From Newsgroup: alt.tv.simpsons

Fine episode, not particularly deep but OK focus on a side character and whatnot, with some cultural commentary (occasionally cringeworthy). A
little short. Not sure why it's TV-14 again, Homer's context-free MDMA gag??

Here's another TV theme tune I only know from looking at old 20th
Century Fox production codes: the song in the montage when Homer starts
doing the stunts is "The Unknown Stuntman", the theme from the 80s
series The Fall Guy (is it in the recent movie adaptation?), which is
very understandable as part of the episode title too. In that series,
though, the stuntmen etc. actually solve crimes and do some light spy
work while under cover. This song version sounds like a cover itself.

Another Co-EP, this time Cesar Mazariegos, who also wrote the episode as
well as the lyrics for the end credits song!


Dedications come and dedications go
This airing (and probably no others) was dedicated to Rob Reiner, who
was slain a few weeks ago; it seems to be an image from HABF09 but I
haven't double checked. Surprisingly, the special upbeat Gracie sound,
now disjointed, is here, when some dedications drop those for continuity and/or tone.
But last week's repeat of 36ABF14 (Keep Chalm and Gary On), 12/21 at
7:30, did lose the original airing's dedication to Jane Goodall.


Calendar fun

Once again, this episode was a first for The Simpsons: the first time an episode has premiered on December 28. This is the fifth season in a row
with a Christmas-ish date scratched off the checklist:
1/2/22 UABF05
1/1/23 OABF05
12/24/23 35ABF01
12/22/24 36ABF02
12/28/25 37ABF06

Here's where we stand now, and unfortunately NOT MUCH has changed or
will change despite the great opportunity the first third of 2026
presents (and the debut of a goofy Thursday slot for animation on
5/29/25, sans Simpsons of course):

Three normal in-season dates with no premieres: January 18, February
1, April 12. These ARE ALL SUNDAYS in 2026, but the first two seem to
have non-Simpsons schedules already, and it is reported that the 37th
air season will end in February so that would miss the chance for an
April episode premiere. February 29 has never had a Fox airing of the show.

Other dates with no episode premieres: May 24 to September 3 (minus
those oddball "summer episodes" of early years, 7/11, 8/23, 8/27, and
7/27 for the movie if you like), other scattered dates in September
(5-9, 12-16, 22), and most of the Christmas-New-Year corridor (now
down to December 23, 25, 27, 30-31).

No new episodes in June or on a Monday or Saturday.

Counting network repeats, the only exceptions are February 29 and May
29. Fox has never aired The Simpsons on those dates in 36 years.

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