Springfield Googolplex: The Movie Podcast for Fans of The Simpsons

In this bonus minisode, Nate and Adam give their bite-sized reviews of the recently released Mandalorian and Grogu. With the 50th anniversary of Star Wars looming over our upcoming season, is this the way?Lobby Chats are short bonus episodes where Adam and Nate share their thoughts on new releases, what they’re watching besides The Simpsons, and more.For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Adam and Nate review the Best Picture nominees for the 98th Academy Awards, and hand out their own Simpsons-themed honors to the films of 2025, The Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Movie Excellence.Also in this episode:• The most memorable theatrical experiences of 2025• The biggest snrubs of the year• Our predictions about the tightest Oscar races Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further readingNext time, in our season finale, we chat with Simpsons writer-producer Christine Nangle about the 800th episode of the show, “Irrational Treasure” (S37E14), and its inspiration, National Treasure (2004).For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Adam and Nate fall into Ace in the Hole (1951), Billy Wilder’s box office flop that Matt Groening reclaimed for the plot of The Simpsons episode “Radio Bart” (S3E13).Also in this episode:• When you get a recommendation from Spike Lee, you accept • Is this the most Simpsons-y plot we’ve covered to date?• A social satire that we wish wasn’t so relevant today• Do this movie’s film noir tropes still hold up?Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further readingNext time, director Alex Ross Perry joins the podcast to talk “Mr. Plow” (S4E9) and its parody of another reappraised flop, William Friedkin’s Sorcerer (1977).For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Adam and Nate discuss “The Great Money Caper” (S12E7), a classic Simpsons-style genre mashup episode about con artist movies, and its parody of Paper Moon (1973). Can Peter Bogdanovich’s daddy-daughter road trip movie give Homer and Lisa a run for their money?Also in this episode:• Orson Welles’s one weird trick that cinematographers don’t want you to know about• Can Peter Bogdanovich make a period piece without nostalgia?• How the real-life daddy-daughter relationship of Ryan and Tatum O’Neal shows up on screen, for better or worse• Adam’s review of an unlicensed Simpsons-themed escape roomPlus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further readingNext time, Nate and Adam check out the forgotten message movie CHARLY (1968) and its episode-long Simpsons parody in “HOMR” (S12E9).For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

In this bonus minisode, Nate asks Adam for his bite-sized review of Ella Mccay (2025), the first new film directed by Simpsons co-creator James L. Brooks in 15 years. Can Brooks recapture the magic of his ‘80s masterpieces and the early days of The Simpsons?Stay tuned next week for our full episode with Alan Siegel, author of a new book on The Simpsons called Stupid TV Be More Funny, as we unwrap A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and its Simpsons homage in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (S9E11).Lobby Chats are short bonus episodes where Adam and Nate share their thoughts on new releases, what they’re watching besides The Simpsons, and more.For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s new take on Mary Shelley’s classic creature, Adam and Nate invited film critic Dede Crimmins to help them reanimate Frankenstein (1931) and its multiple parodies in “Treehouse of Horror II” (S3E7). Together, we explore how this movie became one of the most referenced movies on The Simpsons, including the warnings and creepy credits at the beginning of almost every “Treehouse of Horror” episode.Also in this episode:• The silent magic of Boris Karloff’s performance as the creature• When parodies set up false expectations for classic movies• That time Frankenstein inspired one of the most deep-cut references on The Simpsons ever• How the hell was this episode going to end with a Broadcast News parody?Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading.Next time, Nate and Adam go crazy for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) at 50 and the forbidden episode…For more of Dede’s movie reviews and more stay tuned to her Bluesky @dedecrim.bsky.social.For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

