Judge Me Tender
Encyclopedia
"Judge Me Tender" is the twenty-third episode and season finale of The Simpsons'
twenty-first season
. It is the 464th episode for the series and originally premiered in the United States
on May 23, 2010, on Fox Broadcasting Company
. In the episode, Moe discovers his talent for judging in competitions and is invited to appear on the show American Idol
. Meanwhile, Homer drives Marge crazy when he starts spending too much time at home. Also Lisa tries to comfort Santa's Little Helper.
The episode was written by Allen Glazier and Dan Greaney
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
. The episode also features references to Lost
and its series finale
, Tiger Woods
, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
. "Judge Me Tender" has received mixed reviews from critics with many criticizing the short and unfunny cameos of the American Idol
judges except for Simon Cowell
. They especially criticized Ellen DeGeneres
since she had experience as a voice artist in an animated film (Finding Nemo
). The episode went down 14% from the previous week's
episode due to the competition of airing against the Lost clip show according to Nielsen Media Research
.
This episode is the one of two occasions to date in which Lisa does not play her saxophone during the opening-sequence band rehearsal, instead using a trumpet
.
This episode is also the only one this season to have the original end credits theme in the end credits.
and Bart
participate at an "Ugliest Dog" in Springfield
" contest, entering Santa's Little Helper
. At the contest, Moe
feels neglected because nobody wants to let him sit next to them (Agnes Skinner even sets the chair next to her on fire). So he sits on the ground until he notices that the judge, Krusty the Clown, is not managing to entertain the crowd due to his lack of enthusiasm over his work. He taunts and insults Krusty for his inability to being funny, despite being a clown
. Angry, Krusty leaves and offers his job for Moe, much to the delight of the crowd, who then urge him to replace Krusty, and to which Moe agrees as he now has a place to sit. During the competition, Moe makes sardonic, offensive but undoubtedly funny comments over all the ugly dogs, but chooses the Simpsons' dog (under the alias of Satan's Little Helper) was the winner because the Simpsons disguised their dog's buttocks was if it were his face, leaving Santa's Little Helper upset over his appearance until Lisa comforts him later. After that, Moe becomes the judge of most Springfield competitions (including a bully competition at the beach) and is offered a job as one of jurors of American Idol
, since that several other programs with the opportunity of this kind of job were suddenly cancelled.
Moe flies to Los Angeles
and becomes a protégé of Simon Cowell
, who them explain all the details of their job, but before his first show, Cowell shows several clips of people (including Mr. Burns) who think the judgments of Moe are very offensive and became angry with him (with even the usually innocent and good-natured Ralph
talk so baldly about Moe that most of his words has to be censored
). Cowell warns him to not "become the mean judge, like I did", since he himself does not have many friends. He tries not to be more positive, but Cowell mocks his judgment of a contestant, he realizes that Cowell tricked him; angered, Moe threatens Cowell's life on air, but is apprehended by security and expelled from the building.
Meanwhile, Homer feels bored after Moe closed his bar to judge competitions and decides to spend time with Marge
. After his presence at the house becomes too annoying, Marge decides to help him to find a new bar, but when this fails (due to the obnoxious customers), Grampa
advises Marge to put Homer in a round of golf
, where he will become too distracted to even bother her again. However, before the game begins, Marge meets an elderly man who tells her that golf is addictive and it has ruined his family life. Marge them realizes that she was going too far and stops Homer from playing, and they both end up having make up sex. In the end, in the reopening of his tavern, Moe explains that he was put on trial and, as punishment for his sociopathic behavior, he's not only banned from California, but is also forbidden from ever judging anything again anywhere in the country (he cannot even express his opinion on how much beer a person could drink before driving). But fortunately for Moe, he is also forbidden from watching the Fox Network, something that he acknowledges as being a blessing in disguise, as this leads to an increase of the customers in his bar, including Rupert Murdoch
, who asks him to put on The Jay Leno Show
.
