# Brother from Another Series

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16th episode of the 8th season of The Simpsons

"Brother from Another Series" The Simpsons episode Sideshow Bob with his brother Cecil Episode no. Season 8 Episode 16 Directed by Pete Michels[1] Written by Ken Keeler[1] Production code 4F14 Original air date February 23, 1997 (1997-02-23) Guest appearances Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob David Hyde Pierce as Cecil Terwilliger and "Man in crowd" Episode features Couch gag The living room is on the ceiling. The Simpsons sit down, but fall to the "floor" (the ceiling).[1] Commentary Matt Groening Josh Weinstein Ken Keeler Kelsey Grammer Pete Michels Episode chronology ← Previous "Homer's Phobia" Next → "My Sister, My Sitter" The Simpsons season 8 List of episodes

"**Brother from Another Series**" is the sixteenth episode of the [eighth season](/source/The_Simpsons_season_8) of the American animated television series *[The Simpsons](/source/The_Simpsons)*. It originally aired on the [Fox Network](/source/Fox_Broadcasting_Company) in the United States on February 23, 1997. [Sideshow Bob](/source/Sideshow_Bob) is released from prison after his arrest in "[Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming](/source/Sideshow_Bob's_Last_Gleaming)" into the care of his brother [Cecil](/source/List_of_recurring_The_Simpsons_characters#Cecil_Terwilliger) and claims to be a changed man. However, [Bart](/source/Bart_Simpson) does not believe Bob and tries to find out what he's up to. It was written by [Ken Keeler](/source/Ken_Keeler) and was the first episode directed by [Pete Michels](/source/Pete_Michels).[1] The episode guest stars [Kelsey Grammer](/source/Kelsey_Grammer) in his sixth appearance as Sideshow Bob and [David Hyde Pierce](/source/David_Hyde_Pierce) in his first appearance as Cecil. The title is not only a play on the movie *[The Brother from Another Planet](/source/The_Brother_from_Another_Planet)* (used for [a previous episode](/source/Brother_from_the_Same_Planet) as well), but also references the fact that Grammer and Pierce previously played bickering brothers [Frasier](/source/Frasier_Crane)[a] and [Niles Crane](/source/Niles_Crane) on the sitcom *[Frasier](/source/Frasier)*.[b]

## Plot

While performing live from Springfield Prison, [Krusty the Clown](/source/Krusty_the_Clown) encounters [Sideshow Bob](/source/Sideshow_Bob). Bob talks about the crimes he has committed in the past, including [framing Krusty for armed robbery](/source/Krusty_Gets_Busted), [attempting to kill](/source/Black_Widower) [Selma Bouvier](/source/Selma_Bouvier), and [attempting to kill](/source/Cape_Feare) [Bart Simpson](/source/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](/source/Reverend_Lovejoy) and leaves prison on a [work-release program](/source/Work_release), despite Bart's insistence that Bob is still a homicidal maniac. Bob is taken into the care of his brother, [Cecil](/source/List_of_recurring_The_Simpsons_characters#Cecil_Terwilliger); they have not seen each other in ten years. Cecil is [Springfield](/source/Springfield_(The_Simpsons))'s chief [hydrological and hydrodynamical engineer](/source/Hydraulic_engineering), and he employs Bob to supervise the construction of a [hydroelectric dam](/source/Hydroelectricity) 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](/source/Cletus_Spuckler) — expresses his desire to see the dam burst and obliterate Springfield.

While searching Bob's trailer at the dam [construction site](/source/Construction), Bart and [Lisa](/source/Lisa_Simpson) discover a briefcase full of cash. When confronted with the money, Bob denies knowing about it, stating the finances were used to put [concrete](/source/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 [embezzle](/source/Embezzling) the money from the project, and his plans to [frame](/source/Frameup) Bob as the [scapegoat](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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.[2][3][4]

## Production

David Hyde Pierce

The episode was written by [Ken Keeler](/source/Ken_Keeler), who had been watching a lot of *[Frasier](/source/Frasier)* episodes at the time and had been assigned to write a [Sideshow Bob](/source/Sideshow_Bob) episode, so he thought it would be a good idea to mix the two together.[5][a] [David Hyde Pierce](/source/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](/source/Kelsey_Grammer) and, more importantly, play his brother?"[6] 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.[7]

