Springfield Googolplex: The Movie Podcast for Fans of The Simpsons

In this bonus minisode, Nate and Adam give their bite-sized reviews of the recently released Mandalorian and Grogu . With the 50th anniversary of Star Wars looming over our upcoming season, is this the way? Lobby Chats are short bonus episodes where Adam and Nate share their thoughts on new releases, what they’re watching besides The Simpsons, and more. For more Simpsons movie parody content, chec...

In our season finale, The Simpsons writer and co-executive producer Christine Nangle joins Nate and Adam to discuss the 800th episode of the show “ Irrational Treasure ” (S37E) and its pitch-perfect parody of National Treasure (2004). Also in this episode: • We talk all things Philadelphia, from soft pretzels to the National Dog Show to the ever-present Rocky franchise • Behind-the-scenes details...

Adam and Nate review the Best Picture nominees for the 98th Academy Awards , and hand out their own Simpsons-themed honors to the films of 2025, The Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Movie Excellence . Also in this episode: • The most memorable theatrical experiences of 2025 • The biggest snrubs of the year • Our predictions about the tightest Oscar races  Plus, check out our...

Writer-director and Simpsons fan Alex Ross Perry ( Videoheaven , Pavements , Her Smell ) joins Adam and Nate to discuss one of the most prescient movie parodies on The Simpsons : William Friedkin’s famous flop Sorcerer (1977) in “Mr. Plow” (S4E9). How was the writers room’s movie taste a decade ahead of Sorcerer ’s reappraisal? Also in this episode: • Why every Simpsons fan needs a “Simpsons buddy...

Adam and Nate fall into Ace in the Hole (1951), Billy Wilder’s box office flop that Matt Groening reclaimed for the plot of The Simpsons episode “ Radio Bart ” (S3E13). Also in this episode: • When you get a recommendation from Spike Lee, you accept  • Is this the most Simpsons-y plot we’ve covered to date? • A social satire that we wish wasn’t so relevant today • Do this movie’s film noir tr...

Adam and Nate get to know CHAЯLY (1968) and its episode-long Simpsons parody in “ HOMЯ ” (S12E9). While this movie barely exists today, when this adaptation of Daniel Keyes’ short story “Flowers for Algernon” came out in the early days of New Hollywood, it pushed the boundaries of disability on film, formal experimentation… and good taste.  Also in this episode: • Cliff Robertson and a brief...

Adam and Nate discuss “ The Great Money Caper ” (S12E7), a classic Simpsons-style genre mashup episode about con artist movies, and its parody of Paper Moon (1973). Can Peter Bogdanovich’s daddy-daughter road trip movie give Homer and Lisa a run for their money? Also in this episode: • Orson Welles’s one weird trick that cinematographers don’t want you to know about • Can Peter Bogdanovich make a...

Good grief. It’s the 60th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)! To celebrate this classic Christmas special, Adam and Nate decided to unpack it through its Simpsons parody in “ Miracle on Evergreen Terrace ” (S9E10) with Alan Siegel , author of the new book Stupid TV, Be More Funny . Also in this episode: • Alan’s take on how The Simpsons reinvented TV and molded millennial movie taste...

In this bonus minisode, Nate asks Adam for his bite-sized review of Ella Mccay (2025), the first new film directed by Simpsons co-creator James L. Brooks in 15 years. Can Brooks recapture the magic of his ‘80s masterpieces and the early days of The Simpsons ? Stay tuned next week for our full episode with Alan Siegel , author of a new book on The Simpsons called Stupid TV Be More Funny , as we unw...

Mmm… forbidden episode. Adam and Nate revisit the classic and controversial “ Stark Raving Dad ” (S3E1) and its overshadowed parody of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). How does Miloš Forman’s anti-establishment anthem hold up 50 years later? Also in this episode: • What should we do with “Stark Raving Dad” and other art featuring canceled artists? • Nurse Ratched may be one of cinema’s grea...

Inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s new take on Mary Shelley’s classic creature, Adam and Nate invited film critic Dede Crimmins to help them reanimate Frankenstein (1931) and its multiple parodies in “ Treehouse of Horror II ” (S3E7). Together, we explore how this movie became one of the most referenced movies on The Simpsons , including the warnings and creepy credits at the beginning of almost eve...

In this bonus minisode, Nate, Adam, and film critic Dede Crimmins give their bite-sized reviews of Guillermo Del Toro’s new adaptation of Frankenstein (2025), as well as their thoughts on the year in horror movies so far.  Stay tuned next week for our full episode with Dede on Frankenstein (1931) and “ Treehouse of Horror II ” (S3E7). Lobby Chats are short bonus episodes where Adam and Nate s...

