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Homer's Odyssey: An Embiggened Simpsons Guide
Remember when The Simpsons was the funniest show on television?
The Simpsons is the longest running comedy in history. Gracing our screens since 1989, with over 600 episodes, the show is a cultural phenomenon. Whilst it is still drawing huge ratings numbers, there is no argument that during the 90s the show was at its zenith.
No other comedy has had as big an impact on society. The Simpsons has influenced the way we communicate with each other. Niche quotes and references have become the secret handshake of millions around the world. In the course of this book, we remember the iconic characters – Hank Scorpio and Lionel Hutz, Rex Banner and Frank Grimes - and we dissect seminal episodes such as Cape Feare, Marge Vs the Monorail and Who Shot Mr. Burns.
From celebrity cameos to musical moments, from hidden jokes to insane trivia, this is the essential companion to golden age of The Simpsons. Homer’s Odyssey is a hilarious, intelligent and in-depth analysis of the greatest show on earth.
So grab yourself a Flaming Moe, settle in to your groove on the couch, and enjoy our guide to your favourite yellow family.
The Simpsons is the longest running comedy in history. Gracing our screens since 1989, with over 600 episodes, the show is a cultural phenomenon. Whilst it is still drawing huge ratings numbers, there is no argument that during the 90s the show was at its zenith.
No other comedy has had as big an impact on society. The Simpsons has influenced the way we communicate with each other. Niche quotes and references have become the secret handshake of millions around the world. In the course of this book, we remember the iconic characters – Hank Scorpio and Lionel Hutz, Rex Banner and Frank Grimes - and we dissect seminal episodes such as Cape Feare, Marge Vs the Monorail and Who Shot Mr. Burns.
From celebrity cameos to musical moments, from hidden jokes to insane trivia, this is the essential companion to golden age of The Simpsons. Homer’s Odyssey is a hilarious, intelligent and in-depth analysis of the greatest show on earth.
So grab yourself a Flaming Moe, settle in to your groove on the couch, and enjoy our guide to your favourite yellow family.
- GenresNonfiction
285 pages, Hardcover
Published November 2, 2017
26 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 6, 2024
Springfield is a city whose fragile self-belief leaves it forever teetering on the brink of impulsive, 'quick-fix' decision-making, often resulting in a situation more detrimental than beneficial to resolving the issue at hand. What happens when they receive three million dollars? They build a monorail. What happens when a 10-year-old boy steals the head of Jebediah's statue? They hunt him down with fire and pitchforks. What happens when a serial thief, known simply as 'The Cat Burglar', continues to steal their most prized possessions? Heavy sack beatings go up by a staggering 900%.The Simpsons is one of those uniquely indelible properties that's grown up with me — that has stayed as culturally recognisable, if not as significant, as it was when I was a child. As a guide of the show's golden era, Homer's Odyssey is a welcome nostalgia trip down my childhood, revisiting old favourites and taking a moment to reevaluate other episodes I haven't considered in years.
As someone who fully immersed themselves in the show when I was younger, buying the DVDs and listening to the commentaries, there isn't much insight to be found. On the other hand, reading the book is an opportunity to think about a series I loved to death.
Mitch and Dando are true devotees of The Simpsons, with all the implications that comes with. They're praise for the show can come across excessive at times, especially when it comes to defending the series past its ninth season.
When people say, "The Simpsons isn't good anymore," I think its a larger conversation than a book like this is willing to have. Bringing it up at all feels like an admission of defeat. Yes, there are plenty of talented artists working on the show this very minute, but The Simpsons schizoid identity as it trowels through hundreds of different creative voices and visions in its three decades is usually what the statement condemns.
The Simpsons was the conversation in the nineties. It had a voice, an identity, a perspective unique to its time. Now its chases the heels of other animated shows that occasionally grasp the zeitgeist for a few years — and that's just depressing, which is exactly what the last chapter reads like. But other than that, the book is a giddy exploration of one of my defining childhood obsessions.
