A Fish Called Selma
"A Fish Called Selma" is the nineteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 24, 1996. The episode features Troy McClure, who tries to resurrect his acting career and squelch the rumors about his personal life by marrying Selma Bouvier. Show runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein were fans of Phil Hartman and wished to produce an episode that focused on his character McClure. Freelance writer Jack Barth wrote the episode, and Mark Kirkland directed it.
| "A Fish Called Selma" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 19 |
| Directed by | Mark Kirkland |
| Written by | Jack Barth |
| Production code | 3F15 |
| Original air date | March 24, 1996 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Phil Hartman as Troy McClure and Fat Tony Jeff Goldblum as MacArthur Parker | |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | The Simpsons are five malfunctioning wind-up dolls who buzz their way to the couch. |
| Commentary | Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein Jeff Goldblum David Silverman |
Barth's script underwent a substantial rewrite in the show's writing room, including the expansion of the Planet of the Apes musical and addition of the song "Dr. Zaius". The episode ran too long because of the slow pace of Troy and Selma's speech. Consequently, guest star Jeff Goldblum rerecorded his dialogue as MacArthur Parker at a faster speed.
The episode received generally positive reviews, with particular praise given to Hartman's performance and the musical sequence. Entertainment Weekly placed the episode eighth on their list of the top 25 The Simpsons episodes.