The Simpsons season 29

The twenty-ninth season of the animated television series The Simpsons premiered on Fox in the United States on October 1, 2017, and ended on May 20, 2018. On November 4, 2016, The Simpsons was renewed for seasons 29 and 30. The season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. The primary showrunner for the season was Al Jean.

This season marked the show's surpassing Gunsmoke as the longest-running scripted series in primetime television by number of episodes, with the series' 636th episode "Forgive and Regret". Composer Alf Clausen was replaced by composing collective Bleeding Fingers Music.

Episodes this season were nominated for three Emmy Awards and winning one, nominated for one Writers Guild of America Award, and nominated for one Annie Award.

Main cast

 * Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Sideshow Mel, Louie, Squeaky-Voiced Teen, The Leprechaun, Hans Moleman, Yes Guy, Santa's Little Helper, Gil Gunderson, Itchy, Frankie the Squealer and various others
 * Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson, Jacqueline Bouvier Patty Bouvier, Selma Bouvier, and various others
 * Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Maggie Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, Database and various others
 * Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
 * Hank Azaria as Carl Carlson, Moe Szyslak, Kirk Van Houten, Captain McCallister, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, Professor Frink, Comic Book Guy, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Duffman, Snake, Raphael, Chazz Busby, Old Jewish Man, Luigi Risotto, Cletus Spuckler, Drederick Tatum, Julio, Disco Stu, Officer Lou, Bumblebee Man, Coach Krupt, Dr. Nick Riviera and various others
 * Harry Shearer as Dr. Hibbert, Lenny Leonard, Mr. Burns, Rainier Wolfcastle, Otto Mann, Kent Brockman, Reverend Lovejoy, Ned Flanders, Jasper Beardsley, Principal Skinner, Waylon Smithers, Dewey Largo, God, Scratchy, Dr. Marvin Monroe, Jebediah Springfield and various others

Supporting cast

 * Pamela Hayden as Milhouse Van Houten, Sarah Wiggum, Rod Flanders, Jimbo Jones and various others
 * Tress MacNeille as Kumiko Albertson, Shauna Chalmers, Bernice Hibbert, Mrs. Muntz, Agnes Skinner, Lindsey Naegle, Dolph Shapiro, Crazy Cat Lady, Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, Booberella, Brandine Spuckler and various others
 * Chris Edgerly as additional characters
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as additional characters
 * Maggie Roswell as Helen Lovejoy, Luann Van Houten, Miss Hoover, Martha Quimby, Maude Flanders and various others
 * Russi Taylor as Martin Prince, Sherri and various others
 * Dawnn Lewis as Children's Court Bailiff ("Fears of a Clown"), Co-Pilot and Pat O'Brien's Waitress ("Lisa Gets the Blues")

Guest stars for the season included Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Rachel Bloom, Martin Short, Ben Daniels, Neil Gaiman, Valerie Harper, Norman Lear, Jon Lovitz, Ed Sheeran, Bill Hader, Cecily Strong, Kevin Pollak, J.K. Simmons, Daniel Radcliffe, and Jimmy O. Yang. This season also features Kelsey Grammer reprising his role as Sideshow Bob and Homer seeking help from Shaquille O'Neal in "Gone Boy",  and a song written by guest star Rachel Bloom in "Springfield Splendor".

Production
This season and the next season were ordered in November 2016. Seven episodes were holdovers from the previous season. Executive producer Al Jean continued his role as primary showrunner, a role he had since the thirteenth season. Executive producer Matt Selman was also the showrunner for several episodes, a role he performed since the twenty-third season.

With the 636th episode airing this season, the series surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest-running scripted American primetime television series by number of episodes. Commenting on the record, Jean thought the longevity of the series was due to the constancy of the Simpson characters, who have not changed since their inception. At the same time, creator Matt Groening stated that the producers keep the show relevant by trying to surprise the audience such as having guest animators for the couch gags.

This season featured the first episode co-written by Miranda Thompson, the wife of writer Tim Long. It also featured the first episode written by Daniel Furlong and Zach Posner. Furthermore, it featured the final episode written by Kevin Curran prior to his death.

In addition, Bill Plympton animated a sixth couch gag in "3 Scenes Plus a Tag from a Marriage", having previously done so in season 23's "Beware My Cheating Bart", season 24's "Black Eyed, Please", season 25's "Married to the Blob", season 27's "Lisa the Veterinarian", and season 28's "22 for 30".

The premiere episode of the season "The Serfsons" was the final time that Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is voiced by series cast member Hank Azaria before he stated in 2020 that he would no longer voice Apu. The producers attempted to address the controversy of a white man voicing an Indian character this season in the episode "No Good Read Goes Unpunished", with the characters saying that the act was not offensive when the series started and would be addressed later. However, the acknowledgement caused more controversy.

Music
On August 30, 2017, it was announced that longtime Simpsons score composer Alf Clausen was let go from the series. Clausen was given a composer emeritus credit for several seasons starting with this season's premiere. The series switched from a live orchestrated score to a produced score by Bleeding Fingers Music, a composing collective founded by Hans Zimmer, who composed the score for The Simpsons Movie. Zimmer and Russell Emanuel served as score producers with Andrew Christie being the lead composer.

Animated shorts of Donald Trump
In December 2017, Fox released an animated short from series producers depicting Donald Trump attempting to bribe Robert Mueller with money and Carmen Yulín Cruz collecting it, a reference to the Mueller special counsel investigation and Trump's response to damage caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. In March 2018, another short was released showing Trump confessing his reported misdeeds before he wakes up from his nightmare.

Viewing figures
For the 2017-2018 television season, the season earned a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which was the 41st best performing show. It averaged 4.07 million viewers, which was the 122nd best performing show.

Critical response
Jesse Bereta of Bubbleblabber gave the season a 7.5 out of 10. He highlighted the performances by guest stars Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Hader. He also felt the season premiere and finale were metaphors for how to keep the show alive and how to deal with its inevitable end.

Awards and nominations
At the 70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, animator Caroline Cruikshank won for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for her work in "Springfield Splendor". The episode "Gone Boy" was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program. Actor Dan Castellaneta was nominated for the Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for his work in "Fears of a Clown".

At the 70th Writers Guild of America Awards, writer Brian Kelley was nominated for Outstanding Writing in Animation for his script for "The Serfsons".

At the 45th Annie Awards, director Timothy Bailey was nominated for the Outstanding Achievement for Directing for his work in "Treehouse of Horror XXVIII".