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

The sixth season won one Primetime Emmy Award (for the episode "Lisa's Wedding"), and received three additional nominations.

In the United States, the set contained a slip of paper informing purchasers how to request alternate packaging — which consisted of a case-sleeve in a similar style to the standard box design — for only a shipping and handling fee.

[14][15] Other credited writers included Greg Daniels, Dan McGrath, Bill Oakley, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti and Josh Weinstein.

[16] Other directors included Bob Anderson, Wes Archer, Susie Dietter, Mark Kirkland, Jeffrey Lynch, Jim Reardon and David Silverman.

[18] Guest stars included Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks, Kelsey Grammer, Phil Hartman, Larry King, Susan Sarandon, Patrick Stewart, Meryl Streep and Winona Ryder.

[19][20] "A Star Is Burns" caused some controversy among the staff with series creator Matt Groening removing his name from the episode's credits as he saw it as blatant advertising for The Critic, which had moved from ABC to Fox for its second season and was scheduled to follow The Simpsons.

(which aired in two parts, the second acting as the following season's premiere) came from Groening, who had wanted to do an episode in which Mr. Burns was shot, which could be used as a publicity stunt.

[23] It was important for them to design a mystery that had clues, took advantage of freeze frame technology, and was structured around one character who seemed the obvious culprit.

[24] Groening and Michael Weithorn wrote a pilot episode where Krusty moved to Los Angeles and got his own talk show.

[26] Reviews of the premiere "Bart of Darkness" in 1994 said the show was "just as strong and funny as it ever was,"[27] while the writing continued to be "crisp, hilarious and multi-layered.

[29] A 2010 appraisal of the show by IGN described the season as "hilarious", singling out the episodes "Treehouse of Horror V", "Itchy & Scratchy Land and "Bart vs. Australia" for praise.

[30] Entertainment Weekly's 2003 list of the show's best 25 episodes included four from this season: "Itchy & Scratchy Land", "Treehouse of Horror V", "Homer Badman" and "Who Shot Mr.

Alf Clausen received a nomination in the category "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for "Treehouse of Horror V", while he and John Swartzwelder were nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" for the Stonecutters' song "We Do" in the episode "Homer the Great".

Finally, "Bart vs. Australia" was nominated for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special".

[43] A new student named Allison Taylor arrives at Springfield Elementary School and proves to be more than a match for Lisa in both educational and musical feats.

Principal Skinner decides that neither Allison nor Lisa's entry deserves to win, awarding victory to Ralph Wiggum for his mint-condition Star Wars collectibles.

The DVD boxset for season six was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in the United States and Canada on August 16, 2005, ten years after it had completed broadcast on television.