Million Dollar Maybe
Encyclopedia
"Million Dollar Maybe" is the eleventh episode of the twenty-first season
of the animated comedy series The Simpsons
. It first aired on Fox
in the United States on January 31, 2010. In this episode, Homer wins $1 million in the lottery. Later fearing that Marge will discover that he missed a wedding reception while buying the winning ticket, Homer uses his windfall to buy the family anonymous gifts. Meanwhile, Lisa uses a Funtendo Zii to make life more interesting for Grampa Simpson and his friends at the retirement home
.
"Million Dollar Maybe" was written by Bill Odenkirk
and directed by Chris Clements
. The episode was well-received by most television critics, whom praised its humor and storyline. Upon its initial airing, the episode attained 5.11 million viewers and garnered a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic. "Million Dollar Maybe" featured a guest appearance from Chris Martin
of Coldplay
, as well as appearances from recurring voice actors and actresses for the series.
and Marge
are scheduled to do a singing toast at their cousin Valerie's wedding, causing Marge to become nervous, due to her fear of embarrassment. Homer tells her not to worry, saying that he will make sure they do not mess up. Homer gets a fortune cookie stating that today will be his lucky day, but he does not believe so. However, he starts to believe this occurs when he crashes into a vending machine causing all of the snacks to fall out on him, and finds his CD in the parking lot. He then goes to the Kwik-E-Mart
for a lottery ticket, even though he has to go to the wedding and sing with Marge. After a long wait, Homer gets his lottery ticket, only to find out the wedding has ended. When he takes his eyes off the road for a second, he crashes off the ramp. Homer wakes up in the hospital after the crash, and realizes he won the million dollar lottery
. Homer does not want Marge to know he missed the wedding to get a lottery ticket, and has Barney
pose as the winner. Not wanting Marge to know he won the money, he drops things his family wants in different places and throws Bart into to get a Frisbee. However, when Homer tries to get money out of the tree he hid it in but gets it stuck, Bart
discovers that he won the lottery. Homer decides to tell Marge himself and get it over with. Taking Marge on a hot-air balloon, he reveals he won the lottery, causing Marge to become very glad and not furious about his absence at the wedding; he tells her he spent it all, leaving them poor as usual. However, Marge does not care, saying at least they have each other. Homer then reveals he spent the last of the money on a giant cherry blossom grove in the shape of Marge's face with the words "Love of my Life". They then sing the song they were supposed to sing at the wedding together, off in the sunset.
In the sub-plot, Lisa
discovers that the senior citizens at Grampa's nursing home do not have any entertainment, and decides to buy them a digital TV converter. However, while at the store to buy it, she discovers Mr. Burns feeling very happy playing Funtendo
Zii Sports
. She decides to buy this for the senior citizens, hoping they will feel younger and happier. When playing the Zii
(a parody of the Nintendo Wii), the senior citizens feel very happy and feel younger. This forces the nurses at the home to work extra hard after their workout, prompting them to wash the Zii in the dishwasher (an old video game joke about consoles being dishwasher safe), causing it to break. Lisa becomes angry at the nurses for doing it on purpose, thus showing their disregard for the senior citizens. However, the nurses blow her off. The senior citizens then return to their boring selves, staring at TV static
.
and directed by Chris Clements
. In July 2009, it was announced that singer Chris Martin
of the band Coldplay would guest star as himself in the episode. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly
, showrunner Al Jean
commented: "When Bart goes to the bathroom, Coldplay has to stop."
The episode featured a new character created by the winner of the "Best. Character. Ever." contest, in which fans could submit their own ideas for a new, and possibly recurring, Simpsons character. Over 25,000 entries were sent in. The winner of the contest was Peggy Black from Orange, Connecticut
, who created the character Ricardo Bomba. She described Ricardo as "someone that all the women love and all the men want to be." Black's inspiration for the character came from the fact that there were no characters like him on The Simpsons, and she thought Springfield needed "something like a Casanova." As part of the winning prize, Black was sent to work with the show's producers in Los Angeles. She worked with the animators to bring the character to life. In an interview with the Associated Press
, Black stated she "described the character and they drew him so I could see if that was my vision of him." She continued, "It's amazing to see how they captured what I imagined. He's over the top." Executive producer Al Jean was one of the judges of the contest, which he described as "a thank you to loyal fans." Jean also noted that there is a possibility the Ricardo character might appear on the show again although this seems unlikely since the character appears to have been killed in a fiery car crash.
