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THE SIMPSONS · SEASON 22 · EPISODE 12

The Simpsons S22E12 Homer the Father

★ 7.7 · GREAT Jan 23, 2011 30 MIN FOX
Still from The Simpsons S22E12: Homer the Father

The episode in brief

Homer becomes obsessed with "Thicker than Waters," a 1980s family sitcom written by David Mamet, and models his parenting skills after the show's sensible father much to the chagrin on Bart, who desperately sets his sights on a brand new dirt bike. But when Homer insists that Bart must earn the dirt bike, Bart takes matters into his own hands and schemes with Russian and Chinese spies to provide top-secret information in exchange for the new bike, which winds up putting Bart in a precarious situation. Later, James Lipton conducts an interview with a television cast on "Inside the Actor's Studio". Blackboard: 'Prince is not the son of Martin Luther King'.

FAN DESK VERDICT A top-shelf entry. Not quite canon, but you’ll be quoting it all week — the fan desk says don’t skip.

Who’s in it

SERIES REGULARS

Where it sits in the season

TAP A BAR TO JUMP

Where to watch S22E12

US · NOVEMBER 2026
AVAILABILITY IS FOR THE SHOW; NOT EVERY SERVICE CARRIES EVERY EPISODE · LINKS MAY EARN US POPCORN MONEY
7.7
THE FAN VERDICT
Keeper. Goes straight in the rewatch rotation.

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S22E12 FAQ

When did The Simpsons S22E12 air?

The Simpsons S22E12 (“Homer the Father”) first aired on January 23, 2011.

Where can I watch The Simpsons S22E12?

In the US, The Simpsons season 22 — including this episode — is available on FX, Hulu, Disney+, fuboTV, DirecTV On Demand, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube TV, FOX One Amazon Channel, Hulu on Disney+, Amazon, Fandango at Home, and AppleTV.

Is The Simpsons S22E12 a good episode?

Fans rate The Simpsons S22E12 (“Homer the Father”) 7.7/10, which puts it in the great tier for The Simpsons.