Good grief. It’s the 60th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)! To celebrate this classic Christmas special, Adam and Nate decided to unpack it through its Simpsons parody in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (S9E10) with Alan Siegel, author of the new book Stupid TV, Be More Funny.

Also in this episode:

• Alan’s take on how The Simpsons reinvented TV and molded millennial movie taste like an older brother

• Were the Simpsons DVD commentaries podcasts before podcasts?

• The many ways Charles M. Schulz inspired the people behind The Simpsons

• Why does this moody Christmas special endure today?

• Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

(Sorry about the brief mic problems from around the 43 minute mark. If it’s driving you crazy, skip ahead to around 49 minutes.)

After a short holiday break, we’ll be back on January 13th with the daddy-daughter con job movie Paper Moon and its Simpsons parody in “The Great Money Caper” (S12E7).

For more of Alan’s writing on The Simpsons, check out his new book Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of The Simpsons Changed Television—and America—Foreverand his writing about pop culture on The Ringer.

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

In this bonus minisode, Nate asks Adam for his bite-sized review of Ella Mccay (2025), the first new film directed by Simpsons co-creator James L. Brooks in 15 years. Can Brooks recapture the magic of his ‘80s masterpieces and the early days of The Simpsons?

Stay tuned next week for our full episode with Alan Siegel, author of a new book on The Simpsons called Stupid TV Be More Funny, as we unwrap A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and its Simpsons homage in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (S9E11).

Lobby Chats are short bonus episodes where Adam and Nate share their thoughts on new releases, what they’re watching besides The Simpsons, and more.

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Mmm… forbidden episode. Adam and Nate revisit the classic and controversial “Stark Raving Dad” (S3E1) and its overshadowed parody of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). How does Miloš Forman’s anti-establishment anthem hold up 50 years later?

Also in this episode:

• What should we do with “Stark Raving Dad” and other art featuring canceled artists?

• Nurse Ratched may be one of cinema’s great villains, but would we want McMurphy to run the ward instead?

• The surprising character from this movie that became a recurring Simpsons side character

• How this movie set Danny DeVito on the path to playing Unky Herb

• Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

Next time, we’re joined by the writer Alan Siegel to talk about his new book about The Simpsons called Stupid TV Be More Funny, alongside A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and its Simpsons homage in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (S9E11).

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s new take on Mary Shelley’s classic creature, Adam and Nate invited film critic Dede Crimmins to help them reanimate Frankenstein (1931) and its multiple parodies in “Treehouse of Horror II” (S3E7). Together, we explore how this movie became one of the most referenced movies on The Simpsons, including the warnings and creepy credits at the beginning of almost every “Treehouse of Horror” episode.

Also in this episode:

• The silent magic of Boris Karloff’s performance as the creature

• When parodies set up false expectations for classic movies

• That time Frankenstein inspired one of the most deep-cut references on The Simpsons ever

• How the hell was this episode going to end with a Broadcast News parody?

Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading.

Next time, Nate and Adam go crazy for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) at 50 and the forbidden episode…

For more of Dede’s movie reviews and more stay tuned to her Bluesky @dedecrim.bsky.social.

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

In this bonus minisode, Nate, Adam, and film critic Dede Crimmins give their bite-sized reviews of Guillermo Del Toro’s new adaptation of Frankenstein (2025), as well as their thoughts on the year in horror movies so far.

Stay tuned next week for our full episode with Dede on Frankenstein (1931) and “Treehouse of Horror II” (S3E7).

Lobby Chats are short bonus episodes where Adam and Nate share their thoughts on new releases, what they’re watching besides The Simpsons, and more.

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

What with the grim specter of everything, Halloween just wasn’t enough to contain all the frights and chills! Simpsons writer Dan Vebber joins the podcast to extend the spooky season by walking us through his award-winning episode “Thanksgiving of Horror” (S31E8) and its parody of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror masterpiece, Alien (1979).

Also in this episode:

• Why Martin Prince is the perfect stand-in for the android Ash

• Alien’s connection to H.P. Lovecraft

• Adam and Dan’s defense of Alien³

• The story of Dan’s son’s first word… while watching Apocalypto

Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

Next time, film critic and horror aficionado Dede Crimmins returns to reanimate Frankenstein (1931), and its double parody in “Treehouse of Horror II” (S3E7).

For more of Dan’s work, tune in to new episodes of The Simpsons Sundays at 8pm (EST) on Fox and the day after on Hulu.

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Adam and Nate are joined by film critic Norm Wilner to revisit I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its parody in “Treehouse of Horror X” (S11E4), one of the most movie parody-packed episodes of The Simpsons ever. Does Norm still agree with his pull quote on every home release of this movie that says it’s “a pure fright machine [that] scares the hell out of you”? (Did he ever?)

Also in this episode:

• Screenwriter Kevin Williamson’s meta impact on pop culture

• Does this movie work better as a ghost movie or a whodunnit?

• Norm’s theory about the deep cut reference behind werewolf Flanders

• Could the recent legasequel be an improvement on the original?

Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

Next time, we’ll be nursing our Halloween hangover with a little horror hair of the dog. Simpsons writer Dan Vebber joins us to talk about his incredibly ambitious episode “Thanksgiving of Horror” (S31E8) and its parody of Alien (1979).

For more of Norm’s work, check out his podcast Someone Else’s Movie and his physical media newsletter Shiny Things.

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Adam and Nate celebrate their 50th episode by breaking down AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies list through the lens of The Simpsons. If we reorder these 100 movies by how many times they were referenced on The Simpsons, can we create a different canon of American film?

Also in this episode:

• What are the canonical films that The Simpsons never parodied in the classic years?

• The time capsule that is the “100 Years… 100 Movies” TV special

• Does The Simpsons parody movies because they’re influential, or are these movies influential because they’re parodied on The Simpsons?

• Trivia and favorite moments from the last three years of the podcast

Plus, check out our show notes for our completely reordered list of AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies based on the number of Simpsons references, and further reading

Next time, film critic Norm Wilner joins the podcast to kick off our spooky season with I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and “Treehouse of Horror X” (S11E4).

For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.