An early draft of the episode featured an [opera house](/source/Opera_house) explosion,[5] though this was changed because the writers felt that using a dam would be more exciting.[7] An early rule of Sideshow Bob episodes was to recap the events of previous episodes in case viewers had forgotten who he was.[7] 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](/source/Maris_Crane), an [unseen character](/source/Unseen_character) from the show itself) be removed.[5] The writers spent a long time trying to figure out a civilization that considered chief hydrological engineering their true calling; they ultimately chose the [Cappadocians](/source/Cappadocia), who were famous for [underground cities](/source/Underground_city), though not specifically dams.[7]

Cecil was drawn to resemble Pierce, but also to look similar to Bob.[8] According to director [Pete Michels](/source/Pete_Michels), it was difficult to draw Bob and Cecil standing together because their feet are both so big.[8] There was a deleted scene featuring [Hans Moleman](/source/List_of_recurring_The_Simpsons_characters#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.[7] The sequence was cut in order to make room for the explanation of why Bob was sent back to prison.[7] Ken Keeler has said that it is his favorite deleted scene.[5]

## Cultural references

The *Frasier*-style title card which featured in the episode.

The "Krusty the Clown Prison Special" is based on [Johnny Cash](/source/Johnny_Cash)'s [1968 appearance](/source/At_Folsom_Prison) at [Folsom State Prison](/source/Folsom_State_Prison); Krusty's song is likewise a parody of Cash's "[Folsom Prison Blues](/source/Folsom_Prison_Blues)".[7] The mention of [Arthur Fiedler](/source/Arthur_Fiedler)'s wake is an apparent reference to [Frasier Crane](/source/Frasier_Crane)'s upper class [Seattle](/source/Seattle) lifestyle. A [title card](/source/Title_card) just before the start of the second act reads "'FRASIER' IS A HIT SHOW ON THE [NBC](/source/NBC) TELEVISION NETWORK" in a similar typeface and style as *Frasier*'s [intertitles](/source/Intertitle), with [jazz](/source/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](/source/Maris_Crane), Niles' wife in *Frasier*, is [never actually seen](/source/Unseen_character).[9]

## Reception

In its original broadcast, "Brother from Another Series" finished 39th in ratings for the week of February 17–23, 1997, with a [Nielsen rating](/source/Nielsen_ratings) 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](/source/The_X-Files)*, *[King of the Hill](/source/King_of_the_Hill)* and *[Melrose Place](/source/Melrose_Place)*.[10]

Beforehand, the media said the episode "look[ed] promising",[11] and afterwards journalist [Ben Rayner](/source/Ben_Rayner) called it one of director Peter Michels' "classics".[12] This episode was nominated for a [Primetime Emmy Award](/source/Primetime_Emmy_Award) for Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or Special.[13] In a 2008 article, *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)* named Pierce's role as Cecil as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on *The Simpsons*.[14] Grammer and Pierce were ranked second on [AOL](/source/AOL)'s list of their favorite 25 *Simpsons* guest stars.[15]

## Notes

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-loka_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-loka_2-1) Frasier, along with several other characters from *[Cheers](/source/Cheers)*, briefly appeared in the episode "[Fear of Flying](/source/Fear_of_Flying_(The_Simpsons))", though he remained silent rather than being voiced by Grammer, who was unavailable.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Original run (1993-2004) only; while Grammer returned for the [revived run](/source/Frasier_(2023_TV_series)) (2023-2024), Pierce did not.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bbc_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bbc_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-bbc_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-bbc_1-3) [Brother From Another Series](https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season8/page16.shtml) [Deprecated link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Archive.today_guidance) archived 2013-01-14 at [archive.today](/source/Archive.today) *BBC.co.uk*. Retrieved on March 29, 2007

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Simpsguide_4-0)** [Martyn, Warren](/source/Gary_Russell); [Wood, Adrian](/source/Gareth_Roberts_(writer)) (2000). *I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide*. Virgin Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7535-0495-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7535-0495-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-SNPP_5-0)** [Episode Capsule](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F14.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080807162737/http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F14.html) 2008-08-07 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) at The Simpsons Archive

1. **[^](#cite_ref-book_6-0)** [Groening, Matt](/source/Matt_Groening) (1997). [Richmond, Ray](/source/Ray_Richmond); Coffman, Antonia (eds.). *[The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family](/source/The_Simpsons_episode_guides#The_Simpsons:_A_Complete_Guide_to_Our_Favorite_Family)* (1st ed.). New York: [HarperPerennial](/source/HarperPerennial). p. [173](https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/173). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-06-095252-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-06-095252-5). [LCCN](/source/LCCN_(identifier)) [98141857](https://lccn.loc.gov/98141857). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [37796735](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/37796735). [OL](/source/OL_(identifier)) [433519M](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL433519M)..

