[2] In this season, Krusty the Clown retires after his father dies ("Clown in the Dumps"); Homer and Bart attempt to solve some father/son conflicts ("The Wreck of the Relationship"); Marge opens a sandwich franchise ("Super Franchise Me"); the Simpsons meet their former (The Tracey Ullman Show) selves ("Treehouse of Horror XXV"); Mr. Burns finds a girlfriend in Democratic Assemblywoman Maxine Lombard ("Opposites A-Frack"); Bart schemes to bring down his new fourth grade teacher, Mr. Lassen (guest voice Willem Dafoe), who is a terrible bully ("Blazed and Confused"); Homer has a mid-life crisis ("Covercraft"); and the cast of Futurama make an appearance in Springfield in a crossover episode ("Simpsorama").

Additional guest voices for this season include Nick Offerman, David Hyde Pierce, Jeff Ross, and Matthew Sweet.

Actor Hank Azaria won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance this season.

After being offended by a comedy cable channel roast of him, Krusty goes to his father for advice, only to have him die before he can say whether or not he found his son funny.

Burns hires Homer to buy the mineral rights to every property in town, so he can resume his operation.

The Simpsons return home, and Homer puts a shut-down Bender in the basement to be retrieved in the future.

Guest stars: John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr, Katey Sagal, Lauren Tom, Frank Welker and Billy West Bart plans for revenge on his new teacher, Mr. Lassen, who is a terrible bully, after Bart is humiliated.

Lassen is fired for his behavior and gets a new job as a prison guard where he plans revenge with Sideshow Bob.

However, when the hypnotist, who is a criminal, escapes to avoid being arrested, Homer becomes stuck in his new age, so he bonds with Bart.

When she says that the group's leader, Albert, is too lazy to walk, he stands up to prove Marge wrong, but immediately dies.

Guest stars: Christopher Lloyd as Jim Ignatowski and Rich Sommer as Young Man Homer takes Lisa to bring your daughter to work day, where she has fun watching him.

A Nigerian princess named Kemi comes to Springfield, as her father intends to work out a uranium deal with Mr. Burns, and Homer is chosen to protect her due to his love for Lisa showing on the camera.

Moe, having recently lost his money to a Nigerian prince, believes Kemi must be related to the scammer, but soon starts falling for her.

However, after he unintentionally crashes it into the church, Marge leads the rest of the Springfield congregation toward gambling to win money to rebuild it but does not tell Homer.

Because the job requires him to stay sober during work hours, he learns that beer is not as necessary as he thought to have a good time.

When Annika leaves for the airport to go home, Grampa tells Bart that he performed a grand gesture to impress a waitress named Mona, Homer's mother.

When Bart is bullied after a school dance, Marge gets the city to adopt a tough anti-bullying law.

When the team competes against Waverly Hills Elementary, the score is tied, and Bart must solve the last problem.

[27] Executive producer Matt Selman was also the showrunner for several episodes, a role he performed since the twenty-third season.

[28] This season featured the final episode written by Valentina L. Garza before she left for the television series Bordertown.

[29] It also features the final episode written by Marc Wilmore before leaving for the television series F Is for Family.

[30] In addition, the season featured an episode written by filmmaker Judd Apatow that he submitted as a spec script to the show in 1990.

[34][35] The episode held over from the twenty-fourth season, "The Man Who Came to Be Dinner," was considered to be expanded into the next Simpsons feature film.

He thought that the series had settled to the point where viewers expect what they are getting, and the focus is now on the jokes and the couch gags, where more experimentation can occur.

[39] At the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, actor Hank Azaria won for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for his work in "The Princess Guide.

[42] Re-Recording mixers Tara Paul and Mark Linden were nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for their work in "Simpsorama.

[44][45] Writer and executive producer Al Jean was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production for his script for "I Won't Be Home for Christmas.