| "Homer Badman" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |||
| Episodeno. | Season 6 Episode 9 | ||
| Directed by | Jeffrey Lynch | ||
| Written by | Greg Daniels | ||
| Production code | 2F06 | ||
| Original air date | November 27, 1994 (1994-11-27) | ||
| Guest appearance | |||
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| Episode features | |||
| Chalkboard gag | "I will not whittle hall passes out of soap"[1] | ||
| Couch gag | The family chases the couch and back wall down a long, portal-type hallway.[2] | ||
| Commentary | Matt Groening David Mirkin Greg Daniels Julie Kavner Jeffrey Lynch David Silverman | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
| The Simpsonsseason 6 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"Homer Badman" is the ninth episode of thesixth season of the American animated television seriesThe Simpsons. It originally aired onFox in the United States on November 27, 1994. In the episode,Homer is falsely accused ofsexual harassment and must clear his name.Dennis Franz guest stars as himself portraying Homer in a TV movie.[3]
The episode was written byGreg Daniels and directed byJeffrey Lynch.[2]
Homer gets tickets for a candy convention and decides to takeMarge with him. Marge hires Ashley Grant, afeminist graduate student, to babysitBart,Lisa andMaggie. Homer outfits Marge with an oversizedtrench coat, hoping to smuggle out as much candy as possible. At the candy convention, Homer attempts to steal a raregummy shaped like theVenus de Milo. When he is caught stealing the gummy, Homer makes a makeshift bomb withPop Rocks and soda to provide cover while he and Marge escape.
That night, Homer loses the gummy Venus and frantically searches for it until Marge reminds him to drive Ashley home. As she exits Homer's car, he sees the gummy Venus stuck to the seat of her pants. Mesmerized, Homer grabs the gummy, and Ashley turns around to see him drooling at it. Mistaking this for a sexual advance, Ashley runs off screaming.
The next morning, an angry mob of college students marches onto the Simpsons' lawn, believing Homersexually harassed Ashley. Homer explains he was only trying to take the gummy Venus from Ashley's pants, but the students do not believe him. The tabloid news showRock Bottom airs an interview with Homer that is selectively (and poorly) edited and presented out of context to make him look like a crazedpervert. The resultingmedia circus monitors the Simpsons' home and movements around the clock. Homer's reputation is tarnished further afterDennis Franz portrays him as an unrepentant sexual predator in thetelevision filmHomer S: Portrait of an Ass-Grabber.
Lisa and Marge suggest that Homer videotape his side of the story for apublic-accesscable TV channel, but since it airs during agraveyard timeslot, few viewers see it and it only succeeds in angering apenny-farthing enthusiast.Groundskeeper Willie, who enjoys shooting and watching amateur videos, sees Homer's tape. He shows the Simpsons his videotape of what really happened the night Homer drove Ashley home. After watching it, Ashley apologizes for causing the media circus, and the media agrees to stop portraying Homer as a pervert. Homer lambasts Willie, whose videotaping exploits make him the target of the next media frenzy. Marge asks Homer "hasn't this experience taught you that you can't believe everything you hear?" Homer responds "Marge, my dear, I haven't learned a thing."[4][5]
Greg Daniels, the writer of the episode, originally pitched this episode as being more centered on Lisa's and Homer's opposing ideas on feminism. Eventually, the episode became more of asatire oftabloid media, such asHard Copy.[6]David Mirkin, the show runner at the time, felt very strongly about the "tabloidization of the media" and has said that the episode was as current in 2005 as it was when it first aired and things have since gotten worse.[7] Several gags in the episode are based on what real life shows likeHard Copy would do, such as making people look to be guilty without a trial as well as creating a complete invasion of privacy by setting up camp outside people's homes.[7] The talk show "Ben", which is hosted by a bear named "Gentle Ben" wearing a microphone on its head, reflects the writers' feeling that anyone could host a talk show because all they need is a microphone and an audience.[7]
Dennis Franz was the writers' second choice for the actor who plays Homer in the television dramatization.[7] According to the DVD commentary, the original actor was more "barrel-chested".[8]
During the convention, a voice over an intercom says the front desk is “Looking for Mr. Goodbar”. The action sequence at the candy convention is "based on everyBruce Willis movie ever made".[7] Bart asks Homer if "the dog in theCoppertone commercial" was sexual harassment. Homer's imagination of living underwater is a parody of the song "Under the Sea" from theDisney filmThe Little Mermaid.[7] The episode also includes parodies ofHard Copy,Sally Jessy Raphael, theLate Show with David Letterman, and media coverage of theO. J. Simpson standoff.[7] At the end of the episode, theRock Bottom announcer refers to Groundskeeper Willie as "Rowdy Roddy Peeper," a reference to professional wrestlerRowdy Roddy Piper. Like Willie, Piper's gimmick was that of a stereotypical Scot.
In its original broadcast, "Homer Badman" finished 50th in ratings for the week of November 21–27, 1994, with aNielsen rating of 9.5, equivalent to approximately 9.1 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, beatingMarried... with Children.[9]
According to David Mirkin, the episode is very highly ranked amongSimpsons fans.[7]
InEntertainment Weekly's top 25The Simpsons episodes list, compiled in 2003, "Homer Badman" was placed eighteenth.[10]The Daily Telegraph characterized the episode as one of "The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes".[11]
In 2003, during the first meeting betweenRicky Gervais, co-creator and star ofThe Office, and episode writerGreg Daniels, Gervais revealed that this was his favorite episode ofThe Simpsons. Daniels would go on to adaptThe Office for American television.[12]