What with the grim specter of everything, Halloween just wasn’t enough to contain all the frights and chills! Simpsons writer Dan Vebber joins the podcast to extend the spooky season by walking us through his award-winning episode “Thanksgiving of Horror” (S31E8) and its parody of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror masterpiece, Alien (1979).Also in this episode:• Why Martin Prince is the perfect stand-in for the android Ash• Alien’s connection to H.P. Lovecraft• Adam and Dan’s defense of Alien³• The story of Dan’s son’s first word… while watching Apocalypto Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further readingNext time, film critic and horror aficionado Dede Crimmins returns to reanimate Frankenstein (1931), and its double parody in “Treehouse of Horror II” (S3E7).For more of Dan’s work, tune in to new episodes of The Simpsons Sundays at 8pm (EST) on Fox and the day after on Hulu.For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us at @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Adam and Nate celebrate their 50th episode by breaking down AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies list through the lens of The Simpsons. If we reorder these 100 movies by how many times they were referenced on The Simpsons, can we create a different canon of American film?Also in this episode:• What are the canonical films that The Simpsons never parodied in the classic years?• The time capsule that is the “100 Years… 100 Movies” TV special• Does The Simpsons parody movies because they’re influential, or are these movies influential because they’re parodied on The Simpsons?• Trivia and favorite moments from the last three years of the podcastPlus, check out our show notes for our completely reordered list of AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies based on the number of Simpsons references, and further readingNext time, film critic Norm Wilner joins the podcast to kick off our spooky season with I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and “Treehouse of Horror X” (S11E4).For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Hey, that gum you like is finally back in style. That’s right! We’re kicking off another season of the Springfield Googolplex with the thrilling conclusion of “Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two” (S7E1) and David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). Plus, we have a uniquely qualified guest to guide us through the Venn diagram of The Simpsons and Twin Peaks, the multitalented musician, writer and podcaster Allie Goertz! Also in this episode:• Is Fire Walk with Me the ultimate test of how expectations shape the movie experience?• Which Springfieldians would we cast as the various denizens of Twin Peaks?• Can we crack the symbolism of Twin Peaks, or does it even matter?• Our secret favorite movies that we always to justify have to peoplePlus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further readingNext time, Adam and Nate will catch up with Martin Scorsese’s After Hours (1985) on its 40th anniversary, alongside its parody in “Bart Sells His Soul” (S7E4).Featuring “The Becoming“ by Allie Goertz from her latest album, Peeled Back. For more of Allie’s work, check out the complete runs of her two podcasts, Round Springfield and Fire Talk With Me.For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

With The Fantastic Four: First Steps in theaters this week, Nate and Adam felt inspired to cover the latest MCU blockbuster. But in the absence of a press pass, we decided to watch Roger Corman’s unreleased The Fantastic Four (1994) instead! We also revisit “I Am Furious (Yellow)” (S13E18), the most Marvel-icious episode of the classic era of The Simpsons.Also in this episode:• The behind-the-scenes Hollywood shenanigans that kept this film from seeing the light of day • Is Stan Lee one of the best guest stars ever on The Simpsons?• Roger Corman’s surprising influence on The Simpsons movie references• An ode to the golden era of internet cartoonsPlus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further readingWe will return with regular biweekly episodes in September. Until then, keep an eye out for more special one-off episodes and new articles on our blog.For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

In our season finale, Adam and Nate celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of The Simpsons’ most famous season finales, “Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One” (S6E25). To complement Mr. Burns’s fiendish scheme to block out the sun, we paired it with Goldfinger (1964), the James Bond movie that invented much of the formula that every later movie in the series either imitates or plays against.Also in this episode:• The brassy music of John Barry and Shirley Bassey that became synonymous with espionage and gadgetry• What set pieces hold up best, and why is the correct answer the industrial laser scene?•The imperceptible craft that pulls together the behind-the-scenes patchwork of this movie• Can James Bond survive his latest encounter with an ambitious bald billionaire?• Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading.Springfield Googolplex will return in September 2025 with the thrilling conclusion to “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” (S7E1), alongside a mystery movie pairing. In the meantime, we will be taking a break to produce our next season, but keep an eye out for a few very special summer episodes.For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

Why does “Bart Gets Hit by a Car” (S2E10) show the episode title on screen at the beginning, unlike nearly every other episode of The Simpsons? We think we found an answer in The Fortune Cookie (1966), the very first pairing of longtime comedy duo Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. They’re the original odd couple! This forgotten movie provided the plot for this early episode of The Simpsons, and possibly much more.Also in this episode:• A classic example of “homage, French for theft”• How this movie may have inspired the origins of Lionel Hutz and Dr. Nick Riviera• When does Walter Matthau sound most like season 1 Homer in this movie?• Adam and Nate unwisely try to rewrite Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, two masters of comedy writingPlus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further readingNext time, filmmaker and podcaster Devan Scott returns to discuss Jaws (1975) on its 50th anniversary, alongside its culty parody in “The Joy of Sect” (S9E13).For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.

When Jay Sherman showed up as a guest judge for the Springfield Film Festival, it created the perfect platform for one of the most movie parody-packed episodes of The Simpsons ever. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of “A Star Is Burns” (S6E18), Adam and Nate explore an equally epic movie—Ben-Hur (1959)—as well as The Critic, an even more movie-saturated series developed by several Simpsons alumni.Also in this episode:• Is this movie actually as Christian as it seems, or is there very little meat in this gym mat?• Which actor is more Troy McClure-ish, Charlton Heston or Stephen Boyd?• Does the chariot race that launched a thousand homages hold up today?• Are the lepers in Ben-Hur as scary as Maude Flanders thinks?Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further readingNext time, Nate and Adam look back on our favorite movies of the year and recap the surprises, snubs, and the Simpsons-related host of the 97th Academy Awards. For more Simpsons movie parody content, check out SpringfieldGoogolplex.com, or follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and Letterboxd. Discover more great podcasts on the That Shelf Podcast Network.