The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show (The Simpsons)

"The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" is the 14th episode in the eighth season of The Simpsons

Plot
Homer gets to play the role of a new character presented in The Itchy & Scratchy Show, But unfortunately, everybody seems to hate it.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The episode is a very entertaining and creative take on TV Shows who shoehorn in a new character (who usually tries to pander to the cool and hip) for the sake of boosting the ratings only for the character to flop and become incredibly hated among the audience.
 * 2) * Therefore, it’s basically poking fun at the "Mh:terribletvshows:Jumping the shark" trope through both the storyline and the inclusion of Roy - which was very impressive for its time.
 * 3) Poochie himself is incredibly entertaining and he has a very good design.
 * 4) Tons of funny moments like the Focus Group scene.
 * 5) Homer's speech near the end about Poochie on how they should give him another chance is incredibly touching and might be one of the show's sweetest lines.
 * 6) "I have to go now, my planet needs me" (Animation cel slides off the screen)
 * 7) It also features the introduction to Comic Book Guy's "Worst (Insert Noun,) Ever!"
 * 8) June Bellamy (The Voice Actress For Itchy And Scratchy) is a really nice and well-written character.
 * 9) In fact, Poochie was so (ironically enough) loved by fans he actually made cameos and apperances in future episodes, such as:
 * 10) * "HOMR"
 * 11) * "Worst Episode Ever"
 * 12) * "The Tears of a Clone"
 * 13) * "Dogtown"
 * 14) * "The Nightmare After Krustmas"
 * 15) * "Take my Life, Please"
 * 16) * "The Falcon and the D'ohman"
 * 17) * "Little Big Man"
 * 18) * "The Bashin’ of the Christ"
 * 19) * There’s even an episode where a person dressing up as Poochie is seen, in "Springfield Splendor", along with as an ice skating mascot in "Kill Gil: Volumes I & II", and ones where he’s seen in couch gags, such as "Them, Robot" & "My Fare Lady".

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) As touching as Homer's speech was, it's pretty harsh to see Roger Meyers Jr change his lines just to kill Poochie off for good.

Reception

 * It holds a rating of 8/10 on IMDB. In its original American broadcast, it finished tied for 37th place in the weekly ratings from February 3rd to 9th, 1997 - with a Nielsen rating of 8.8. It was also placed 23rd on Entertainment Weekly’s top 25 Simpsons episode list.
 * The BBC ranked this episode at no 8 on their most memorable episodes of The Simpsons.

Trivia

 * This episode features the first appearence of the Comic Book Guy’s "Worst. Thing. Ever". catchphrase.
 * Roy saying that he’ll move in with "3 sexy ladies" is a reference to the 1977 sitcom, "Three’s Company".