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"Lisa's Wedding" is the nineteenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 19, 1995."Lisa's Wedding"
''The Simpsons.com''. Retrieved on March 20, 2007
The plot focuses on
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
visiting a carnival fortune teller and learning about her future love in the far-off future of 2010. It was written by
Greg Daniels Gregory Martin Daniels (born June 13, 1963) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He has worked on several television series, including writing for ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''The Simpsons'', adapting '' The Office'' ...
and directed by
Jim Reardon Jim Reardon is an American animation director and screenwriter. He is best known for his work on the animated TV series ''The Simpsons''. He has directed over 30 episodes of the series and was credited as a supervising director for seasons 9 t ...
. Mandy Patinkin guest stars as Hugh Parkfield and Phil Hartman guest stars as Troy McClure. The episode won an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
in 1995 for Outstanding Animated Program, becoming the third episode of ''The Simpsons'' to win the award.Episode Capsule
at The Simpsons Archive


Plot

The Simpson family visit a Renaissance fair, where
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
finds a
fortune-telling Fortune telling is the spiritual practice of predicting information about a person's life. Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115–116. The scope of fortune telling is in principle ...
booth. The clairvoyant says she will predict Lisa's future and tell the story of her true love. In the year 2010 – 15 years in the future – 23-year-old Lisa meets a fellow university student named Hugh Parkfield from
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The pair fall madly in love and soon plan to marry. Lisa and Hugh travel to Springfield, where they plan to hold the wedding.
Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...
is still a housewife; 25-year-old
Bart Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...
is twice-divorced and works as a building demolition expert while planning on going to
law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...
; 16-year-old Maggie apparently never stops speaking (although she never talks in the episode, and whenever she tries to she is interrupted); and
Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
still works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in Sector 7G, with Milhouse as his supervisor. Despite Lisa's hopes, Hugh does not get along with her family, and is particularly dismayed when Homer wants him to wear family-tradition cufflinks resembling pigs on his wedding day. Lisa begs Hugh to wear the cufflinks, and he agrees on the condition that Lisa abandon her family after the wedding because Hugh is deeply embarrassed by them (although he agrees to let Marge visit once they have children). Outraged, Lisa insists she cannot marry him if he cannot understand that she loves her family members – despite their shortcomings – and calls off the wedding. Hugh returns to England and never sees Lisa again. In the present, Lisa questions the fortune-teller about her "true love" and the fortune-teller reveals that although Lisa will have a true love, she specializes in foretelling doomed romances. Lisa leaves the booth and finds Homer, who is excited to tell her about his day at the fair.


Production

The episode was written by
Greg Daniels Gregory Martin Daniels (born June 13, 1963) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He has worked on several television series, including writing for ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''The Simpsons'', adapting '' The Office'' ...
and directed by
Jim Reardon Jim Reardon is an American animation director and screenwriter. He is best known for his work on the animated TV series ''The Simpsons''. He has directed over 30 episodes of the series and was credited as a supervising director for seasons 9 t ...
. The idea for the episode came from James L. Brooks, who called David Mirkin and pitched the idea as traveling to the future and Lisa meeting the perfect man, who in turn cannot stand her family. Believing that it would be a tough episode to write, Brooks gave the job to
Greg Daniels Gregory Martin Daniels (born June 13, 1963) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He has worked on several television series, including writing for ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''The Simpsons'', adapting '' The Office'' ...
, who was enthusiastic about it and has said that it was a lot easier and more fun to write than expected. The plot involving Homer's cuff links was not in the original draft; it was later added because the writers felt that something was needed to represent Hugh's disdain for the Simpson family. The end theme was redone by
Alf Clausen Alf Faye Heiberg Clausen (March 28, 1941 – May 29, 2025) was an American film and television composer. He is best known for his work scoring many episodes of ''The Simpsons'', for which he was the sole composer between 1990 and 2017. Clausen ...
as a "
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
version", including a harp. Everything in the episode had to be redesigned, including the sets and all the characters. In most cases, the adults were made older, heavier, had a few lines added to the face, and less hair. On Homer, the redesign was minimal, making him a bit heavier, removing one hair and placing an extra line under the eye. In the future, Lisa has frilled, pointed hair, Marge with slightly grayer blue hair, Bart has a beard line like his father, Homer is stouter and even balder, with only one hair on his head and the one wrapping around thinning, and Krusty looks like
Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...
. The night sky was intentionally made a more reddish color in a subtle joke about how the producers thought the world would be much more polluted in 2010.
Nancy Cartwright Nancy Jean Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress, best known as the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on ''The Simpsons'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and an Annie Award f ...
's Bart voice was electronically lowered a couple of notches. This is the first of five future-themed episodes. It was followed by " Bart to the Future" in season 11, " Future-Drama" in season 16, " Holidays of Future Passed" in season 23, and " Days of Future Future" in season 25. While both "Lisa's Wedding" and "Future-Drama" were nominated for an
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
, in 2003, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' named "Bart to the Future" the worst episode in the history of the series.


