The twenty-third season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons aired on Fox from September 25, 2011 to May 20, 2012.

Guest stars for the season included Kiefer Sutherland, mountaineer Aron Ralston, Jane Lynch, chefs Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay, author Neil Gaiman, Andy García, Joan Rivers, Armie Hammer, Jeremy Irons, Michael Cera, and artist Shepard Fairey.

[5][6] Homer befriends the nuclear plant's newest hire, a security guard who was a CIA agent.

In the standoff, the police accidentally shoot the state comptroller, and the lawsuit pays for Nelson's injury, resulting in Chalmers' return.

In "The Diving Bell and the Butterball," Homer finds himself paralyzed by a spider bite and discovers a new, smelly way to communicate.

Finally, Bart and Milhouse must infiltrate an alien planet by posing as the natives in the Avatar parody, "In the Na'vi."

Tired of doing "mom" things and being much less fun for the kids than Homer, Marge takes the kids out to an Ethiopian restaurant and enjoys the food so much that she starts a food blog with Bart and Lisa, which hurts Homer's feelings.

Video footage of Homer ranting about being harassed by TSA agents and forced to sit on a grounded plane for seven hours (due to airport incompetence) goes viral and lands Homer on cable television as a political pundit with his own show.

But when he stirs up mixed emotions with his planned endorsement of the next GOP Presidential candidate, Marge and Lisa worry that Homer's opinion and influence might be more powerful than he realizes.

A short story follows, showing Bart and Milhouse covering the school in toilet paper and its consequences.

After hiding in their basement, the Simpsons stumble upon a secret town meeting where everyone is voting to throw them out of Springfield.

As a result, they find themselves in an off-the-grid community, and when Homer and Marge try to sneak back into Springfield, they are met with hostility from their former friends and neighbors and begin to appreciate their new and more accepting home.

Guest stars: Julian Assange, Allison Krauss and Union Station, Kelsey Grammer and Jackie Mason After being forced to spend some time in a rabbit cage for a prank he didn't commit, Bart exacts revenge by spray painting unflattering caricatures of Homer all over town, which become a sensation with real-life graffiti artists Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Kenny Scharf, and Robbie Conal.

To alleviate his boredom with life, Bart begs the family to go on a cruise trip, and the Simpsons sell their most prized possessions to pay for it.

But when Bart realizes the trip only lasts a week and that his life will be nothing after that, he stages an announcement that a virus has spread on the mainland, and they must remain at sea.

After a disastrous date night at the movies, Homer suffers a head injury the next day at work and, during his eight weeks off to recover, sees visions of a super-suave superspy named Stradivarius Cain.

[31] It also featured the final episode written by Matt Warburton before leaving for the television series Community.

[34] When asked why the writers thought Ned and Edna were the right characters for a cliffhanger like this, Jean said that "In life, unusual things happen.

"[34] 20th Century Fox Television released a statement on October 4, 2011, saying that "23 seasons in, The Simpsons is as creatively vibrant as ever and beloved by millions around the world.

We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model.

We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows The Simpsons to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come.

A 17-year-old syndication deal with local TV stations prohibits Fox from selling the show to cable networks.

[36] Another consideration was that Fox's parent company News Corporation was having meetings discussing the possibility of a cable channel that would only air The Simpsons episodes.

[37] Analysts consider a cancellation and subsequent second-run deal that includes cable networks to be worth $750 million.

[36] On this issue, Al Jean commented in an interview with TV Guide that "It's a big company, and there are definitely people whose interests would have been better served by ending it.

[38] The season premiere episode "The Falcon and the D'ohman" originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 25, 2011.

[7] The Simpsons became the second highest-rated program in the 18–49 demographic in Fox's Animation Domination lineup that night, finishing before The Cleveland Show and American Dad!

[44] At the 64th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the season was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program for "Holidays of Future Passed," and Hank Azaria was nominated for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his work in "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches.

[47][48] At the 39th Annie Awards, writer Carolyn Omine won for Outstanding Achievement for Writing for "Treehouse of Horror XXII.

"[49] Annie Award nominations were also given to the animators for Production Design for "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches," to writers Billy Kimball and Ian Maxtone-Graham for Writing for "How I Wet Your Mother," and to the couch gag of "Beware My Cheating Bart" for Best Short Subject.