"A Midsummer's Nice Dream" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons

The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

' twenty-second season

The Simpsons (season 22)

The Simpsons twenty-second season began airing on Fox on September 26, 2010 and ended on May 22, 2011. The Simpsons was renewed for at least two additional seasons during the twentieth season leading up to this season. The cast is currently signed through the 25th season. On November 11, 2010, the...

. It aired on the Fox network

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 in the United States on March 13, 2011. The episode name is a play on the Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

 play A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

 and the Cheech & Chong movie Nice Dreams.

Plot

The Simpsons are at a live Cheech and Chong

Cheech and Chong

Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong, who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their films and stand-up routines, which were based on the hippie and free love era, and especially drug culture movements, most notably their love for...

 show when Chong, upset by the act's repetitiveness, begins to improvise and ultimately leaves the stage. Homer is encouraged to take Chong's place on stage, and recites the act from memory. Cheech is impressed, and asks Homer to join him for the rest of the tour under the name "Cheech and Chunk." Homer is disillusioned to learn that Cheech and Chong's lives are different from their stoner personae. Meanwhile, Chong has replaced Cheech with Seymour Skinner

Seymour Skinner

Principal W. Seymour Skinner is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer. Born in Capitol City, he is the principal of Springfield Elementary School...

, forming a duo called "Teech and Chong," but the team proves unsuccessful. Homer eventually convinces Cheech and Chong to reunite.

Meanwhile, Marge discovers that the The Crazy Cat Lady is a hoarder. In an effort to help, Marge has the clutter removed from her home. But after loading the waste disposal truck, Marge begins removing items, eventually causing her own home to become cluttered. To cure Marge's new obsession, Homer brings back the Crazy Cat Lady, who ends up becoming a hoarder again after seeing all her old items.

In an epilogue, Bart tells the audience to watch the show the next day on Hulu.com.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "A Midsummer's Nice Dream" was viewed by an estimated 5.448 million households and received a 2.5 rating/8% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 2.5% of all 18–49 year olds, and 8% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This episode fell 11% in the ratings from the previous episode, making it the lowest rated episode of the season.

The Parents Television Council

Parents Television Council

The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...

 named "A Midsummer's Nice Dream" its Worst TV Show of the Week for the week ending March 18, 2011, for its subject matter; it was the first Simpsons episode to be so named. The PTC stated "The Simpsons may have been on the air for 22 years now (and counting), and while there are plenty of adults who watch the show, no one can deny that there is also a sizable audience of children. Since Cheech is portrayed as a straight-laced stick-in-the-mud, the subtle anti-drug messages in the show are completely lost. In the end, sober still equals boring."

Cultural references

In the opening, Lisa plays the trumpet instead of the saxophone in the opening scene, but still has the saxophone in her bike basket on her way home.

Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear from Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...

makes an appearance when showing in the Crazy Cat Lady's hoarded items.