Willie Nelson as himself Jim Forbes as the narrator
Episode features
Chalkboard gag
"I will not obey the voices in my head"
Couch gag
The Simpsons sit on the couch as normal. Bart puts a coin in a slot on the arm of the couch and the couch vibrates away, taking the family with them.
Commentary
Mike Scully George Meyer Ian Maxtone-Graham Matt Selman Tim Long Mark Kirkland
Episode chronology
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The Simpsons season 11
List of episodes
"Behind the Laughter" is the twenty-second and final episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 2000. In the episode, a parody of the VH1 series Behind the Music, the Simpsons are portrayed as actors on a sitcom, and their dramatic inner turmoil and struggles are detailed. Told in a mockumentary format, the episode presents a fictional version of how The Simpsons began.
The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by Tim Long, George Meyer, Mike Scully and Matt Selman. The idea was pitched by Long, and the writers wrote the episode quickly without a draft. VH1 and the producers of Behind the Music allowed the crew to use the show's visual graphics package, and Behind the Music narrator Jim Forbes recorded narrations. In addition, country musician Willie Nelson guest stars as himself.
The episode received critical acclaim, with many reviewers noting it as a highlight of the season and the series itself, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour) in 2000. In addition, composer Alf Clausen won an Annie Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Television Production".
In May 2004, the BBC chose it as the last episode to be aired, having lost the terrestrial broadcasting rights in February 2002, to Channel 4, who later aired the series in November 2004.[1]
^"The Simpsons". offthetelly.co.uk. May 7, 2004. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
and 28 Related for: Behind the Laughter information
now been largely discredited by the 2021 biography by David B Crump: Fred Karno, the Legend BehindtheLaughter. The American writer Trav S.D., author...
Laughter is a pleasant physical reaction and emotion consisting usually of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the...
entitled "BehindtheLaughter" was done in the style of "Behindthe Music". It even used the show's theme music and narrator. The sixteenth episode of the fourth...
with "Beyond Blunderdome" and ending with "BehindtheLaughter". With Mike Scully as the showrunner for the eleventh season, it has twenty-two episodes...
William Grimes. December 2, 1996. LA Times. "BehindtheLaughter at 'Laugh-in'". Susan King. March 7, 2011. The New York Times. "A Little Bit of a Bad Thing...
co.uk". Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014. Hewson, Sherrie (2011). Sherrie: BehindtheLaughter. Harper. ISBN 978-0007416257...
productions. The laugh track may contain live audience reactions or artificial laughter (canned laughter or fake laughter) made to be inserted into the show,...
series, including the voices of Renee the Receptionist and Joy Peters on the Adult Swim comedy Tom Goes to the Mayor (2004–2006), Marge on the AMC drama Mad...
Flannery had her screen breakthrough playing Meredith Palmer on the NBC series The Office, which won her two Screen Actors Guild Awards. She went on...
After Laughter is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Paramore. It was released on May 12, 2017, through Fueled by Ramen, as a follow-up...
Leslie (August 9, 1987). "Theater: The Pain BehindTheLaughter of Moms Mabley". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved...
of Huckleberry Hound in The Simpsons". BehindTheVoiceActors.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020. "Huckleberry Hound BehindtheLaughter". YouTube. September 29...
("The HΩmega Man" segment), "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday", "Beyond Blunderdome", "BehindtheLaughter" and "The Parent Rap". Scully was popular with the staff...
Sued In Hartman Deaths". The Times Union. May 29, 1999. p. A2. Yang, Allie; Gowen, Gwen; Lopez, Ed. "The man behindthelaughter: 'SNL,' 'Simpsons' star...
(September 20, 2018). "'Love, Gilda' reveals the pain and persistence behindthelaughter". The Jewish News of Northern California. Retrieved March 9, 2020. D'Apolito...
"14". BehindtheLaughter. HarperCollins. p. 77. ISBN 9780007412631. Limited, Alamy. "Stock Photo - Russ Abbot and eleven Elvis lookalikes on the TV Programme...
Times. Retrieved April 16, 2020. Wintemute, Doug (October 22, 2004). "The Truth Behind These Actors' Military Service". Nicki Swift. Retrieved April 16, 2020...
(1999) "Eight Misbehavin'" (1999) "BehindtheLaughter" (along with George Meyer, Tim Long, and Mike Scully) (2000) "Lisa the Tree Hugger" (2000) "Trilogy of...
non-"Treehouse of Horror" episodes, such as "BehindtheLaughter" and "Gump Roast", and had a non-speaking cameo in "The Springfield Files" on a line-up with...
Flashback: "BehindtheLaughter" Review". IGN. Retrieved September 21, 2011. Meyer, George (2008). Commentary for "BehindtheLaughter". The Simpsons: The Complete...
exclusively for the clip show. The scene is also referenced in the "behindthe scenes" parody episode "BehindtheLaughter" from season eleven. The scene, which...
used in season eleven's "BehindtheLaughter" as an example of the show's increasingly "gimmicky and nonsensical plots". In the season fifteen episode "I...
(2010) Mike Keneally – Evidence of Humanity (2010) Jason Sadites – BehindtheLaughter (2010) Trey Gunn – Modulator (2010) John Czajkowski – West ZooOpolis...
herself in the 2001 film Rat Race. On May 21, 2001, she was parodied on The Simpsons episode "BehindtheLaughter" portraying a lawyer at the family table...
The Amazing Adventures of Pleaseeasaur (as himself) (2006) Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (as himself) (2006) Coco Lipshitz: BehindtheLaughter (as...
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