"Judge Me Tender" was written by Allen Glazier and Dan Greaney
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
, his third directing credit that season after "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?" and "Stealing First Base
". The episode features guest stars Simon Cowell
, Randy Jackson
, Ellen DeGeneres
, Kara DioGuardi
and Ryan Seacrest
, making it Cowell's second guest appearance on The Simpsons
after "Smart and Smarter
" in 2004. Rupert Murdoch
also stars as himself in the episode—his second guest star appearance, with the first being "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday
" in 1999.
song's title "Love Me Tender"
. The chalkboard gag makes a reference to the fact that the episode aired against the series finale
of Lost
. The opening couch gag
is a parody of the English puppet show, Punch and Judy
. The ending of the episode features Jay Leno
making a joke about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
on The Jay Leno Show. Moe mistakes American Idol with Armenian Idol (Hay Superstar
) which, he states, is his favourite show. Upon being informed he is to judge the American one, he inquires who stands for Egor Glumov (one of the judges of the Armenian version).
The song playing during the Springfield Annual Classic Car Contest, the Bonsai Tree Contest and the Bully Competition is "Why Can't You Be Nicer to Me?" by The White Stripes
.
special, becoming the second highest rated show on "Animation Domination" after Family Guy
s "Something, Something, Something Dark Side". This represents a 14% decline from last week's "The Bob Next Door
". The show also came first in its timeslot with teenaged audiences.
The finale was watched by 1.137 million Canadian
viewers, making it the 27th highest watched program of the week.
gave the episode a 6.5, stating that it was "Passable" and criticized the fact that while many other episodes take funny jokes at Los Angeles
and Fox Broadcasting Company
's expense, the ones in this episode fell flat. Canning also said all the guest spots were too "wooden and unfunny", although he remarked that he liked the opening acts. Sharon Knolle of TV Squad loved the main plot and C-plot, but said the sub-plot was too unoriginal and that the Tiger Woods joke was the only successful one. She also criticized the ending; "Too bad the episode ended on a lame joke at Jay Leno's expense. Not that he doesn't deserve it, but I'll bet the animated Rupert Murdoch was the only one laughing.". Todd VanDer Werff of The A.V. Club
gave the episode a D, the worst grade for that night's "Animation Domination" programs. VanDer Werff said that watching "Judge Me Tender" in the same night as the Lost finale
and Breaking Bad
episode "Fly", both of which he praised as "deeply ambitious" television, "just drove home for me how tired this show is and how little it tries anymore".
TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.0/5, stating, "The show certainly did its job of making us laugh, but we really had high hopes for the finale to a great season." Ariel Ponywether of FireFox gave the episode a C saying, "'Judge Me Tender' is a surprisingly bland way to end the season. Not horribly offensive, it’s also not terribly funny, but it is somewhat touching. Watch this otherwise-average episode for the Marge/Homer subplot."
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
twenty-first season
The Simpsons (season 21)
The Simpsons twenty-first season aired on Fox from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010. It was the first of two seasons that the show was renewed for by Fox, and also the first season of the show to air entirely in high definition....
. It is the 464th episode for the series and originally premiered in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on May 23, 2010, on Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. In the episode, Moe discovers his talent for judging in competitions and is invited to appear on the show American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
. Meanwhile, Homer drives Marge crazy when he starts spending too much time at home. Also Lisa tries to comfort Santa's Little Helper.
The episode was written by Allen Glazier and Dan Greaney
Dan Greaney
Daniel "Dan" Greaney is an American television writer. He has written for The Simpsons. He was hired during the show's seventh season after writing the first draft of the episode "King-Size Homer", but left after season eleven...
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore is an animation director who has directed 35 episodes of The Simpsons, in addition to several episodes of the long running Nicktoon programme Rugrats...
. The episode also features references to Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
and its series finale
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
, Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
. "Judge Me Tender" has received mixed reviews from critics with many criticizing the short and unfunny cameos of the American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
judges except for Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
. They especially criticized Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
since she had experience as a voice artist in an animated film (Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
). The episode went down 14% from the previous week's
The Bob Next Door
"The Bob Next Door" is the twenty-second episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season and the 463rd episode overall on Fox Broadcasting Company...
episode due to the competition of airing against the Lost clip show according to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
.
