Tennis the Menace
Encyclopedia
"Tennis the Menace" is the twelfth episode of the twelfth season
of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons
. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 2001. In the episode, the Simpsons build a tennis court in their backyard, but Homer's inferior tennis ability makes them the laughingstock of the town. Homer therefore tries to please Marge by entering a tournament. "Tennis the Menace" features guest appearances from Andre Agassi
as himself, Pete Sampras
as himself, and sisters Venus
and Serena Williams
as themselves. The episode has received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics.
attends. Grampa wins the show after performing a version of the song "What's New, Pussycat?
" He wins a free autopsy, so the Simpsons visit a funeral salesman to claim the prize. While there, Homer decides to buy a casket and tombstone for Grampa. He also discovers that a certain kind of cemetery tombstone uses the same amount of cement as a tennis court, and this gives him the idea to get a tennis court in the family's backyard. The court is very popular with Springfield
's residents, and yet, these residents mock Homer and Marge
for losing all the time due to Homer's absent-mindedness. Homer tries to please Marge by entering Krusty's celebrity tournament, the "Krusty Kharity Klassic". However Homer is a hopeless tennis player and so Marge ditches him and enters with Bart
as her new partner. Homer is outraged that he was abandoned for a ten-year-old boy, and revenges by entering the tournament with Lisa
as his partner.
The tournament takes place and in the stands are leading tennis pros Andre Agassi
, Pete Sampras
, Venus Williams
, and Serena Williams
. At the tournament, Homer ditches Lisa for Venus Williams. In response, Marge replaces Bart with Serena Williams as her partner. Ultimately, Serena and Venus replace Marge and Homer with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, respectively. This forces the family to go back to the bench and resume their normal places in the family; as they enjoy the exhibition of top-class tennis, they agree that it is better to watch things than to do things and Homer offers but the family dinner with money he took from Pete Sampras' wallet.
and directed by Jen Kamerman
as part of the twelfth season of The Simpsons (2000–2001). This is the second episode—after season seven's "Radioactive Man
" (1995)—to be animated with digital ink and paint. This kind of digital coloring would not be used permanently on the show until the season fourteen episode "The Great Louse Detective
" (2002). "Tennis the Menace" features guest appearances from Andre Agassi
as himself, Pete Sampras
as himself, and sisters Venus
and Serena Williams
as themselves. Executive producer Al Jean
directed Sampras while Maxtone-Graham directed the Williams sisters. Agassi recorded his lines in the summer of 2000. The Williams sisters, however, recorded their lines in Los Angeles sometime in the winter of 2000–2001. There were many alternate endings to the episode before the staff members decided on the final one.
, participated in the DVD audio commentary
for the episode.
Critics have given "Tennis the Menace" generally mixed to positive reviews. Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel
listed the episode at number nine on his 2004 list of the show's "Top 10 Sporting Episodes". Nancy Basile of About.com
wrote in her 2003 review that "The plot allowed us to see more secondary characters than usual. It also gave Springfield a sense of community that we sometimes don't get in recent seasons. Though the blatant use of guest stars has sweeps written all over it, the tennis stars were funny and able to make fun of themselves. Homer had some wonderful lines, too, such as, 'Take your hands off me. They feel like salad tongs.' Overall, a very funny episode." In 2007, Simon Crerar of The Times
listed Agassi's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show.
In his review of the twelfth season of The Simpsons, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that "I’d love to report that 'Menace' disrupts the string of mediocre episodes [before it in the season], but I can’t. Like its predecessors, it offers a moderately enjoyable experience, but that’s the best it can do. Expect a few chuckles and little else." Also reviewing the twelfth season, Jason Bailey of DVD Talk
wrote that the staff members' "habit of using the first act as a red herring, only semi-connected to the rest of the show, is ingenious and hilarious [...] They'd been doing this kind of thing for years, but it still plays; what's more, they've begun to acknowledge it, and wink about it. 'Tennis the Menace' begins with Homer and Abe making Abe's burial plans; five minutes later, when the elder Simpson exclaims 'I can't believe we went through all that just so you could get a tennis court,' Homer's response ('I'll bet you didn't see that comin'!') is more for the audience than for his father. A moment like that is The Simpsons at its best: smart, knowing, and ridiculously funny."
The Simpsons (season 12)
The Simpsons 12th season began on Wednesday, November 1, 2000 with "Treehouse of Horror XI".The season contains four hold over episodes from the season 11 production line. The show runner for the twelfth production was Mike Scully. The season features three episodes that were produced for the...
of the American animated sitcom 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...
. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 2001. In the episode, the Simpsons build a tennis court in their backyard, but Homer's inferior tennis ability makes them the laughingstock of the town. Homer therefore tries to please Marge by entering a tournament. "Tennis the Menace" features guest appearances from Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
as himself, Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
as himself, and sisters Venus
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
and Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
as themselves. The episode has received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics.
Plot
The Springfield Retirement Castle holds a talent show, which the Simpson familySimpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
attends. Grampa wins the show after performing a version of the song "What's New, Pussycat?
