"The Many Saints of Springfield" is the thirteenth episode of the thirty-fourth season of the American animated television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'', and the 741st episode overall. It aired in the United States on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

on February 19, 2023. The episode was directed by Bob Anderson and written by series showrunner

Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...

. In this episode, Ned Flanders goes to work for Fat Tony, but his life turns perilous after he learns what Fat Tony does.

Paul Fusco Paul Fusco is an American puppeteer, actor, television producer, writer and director. He is known best as the puppeteer and voice of the title character on the sitcom '' ALF'', for which he also served as creator, writer, producer, and director. ...

guest starred. The episode received mixed reviews. The episode was dedicated in memory of

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelic music, psych ...

, who appeared in "

Marge in Chains "Marge in Chains" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 6, 1993. In the episode, an exhausted Marge i ...

" and "

Homer's Barbershop Quartet "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 30, 1993. It features the Be Sharps, a ...

." The episode's title is a reference to the 2021 film ''

The Many Saints of Newark ''The Many Saints of Newark'' (marketed with the subtitle ''A Sopranos Story'') is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series ''The Sop ...

''. The series title does not appear in the episode. The episode opens with a couch gag, followed by a cloud sequence with the text "The Many Saints of Springfield" instead of "The Simpsons."

Plot

Ned Flanders Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr., commonly referred to by his surname, is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an ...

' garbage can explodes, and

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...

sees Ned putting out the fire. After several more near-death experiences, Marge forces Ned to explain the situation to him. When he was a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

Springfield Elementary School Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings ...

, he was reprimanded by

Superintendent Chalmers The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...

for telling

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

to pray. When Ned then prayed for Chalmers, he was fired. With his church temporarily closed, Ned went to a Catholic church to pray and met Fat Tony, who decides to fund the

Leftorium Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings ...

for Ned. Ned and Fat Tony became friends. When

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...

saw Ned and Fat Tony together, she tried to explain that Fat Tony was a head of the mafia, but Ned refused to believe it. He told her that

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

was more of a criminal than Fat Tony. Later, when Ned confronted Fat Tony, he admitted it and threatened Ned’s life. In the present, Ned's house and church are destroyed, so he stays in the Simpsons' attic over the garage. The mafia find out where Ned is hiding, but Ned has gone to confront Fat Tony again. When the mafia arrive, Ned reveals that he has been working with the FBI ever since Lisa warned him, and they arrest Fat Tony and the mafia.

Production

The episode was revealed to be in production on May 12, 2022. With current long-running

showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

posting a picture of the script for the episode, along with revealing it to be Episode 740 and Bob Anderson as the director for the episode. Previously, Flanders became Bart's teacher in the twenty-ninth season episode "

Left Behind ''Left Behind'' is a multimedia franchise of apocalyptic fiction written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, released by Tyndale House Publishers from 1995 to 2007. The bestselling premillennial novels are Christian eschatological narrat ...

." Writer and executive producer

wanted to explain why Flanders was no longer Bart's teacher and included the reason as part of this episode. The live-action couch gag was produced by

Stoopid Buddy Stoodios Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (formerly known as Stoopid Monkey and stylized as Stoop!d Monkey) is an American production company and animation studio, formed by Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, John Harvatine IV, and Eric Towner. It was established in ...

, which produces the television series ''

Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animation, adult stop motion, stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The twelve-minute ...

''. It features

reprising his role as ALF. The episode was dedicated in memory of musician

. Crosby appeared as himself in the fourth season episode "

" and the fifth season episode "

Cultural References

There were several references to the television series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', and the episode's title is a reference to its 2021 prequel film ''

''. The character ALF appears during the couch gag. "

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

" by

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

and " It's Bad You Know" by

R. L. Burnside R. L. Burnside (November 23, 1926 – September 1, 2005) was an American Hill country blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He played music for most of his life but received little recognition until 1995 when Burnside recorded and toured with ...

is played during the episode.

Reception

Viewing figures

The episode earned a 0.35 rating and was watched by 1.37 million viewers, which was the most watched show on Fox that night.

Critical response

“The Many Saints of Springfield” received mixed reviews from critics. John Schwarz of ''Bubbleblabber'' gave the episode a 6 out of 10. He felt the episode was lazy and that there were better Fat Tony episodes in the past. He noted that the couch gag was one of the best made from an outside studio.

Tony Sokol Tony Sokol (born March 23, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American playwright, writer and composer, best known for writing the theatrical horror series La Commedia Del Sangue: Vampyr Theatre in New York City. As a musician, So ...

of ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...

'' gave the episode a 4 out of 5 stars. He highlights the relationship between Ned and Fat Tony and how a religious organization can be closely tied to the mafia. He also made note of the small jokes that are barely noticeable.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Many Saints of Springfield, The The Simpsons season 34 episodes 2023 American television episodes Television episodes written by Al Jean Television episodes directed by Bob Anderson (director)