This episode contains several references pertaining to music, media, film, and other pop cultural phenomenon. "Million Dollar Maybe" is the second episode in the series to have its title parodical to that of the film Million Dollar Baby
, with the first being the seventeenth season episode "Million Dollar Abie
". The Funtendo Zii is fictional console that parodies the Nintendo Wii.
, Family Guy
, and American Dad!
. The episode was viewed by 5.11 million viewers, despite simultaneously airing with the 52nd Grammy Awards
on CBS
, Desperate Housewives
on ABC
, and Dateline
on NBC
. It attained a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielson ratings, translating to 3.1 million viewers. Although it was the second highest rated program of the night, it was the lowest rated episode in the series' history up until the season twenty-two episode "The Great Simpsina
". Total viewership and ratings for "Million Dollar Maybe" significantly declined from the previous episode, "Once Upon a Time in Springfield
", which received 9.084 million viewers and garnered a 6.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielson ratings.
"Million Dollar Maybe" was well-received by television critics. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
gave the episode a 'B' grade, the highest of the night. VanDerWerff was polarized with the plot, opining that is was convoluted and stated, "This was a completely stupid plot, but to the show's credit, it commented on this when Homer told Marge he won the lottery and she said she'd much rather have the money than the wedding reception performance he missed." Similarly, VanDerWerff was split with the subplot of "Million Dollar Maybe". In regards to the subplot, he wrote, "The Lisa gets the old people a Wii
stand-in plot was one of those ones where the Simpsons writers have obviously noticed something in pop culture but have yet to wholly grasp what it is or why it's important." Robert Canning of IGN
gave the episode an 8.1 out of 10, signifying a "great" rating. Canning felt that the episode was impressive, expressing that is was "a fun and funny episode focused on Homer and his always dysfunctional relationship with his family [...] just what we've come to love and expect after 20 years." Jason Hughes of TV Squad gave the episode a more mixed review, praising the episode's humor, but calling it "random". Hughes wrote, "A lot about this episode bothered me, and I think The Simpsons has been having a pretty strong season for the most part." He resumed, "This one just didn't hold together as strongly as most of the prior ones." He went on to criticize the character development of Ricardo, opining that it was a "slap to the face to the winner." He then commented: "Peggy Black created Ricardo Bomba as a new ladies man type of figure, so the writers had him drive into a cliff wall and subsequent fiery explosion right away upon his first appearance. He didn't even get to finish what was, I guess, going to be his catchphrase."
The Simpsons (season 21)
The Simpsons twenty-first season aired on Fox from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010. It was the first of two seasons that the show was renewed for by Fox, and also the first season of the show to air entirely in high definition....
of the animated comedy series 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...
. It first aired on Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
in the United States on January 31, 2010. In this episode, Homer wins $1 million in the lottery. Later fearing that Marge will discover that he missed a wedding reception while buying the winning ticket, Homer uses his windfall to buy the family anonymous gifts. Meanwhile, Lisa uses a Funtendo Zii to make life more interesting for Grampa Simpson and his friends at the retirement home
Retirement home
A retirement home is a multi-residence housing facility intended for senior citizens. Typically each person or couple in the home has an apartment-style room or suite of rooms. Additional facilities are provided within the building, including facilities for meals, gathering, recreation, and some...
.
"Million Dollar Maybe" was written by Bill Odenkirk
Bill Odenkirk
Bill Odenkirk is an American comedy writer.Odenkirk was born in Naperville, Illinois. He is the brother of American comedian Bob Odenkirk, and worked as a writer, producer and actor on sketch comedy TV show Mr. Show with Bob and David, which featured his brother as co-star. Odenkirk went on to...
and directed by Chris Clements
Chris Clements
Chris Clements is an animation director with The Simpsons and has directed four episodes. Prior to that, he was a character layout artist with the show...