May 31, 2019
Plus
+ You can really tell how enthusiastic about the show the authors are, which gives a feeling of kinship while reading the book. Although I never got the experience of watching the show the way the authors did as the early seasons aired on TV for the first time, the recounting of those early seasons made me seriously wish I had
+ It's nice to see the show discussed by people who don't live in the USA, and how the depiction of American culture differs from the rest of the world
+ The book is broken up into different sections, with discussions of a season as a whole, reviews of specific episodes, interviews with people who worked on the show, and lists of favourite episodes, and is ordered in a way that ensures the book never feels repetitive
+ The interviews with some of the creators of the show added a really nice element. We get to learn a bit about the process of animation, where some of the inspiration for certain episodes came from, and little behind the scenes stories. Plus, it was just nice to see what huge fans of the show all the creators are too
+ The humour comes naturally and none of the jokes feel forced, as well as the use of direct references to the show being well-timed and never overused
+ The reviews and analyses of characters and character dynamics made me immediately want to rewatch the show right from the beginning. I've always had so much love for The Simpsons, especially since it's supported me through some pretty bad mental health and still does, and reading about what makes not just the show as whole, but each individual episode and character, so special invoked so much love I actually teared up a little bit
Minus
- While I understand it would be impossibly time consuming and would result in an absolute monster of a book, I would happily have read reviews for every single episode up to date. The fact that it only covered up to season 9, with some honourable mentions of episodes post-season 12 was a little bit disappointing
+ You can really tell how enthusiastic about the show the authors are, which gives a feeling of kinship while reading the book. Although I never got the experience of watching the show the way the authors did as the early seasons aired on TV for the first time, the recounting of those early seasons made me seriously wish I had
+ It's nice to see the show discussed by people who don't live in the USA, and how the depiction of American culture differs from the rest of the world
+ The book is broken up into different sections, with discussions of a season as a whole, reviews of specific episodes, interviews with people who worked on the show, and lists of favourite episodes, and is ordered in a way that ensures the book never feels repetitive
+ The interviews with some of the creators of the show added a really nice element. We get to learn a bit about the process of animation, where some of the inspiration for certain episodes came from, and little behind the scenes stories. Plus, it was just nice to see what huge fans of the show all the creators are too
+ The humour comes naturally and none of the jokes feel forced, as well as the use of direct references to the show being well-timed and never overused
+ The reviews and analyses of characters and character dynamics made me immediately want to rewatch the show right from the beginning. I've always had so much love for The Simpsons, especially since it's supported me through some pretty bad mental health and still does, and reading about what makes not just the show as whole, but each individual episode and character, so special invoked so much love I actually teared up a little bit
Minus
- While I understand it would be impossibly time consuming and would result in an absolute monster of a book, I would happily have read reviews for every single episode up to date. The fact that it only covered up to season 9, with some honourable mentions of episodes post-season 12 was a little bit disappointing
August 31, 2023
Discovering the podcast inspired me to start my first ever chronological watch of The Simpsons (while listening along to the podcast series), and pretty much my first visit back to Springfield in well over a decade. I don't fully relate to how Mitch and Dando describe their formative years with the show (constantly rewatching the same four episode tapes, new episodes being the only thing people want to talk about at school the next day), but I'd tune in whenever it was on TV, and I must have absorbed much more than I realised because it's amazing how much I remember and can quote along to. The podcast is really entertaining and I enjoy it as an accompanying piece to the episode I just watched.
With that said the book doesn't quite have the same magic for me. The passion and knowledge of the authors does shine through, and there are some interesting interviews with crew from the show, but something is lost - especially with how many (though not all) of the sections in the book read like a transcript of a conversation on a podcast, as opposed to written for the page.
