hayden voiced Milhouse Van Houten, Rod Flanders, Jimbo Jones, Carlotta Carlson and Sarah Wiggum. Tress MacNeille voiced Dolph Shapiro, Bernice Hibbert, Mrs. Muntz, Agnes Skinner, Brandine Spuckler, Lewis, Crazy Cat Lady, Lainie Leonard, Lunchlady Dora, Plopper, Lindsay Naegle, Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, Cookie Kwan and various others. Russi Taylor voiced Martin Prince, Sherri and Terri. Karl Wiedergott voiced additional characters.

Supporting cast

Maggie Roswell voiced Helen Lovejoy, Elizabeth Hoover and Luann Van Houten. Chris Edgerly voiced additional characters. Guest stars included actors, Marcia Wallace continued his recurring role as Edna Krabappel, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, businessman Mark Zuckerberg, baseball manager Mike Scioscia, sports writer Bill James, Hugh Laurie, Daniel Radcliffe, race car driver Danica Patrick, Rachel Weisz, businesswoman Martha Stewart, Jon Hamm, Alyson Hannigan, Kristen Wiig, actors Halle Berry, Ricky Gervais, Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin, basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Paul Rudd. Joe Mantegna continued his recurring role as Fat Tony.

Production

In February 2009, both season 22 and the one before it were greenlit. Al Jean, who had been the showrunner since season 13, continued in that role.

Seven episodes from the prior season carried over into this one. This season included the sole episode co-written by Steve Viksten before his death, "Homer Scissorhands." The season concluded by asking viewers to decide if Ned Flanders should keep dating Edna Krabappel. Executive producer Al Jean explained the writers wanted to avoid ending another relationship and were curious about audience opinions on the mismatched couple.

Reception

In overall viewership, season 22 of The Simpsons placed 68th, while it ranked 30th among adults aged 18 to 49. The season pulled an average of 7.28 million total viewers, with a 3.3 rating and a 9% share in the key demographic, meaning 3.3% of households tuned in and 9% of all televisions in use at the time were showing the season. Critic Rowan Kaiser of The A.V. Club gave the season a B, tying it with American Dad! season 7 for the second-best grade among Animation Domination shows, beating Family Guy season 9 (C+), but losing to Bob’s Burgers’ first season (B+).

MovieWeb’s Liam Gaughan felt the season marked a recovery from a quality dip that began after season 10, praising its more experimental episodes, sharper parodies, and clever integration of celebrity guests. At the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, the episode “Angry Dad: The Movie” earned a nomination for Outstanding Animated Program. Dan Castellaneta was nominated for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance, and composer Alf Clausen received a nod for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series.

At the 64th Writers Guild of America Awards, Joel H. Cohen won Outstanding Writing: Animation for “Homer the Father,” while writers Rob LaZebnik and Chris Cluess were also nominated in the same category.