{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 32 | episode = 8 | director = [[Matthew Nastuk]] | writer = [[Jeff Westbrook]] | music = * "[[Timothy (song)|Timothy]]" by [[The Buoys (American band)|The Buoys]] * "[[The Ballroom Blitz]]" by [[The Sweet]] * ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]'' theme song | production = ZABF20 | airdate = {{Start date|2020|11|29}} | guests = * [[Jason Bateman]] as himself * [[Hannibal Buress]] as Finch | blackboard = | couch_gag = | prev = [[Three Dreams Denied]] | next = [[Sorry Not Sorry (The Simpsons)|Sorry Not Sorry]] }} "'''The Road to Cincinnati'''" is the eighth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 32|thirty-second season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'', and the 692nd episode overall. It aired in the United States on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] on November 29, 2020.<ref name="Futon Critic">{{cite web|url=http://thefutoncritic.com/listings/20201104fox14/|title=(SI-3120) "The Road to Cincinnati"|date=November 4, 2020|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|access-date=November 5, 2020|archive-date=April 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418223903/http://thefutoncritic.com/listings/20201104fox14/|url-status=live}}</ref> The episode was directed by [[Matthew Nastuk]],<ref>{{cite tweet |user=AlJean |first=Al |last=Jean |author-link=Al Jean |number=1257410819496665088 |title=Matthew Nastuk |date=May 4, 2020 |access-date=October 15, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505115201/https://twitter.com/AlJean/status/1257410819496665088 |archive-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref> and written by [[Jeff Westbrook]].<ref>{{cite tweet |user=AlJean |first=Al |last=Jean |author-link=Al Jean |number=1196603331453440000 |title=Jeff Westbrook |date=November 18, 2019 |access-date=October 15, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015194511/https://twitter.com/AlJean/status/1196603331453440000 |archive-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref>
[[Hannibal Buress]] guest-stars as Principal Finch and [[Jason Bateman]] appeared as himself.
The episode featured [[Superintendent Chalmers]] and [[Principal Skinner]] going to [[Cincinnati]]. It received mixed reviews and was watched live in the United States by 1.63 million viewers.
==Plot== When [[Superintendent Chalmers]] is selected to give the [[keynote]] speech at an administrators' convention in [[Cincinnati]], he elects to take popular Principal Finch as his plus one. During detention, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] notes the school's lack of respect for [[Principal Skinner]] and urges him to step up his game to win the spot. When Finch falls ill from food poisoning, Skinner volunteers in his place, and Chalmers reluctantly agrees.
Things get off to a rocky start when Skinner checks the bag with Chalmers's anxiety medicine at the airport, causing him to have a panic attack and get thrown off the flight. Skinner volunteers to drive the 800 miles to the convention. The pair face a number of obstacles, including a hitchhiking Shakespearean improv, a traffic court and an angry gang of cyclists; but eventually begin to bond. One night at a bed and breakfast, Skinner overhears a phone conversation between Chalmers and Finch, revealing that Chalmers was planning on replacing Skinner with Finch as principal. Furious, Skinner confronts his boss, admitting he had deliberately poisoned Finch to keep him off the trip. The two brawl, and Chalmers heads to Cincinnati alone.
At the keynote speech, Chalmers attempts to check his speech, but then sees that he has a stack of index cards marked “Road Trip Conversation Starters, Seymour Skinner”, and realizes that they accidentally switched jackets, and subsequently, Skinner has his speech. Chalmers then starts to choke. However, he is able to bond with the other superintendents over tales of inept underlings, and ends up praising Skinner, who has just arrived to deliver the notes. The two reconcile and Chalmers delivers his speech. Upon returning to Springfield, Skinner earns the respect of the schoolchildren and meets with Chalmers for a friendly meal at a chili restaurant.
In the tag scene, [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] surprises the family with tickets to the improv group, much to their dismay.
==Production== ===Development=== Executive producer [[Matt Selman]] wanted to explore the Skinner-Chalmers relationship with a road trip episode. Cincinnati was selected as the convention location because Selman thought it represented [[Middle America (United States)|Middle America]], where such a convention would take place. Selman wanted to include references to [[Cincinnati chili]], and writer [[Jeff Westbrook]] added jokes about "three-way" and "four-way" styles of chili. As part of the research, the producers ordered a large box of [[Skyline Chili]] through the mail, which came in cans and bags. Some writers did not like the taste, but Selman enjoyed it.<ref name="Kieswetter">{{Cite web |first=John |last=Kiesewetter |title='Simpsons' Producer On Why They Did A 'Road Trip To Cincinnati' |url=https://www.wvxu.org/media/2020-12-01/simpsons-producer-on-why-they-did-a-road-trip-to-cincinnati |access-date=September 10, 2023 |publisher=[[WVXU]] |date=1 December 2020 |archive-date=September 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924111401/https://www.wvxu.org/media/2020-12-01/simpsons-producer-on-why-they-did-a-road-trip-to-cincinnati |url-status=live }}</ref> When the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] forced the show to be [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television in the United States|produced remotely]], Selman took the chili home with him.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Sarah|last=Brookbank|title=The Simpsons 'Road to Cincinnati' features Skyline, Roebling and more|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2020/11/30/simpsons-road-cincinnati-features-skyline-roebling-and-more/6461742002/|access-date=September 10, 2023|website=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]|date=November 30, 2020|archive-date=September 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925073024/https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2020/11/30/simpsons-road-cincinnati-features-skyline-roebling-and-more/6461742002/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |user=mattselman |first=Matt |last=Selman |author-link=Matt Selman |number=1333222910991843330 |title=As research for this episode we got a bunch of sweet mail-order @Skyline_Chili and then a pandemic came and I took it all home for the end of times @TheSimpsons |date=November 29, 2020 |access-date=September 10, 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130014757/https://twitter.com/mattselman/status/1333222910991843330 |archive-date=November 30, 2020}}</ref>