. The episode was well-received by most television critics, whom praised its humor and storyline. Upon its initial airing, the episode attained 5.11 million viewers and garnered a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic. "Million Dollar Maybe" featured a guest appearance from Chris Martin
Chris Martin
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:...
of Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, as well as appearances from recurring voice actors and actresses for the series.
Plot
HomerHomer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
are scheduled to do a singing toast at their cousin Valerie's wedding, causing Marge to become nervous, due to her fear of embarrassment. Homer tells her not to worry, saying that he will make sure they do not mess up. Homer gets a fortune cookie stating that today will be his lucky day, but he does not believe so. However, he starts to believe this occurs when he crashes into a vending machine causing all of the snacks to fall out on him, and finds his CD in the parking lot. He then goes to the Kwik-E-Mart
Kwik-E-Mart
The Kwik-E-Mart is a fictional chain of convenience stores in the animated television series The Simpsons. It is a parody of American convenience store chains, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, and represents many myths and stereotypes of them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality...
for a lottery ticket, even though he has to go to the wedding and sing with Marge. After a long wait, Homer gets his lottery ticket, only to find out the wedding has ended. When he takes his eyes off the road for a second, he crashes off the ramp. Homer wakes up in the hospital after the crash, and realizes he won the million dollar lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
. Homer does not want Marge to know he missed the wedding to get a lottery ticket, and has Barney
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
pose as the winner. Not wanting Marge to know he won the money, he drops things his family wants in different places and throws Bart into to get a Frisbee. However, when Homer tries to get money out of the tree he hid it in but gets it stuck, Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
discovers that he won the lottery. Homer decides to tell Marge himself and get it over with. Taking Marge on a hot-air balloon, he reveals he won the lottery, causing Marge to become very glad and not furious about his absence at the wedding; he tells her he spent it all, leaving them poor as usual. However, Marge does not care, saying at least they have each other. Homer then reveals he spent the last of the money on a giant cherry blossom grove in the shape of Marge's face with the words "Love of my Life". They then sing the song they were supposed to sing at the wedding together, off in the sunset.
In the sub-plot, Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
discovers that the senior citizens at Grampa's nursing home do not have any entertainment, and decides to buy them a digital TV converter. However, while at the store to buy it, she discovers Mr. Burns feeling very happy playing Funtendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Zii Sports
Wii Sports
is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
. She decides to buy this for the senior citizens, hoping they will feel younger and happier. When playing the Zii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
(a parody of the Nintendo Wii), the senior citizens feel very happy and feel younger. This forces the nurses at the home to work extra hard after their workout, prompting them to wash the Zii in the dishwasher (an old video game joke about consoles being dishwasher safe), causing it to break. Lisa becomes angry at the nurses for doing it on purpose, thus showing their disregard for the senior citizens. However, the nurses blow her off. The senior citizens then return to their boring selves, staring at TV static
Noise (video)
Noise, in analog video and television, is a random dot pattern of static displayed when no transmission signal is obtained by the antenna receiver of television set and other display devices...
.
Production
"Million Dollar Maybe" was written by Bill OdenkirkBill Odenkirk
Bill Odenkirk is an American comedy writer.Odenkirk was born in Naperville, Illinois. He is the brother of American comedian Bob Odenkirk, and worked as a writer, producer and actor on sketch comedy TV show Mr. Show with Bob and David, which featured his brother as co-star. Odenkirk went on to...
and directed by Chris Clements
Chris Clements
Chris Clements is an animation director with The Simpsons and has directed four episodes. Prior to that, he was a character layout artist with the show...
. In July 2009, it was announced that singer Chris Martin
Chris Martin
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:...
of the band Coldplay would guest star as himself in the episode. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, showrunner Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
commented: "When Bart goes to the bathroom, Coldplay has to stop."
