Tennis the Menace

"Tennis the Menace"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	260
Directed by	Jen Kamerman
Written by	Ian Maxtone-Graham
Showrunner(s)	Mike Scully
Production code	CABF07
Original air date	February 11, 2001
Chalkboard gag	"I will not publish the principal's credit report".
Couch gag	The living-room floor is frozen over. The Simpsons ice skate to the couch. When Homer sits down, his side of the couch falls through the ice.
Commentary	Mike Scully Al Jean Ian Maxtone-Graham Matt Selman John Frink Don Payne Max Pross Phil Rosenthal
Guest appearance(s)
Andre Agassi as himself Pete Sampras as himself Venus and Serena Williams as themselves
Season 12 episodes November 1, 2000 – May 20, 2001 "Treehouse of Horror XI" "A Tale of Two Springfields" "Insane Clown Poppy" "Lisa the Tree Hugger" "Homer vs. Dignity" "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" "The Great Money Caper" "Skinner's Sense of Snow" "HOMR" "Pokey Mom" "Worst Episode Ever" "Tennis the Menace" "Day of the Jackanapes" "New Kids on the Blecch" "Hungry, Hungry Homer" "Bye Bye Nerdie" "Simpson Safari" "Trilogy of Error" "I'm Goin' to Praiseland" "Children of a Lesser Clod" "Simpsons Tall Tales"
Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Andre Agassi as himself
Pete Sampras as himself
Venus and Serena Williams as themselves

"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 and are ridiculed by the entire town because of Homer's inferior tennis ability. Homer therefore tries to please Marge by entering the two into a tournament, but they quickly turn into rivals when Marge replaces Homer with Bart as her partner.

The episode features guest appearances from tennis professionals Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and sisters Venus and Serena Williams as themselves. "Tennis the Menace" was directed by Jen Kamerman and written by Ian Maxtone-Graham, who also directed the Williams sisters' performance. The animators of The Simpsons experimented with digital ink and paint on "Tennis the Menace", making it the second episode of the series to be animated using the process.

"Tennis the Menace" has received generally positive reviews from critics with particular praise for its guest stars. Around eight million American homes tuned in to watch "Tennis the Menace" during its original airing, and in 2009 it was released on DVD along with the rest of the episodes of the twelfth season.

The Springfield Retirement Castle holds a talent show, which the Simpson family attends. Grampa wins the show after performing his 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 a tombstone for Grampa. He also discovers that a certain kind of tombstone is produced from the same amount of cement as a tennis court, and this gives him the idea to build a tennis court in the family's backyard.

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Wikipedia