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Keeler_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Keeler_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Keeler_7-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Keeler_7-3) Keeler, Ken (2006). *The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Brother from Another Series"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** "TV Tidbits". *[The Hamilton Spectator](/source/The_Hamilton_Spectator)*. February 20, 1997.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Weinstein_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Weinstein_9-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Weinstein_9-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Weinstein_9-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Weinstein_9-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Weinstein_9-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Weinstein_9-6) Weinstein, Josh (2006). *The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Brother from Another Series"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Michels_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Michels_10-1) Michels, Pete (2006). *The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Brother from Another Series"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Grammer_11-0)** Grammer, Kelsey (2006). *The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode "Brother from Another Series"* (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** "Movies lift NBC to big ratings win". *Sun-Sentinel*. Associated Press. February 27, 1997. p. 4E.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** "Volcanic thriller among Sunday watchables", *[Edmonton Journal](/source/Edmonton_Journal)*, February 23, 1997, p. D.2.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** [Rayner, Ben](/source/Ben_Rayner), "Fans react to Family feud", *[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)*, November 5, 2006, p. C.6.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press), "49th Annual Primetime Emmy Nominations", *[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)*, July 25, 1997, p. C.9.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-EW_16-0)** ["Springfield of Dreams: 16 Great 'Simpsons' Guest Voices"](https://ew.com/gallery/springfield-dreams-16-great-simpsons-guest-voices/). Entertainment Weekly. May 11, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Potts, Kimberly. ["Favorite 'Simpsons' Guest Stars"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080515205009/http://television.aol.com/feature/the-simpsons/guest-stars). [AOL](/source/AOL). Archived from [the original](http://television.aol.com/feature/the-simpsons/guest-stars) on May 15, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2008.

## External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to ***["Brother from Another Series"](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Simpsons/Season_8#Brother_from_Another_Series)***.

- [The Simpsons portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:The_Simpsons)

- ["Brother from Another Series episode capsule"](http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/episodes/4F14.html). *[The Simpsons Archive](/source/The_Simpsons_Archive)*.

- ["Brother from Another Series"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701227/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

v t e The Simpsons Sideshow Bob episodes Major appearances "Krusty Gets Busted" "Black Widower" "Cape Feare" "Sideshow Bob Roberts" "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" "Brother from Another Series" "Day of the Jackanapes" "The Great Louse Detective" "The Italian Bob" "Funeral for a Fiend" "The Bob Next Door" "The Man Who Grew Too Much" "Treehouse of Horror XXVI" "Gone Boy" "Bobby, It's Cold Outside" "Treehouse of Horror XXXIV" "The Yellow Lotus" Minor appearances "The Telltale Head" "Lisa's First Word" "Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes" "Wedding for Disaster" "American History X-cellent" "At Long Last Leave" "Clown in the Dumps" "Blazed and Confused" "Gal of Constant Sorrow" "Treehouse of Horror XXVII" "The Fat Blue Line"

v t e The Simpsons episodes Seasons 1–20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Season 21–present 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Season 8 "Treehouse of Horror VII" "You Only Move Twice" "The Homer They Fall" "Burns, Baby Burns" "Bart After Dark" "A Milhouse Divided" "Lisa's Date with Density" "Hurricane Neddy" "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)" "The Springfield Files" "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" "Mountain of Madness" "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" "Homer's Phobia" "Brother from Another Series" "My Sister, My Sitter" "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment" "Grade School Confidential" "The Canine Mutiny" "The Old Man and the Lisa" "In Marge We Trust" "Homer's Enemy" "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson" See also Treehouse of Horror list The Simpsons episode guides "The Simpsons Guy" Category

v t e Frasier Seasons 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Revival series Episodes "The Good Son" "The Matchmaker" "The Show Where Sam Shows Up" "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue" "Goodnight, Seattle" Characters Frasier Crane Daphne Moon Niles Crane Roz Doyle Martin Crane Lilith Sternin Related articles Cheers Awards The Simpsons "Brother from Another Series" "Funeral for a Fiend" Sideshow Bob Cecil Terwilliger Category

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Brother from Another Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_from_Another_Series) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_from_Another_Series?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.