The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
| "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 14 |
| Directed by | Steven Dean Moore |
| Written by | David X. Cohen |
| Production code | 4F12 |
| Original air date | February 9, 1997 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | A parody of the Sgt. Pepper's album cover.[Note 1] |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Josh Weinstein David X. Cohen Yeardley Smith Alex Rocco Steven Dean Moore |
"The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" is the fourteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 9, 1997. In the episode, The Itchy & Scratchy Show attempts to regain lost viewers by introducing a new character named Poochie, voiced by Homer. The episode is largely self-referential and satirizes the world of television production, fans of The Simpsons, and the series itself. It was written by David X. Cohen and directed by Steven Dean Moore. Alex Rocco is a credited guest voice as Roger Meyers Jr. for the third and final time (having previously provided the character's voice in "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" and "The Day the Violence Died"); Phil Hartman also guest stars as Troy McClure. Poochie became a minor recurring character and Comic Book Guy's catchphrase, "Worst episode ever", is introduced in this episode.
With this episode, the show's 167th episode, The Simpsons surpassed The Flintstones in the number of episodes produced for a prime-time animated series, which had 166 episodes.