What with the grim specter of everything, Halloween just wasn’t enough to contain all the frights and chills! Simpsons writer Dan Vebber joins the podcast to extend the spooky season by walking us through his award-winning episode “ Thanksgiving of Horror ” (S31E8) and its parody of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror masterpiece, Alien (1979). Also in this episode: • Why Martin Prince is the perfect sta...

Adam and Nate are joined by film critic Norm Wilner to revisit I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its parody in “ Treehouse of Horror X ” (S11E4), one of the most movie parody-packed episodes of The Simpsons ever. Does Norm still agree with his pull quote on every home release of this movie that says it’s “a pure fright machine [that] scares the hell out of you”? (Did he ever?) Also in thi...

Adam and Nate celebrate their 50th episode by breaking down AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies list through the lens of The Simpsons . If we reorder these 100 movies by how many times they were referenced on The Simpsons , can we create a different canon of American film? Also in this episode: • What are the canonical films that The Simpsons never parodied in the classic years? • The time capsule that is...

Adam and Nate debate the virtues of Martin Scorsese’s After Hours (1985) on its 40th anniversary. At least they can agree that “ Bart Sells His Soul ” (S7E4) is pretty much a perfect Simpsons episode. Also in this episode: • Uncle Moe’s Family Feedbag and the restaurants that inspired it • Is the dream logic of this movie enticing or frustrating? • The wild and wooly world of 1980s New York • Why...

Hey, that gum you like is finally back in style. That’s right! We’re kicking off another season of the Springfield Googolplex with the thrilling conclusion of “ Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two ” (S7E1) and David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). Plus, we have a uniquely qualified guest to guide us through the Venn diagram of The Simpsons and Twin Peaks , the multitalented musician, writer...

In this bonus minisode, Nate and Adam give their bite-sized reviews of the recently released The Fantastic Four: First Steps , and how it stacks up against Superman . Our latest special summer episode covered the scandalous story of Roger Corman’s unreleased The Fantastic Four (1994) , alongside Stan Lee’s guest star appearance in The Simpsons episode “I Am Furious (Yellow).” So with that in mind...

With The Fantastic Four: First Steps in theaters this week, Nate and Adam felt inspired to cover the latest MCU blockbuster. But in the absence of a press pass, we decided to watch Roger Corman’s unreleased The Fantastic Four (1994) instead! We also revisit “ I Am Furious (Yellow) ” (S13E18), the most Marvel-icious episode of the classic era of The Simpsons . Also in this episode: • The behind-the...

With the 36th season of The Simpsons recently wrapping up, we invited the current showrunner Matt Selman to sit down with us and talk all about the most recent season, its many movie parodies, his own relationship with the movies, and more. We even got a sneak preview of a few upcoming episodes of season 37! Also in this episode: • Why movie parodies on The Simpsons these days are longer, more ela...

In our season finale, Adam and Nate celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of The Simpsons ’ most famous season finales, “ Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One ” (S6E25). To complement Mr. Burns’s fiendish scheme to block out the sun, we paired it with Goldfinger (1964), the James Bond movie that invented much of the formula that every later movie in the series either imitates or plays against. Also in thi...

What more can be said about Jaws (1975)? For the 50th anniversary of the original summer blockbuster, we invited filmmaker and podcaster Devan Scott to help us unpack how it quietly became one of the most referenced movies in the classic years of The Simpsons . Also in this episode: • The many parodies of Quint and his iconic introduction, including our Simpsons double feature, “ The Joy of Sect ”...

Why does “ Bart Gets Hit by a Car ” (S2E10) show the episode title on screen at the beginning, unlike nearly every other episode of The Simpsons ? We think we found an answer in The Fortune Cookie (1966), the very first pairing of longtime comedy duo Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. They’re the original odd couple! This forgotten movie provided the plot for this early episode of The Simpsons , and...

Sean Baker’s movie had heart, but Football in the Groin had a football in the groin. Adam and Nate review the 97th Academy Awards , and compare their top five movies of 2024 . Also in this episode: • The biggest surprises, snubs, and satisfying wins of the night • Does former Simpsons writer Conan O’Brien work as host of the Oscars? • A round-up of the night’s best Simpsons memes • A trivia game a...

When Jay Sherman showed up as a guest judge for the Springfield Film Festival, it created the perfect platform for one of the most movie parody-packed episodes of The Simpsons ever. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of “ A Star Is Burns ” (S6E18), Adam and Nate explore an equally epic movie— Ben-Hur (1959)—as well as The Critic , an even more movie-saturated series developed by several Simpsons al...