This episode is the one of two occasions to date in which Lisa does not play her saxophone during the opening-sequence band rehearsal, instead using a trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
.
This episode is also the only one this season to have the original end credits theme in the end credits.
Plot
HomerHomer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
participate at an "Ugliest Dog" in Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
" contest, entering Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper
Santa's Little Helper is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. The dog was introduced in the first episode of the show, the 1989 Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in which his owner abandons...
. At the contest, Moe
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
feels neglected because nobody wants to let him sit next to them (Agnes Skinner even sets the chair next to her on fire). So he sits on the ground until he notices that the judge, Krusty the Clown, is not managing to entertain the crowd due to his lack of enthusiasm over his work. He taunts and insults Krusty for his inability to being funny, despite being a clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
. Angry, Krusty leaves and offers his job for Moe, much to the delight of the crowd, who then urge him to replace Krusty, and to which Moe agrees as he now has a place to sit. During the competition, Moe makes sardonic, offensive but undoubtedly funny comments over all the ugly dogs, but chooses the Simpsons' dog (under the alias of Satan's Little Helper) was the winner because the Simpsons disguised their dog's buttocks was if it were his face, leaving Santa's Little Helper upset over his appearance until Lisa comforts him later. After that, Moe becomes the judge of most Springfield competitions (including a bully competition at the beach) and is offered a job as one of jurors of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, since that several other programs with the opportunity of this kind of job were suddenly cancelled.
Moe flies to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and becomes a protégé of Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, who them explain all the details of their job, but before his first show, Cowell shows several clips of people (including Mr. Burns) who think the judgments of Moe are very offensive and became angry with him (with even the usually innocent and good-natured Ralph
Ralph Wiggum
Ralph Wiggum is a recurring fictional character on the animated series The Simpsons, voiced by Nancy Cartwright. The son of Police Chief Wiggum and a classmate of Lisa Simpson, Ralph is best known as the show's resident oddball, and is noted for his non sequiturs and erratic behavior...
talk so baldly about Moe that most of his words has to be censored
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
). Cowell warns him to not "become the mean judge, like I did", since he himself does not have many friends. He tries not to be more positive, but Cowell mocks his judgment of a contestant, he realizes that Cowell tricked him; angered, Moe threatens Cowell's life on air, but is apprehended by security and expelled from the building.
Meanwhile, Homer feels bored after Moe closed his bar to judge competitions and decides to spend time with Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
. After his presence at the house becomes too annoying, Marge decides to help him to find a new bar, but when this fails (due to the obnoxious customers), Grampa
Abraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
advises Marge to put Homer in a round of golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, where he will become too distracted to even bother her again. However, before the game begins, Marge meets an elderly man who tells her that golf is addictive and it has ruined his family life. Marge them realizes that she was going too far and stops Homer from playing, and they both end up having make up sex. In the end, in the reopening of his tavern, Moe explains that he was put on trial and, as punishment for his sociopathic behavior, he's not only banned from California, but is also forbidden from ever judging anything again anywhere in the country (he cannot even express his opinion on how much beer a person could drink before driving). But fortunately for Moe, he is also forbidden from watching the Fox Network, something that he acknowledges as being a blessing in disguise, as this leads to an increase of the customers in his bar, including Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
, who asks him to put on The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show...
.
Production
Dan Greaney
Daniel "Dan" Greaney is an American television writer. He has written for The Simpsons. He was hired during the show's seventh season after writing the first draft of the episode "King-Size Homer", but left after season eleven...
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore is an animation director who has directed 35 episodes of The Simpsons, in addition to several episodes of the long running Nicktoon programme Rugrats...
, his third directing credit that season after "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?" and "Stealing First Base
Stealing First Base
"Stealing First Base" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 21, 2010. In this episode, Bart falls in love with a girl named Nikki from a second fourth grade class, but when he kisses her, Nikki begins...
