{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = Cecil and Bob.png | image_upright = 1.00 | caption = [[Sideshow Bob]] with his brother [[Cecil Terwilliger|Cecil]] | season = 8 | episode = 16 | director = [[Pete Michels]]<ref name="bbc"/> | writer = [[Ken Keeler]]<ref name="bbc">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page16.shtml Brother From Another Series] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130114010045/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page16.shtml |date=2013-01-14 }} ''BBC.co.uk''. Retrieved on March 29, 2007</ref> | production = 4F14 | airdate = {{Start date|1997|02|23}} | guests = * [[Kelsey Grammer]] as [[Sideshow Bob]] * [[David Hyde Pierce]] as [[Cecil Terwilliger]] and "Man in crowd" | couch_gag = The living room is on the ceiling. The Simpsons sit down, but fall to the "floor" (the ceiling).<ref name="bbc"/> | commentary = [[Matt Groening]]<br>[[Josh Weinstein]]<br>[[Ken Keeler]]<br>[[Kelsey Grammer]]<br>[[Pete Michels]] | prev = [[Homer's Phobia]] | next = [[My Sister, My Sitter]] }} "'''Brother from Another Series'''" is the sixteenth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 8|eighth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Network]] in the United States on February 23, 1997. [[Sideshow Bob]] is released from prison after his arrest in "[[Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming]]" into the care of his brother [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Cecil Terwilliger|Cecil]] and claims to be a changed man. However, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] does not believe Bob and tries to find out what he's up to. It was written by [[Ken Keeler]] and was the first episode directed by [[Pete Michels]].<ref name="bbc"/> The episode guest stars [[Kelsey Grammer]] in his sixth appearance as Sideshow Bob and [[David Hyde Pierce]] in his first appearance as Cecil. The title is not only a play on the movie ''[[The Brother from Another Planet]]'' (used for [[Brother from the Same Planet| a previous episode]] as well), but also references the fact that Grammer and Pierce previously played bickering brothers [[Frasier Crane|Frasier]]{{efn|name=loka|Frasier, along with several other characters from ''[[Cheers]]'', briefly appeared in the episode "[[Fear of Flying (The Simpsons)|Fear of Flying]]", though he remained silent rather than being voiced by Grammer, who was unavailable.}} and [[Niles Crane]] on the sitcom ''[[Frasier]]''.{{efn|Original run (1993-2004) only; while Grammer returned for the [[Frasier (2023 TV series)|revived run]] (2023-2024), Pierce did not.}}
==Plot== While performing live from Springfield Prison, [[Krusty the Clown]] encounters [[Sideshow Bob]]. Bob talks about the crimes he has committed in the past, including [[Krusty Gets Busted|framing Krusty for armed robbery]], [[Black Widower|attempting to kill]] [[Selma Bouvier]], and [[Cape Feare|attempting to kill]] [[Bart Simpson]] as revenge for Bart exposing Bob's framing of Krusty and foiling his plan to kill Selma. Bob is later declared a changed man by [[Reverend Lovejoy]] and leaves prison on a [[Work release|work-release program]], despite Bart's insistence that Bob is still a homicidal maniac. Bob is taken into the care of his brother, [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Cecil Terwilliger|Cecil]]; they have not seen each other in ten years. Cecil is [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]]'s chief [[Hydraulic engineering|hydrological and hydrodynamical engineer]], and he employs Bob to supervise the construction of a [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric dam]] in a river near the town. Bart, believing Bob is still plotting his murder, follows Bob's every move. Bob — annoyed by Bart's intrusions and the dam's incompetent laborers, including [[Cletus Spuckler|Cletus]] — expresses his desire to see the dam burst and obliterate Springfield.
While searching Bob's trailer at the dam [[Construction|construction site]], Bart and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] discover a briefcase full of cash. When confronted with the money, Bob denies knowing about it, stating the finances were used to put [[concrete]] in the dam's walls. However, the walls turn out to be hollow and poorly constructed. Cecil arrives — pointing a gun at Bart, Lisa, and Bob — and reveals his own intention to [[embezzling|embezzle]] the money from the project, and his plans to [[Frameup|frame]] Bob as the [[scapegoat]] when the dam collapses from shoddy construction. Cecil's motivation for the crime is being upstaged at his audition as Krusty's sidekick ten years prior by Bob, who was chosen as the clown's sidekick instead, despite Bob having no interest in the job. Cecil locks Bob, Bart and Lisa in the dam and prepares to blow it up, taking the money with him.
