Simpsons Bible Stories - Release and Reception

Release and Reception

In its original American broadcast on April 4, 1999, "Simpsons Bible Stories" received a 7.4 Nielsen rating, translating to approximately 7.4 million viewers. The rating is based on the number of household televisions that were tuned into the show, but Nielsen Media Research estimated that 12.2 million viewers watched the episode, a considerable drop from the previous episode, which was seen by an estimated 15.5 million viewers. David Bianculli of New York Daily News attributed the loss in viewership to the fact that the episode aired on a religious holiday. Nevertheless, it was the week's second most watched program on the network. Later that year, the episode received an Annie award in the category of Best Animated Television Production, the second year in a row that The Simpsons won the award. On August 7, 2007, "Simpsons Bible Stories" was released as part of The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season DVD box set. Matt Groening, Mike Scully, George Meyer, Tom Martin, Larry Doyle, Matt Selman and Nancy Kruse participated in the DVD's audio commentary of the episode.

Following its broadcast, "Simpsons Bible Stories" received mixed reviews from critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood of I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide wrote that the episode is "A fantastic twist of the Treehouse of Horror style of storytelling," and added that each segment is a "classic on its own." They wrote that Wiggum telling Moses and Lisa to give his regards to the British Museum as he seals them inside a tomb and Marge asking Bart if he is wearing clean underwear as they face the apocalypse were some of the episode's "best moments," and concluded by writing that the episode is "The Simpsons at its very best: inventive, irreverent and very, very funny." While DVD Town's James Plath wrote that the episode's premise was "risky," he still enjoyed the episode. Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz of The Star-Ledger described the episode as "hilarious," however they noted that the episode's "suggestion that Moses parted the Red Sea by having all the Israelites flush their toilets at once" could result in a backlash from the "religious right."

On the other hand, giving the episode a negative review, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote that "Simpsons Bible Stories" "proves less successful ." He added that he "just think the brevity required by the inclusion of three separate tales better suits the world of horror spoofs than it does these Bible pieces," as they "try to pack an awful lot into very little time." He concluded by writing that, while the episode has "some good moments," he did not find a lot of entertainment in it. Jake MacNeill of Digital Entertainment News was also critical, and wrote that the episode "fails to be funny" because it "strays too far from the source material." He added "have you read the bible? That stuff’s funny enough in and of itself." Aaron Roxby of Collider described "Simpsons Bible Stories" as his least-favourite trilogy episode, and wrote "Considering that, in earlier seasons, the show had some of the most thoughtfully edgy religious humor on television, this one feels surprisingly toothless." However, he gave praise to the talking pig in the Garden of Eden.

At the end of the episode, the Simpsons walk out of the church and notice that the Apocalypse has begun. While the other family members are left on earth, Lisa at first starts ascending into Heaven, but Homer stops her by grabbing her leg and says "Where do you think you're going, missy?" The gag was written by staff writer George Meyer, and is series creator Matt Groening's favorite joke of the series. While the episode's ending is one of Groening's favourites, fans were uneasy with it. Selman stated that the ending "drives them crazy," since they do not know whether or not the episode is canonical. In 2007, Homer's line "Oh, I smell barbeque!" was included in Bobby Bryant of The State's list "20 Essential Things I've Learned From Homer Simpson". The same year, the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, unveiled a new exhibit which galleried Biblical images in art and pop culture, including a promotional poster for "Simpsons Bible Stories."