The Simpsons has earned its spot among the most recognizable TV series ever made, but within the world of the show, there were plenty of exciting ideas for real series. While viewers have watched Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie run toward their couch to see what’s on TV since 1989, when looking at the sheer volume of fictional series and movies they’ve enjoyed over the years, the spin-off potential is endless. From tongue-in-cheek talk shows to the over-the-top action series, The Simpsons has continually parodied mainstream media with hilarious homages.
While The The Simpsons have featured a glimpse into the incredible world of Springfield's media industry. These included everything from a crime-solving boat to a hospital staffed entirely by monkeys, pitches so intriguing viewers start to wish these shows and movies were actually real.
15 Police Cops
Season 10, Episode 13: “Homer to the Max”
While the pilot of Police Cops featured a suave action hero named Homer Simpson taking out criminals and uttering his slick catchphrase, “and that’s the end of that chapter,” by the second episode, he was turned into a bumbling sidekick who instead said, “uh-oh spaghetti-o's!” This was a terrible development for Springfield’s Homer, who was so mortified about being compared to the character that he actually changed his name to Max Power. But the truth was that Police Cops looked like a simple Miami Vice ripoff, and in the words of George Harrison, “It’s been done.”
14 Up Late With McBain
Season 5, Episode 2: “Cape Feare”
While The Simpsons have been seen watching everything from The Oprah Winfrey Show to Late Night with David Letterman, the series' most famous action star, Rainier Wolfcastle, also boasted his own talk show called Up Late with McBain. With a seemingly high-ranking SS officer announcer named Obergruppenfuhrer Wolfcastle, the jokes in Up Late with McBain were so horribly written that even Bart Simpson couldn’t bear to watch. Lisa was also horrified by the show and commented that “The FOX Network has sunk to a new low.”
13 The Gabbo Show
Season 4, Episode 22: “Krusty Gets Kancelled”
While The Krusty the Clown Show has long been the most popular series among Springfield children, it received some stern competition when The Gabbo Show began airing during its same 4:00 pm timeslot. This variety show was led by a ventriloquist and his rude talking puppet, Gabbo, who stole many aspects from Krusty’s series. By repeating Krusty’s prank call routine and even stealing its Itchy & Scratchy segment, The Gabbo Show didn’t stick around for long as the puppet's lackluster catchphrase “I'm a bad widdle boy” soon grew tiring.
12 When Buildings Collapse
Season 9, Episode 17: “Lisa the Simpson”
The primetime series When Buildings Collapse featured, as the title implied, the demolition of various buildings scored to classical music, such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's “1812 Overture.” This mix of high and low-brow content aired as part of the ‘Non-Stop FOX’ lineup and opened with the pressing idea that “man has always loved his buildings, but what happens when the buildings say no more?" From the Leaning Tower of Pisa finally falling over to the Society of Structural Engineers building rolling down a hill, When Buildings Collapse was pure, unfiltered entertainment.
11 Knightboat
Season 6, Episode 12: “And Maggie Makes Three”
Knightboat followed the adventures of Michael, and his hi-tech crime-solving boat powered by artificial intelligence, taking down criminals in a format oddly similar to the David Hasselhoff crime series Knight Rider. While Knightboat featured plenty of exciting chases, Bart and Lisa were frustrated that every time the criminals escaped on land, there was always an “inlet, canal, or fjord” nearby for Knightboat to follow them. This repetitive deus ex machina stopped Knightboat from standing up against the very best shows seen in The Simpsons.
10 Angry Dad
Season 13, Episode 8: “I Am Furious (Yellow)”
Angry Dad was an internet series described as a “Bart Toon presentation in association with Ay Carumba Entertainment,” which Bart Simpson created based on his father, Homer. Based on his dad's stupidity, Bart told Lisa he was inspired by "a little of my dad, your dad, bit of Maggie's dad.” The crudely drawn web series became a hit and was even turned into the Golden Globe-nominated Angry Dad: The Movie in Season 22, which saw Homer trying to take credit for a step into the spotlight.
9 The Worker & Parasite Show
Season 4, Episode 22: “Krusty Gets Kancelled”
After The Itchy & Scratchy Show was stolen by Gabbo, Krusty was forced to replace them with Eastern Europe's favorite cat-and-mouse series, The Worker & Parasite Show. This cheap replacement was produced in 1959 and featured a crudely drawn constructivist-like style as the animals uttered incoherent pseudo-Russian over a crackling soundtrack. Even Krusty was shocked by the poor quality of the series, and this was one of several bad mistakes that led to the brief cancellation of The Krusty the Clown Show.
8 Rock Bottom
Season 6, Episode 9: “Homer Ban”
Homer Simpson tried to clear his name by appearing on the tabloid news show Rock Bottom after being accused of sexually harassing a babysitter when he grabbed a rare gummy candy shaped like Venus de Milo that was stuck to her behind. However, rather than an even-handed interview, the producers of Rock Bottom threw all journalistic credibility out the window and edited Homer to make him look like a pervert. The “Babysitter and the Beast” segment justified its sensationalist style with a brief note stating their lies were part of a dramatization and “may not have happened.”
7 Radioactive Man
Season 7, Episode 2: “Radioactive Man”
The popular comic book Radioactive Man received its own feature film, starring Rainier Wolfcastle in the title role and Milhouse Van Houten as his trusty sidekick, Fallout Boy. Unlike the campy 1970s adaptation of the comic, which was sponsored by Laramie Cigarettes and often featured Radioactive Man smoking, this was a parody of big-budget superhero movies. However, due to Springfield residents trying to milk the production for all it was worth and Milhouse refusing to finish the movie after growing disillusioned with stardom, Radioactive Man was never released.
6 It Never Ends
Season 11, Episode 16: “Pygmoelian”
The soap opera It Never Ends briefly featured Moe Szyslak as the handsome Doctor Tad Winslow. While Moe was initially rejected for being “ugly-ugly” and not “TV ugly,” his plastic surgery secured his part after Winslow’s original actor was fired for asking for a raise. Marge was a fan of the show’s “shocking twists and endless pillow talk,” with storylines including reviving a 5000-year-old Egyptian queen and a baby shower invaded by terrorists, with sexy results. With the slogan “Like the cleaning of a house... it never ends,” the soap was a parody of shows like Days of Our Lives.
