Pokey Mom - Production

Production

"Pokey Mom" was written by Tom Martin and directed by Bob Anderson as part of the twelfth season of The Simpsons (2000–2001). According to then-showrunner Mike Scully, the story of this episode originated from the fact that the staff members of The Simpsons wanted to do an episode about Marge but felt they did not want it to revolve around her getting a new job, as that had been seen on the show "too often". They decided to explore one of Marge's attributes that had been seen in earlier episodes, eventually choosing her interest in art. Martin conceived of the sub-plot surrounding Homer following a visit to a chiropractor. He has said that the "heart" of that story is that the chiropractors in Springfield become opposed to Homer's method of healing people and try to stop it after losing business, in reference to how chiropractors in real-life "are a bit hated by the AMA (American Medical Association)" and how the AMA has tried to restrict their businesses in the past. Martin has also noted that the episode shows how "a lot of chiropractors are these great healers and they do great work, and then there's some that are crooked."

Several famous Americans made guest appearances in the episode. Actor Michael Keaton guest starred as Jack Crowley, while stand-up comedian Robert Schimmel appeared as a prisoner in Marge's art class that wants to smell her clothes. Actor Charles Napier voiced the prison warden that commentates the rodeo at the prison and later grants Jack his parole. Comedy writer and actor Bruce Vilanch guest starred in the episode as himself at the unveiling of Jack's mural painting. There, Principal Skinner jokes to the audience that "when Superintendent Chalmers suggested a school mural, I almost thought he said a 'school Muriel'," referencing Chalmers' sister Muriel. When no one laughs at his joke and the audience is dead silent, Skinner sarcastically says "Well, thank you, Bruce Vilanch," to which Vilanch replies "Whoopi would've made it work." This is a reference to the fact that Vilanch has written comedy material for actress Whoopi Goldberg.