It can be interesting to get some of the authors' personal relationships, opinions, and memories of the show but ultimately it can be a little self indulgent. It's not like there's any particularly new insights here, or original research into the show - it is basically a passion project with two guys chatting about their favourite show. Which isn't to say it's not well-written or enjoyable, but there's little here for casual fans, or even current fans - it's aimed at a particular generation. There's a certain expectation of knowledge on the reader's part, and I more or less kept up with the bulk of the references I think (though I gave up on the trivia quiz section in the middle because it was far too niche for me). If I wasn't already a listener to the podcast and didn't already have an idea of what these guys were about I'm not sure I'd have taken much from this, and I'd hesitate to recommend this book even to people who I know do like the Simpsons, but not Four Finger Discount.
With that said the book doesn't quite have the same magic for me. The passion and knowledge of the authors does shine through, and there are some interesting interviews with crew from the show, but something is lost - especially with how many (though not all) of the sections in the book read like a transcript of a conversation on a podcast, as opposed to written for the page.
It can be interesting to get some of the authors' personal relationships, opinions, and memories of the show but ultimately it can be a little self indulgent. It's not like there's any particularly new insights here, or original research into the show - it is basically a passion project with two guys chatting about their favourite show. Which isn't to say it's not well-written or enjoyable, but there's little here for casual fans, or even current fans - it's aimed at a particular generation. There's a certain expectation of knowledge on the reader's part, and I more or less kept up with the bulk of the references I think (though I gave up on the trivia quiz section in the middle because it was far too niche for me). If I wasn't already a listener to the podcast and didn't already have an idea of what these guys were about I'm not sure I'd have taken much from this, and I'd hesitate to recommend this book even to people who I know do like the Simpsons, but not Four Finger Discount.
February 18, 2018
A just have to give this book a big Mr Burns, ‘YES!’ I’ve read a lot of books on the Simpsons, but none of them have hit the mark such as Four Finger Discount have. When you read this, you relive your childhood. As a child growing up in the 90s, The Simpsons was (and still is) my life. It was a show that taught me so much about culture, politics and life. Four Finger Discount has perfectly captured what it was like watching the Simpsons for the first time as a kid. What it was like watching your first Tree House of Horror, or watching ‘Who Shot Mr Burns.’ If you’re a Simpsons fan, I would highly recommend this book. Delightful, charismatic, and chuck full of Simpson references. This book is way better than Skinner’s book, ‘Billy and the Cloneasaurus.’
November 15, 2017
I have been following these guys podcast for over a year so I may be biased a little.
This is a book I wish I had been able to write. It's just a love letter to The Simpsons and I'm glad someone wrote it.
It looks deep into seasons 1-9 with episode reviews and discussions of the overall development and progression of The Simpsons over their early years, featuring a very hard quiz and author interviews in between.
They clearly have done a lot of research and there passion for the show comes through as well.
I think it may change the way I see some episodes on my next rewatch. Which says a lot co spidering I've probably seen them all dozens of times.
A great read for Simpsons fans!
This is a book I wish I had been able to write. It's just a love letter to The Simpsons and I'm glad someone wrote it.
It looks deep into seasons 1-9 with episode reviews and discussions of the overall development and progression of The Simpsons over their early years, featuring a very hard quiz and author interviews in between.
They clearly have done a lot of research and there passion for the show comes through as well.
I think it may change the way I see some episodes on my next rewatch. Which says a lot co spidering I've probably seen them all dozens of times.
A great read for Simpsons fans!
January 27, 2018
Getting money from me by writing a book about The Simpsons is like taking candy from a baby. Say, that sounds like a larf.. It does take a little while to get going (just eat the damn orange) but soon finds a rhythm and goes from strength to strength. Not unlike the progression of the series, I guess.
Nostalgia and nerding out make up the majority of the book, with some cool interviews from the likes of former writer/show runner Bill Oakley.
Finally, real talk, their pitch for a Treehouse of Horror episode was the most enjoyable part of the book for me. Would watch.
Nostalgia and nerding out make up the majority of the book, with some cool interviews from the likes of former writer/show runner Bill Oakley.