Deciding to work together, Bart, Lisa, and Bob escape and try to save the dam. While Lisa and Bob defuse Cecil's [[dynamite]], Bart lunges at Cecil before he can press the plunger. Cecil attempts to swat him off with the briefcase, which falls open and scatters money over the river below, washing it away. Cecil throws Bart off a cliff, but Bob grabs the dynamite's cord and swoops down to save him. As the two dangle over the side of the dam, Bob cuts the cord on the dynamite to prevent Cecil from destroying the town. Bart and Bob plummet down the dam's wall, but a protruding pipe stops their fall.
The police arrive and arrest Cecil. Bob gloats over his victory, having gained the respect of Bart and Lisa, but [[Chief Wiggum]] believes Bob was complicit in the crime and arrests him. As they are taken away, Cecil tricks Bob into swearing revenge and incriminating himself. The dam then crumbles and releases a torrent of water on Springfield, but does only minimal damage. Cecil and Bob are put in a jail cell together, which leaves both men miserable.<ref name="Simpsguide">{{cite book |last1=Martyn |first1=Warren |author-link1=Gary Russell |last2 = Wood |first2=Adrian |author-link2=Gareth Roberts (writer) |title=I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide |year=2000 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-7535-0495-2 }}</ref><ref name="SNPP">[http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F14.html Episode Capsule] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807162737/http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F14.html |date=2008-08-07 }} at The Simpsons Archive</ref><ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=[[The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family|The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family]] |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperPerennial]] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/173 173] |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}} }}.</ref>
==Production== [[File:David Hyde Pierce 1994.JPG|thumb|left|190px|David Hyde Pierce]] The episode was written by [[Ken Keeler]], who had been watching a lot of ''[[Frasier]]'' episodes at the time and had been assigned to write a [[Sideshow Bob]] episode, so he thought it would be a good idea to mix the two together.<ref name="Keeler">{{cite video |people=Keeler, Ken |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Brother from Another Series" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>{{efn|name=loka}} [[David Hyde Pierce]] was cast as Sideshow Bob's brother, prompting him to joke, "Normally, I would not do something like this. But how often do you get a chance to work with an actor like [[Kelsey Grammer]] and, more importantly, play his brother?"<ref>{{Cite news |title=TV Tidbits |work=[[The Hamilton Spectator]] |date=1997-02-20 }}</ref> While Sideshow Bob is addressing the crowd, a man near the back raises his hand and says "Probably!"; he is also voiced by Pierce, who had wanted to be a man in a crowd.<ref name="Weinstein"/>
An early draft of the episode featured an [[opera house]] explosion,<ref name="Keeler"/> though this was changed because the writers felt that using a dam would be more exciting.<ref name="Weinstein"/> An early rule of Sideshow Bob episodes was to recap the events of previous episodes in case viewers had forgotten who he was.<ref name="Weinstein">{{cite video |people=Weinstein, Josh |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Brother from Another Series" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Keeler consulted with the ''Frasier'' producers to make sure they were okay with the script, but they demanded that a very brief scene in which Cecil talks to a visible character and refers to her as "Maris" (referring to [[Maris Crane]], an [[unseen character]] from the show itself) be removed.<ref name="Keeler"/> The writers spent a long time trying to figure out a civilization that considered chief hydrological engineering their true calling; they ultimately chose the [[Cappadocia|Cappadocians]], who were famous for [[Underground city|underground cities]], though not specifically dams.<ref name="Weinstein"/>
Cecil was drawn to resemble Pierce, but also to look similar to Bob.<ref name="Michels">{{cite video |people=Michels, Pete |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Brother from Another Series" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> According to director [[Pete Michels]], it was difficult to draw Bob and Cecil standing together because their feet are both so big.<ref name="Michels"/> There was a deleted scene featuring [[list of recurring The Simpsons characters#Hans Moleman|Hans Moleman]] outside his house on the base of the dam being showered with Cecil's embezzled money believing it to be from God, though his house can still briefly be seen in the final episode, specifically the scene where Cecil throws Bart off the dam side.<ref name="Weinstein"/> The sequence was cut in order to make room for the explanation of why Bob was sent back to prison.<ref name="Weinstein"/> Ken Keeler has said that it is his favorite deleted scene.<ref name="Keeler"/>
==Cultural references== [[File:Frasier title card in The Simpsons.png|thumb|220px|right|The ''Frasier''-style title card which featured in the episode.]] The "Krusty the Clown Prison Special" is based on [[Johnny Cash]]'s [[At Folsom Prison|1968 appearance]] at [[Folsom State Prison]]; Krusty's song is likewise a parody of Cash's "[[Folsom Prison Blues]]".<ref name="Weinstein"/> The mention of [[Arthur Fiedler]]'s wake is an apparent reference to [[Frasier Crane]]'s upper class [[Seattle]] lifestyle. A [[title card]] just before the start of the second act reads "'FRASIER' IS A HIT SHOW ON THE [[NBC]] TELEVISION NETWORK" in a similar typeface and style as ''Frasier''{{'}}s [[Intertitle|intertitles]], with [[jazz]] music playing over it as it does in the series. When Bart jumps on Cecil, covering his eyes and asks "guess who?", Cecil responds with "Maris?". Cecil's inability to see Bart also refers to the fact that [[Maris Crane|Maris]], Niles' wife in ''Frasier'', is [[unseen character|never actually seen]].<ref name="Grammer">{{cite video |people=Grammer, Kelsey |date=2006 |title=The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Brother from Another Series" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>
==Reception== In its original broadcast, "Brother from Another Series" finished 39th in ratings for the week of February 17–23, 1997, with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 9.1, equivalent to approximately 8.8 million viewing households. It was the fourth highest-rated show on Fox that week, following ''[[The X-Files]]'', ''[[King of the Hill]]'' and ''[[Melrose Place]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Movies lift NBC to big ratings win |work=Sun-Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |page=4E |date=February 27, 1997}}</ref>
Beforehand, the media said the episode "look[ed] promising",<ref>"Volcanic thriller among Sunday watchables", ''[[Edmonton Journal]]'', February 23, 1997, p. D.2.</ref> and afterwards journalist [[Ben Rayner]] called it one of director Peter Michels' "classics".<ref>[[Ben Rayner|Rayner, Ben]], "Fans react to Family feud", ''[[Toronto Star]]'', November 5, 2006, p. C.6.</ref> This episode was nominated for a [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or Special.<ref>[[Associated Press]], "49th Annual Primetime Emmy Nominations", ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', July 25, 1997, p. C.9.</ref> In a 2008 article, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' named Pierce's role as Cecil as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on ''The Simpsons''.<ref name="EW">{{cite news |title=Springfield of Dreams: 16 Great 'Simpsons' Guest Voices|publisher=Entertainment Weekly |date=2008-05-11 |url=https://ew.com/gallery/springfield-dreams-16-great-simpsons-guest-voices/ |access-date=2022-01-22}}</ref> Grammer and Pierce were ranked second on [[AOL]]'s list of their favorite 25 ''Simpsons'' guest stars.<ref>{{cite web |author=Potts, Kimberly |title=Favorite 'Simpsons' Guest Stars |url=http://television.aol.com/feature/the-simpsons/guest-stars |access-date=2008-11-24 |publisher=[[AOL]] |archive-date=2008-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515205009/http://television.aol.com/feature/the-simpsons/guest-stars |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Notes == {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== {{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_8#Brother_from_Another_Series|"Brother from Another Series"}} {{portal|The Simpsons}} *{{snpp capsule|4F14}} *{{IMDb episode|0701227}}
{{Simpsons Sideshow Bob}} {{The Simpsons episodes|8}} {{Frasier}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother From Another Series}} [[Category:The Simpsons season 8 episodes]] [[Category:Frasier]] [[Category:1997 American television episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes written by Ken Keeler]] [[Category:Animated television episodes about revenge]] [[Category:Television episodes about murder]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Pete Michels]]