Behind the Laughter with Alex Nichols

“It’s asking you to think both too much and not enough.”

To celebrate the show's 6 month anniversary we've got a great new episode for you. Today we're discussing the format-breaking episode from The Simpsons Season 11 Episode 22 Behind the Laughter. It's a parody of VH1's Behind the Music, where the Simpsons star in a TV show about their life. But they aren't actors, they're just playing themselves in a scripted sitcom, which is The Simpsons tv show we all actually watch. As I'll say more than once, this is a weird idea!

I'm joined by the very funny Alex Nichols, an actor/improviser/photographer based in Denver. We discuss whether this episode succeeds as a parody, the insane reason The Simpsons was banned in Alex's house growing up (it's not why you think!), and if the best part of the whole episode is in the last 5 seconds. We also talk about MC Hammer's unique rise to fame, the album Willie Nelson wrote for the IRS, and why doctors used to spray fire hoses at depressed people.

You can follow Alex on Instagram and Letterboxd at alexnichols. And watch his new sketch, "Miss", on YT: Miss by Nickels and Coal

You can follow this show on Instagram at bartannicapod.

Alex Recommends:

Documentary: Close Up on Internet Archive

Harrison Recommends:

Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling by Jason Mittell