Cultural references

The beginning of Lisa and Hugh's romance is similar to the one in the 1970 film '' Love Story''. Hugh and Lisa attend "40 classic films starring
Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...
" in 2010. According to David Mirkin, this is a joke about how "huge" Carrey's films were at the time, and how he was not garnering much respect as an actor. Lisa wandering away from the Renaissance fair while following a rabbit is similar to the plot of ''
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
''. The sounds of the car are the same as the ones used in '' The Jetsons''. On Lisa's wall there is a poster of
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
''Steel Wheelchair Tour 2010''. Wrist communicators are using the same sounds as communicators in ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
''. In this episode's version of the future, apparently three of the major American television networks have been bought by ABC and merged into CN NB CBS. Hugh Parkfield is a parody of English actor
Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received List of awards ...
. Martin Prince's fate is a parody of '' The Phantom of the Opera''. The song that he plays on the organ is a variation of "
A Fifth of Beethoven "A Fifth of Beethoven" is a disco instrumental recorded by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band, adapted from the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. The record was produced by production music and sound effects recording pro ...
" by
Walter Murphy Walter Anthony Murphy Jr. (born December 19, 1952) is an American composer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for the instrumental " A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony which topp ...
, a
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
version of Beethoven's " Symphony No. 5" in C Minor.


Reception and legacy

In its original broadcast, "Lisa's Wedding" finished 52nd in ratings for the week of March 13–19, 1995, with a
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the #Nielsen TV ...
of 9.1, equivalent to approximately 8.7 million viewing households. It was the third highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following ''
Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to as ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling via his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for 10 seasons on Fo ...
'' and '' Melrose Place''. "Lisa's Wedding" won an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
in 1995 for Outstanding Animated Program, becoming the third episode of ''The Simpsons'' to win in the category. This episode is a favorite of James L. Brooks, who believes that it is one of the best-written episodes and ranks near the top of ''The Simpsons'' episodes. The emotion of "Lisa's Wedding" is often compared with season two's " Lisa's Substitute". Mandy Patinkin as Hugh is considered one of the best ''The Simpsons'' guest spots by Chris Turner in his book '' Planet Simpson'', who says that many of the best ''The Simpsons'' guest stars have been lesser known celebrities. In a 2008 article, ''Entertainment Weekly'' named Patinkin one of the 16 best ''The Simpsons'' guest stars. In 1998, ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' listed it as the first in its list of top twelve episodes, calling it "the premier example of what makes a ''Simpsons'' episode work." In 2007, ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' characterized the episode as one of "The 10 Best Simpsons TV Episodes". On August 1, 2010, the day of Lisa's wedding in the episode, the name "Lisa Simpson" was a trending topic on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
. Most of the Twitter users that tweeted her name wished her a happy wedding day. Erik Adams writes: “The show exists in a static world, and 'Lisa’s Wedding' uses that to its advantage, altering the surface of the show while retaining its core components. Everything changes, but some things remain the same—one of those things being the unbreakable bond between Lisa and Homer. Like the Simpson family cufflinks and a tuxedo, they shouldn’t fit together—and yet they do. Capturing that sense in such humorous, heartwarming fashion is part of the magic of vintage-era ''Simpsons''.”


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

* * {{EmmyAward AnimationLessThanHour 1979-2000 The Simpsons season 6 episodes 1995 American television episodes Fiction set in 2010 Television episodes about weddings Science fiction comedy Television episodes about precognition Television episodes set in London Emmy Award–winning episodes Television episodes directed by Jim Reardon Television episodes written by Greg Daniels Television episodes set in the 2010s