The tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons aired on the Fox network between August 23, 1998 and May 16, 1999.

The Simpsons is a satire of a middle-class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie.

Set in the fictional city of Springfield, the show lampoons American culture, society, television, and many aspects of the human condition.

Despite winning an Annie Award for "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Program", season 10 has been cited by several critics as the beginning of the series' decline in quality.

He left to team up with The Simpsons creator Matt Groening to develop Futurama, a series on which he served as executive producer and head writer.

In 1998, a salary dispute between them and the Fox Broadcasting Company (which airs The Simpsons) arose, with the actors threatening to go on a strike.

"[8] Other cast members of the season included Pamela Hayden (Milhouse Van Houten, among others), Tress MacNeille (Agnes Skinner, among others), Maggie Roswell (Helen Lovejoy, Maude Flanders, among others), Russi Taylor (Martin Prince), and Karl Wiedergott.

[13] Season ten also featured a large number of guest stars,[15] including Phil Hartman in his final appearance on the show in the episode "Bart the Mother" that originally aired on September 27, 1998.

[16] Rather than replacing Hartman with a new voice actor, the production staff retired two of his recurring characters, Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz, from the show.

[23][24][25] By 2000, some long-term fans had become disillusioned with the show and pointed to its shift from character-driven plots to what they perceived as an overemphasis on zany antics and gags.

[26][27][28][29] Chris Turner wrote in his book Planet Simpson that "one of the things that emerged was that [the staff] began to rely on gags, not characters, wherever that switch got flipped, whether it's the ninth or tenth season.

"[30] Jesse Hassenger of PopMatters named the tenth season of The Simpsons the series' "first significant dip in quality, a step away from its golden era [...] with broader gags and more outlandish plots,"[26] and a BBC News writer commented that "the common consensus is that The Simpsons' golden era ended after season nine".

[31] Similarly, Tyler Wilson of Coeur d'Alene Press has referred to seasons one to nine as the show's "golden age.

"[35] Michael Passman of The Michigan Daily wrote in 2007 that "in hindsight, the 10th season can now be seen as a tipping point of sorts for a number of the show's less attractive plot devices.

He wrote in a 2007 review that comparing "tenth-season Simpsons episodes to the prime of the series (3–7) is just unfair and really kind of self-defeating.

"[42] PopMatters' Hassenger commented in his review that although the show had declined in quality, "this is not to say that these episodes are without their charm; many, in fact, are laugh-out-loud funny and characteristically smart.

"[26] Despite the criticisms of season ten, it has been included in some definitions of The Simpsons' golden age, usually as the point where the show began to decline but still put out some of the last great episodes.

"[45] In an article written for The Modern Day Pirates titled "In Search of The Last Classic Simpsons Episode", author Brandon listed "Homer to the Max" and "They Saved Lisa's Brain", both from the tenth season, as contenders for the latest episode that made him feel like he was "watching The Simpsons in their heyday.

The Simpsons won the 1999 Annie Award for "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Program", beating Batman Beyond, Futurama, King of the Hill, and The New Batman/Superman Adventures.

[48][49][50] Alf Clausen was nominated in the "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series" category for his work on "Treehouse of Horror IX",[51][52] the fourth episode of the tenth season, but lost the award to Carl Johnson of Invasion America.

Skinner, a member of the Springfield Birdwatching Society, tells Bart that the lizards must die because they kill so many species of birds.

[65] While filling out a Screen Actors Guild form (after starring in an instructional video filmed at the nuclear plant where he works), Homer realizes that he does not know what his middle initial "J" stands for.

However, some of these crops contained drugs and after people start to have crazy hallucinations from drinking the juice, Chief Wiggum arrests Seth and Munchie.

While Quimby is spending an evening at a dinner theater, Homer discovers that Fat Tony is there alongside his henchman, Louie, having been released on bail.

[77] The DVD boxset for season ten was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in the United States and Canada on August 7, 2007, eight years after it had completed broadcast on television.