Homer's Barbershop Quartet
| "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
Promotional artwork for "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", featuring David Crosby | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Mark Kirkland |
| Written by | Jeff Martin |
| Production code | 9F21 |
| Original air date | September 30, 1993 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
| Episode features | |
| Chalkboard gag | "I will never win an Emmy" |
| Couch gag | The family rush into the room, crash into each other, and shatter like glass. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Mike Reiss Al Jean Jeff Martin Hank Azaria Jon Lovitz Mark Kirkland |
"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. George Harrison and David Crosby guest star as themselves, and the Dapper Dans partly provide the singing voices of the Be Sharps.
The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Mark Kirkland. It tells the story of the Be Sharps, a barbershop quartet founded by Homer Simpson, loosely paralleling the history of the Beatles. The story begins when the Simpson family attend a swap meet and discover an old LP album featuring the group. Homer then explains how he, Principal Skinner, Barney Gumble, and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon formed the barbershop quartet, became famous and successful, but then eventually disbanded.
In its original American broadcast, "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" finished 30th in ratings, with a Nielsen rating of 12.7. Both critics and viewers praised the episode.
The episode was originally produced as the last episode for the fourth season, it was held over to air as season 5 premiere, and therefore being the last episode produced by the show's original writers. It was dedicated to Micheal P. Schoenbrun, who served as executive in charge of production for Gracie Films, since he died on June 5, 1993, 3 months before season 5 started. However, he was still credited as executive in charge of production for Gracie Films, until the season 5 episode "Homer the Vigilante" aired on Fox in 1994.