The Simpsons – Malcolm in the Middle – tape 2501

Over to Sky One for what turns out to be four hours of one evening.

It starts with the very end of a teen drama I don’t recognise, but a bit of iMDb sleuthing tells me it’s Popular. Never watched it, but it’s the first show co-created by Ryan Murphy, later to create shows like Glee and American Horror Story among many others.

But the meat of this tape follows, as it’s the 10th anniversary of The Simpsons, so there’s episodes, interspersed with a lot of filler, like a Simpsons A-Z, and some slightly annoying ‘I’m the real Bart Simpson’ inserts.

The first full episode is Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington. Lisa takes part in a national essay writing competition. “After speaking to your father, we’ve decided to award you five extra points. Congratulations.”

But she overhears her local representative taking a bribe, and is conflicted. She takes advice from Thomas Jefferson. “I know your problem, the Lincoln Memorial was too crowded.”

This episode seems almost ludicrously optimistic as to how bothered Washington would be about someone taking a bribe. Even at the time I think this was a rosy view.

I did like the political comedy songwriter whose songs all sound the same, though.

The next episode (a new one at the time) is Bart to the Future. During a visit to an Indian Casino, Bart gets a look at his future adult life. He’s a loser, obviously, but Lisa is the new President, and says “As you know we’ve inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump”. It’s not that the writers were in any way prophetic – all they knew was the idea of ‘President Trump’ was entirely a joke. If only we’d listened.

In the ad break there’s more anniversary inserts, including a look at Milhouse featuring voice artist Pamela Hayden.

In amongst this Simpsons celebration, they show the pilot episode of Malcolm in the Middle. I guess that’s a good way to get it seen by the audience. It’s back when Bryan Cranston had hair. Lots of hair.

Malcolm has to have a playdate with another kid, who’s in a wheelchair. He doesn’t want to, but soon bonds when the kid shows him his comic collection. There was a definite focus on Image comics – they namecheck Youngblood and Savage Dragon specifically. I’m assuming either comics literate writers, or an inability to license any Marvel or DC properties.

After this, and more inserts, another new episode is Behind the Laughter.

“And that horrible act of child abuse became one of our most beloved running gags.”

They even roll around in all the money they’re making.

Yeardley Smith, voice of Lisa, appears during the break.

As does Matt Groening.

Nancy Cartwright

I did like the joke about Bart replacing Lorenzo Lamas in Renegade, since he’s come up once or twice on my tapes.

After this episode, there’s an entire programme of ‘The Real Life Simpsons’, but they’ve used so many of these in between the programmes that it feels like we’ve seen it before. They certainly repeated their live-action version of the titles several times this evening.

We do get to hear from more of the cast, like Dan Castellaneta.

And Harry Shearer, who looks, because of the lighting, like he’s dyed his hair.

After this, the tape keeps running, so there’s The One and Only featuring The Corrs. As you can see, they shot this concert under current Covid social distancing regulations. Just kidding. They space themselves out like this because none of them want to stand near the Man Corr (call him by his name) and this way he doesn’t know they’re just trying to avoid him.

After this, the tape runs out shortly into the movie Sliver – trailers for which earlier on the tape actually contain the very last scene of the movie.

Adverts:

• trail: Sliver
• Fiat Punto
• Kenco Rappor
• Sky
• Fiat Punto
• trail: Harry Enfield’s Brand Spanking New Show
• trail: Happy Days/The Simpsons
• Flash
• Sky
• Honda Accord
• Homepride Pasta Bake
• Red Magazine
• Febreze
• Sky
• trail: Fright Night
• Apple iMac Indigo
• Bold
• Reach for the Sky
• Tarzan on video
• Pure R&B
• Ford
• trail: Stargate SG-1
• trail: The One & Only: The Corrs
• Chilled Ibiza
• Wotsits Wafflers
• Swiffer
• Tiny Computers
• Reach for the Sky
• Chilled Ibiza
• Ford Galaxy
• trail: Football
• trail: Sliver
• Swiffer
• Gillette Mach 3
• Gap Kids
• The Sun – Jimmy Gulzar
• Breakdown Level 2
• Charmin
• trail: Son of the Beach
• trail: New Shows on Sky
• trail: Thursday On Sky
• British Lamb – Harry Enfield
• letsbuyit.com
• Acuvue
• Red Magazine
• Direct Line
• Esso
• Levi’s Engineered Jeans
• trail: Little Voice
• trail: The Villa
• Ford
• Pantene
• Bounty
• Sky
• British Gas
• Tarzan on video
• Sky
• trail: Happy Days/The Simpsons
• Seat Leon
• Sainsbury’s
• insure.co.uk
• Uncle Ben’s Rispinos
• Fresh Hits Volume 2
• trail: Stargate SG-1
• trail: Football
• trail: Sliver
• Ford Galaxy
• Pringles
• Charmin
• Olay
• Bupa
• Reach for the Sky
• Dairylea Lunchables
• trail: John Goodman Double
• trail: Time Gentlemen Please
• trail: The One & Only: The Corrs
• Sky
• Direct Line
• Lycos
• The Sun – Jimmy Gulzar
• Tarzan on video
• Gap Kids
• Charmin
• trail: Pleasantville
• trail: Football
• trail: Happy Days/The Simpsons
• British Airways – PJ O’Rourke
• Ford
• Flash
• Shaft in cinemas
• Direct Line
• The Sun – Jimmy Gulzar
• KFC
• British Airways
• trail: Urban Legend
• trail: Sliver
• trail: Sky News
• Peugeot 206
• Stop Smoking
• Guinness
• insure.co.uk
• Gap Kids
• Peugeot 206
• Sky
• trail: Stargate SG-1
• Lambrini
• Scary Movie in cinemas
• Reach for the Sky
• Red Magazine
• Claims Direct
• Clinomyn
• Lambrini
• trail: Sky Sports