Bart the Fink
"Bart the Fink" is the fifteenth 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 February 11, 1996. In this episode, Bart inadvertently exposes Krusty the Clown as one of the biggest tax cheats in American history. With his career ruined, Krusty fakes his suicide and adopts an alias, until Bart and Lisa convince him to become a television clown again.
| "Bart the Fink" | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 15 |
| Directed by | Jim Reardon |
| Story by | Bob Kushell |
| Teleplay by | John Swartzwelder |
| Production code | 3F12 |
| Original air date | February 11, 1996 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
| Episode features | |
| Couch gag | The couch is a fax machine that spews out a piece of paper with the Simpson family in a sitting position. |
| Commentary | Matt Groening Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein Jim Reardon David Silverman David X. Cohen |
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and Bob Kushell, and directed by Jim Reardon. American actor Bob Newhart guest-starred in it as himself. The episode's title is a play on the 1991 film Barton Fink.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 8.7, and was the fifth-highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.