The episode featured a new character created by the winner of the "Best. Character. Ever." contest, in which fans could submit their own ideas for a new, and possibly recurring, Simpsons character. Over 25,000 entries were sent in. The winner of the contest was Peggy Black from Orange, Connecticut
Orange, Connecticut
Orange is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,233 at the 2000 census. A 2007 Census Bureau estimate puts the population at 13,813. The town is governed by a Board of Selectmen.-History:...
, who created the character Ricardo Bomba. She described Ricardo as "someone that all the women love and all the men want to be." Black's inspiration for the character came from the fact that there were no characters like him on The Simpsons, and she thought Springfield needed "something like a Casanova." As part of the winning prize, Black was sent to work with the show's producers in Los Angeles. She worked with the animators to bring the character to life. In an interview with the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Black stated she "described the character and they drew him so I could see if that was my vision of him." She continued, "It's amazing to see how they captured what I imagined. He's over the top." Executive producer Al Jean was one of the judges of the contest, which he described as "a thank you to loyal fans." Jean also noted that there is a possibility the Ricardo character might appear on the show again although this seems unlikely since the character appears to have been killed in a fiery car crash.
This episode contains several references pertaining to music, media, film, and other pop cultural phenomenon. "Million Dollar Maybe" is the second episode in the series to have its title parodical to that of the film Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman...
, with the first being the seventeenth season episode "Million Dollar Abie
Million Dollar Abie
"Million Dollar Abie" is the sixteenth episode of the seventeenth season of The Simpsons. This is the first episode to have a parody title of the film Million Dollar Baby, with the second being Million Dollar Maybe.-Plot:...
". The Funtendo Zii is fictional console that parodies the Nintendo Wii.
Reception
"Million Dollar Maybe" was originally broadcast on January 31, 2010 in the United States as part of the animation television night on Fox. It was succeeded by episodes of The Cleveland ShowThe Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
, Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, and American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
. The episode was viewed by 5.11 million viewers, despite simultaneously airing with the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and Dateline
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. It attained a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielson ratings, translating to 3.1 million viewers. Although it was the second highest rated program of the night, it was the lowest rated episode in the series' history up until the season twenty-two episode "The Great Simpsina
The Great Simpsina
"The Great Simpsina" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It aired on April 10, 2011. It was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Chris Clements...
". Total viewership and ratings for "Million Dollar Maybe" significantly declined from the previous episode, "Once Upon a Time in Springfield
Once Upon a Time in Springfield
"Once Upon a Time in Springfield" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 2010. It was promoted as the 450th episode of the series, but is actually the 451st, and aired alongside The Simpsons 20th...
", which received 9.084 million viewers and garnered a 6.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielson ratings.
"Million Dollar Maybe" was well-received by television critics. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a 'B' grade, the highest of the night. VanDerWerff was polarized with the plot, opining that is was convoluted and stated, "This was a completely stupid plot, but to the show's credit, it commented on this when Homer told Marge he won the lottery and she said she'd much rather have the money than the wedding reception performance he missed." Similarly, VanDerWerff was split with the subplot of "Million Dollar Maybe". In regards to the subplot, he wrote, "The Lisa gets the old people a Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
stand-in plot was one of those ones where the Simpsons writers have obviously noticed something in pop culture but have yet to wholly grasp what it is or why it's important." Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode an 8.1 out of 10, signifying a "great" rating. Canning felt that the episode was impressive, expressing that is was "a fun and funny episode focused on Homer and his always dysfunctional relationship with his family [...] just what we've come to love and expect after 20 years." Jason Hughes of TV Squad gave the episode a more mixed review, praising the episode's humor, but calling it "random". Hughes wrote, "A lot about this episode bothered me, and I think The Simpsons has been having a pretty strong season for the most part." He resumed, "This one just didn't hold together as strongly as most of the prior ones." He went on to criticize the character development of Ricardo, opining that it was a "slap to the face to the winner." He then commented: "Peggy Black created Ricardo Bomba as a new ladies man type of figure, so the writers had him drive into a cliff wall and subsequent fiery explosion right away upon his first appearance. He didn't even get to finish what was, I guess, going to be his catchphrase."