". The episode features guest stars Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
, Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
, Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
and Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
, making it Cowell's second guest appearance on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
after "Smart and Smarter
Smart and Smarter
"Smart and Smarter" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season, and originally aired on February 22, 2004. When Maggie takes an IQ test, she is informed that she may be smarter than Lisa, who worries that her life will go nowhere. The episode was written by Carolyn Omine and...
" in 2004. Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
also stars as himself in the episode—his second guest star appearance, with the first being "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday
Sunday, Cruddy Sunday
"Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 31, 1999, just after Super Bowl XXXIII. In the episode, while buying new tires for his car, Homer meets a travel agent called Wally Kogen...
" in 1999.
Cultural references
The title was based on Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
song's title "Love Me Tender"
Love Me Tender (song)
"Love Me Tender" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music, adapted from the tune of "Aura Lee" , a sentimental Civil War ballad.- History :...
. The chalkboard gag makes a reference to the fact that the episode aired against the series finale
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
of Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
. The opening couch gag
The Simpsons opening sequence
The Simpsons opening sequence is an element that begins almost every episode of the American animated television series The Simpsons. Starting with the season 20 episode "Take My Life, Please", the opening sequence was redone to go with the high-definition format of the show, and replaced the...
is a parody of the English puppet show, Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular puppet show featuring the characters of Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character...
. The ending of the episode features Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
making a joke about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
on The Jay Leno Show. Moe mistakes American Idol with Armenian Idol (Hay Superstar
Hay Superstar
Hay Superstar / Hye Superstar is the Armenian version of the British television hit show Pop Idol. It is a talent contest to find the best young singer in Armenia.-Summary:-Season 1 :...
) which, he states, is his favourite show. Upon being informed he is to judge the American one, he inquires who stands for Egor Glumov (one of the judges of the Armenian version).
The song playing during the Springfield Annual Classic Car Contest, the Bonsai Tree Contest and the Bully Competition is "Why Can't You Be Nicer to Me?" by The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
.
Ratings and viewership
In its original American broadcast "Judge Me Tender" was viewed by an estimated 5.739 million American households with a 2.5 rating/8% share coming second in its timeslot after a LostLost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
special, becoming the second highest rated show on "Animation Domination" after Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
s "Something, Something, Something Dark Side". This represents a 14% decline from last week's "The Bob Next Door
The Bob Next Door
"The Bob Next Door" is the twenty-second episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season and the 463rd episode overall on Fox Broadcasting Company...
". The show also came first in its timeslot with teenaged audiences.
The finale was watched by 1.137 million Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
viewers, making it the 27th highest watched program of the week.
Critical reception
Robert Canning of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a 6.5, stating that it was "Passable" and criticized the fact that while many other episodes take funny jokes at Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's expense, the ones in this episode fell flat. Canning also said all the guest spots were too "wooden and unfunny", although he remarked that he liked the opening acts. Sharon Knolle of TV Squad loved the main plot and C-plot, but said the sub-plot was too unoriginal and that the Tiger Woods joke was the only successful one. She also criticized the ending; "Too bad the episode ended on a lame joke at Jay Leno's expense. Not that he doesn't deserve it, but I'll bet the animated Rupert Murdoch was the only one laughing.". Todd VanDer Werff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a D, the worst grade for that night's "Animation Domination" programs. VanDer Werff said that watching "Judge Me Tender" in the same night as the Lost finale
The End (Lost)
"The End" is the series finale of the ABC television series Lost, consisting of the 17th and 18th episodes of season 6. It is also the 120th and 121st episodes overall...
and Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White , a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series...
episode "Fly", both of which he praised as "deeply ambitious" television, "just drove home for me how tired this show is and how little it tries anymore".
TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.0/5, stating, "The show certainly did its job of making us laugh, but we really had high hopes for the finale to a great season." Ariel Ponywether of FireFox gave the episode a C saying, "'Judge Me Tender' is a surprisingly bland way to end the season. Not horribly offensive, it’s also not terribly funny, but it is somewhat touching. Watch this otherwise-average episode for the Marge/Homer subplot."
External links
- "Judge Me Tender" at TheSimpsons.com
- "Judge Me Tender" at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...