What's New Pussycat? (song)
"What's New Pussycat?" is a song made famous by singers such as Tom Jones, Bobby Darin, Tony Bennett, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Anita Kerr and The Four Seasons; it was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It is the title tune of the movie starring Peter Sellers.Barbra Streisand performed several...
" He wins a free autopsy, so the Simpsons visit a funeral salesman to claim the prize. While there, Homer decides to buy a casket and tombstone for Grampa. He also discovers that a certain kind of cemetery tombstone uses the same amount of cement as a tennis court, and this gives him the idea to get a tennis court in the family's backyard. The court is very popular with 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...
's residents, and yet, these residents mock Homer and 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...
for losing all the time due to Homer's absent-mindedness. Homer tries to please Marge by entering Krusty's celebrity tournament, the "Krusty Kharity Klassic". However Homer is a hopeless tennis player and so Marge ditches him and enters with 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...
as her new partner. Homer is outraged that he was abandoned for a ten-year-old boy, and revenges by entering the tournament with Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
as his partner.
The tournament takes place and in the stands are leading tennis pros Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
, Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
, Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
, and Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
. At the tournament, Homer ditches Lisa for Venus Williams. In response, Marge replaces Bart with Serena Williams as her partner. Ultimately, Serena and Venus replace Marge and Homer with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, respectively. This forces the family to go back to the bench and resume their normal places in the family; as they enjoy the exhibition of top-class tennis, they agree that it is better to watch things than to do things and Homer offers but the family dinner with money he took from Pete Sampras' wallet.
Production
"Tennis the Menace" was written by Ian Maxtone-GrahamIan Maxtone-Graham
Ian Maxtone-Graham is an American television writer and producer. He has written for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons , and has also served as a co-executive producer and consulting producer for The Simpsons...
and directed by Jen Kamerman
Jen Kamerman
Jen Kamerman is a former animation director on The Simpsons. She is married and has one son.-Simpsons episodes:She directed the following episodes:Season Eleven*"Kill the Alligator and Run"Season Twelve*"Tennis the Menace"...
as part of the twelfth season of The Simpsons (2000–2001). This is the second episode—after season seven's "Radioactive Man
Radioactive Man (The Simpsons episode)
"Radioactive Man" is the second episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 24, 1995. The episode sees the film version of the comic book series Radioactive Man set up production in Springfield. Much to Bart's disappointment, the...
" (1995)—to be animated with digital ink and paint. This kind of digital coloring would not be used permanently on the show until the season fourteen episode "The Great Louse Detective
The Great Louse Detective
"The Great Louse Detective" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. It features Kelsey Grammer in his eighth appearance as Sideshow Bob...
" (2002). "Tennis the Menace" features guest appearances from Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
as himself, Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
as himself, and sisters Venus
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
and Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
as themselves. Executive producer Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
directed Sampras while Maxtone-Graham directed the Williams sisters. Agassi recorded his lines in the summer of 2000. The Williams sisters, however, recorded their lines in Los Angeles sometime in the winter of 2000–2001. There were many alternate endings to the episode before the staff members decided on the final one.
Release
The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 2001. On August 18, 2009, it was released on DVD as part of the box set The Simpsons – The Complete Twelfth Season. Staff members Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Max Pross, as well as television writer and producer Philip RosenthalPhilip Rosenthal
Philip Rosenthal is an American television writer and producer who is best known as the creator, writer and executive producer for the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond . The show was co-produced by Ray Romano, and based in part on Romano's comedy material...
, participated in the DVD audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
for the episode.
Critics have given "Tennis the Menace" generally mixed to positive reviews. Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
listed the episode at number nine on his 2004 list of the show's "Top 10 Sporting Episodes". Nancy Basile of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
wrote in her 2003 review that "The plot allowed us to see more secondary characters than usual. It also gave Springfield a sense of community that we sometimes don't get in recent seasons. Though the blatant use of guest stars has sweeps written all over it, the tennis stars were funny and able to make fun of themselves. Homer had some wonderful lines, too, such as, 'Take your hands off me. They feel like salad tongs.' Overall, a very funny episode." In 2007, Simon Crerar of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
listed Agassi's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show.
In his review of the twelfth season of The Simpsons, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that "I’d love to report that 'Menace' disrupts the string of mediocre episodes [before it in the season], but I can’t. Like its predecessors, it offers a moderately enjoyable experience, but that’s the best it can do. Expect a few chuckles and little else." Also reviewing the twelfth season, Jason Bailey of DVD Talk
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
wrote that the staff members' "habit of using the first act as a red herring, only semi-connected to the rest of the show, is ingenious and hilarious [...] They'd been doing this kind of thing for years, but it still plays; what's more, they've begun to acknowledge it, and wink about it. 'Tennis the Menace' begins with Homer and Abe making Abe's burial plans; five minutes later, when the elder Simpson exclaims 'I can't believe we went through all that just so you could get a tennis court,' Homer's response ('I'll bet you didn't see that comin'!') is more for the audience than for his father. A moment like that is The Simpsons at its best: smart, knowing, and ridiculously funny."