Trivia / The Simpsons S8 E23 "Homer's Enemy"

• Creator Backlash: In April 2007, former Simpsons executive producer Mike Reiss listed this as one of his two least favorite episodes, stating, "I just think the episode was in bad taste."
• Creator Breakdown: Yeardley Smith caught the flu after recording the previous episode, which is why Lisa only has three lines in this episode and only one line in the following one.
• Creator's Favorite Episode: On the flipside, Matt Groening named this as one of his ten favourite episodes. It is a favorite of Josh Weinstein, who cites the scene when Grimes visits the Simpson home as one of his favorite scenes.
• Edited for Syndication:
  • Syndication cuts the scene in which Bart makes Milhouse the night watchman in his factory as well as Homer's response of "Do I have to do anything?" when Grimes declares the two of them enemies at the end of the first act.
  • The original broadcasts of this episode in Canada censored the moment of Grimes' electrocution, showing only the immediate aftermath.
• Throw It In!: Hank Azaria improvised a line where Chief Wiggum says "Ralphie, get off the stage, sweetheart".
• What Could Have Been:
  • William H. Macy was supposed to voice Frank Grimes, but due to scheduling conflicts, Hank Azaria took the role. Michael Douglas, whose character from the film Falling Down was the inspiration for Grimes, was originally planned for the role, but didn't know enough about the series. Steve Martin was also offered the role, but declined. He would later voice Ray Patterson in "Trash of the Titans", another down-to-Earth character who would come into conflict with Homer. Nicolas Cage was also considered but they ultimately decided to go with Azaria because the role dealt with a lot of frustration and required extensive knowledge of the show.
  • The animators and character designers had a lot of discussion about what Frank Grimes should look like. He was originally designed as a "burly ex-marine guy with a crew cut".

---