Finally, real talk, their pitch for a Treehouse of Horror episode was the most enjoyable part of the book for me. Would watch.
August 16, 2021
Not only can Four Finger Discount's Mitch Grinter & Brendan Dando analyse and review episodes of The Simpsons in an entertaining and informative way, they can also write an in depth book about how The Simpsons affected their lives, the lessons they learnt about it and how different it is watching The Simpsons after interviewing cast and crew members from the show and getting the tour of The Simpsons Studio.
What did I learn:
A certain fact about Bart vs Australia that I never knew before.
What did I learn:
A certain fact about Bart vs Australia that I never knew before.
August 22, 2018
A very well written and entertaining book that is written by passionate and lifelong Simpson’s fans. Throughly enjoyed it and would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in the show and the behind the scenes going’s on. I think more hardcore fans would get more enjoyment from it than a person who isn’t as well versed in the seasons episodes etc. Overall a well worthy book that I enjoyed
August 23, 2019
A discussion of all things Simpson, this book was a light and easy read that maintained the fun aspects of the podcast while also being a refreshing new look into how Mitch and Dando relate to the show on a slightly more serious and personal side. This book is great for any die hard or casual fan to read.
October 25, 2019
I loved this; you can tell the authors are huge fans of the Simpsons and we had plenty of agreement on the best episodes season 1-9. Definitely did not agree on their choices for later seasons (I would have loved a section on the President Wore Pearls, my fave Simpson episode past the classic era) but hey we all like diff things! The interviews and trivia was a brilliant touch.
November 25, 2020
Reading a book from two guys with as much passion and knowledge about the show as I do was an absolute delight.
The analysis and love for the show will reel you in, as well as the many insightful interviews from many people who work on ‘the Simpsons’. However, Dando & Mitch’ senses of humour will keep you turning that page.
The analysis and love for the show will reel you in, as well as the many insightful interviews from many people who work on ‘the Simpsons’. However, Dando & Mitch’ senses of humour will keep you turning that page.
February 21, 2022
It was pretty funny and I laughed a lot as I re-lived those memories. But then I watched the episode about Homer stealing cable and decided I shouldn't stream it from illegal sites. So that's the end of The Simpsons for me, since I can't afford to watch it. Well, except for maybe season 4, which I ordered from inter library loan and am still waiting on....
February 28, 2023
I loved this book. A perfect read for fans of The Simpsons and the podcast about the show "Four Finger Discount." The podcast hosts Mitch and Dando are some great hosts and this book proves that they are great writers too. It had me cracking up. The Simpsons has been one of my favourite shows for years, and as Dando says, "this show is a part of us all, a part of us all."
June 6, 2019
I wouldn't call myself a Simpsons fan, and I've never listened to the podcast, however, I found this an easy and fun read, with only the occasional slip in reference that I didn't understand. Full of nostalgia and interesting insights
January 13, 2018
Nostalgia trip told in the finest form of dedication. A love letter representing one of the greatest shows of all time. A wonderful reading experience.
April 15, 2018
I appreciated the love of the Simpsons, and I'm sure others will find it interesting, but there was nothing that made me invested in the book.
May 1, 2018
One of the most enjoyable books I have ever read, a must have for any die hard Simpsons fan.
February 5, 2020
Perfectly adequate - if nothing else, a reminder of why so many have loved the show for so long.
June 4, 2025
Not bad...I was hoping for more commentary of some episodes. I wasn't really interested in the interviews with the shows producers and writers.
January 31, 2018
Best... Christmas gift... ever!
Having listened to the podcast for a couple of years, I was very excited about this book. Reading it, I remembered having similar conversations with my older brother. Fantastic, funny, and sometimes moving book that I will be dipping in and out of for years.
Having listened to the podcast for a couple of years, I was very excited about this book. Reading it, I remembered having similar conversations with my older brother. Fantastic, funny, and sometimes moving book that I will be dipping in and out of for years.
February 9, 2024
5 out of 5 - give those men the ten thousand dollars.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews