Disney/FOX In Season 2 of "The Simpsons," Homer fires up the crowd at a Springfield Isotopes game and is chosen to be the team's new mascot called "Dancin' Homer."
Stream The Simpsons Season 2 Now
When The Simpsons returned for the start of its second season, it came back with heaps of new characters to introduce to the series. Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon were back as showrunners and producers for a season that widely expanded the Simpsons’ universe. Characters like Mayor Quimby, Kang and Kodos, Maude Flanders, Bill and Marty, Dr. Hibbert, Roger Meyers, Jr., Sideshow Mel, Lionel Hutz, Dr. Nick Riviera, Blue Haired Lawyer, Rainier Wolfcastle, Troy McClure, Groundskeeper Willie, Hans Moleman, Professor Frink, and Comic Book Guy were all introduced to the wacky town of Springfield, filling the show with recurring characters that would eventually become just as crucial to the series as the Simpsons themselves.
What started as just a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show was already growing into what would soon become one of the longest-running primetime cartoon shows (and a global behemoth) that still seems virtually neverending.
Groening’s The Simpsons (now in its 31st season) is set in the fictional town of Springfield and follows the titular family of dad Homer, a safety inspector at a local power plant, mom Marge, a homemaker, and their three children: troublemaker Bart who’s always getting into it at school, Lisa, a precocious activist, and baby Maggie who rarely talks. The family parodies American society and pop culture with their increasing levels of ridiculousness and huge cast of townie characters that add to the sheer stupidity and genius of the show.
With 663 episodes and counting, The Simpsons outlasted Gunsmoke as the longest-running American scripted primetime TV show in terms of seasons and episodes. A full-length feature film was released in 2007 (entitled The Simpsons Movie), in addition to comic books, video games, and even a Universal Studios ride. The family even has its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Now with Disney+, you can now stream The Simpsons Season 2 online.
How to Stream ‘The Simpsons’ Season 2 – Exclusively on Disney+
How to Stream ‘Descendants’ – Exclusively on Disney+
The Simpsons Season 2 is one of the fan-favorite animated shows that will be streaming exclusively on Disney’s new subscription streaming service, Disney+.
You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of Disney+ HERE, which will allow you to stream The Simpsons and hundreds of other movies and shows on your computer, phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device. If you extend past the free trial, the service costs $6.99/month. You may also opt for this discount bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99/month.
- 1. Sign up for Disney+ here
- 2. Go to Disneyplus.com or download the Disney+ app on your device
- 3. Log in using your information
- 4. Search for “Descendants”
- 5. Tap on “Descendants”
- 6. Tap the PLAY button
Disney+ also boasts a vast library of Disney-owned movies and series — plus several new original series coming soon. The service includes unlimited downloads so you can watch offline whenever and wherever you want. The list of compatible devices and smart TVs includes iPads, Apple TV, Amazon devices, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Chromecast, Roku, PS4, and Xbox One.
‘The Simpsons’ Season 2: Overview
Release Date: October 11, 1990 – July 11, 1991
Creators: Creator and producer Matt Groening, and producers James L. Brooks and Sam Simon; all three were showrunners on the show’s second season
Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer, and Hank Azaria
Rating: The series is mostly rated TV-PG, though some episodes are slapped with a TV-14 rating.
Synopsis: The Simpsons is a satirical depiction of working-class life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, all of whom live in the fictional town of Springfield. It parodies American culture and society, television, and the human condition.
How Long Is ‘The Simpsons’ Season 2?
The Simpsons Season 2 consists of 22 episodes in total. Without commercials, episodes range between 22 and 24 minutes.
‘The Simpsons’ Season 2 Plot
In the series’ second season, Bart gets an F that almost causes him to stay back a full year. Homer fires up the crowd at a Springfield Isotopes game and is chosen to be the team’s new mascot, “Dancin’ Homer.” Ned Flanders and Homer beef over whose son will win a local minigolf tournament. Marge blames The Itchy and Scratchy Show for a violent outburst and vows to get the show to change its content. In a flashback episode, Marge tells the story of how she and Homer met in high school in 1974. When Mr. Burns falls ill and desperately needs a blood transfusion, the family discovers Bart has Burns’s rare blood type…but after saving the millionaire’s life, all the Simpsons get is a lousy thank you card.
The season also delivered the inaugural “Treehouse of Horror” episode that continues to this day every single season. The Halloween special (that includes special guest star James Earl Jones) is divided into three short stories that include:
“Bad Dream House” – In this parody of the book The Amityville Horror, the Simpsons move into a new house which turns out to be cursed.
“Hungry are the Damned” – In this parody of the 89th episode of The Twilight Zone, “To Serve Man,” the Simpsons are abducted by aliens, who plan to take them back to their home planet, but Lisa becomes suspicious of their intentions.
“The Raven” – A retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven.”
‘The Simpsons’ Season 2 Cast
Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, and Barney Gumble
Castellaneta voices the lovable imbecile and patriarch of the family, Homer. His other credits include voice spots on The Batman, Hey Arnold and Futurama, though Castellaneta also acts on screen as well in shows and movies like Super 8, Parks and Recreation, Castle, and Greek.
Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, and other children
Cartwright voices the mischievous Bart Simpson. When she’s not working on The Simpsons, she can be found (and heard) on shows like Animaniacs, Kim Possible and Rugrats.
Harry Shearer as Ned Flangers, Principal Skinner, Larry, Mr. Burns, Mr. Smithers, Principal Skinner, Reverend Lovejoy, and Dr. Hibbert.
Shearer voices a number of characters that also include Mr. Burns and Waylon Smithers. When he’s not voice acting, he’s spinning comedy gold in films like A Mighty Wind and This Is Spinal Tap.
Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson, and Patty and Selma Bouvier
Before she got into voice acting, Kavner played Brenda Morgenstern on the series Rhoda. Kavner has also starred in films like Hannah and Her Sisters and Click.
Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
Aside from voice acting, Smith made guest appearances on Dharma & Greg, Murphy Brown, Empty Nest, and Mama’s Family and had a regular role for three seasons as Louise on Herman’s Head.
Hank Azaria as Moe Syzlak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, and Professor Frink
When Azaria isn’t lending his voice, he can be seen in fare like Ray Donovan and Brockmire. He was also in films like Birdcage and Mystery Men.
‘The Simpsons’ Season 2 Songs and Soundtrack
Although The Simpsons is well known for its original songs, Season 2 only features tracks by established artists like The Carpenters, Elton John, Steve Miller Band, Ringo Starr, and Average White Band. The season even includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 6” and Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe.”
Further down the road, The Simpsons would release a number of various studio albums and soundtracks.
‘The Simpsons’ Season 2 Ratings
FOX decided to move Season 2 of The Simpsons from its prime Sunday night lineup thanks to the show’s early success. When it aired, the show held down the leadoff position on Thursday nights paired with the new sitcom Babes and a then-new Aaron Spelling-produced drama, Beverly Hills 90210. The network wanted to compete with ratings champion NBC despite still being a young, struggling network itself.
The Simpsons‘ new 8 p.m. slot put it in direct competition with the five-time defending #1 show in all of television, The Cosby Show. Many of the producers, including James L. Brooks, were against the move because The Simpsons had been in the top 10 while airing on Sunday and they felt the move would destroy its ratings. All summer long, the media ran with “Bill vs. Bart” coverage as many speculated whether or not the show could survive against such an establish powerhouse sitcom.
“Bart Gets an ‘F'” was the first episode to air against The Cosby Show and averaged an 18.4 Nielsen rating and 29 percent of the audience. An estimated 33.6 million viewers watched the episode which made it, at the time, the most-watched episode in the history of Fox. The second episode, “Simpson and Delilah,” had a 16.2 rating and 25 percent share with 29.9 million viewers tuning in to see what the Simpsons were up to.
Not even its Halloween special, “Treehouse of Horror,” could conquer the ratings giant that was The Cosby Show, but for a relatively new series, The Simpsons held its own. The show remained in its Thursday timeslot until the sixth season.
‘The Simpsons’ Season 2 Reviews – What the Critics Said
The Simpsons‘ impact on the American sitcom and TV at large remains in stone. The show not only paved the way for every primetime cartoon series that followed, but it did so with critical acclaim and tremendous ratings, shaping ’90s pop culture as we knew it. It was no stranger to awards either, racking up 31 Emmys, 30 Annie Awards, and a Peabody Award thus far.
Time magazine once called The Simpsons the century’s best television series, including Bart in their list of the century’s 100 most influential people. He was the only fictional character included.
Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly continued raving about the show well into its second season. “It’s becoming obvious that The Simpsons, now in its second season, isn’t just a product of media hype: Matt Groening’s cartoon family is one of the few current works of popular art that possess wit and integrity.”
AV Club‘s Nathan Rabin wrote, “In its first season, The Simpsons focused on family, but in the second season it became an exploration of a community that doubles as a microcosm of American society.”
The season is well-known by many for producing some of its series-best classic episodes. “This season has several milestones. It is the first to feature some truly classic episodes as opposed to the isolated funny moments of the first season. For the first time we got a hint of how well The Simpsons could be at pulling the heartstrings as well as the funny bone,” wrote CinemaBlend‘s Bryce Wilson.
Additionally, critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked The Simpsons as the greatest American TV series of all time in their 2016 book TV (The Book).
Stream The Simpsons Season 2 Now
‘The Simpsons’ Season 2 Trivia: 5 Fast Facts
1. Dustin Hoffman Had An Uncredited Speaking Role in ‘The Simpsons’ Season 2
Dustin Hoffman had an uncredited speaking role in the show’s second season playing Lisa’s kindly substitute teacher Mr. Bergstrom. Hoffman wasn’t sure he wanted to be identified with a cartoon show at the time, so he chose the name “Sam Etic” in the closing credits, a possible play on the word Semitic, alluding to the fact that he and his character are Jewish.
2. Bart’s Chalkboard Writing Ribbed On Reality
In the show’s opening credits, Bart can be seen writing on a chalkboard in detention with each episode showing him writing a different phrase for his punishment. For the episode “Dead Putting Society,” Bart can be seen writing, “I am not a 32-year-old woman,” when at the time of its original airing, Nancy Cartwright (the voice actor of Bart) was 32 years old.
3. The Aliens’ Names Were Derived from Star Trek
The two alien characters, Kang and Kodos, are named after characters from Star Trek: The Original Series. Kang is a Klingon warrior and Kodos is a mass murderer. Kang and Kodos were both introduced in The Simpsons‘ second season.
4. The Word ‘D’oh’ Was Added to the Oxford English Dictionary
The word “d’oh” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001. The dictionary spells the entry as “doh,” which is said to be Matt Groening’s choice of spelling. The definition reads: “Expressing frustration at the realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned, or that one has just said or done something foolish. Also (usu. mildly derogatory): implying that another person has said or done something foolish.”
5. In 1997, An Actual Replica of The Simpsons’ House Was Built in Nevada
An actual replica of The Simpsons’ house was built in Clark County, Nev. and was initially built as a grand prize for a contest run by Fox and Pepsi. The winner could choose to either stay in the house or receive a $75,000 prize. The fate of the house became a strange tale, with the contest winner opting for the cash prize and the home eventually selling to a non-fan of the show. Unfortunately, the house, which cost $120,000 to build, was stripped of most of its Simpsons décor.