The animation design of Cincinnati was done in Los Angeles before being sent to South Korea for multi-frame animation and coloring. In the final animation, Selman noticed that Skinner and Chalmers were eating Cincinnati chili out of bowls instead of plates, but it was too expensive to reanimate.<ref name="Kieswetter"/>
The end credits are styled to match the credits from the television series ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]'', of which Selman is a fan.<ref name="Kieswetter"/>
===Casting=== Because of the minimal appearance of the Simpson family, the regular actors played other roles. [[Dan Castellaneta]] voiced the sheriff, [[Julie Kavner]] voiced the emotional support turkey, and [[Yeardley Smith]] voiced one of the improv actors.<ref name="Kieswetter"/>
[[Hannibal Buress]] guest-stars in the episode as Principal Finch, and [[Jason Bateman]] appeared as himself.<ref name="Futon Critic" />
===Music=== An instrumental version of the opening theme from ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' plays as Chalmers arrives in Cincinnati. A version with lyrics plays as Skinner and Chalmers eat chili. The closing theme for the series plays over the end credits.<ref name="Kieswetter"/>
===Release=== On 2020, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] released eight promotional pictures from the episode.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=The Simpsons|url=https://www.foxflash.com/shows/the-simpsons/photos/?type=episodic&season=s32&episode=3120|accessdate=January 22, 2021|work=FoxFlash|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429105042/https://www.foxflash.com/shows/the-simpsons/photos/?type=episodic&season=s32&episode=3120|archive-date=April 29, 2021}}</ref> The episode was originally scheduled to air on November 8, 2020,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20201015fox14/|title=(SI-3120) "The Road to Cincinnati"|date=October 15, 2020|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|access-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref> however, due to being preempted by "[[The 7 Beer Itch]]," which was preempted by "[[Treehouse of Horror XXXI]]," which was preempted by game seven of the [[2020 National League Championship Series]], the episode was rescheduled to air on November 29, 2020.<ref name="Futon Critic"/>
===Pop culture reference=== The song that plays in an endless loop in Skinner's car is "[[Timothy (song)|Timothy]]," a 1970 song about starving miners who kill and eat a man after a cave in.
==Reception==
===Viewing figures=== In the United States, the episode was watched live by 1.63 million viewers.<ref name="32.08">{{cite web |last=Metcalf |first=Mitch |date=December 2, 2020 |title=Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.29.2020 |url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-sunday-cable-originals-network-finals-11-29-2020.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202154233/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-sunday-cable-originals-network-finals-11-29-2020.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |access-date=December 2, 2020 |work=Showbuzz Daily}}</ref>
===Critical response=== [[Tony Sokol]] with ''[[Den of Geek]]'' said, "As god as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly, and believe one of the good things about choosing Cincinnati as the setting is the excuse to hear the two ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' theme songs. Sadly, that’s a highlight of a fairly lame trip. This is what remote learning does to ''The Simpsons''. “The Road to Cincinnati” is paved with too many good intentions. The Springfield faculty gets to get out of town but ultimately there's nowhere to go but Cincinnati." He also gave the episode three out of five stars.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-30|first=Tony|last=Sokol|author-link=Tony Sokol|title=The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 8 Review: The Road to Cincinnati|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-simpsons-season-32-episode-8-review-the-road-to-cincinnati/|access-date=2021-01-11|website=[[Den of Geek]]|language=en-US|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112230400/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-simpsons-season-32-episode-8-review-the-road-to-cincinnati/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Jesse Bereta of ''Bubbleblabber'' gave the episode gave the episode score of 9/10 stating, "The most exciting thing to come out of this episode was that it allowed the supporting characters the full run-time to tell their story. We have become accustomed to two-plot episodes that feature characters like these having their adventure whilst something else is occurring in the Simpsons home. Not surprisingly, this was preferable."<ref>{{Cite web|first=Jesse|last=Bereta|title=Review: The Simpsons "The Road to Cincinnati"|url=https://www.bubbleblabber.com/review-the-simpsons-the-road-to-cincinnati/|access-date=2021-01-13|website=Bubbleblabber|date=30 November 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114075331/https://www.bubbleblabber.com/review-the-simpsons-the-road-to-cincinnati/|url-status=live}}</ref>
John Kiesewetter of [[WVXU]] thought the animation of the Cincinnati waterfront was "breathtakingly detailed" and thought the episode was a "love letter" to the city.<ref>{{Cite web |first=John |last=Kiesewetter |title=No Joke! 'The Simpsons' Send A Love Letter To Cincinnati |url=https://www.wvxu.org/media/2020-11-30/no-joke-the-simpsons-send-a-love-letter-to-cincinnati |access-date=September 10, 2023 |publisher=[[WVXU]] |date=30 November 2020 |archive-date=August 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805022655/https://www.wvxu.org/media/2020-11-30/no-joke-the-simpsons-send-a-love-letter-to-cincinnati |url-status=live }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|The Simpsons}} * {{IMDb episode}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|32}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Road to Cincinnati, The}} [[Category:2020 American television episodes]] [[Category:The Simpsons season 32 episodes]] [[Category:Cincinnati in fiction]] [[Category:Television episodes written by Jeff Westbrook]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Matthew Nastuk]]