The Simpsons: 10 Fake TV Shows That Redditors Wish Were Real

One of the longest-running shows in TV history, The Simpsons is currently airing its 34th season. While the show’s golden age ended decades ago, season 34 has received some of The Simpsons’ best reviews in years. There are some interesting show-within-a-show premises that the writers have conceived for the Simpsons universe.

From Eye on Springfield to Itchy & Scratchy to the spy-fi police procedural Knightboat the Crime-Solving Boat to a talk show hosted by Gentle Ben, there are many fictional TV series from The Simpsons universe that Redditors wish were real.

10/10 Eye On Springfield

Kent Brockman’s main source of income is anchoring the Channel 6 weekday news broadcast, bringing the residents of Springfield updates on the local current affairs. But he also hosts a bunch of other Springfield TV shows, including Smartline, Bite Back, the game show Springfield Squares, and the entertainment news magazine Eye on Springfield.

If this flashy magazine show following the most famous Springfieldians was a real show, then Redditor u/ChuckShartz would tune in for every episode.

9/10 McGarnagle

The writers of The Simpsons created a spot-on spoof of the “hard-boiled cop” archetype with the fictional series McGarnagle. The Dirty Harry lookalike lead is a roguish renegade who’s willing to bend the law to enforce it. When McGarnagle’s boss tells him he’s “off the case,” McGarnagle quips back, “You’re off your case, Chief!”

The chief asks, “What does that mean exactly?” and an enraged Homer yells at the TV, “It means he gets results, you stupid chief!” Redditor u/clutch044 would like to get this heated watching a crime drama.

8/10 Do Shut Up

Homer gets into a lot of trouble in the episode “Missionary Impossible” when he pledges $10,000 that he doesn’t have to get PBS to resume its regularly scheduled programming. He only wants PBS to end its pledge drive so it’ll go back to airing reruns of Do Shut Up.

According to Homer, “If they’re not having a go with a bird, they’re having a row with a wanker.” Described as the longest-running British sitcom ever made (with a total of seven episodes), Do Shut Up would be Redditor u/LurkysGoCart’s favorite show if it were real.

7/10 When Buildings Collapse

Redditor u/DurdyBaz wants to see an episode of When Buildings Collapse. In a parody of the Fox special When Animals Attack!, Homer and Bart are shown watching When Buildings Collapse, a late-night TV show with gratuitous footage of demolitions set to classical music like Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” The opening narration sets the scene perfectly: “Man has always loved his buildings. But what happens when the buildings say ‘no more’?”

The Leaning Tower of Pizza, the Society of Structural Engineers, and the House of Usher are among the buildings that ironically collapse in the show. According to Homer, “The best part was when the buildings fell down.”

6/10 Up Late With McBain

What if a late-night talk show was hosted by Sylvester Stallone in the role of John Rambo, or Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of Harry Tasker? That’s the premise behind Up Late with McBain, a late-night show hosted by fictional actor Rainier Wolfcastle in his most iconic role as McBain.

The show’s monologue is so poorly written (and so poorly performed by a non-comedic performer) that even Bart, a diehard McBain fan, deems it unwatchable. According to Redditor u/RedWolfMO, this show has to be seen to be believed.

5/10 Admiral Baby

Redditor u/zoltecrules would like to see a real version of the fake Simpsons-verse sitcom Admiral Baby. Airing on Fox as a midseason replacement, Admiral Baby is exactly what it sounds like: a comedy series about a baby trusted to command an entire Navy fleet. The baby sends all his battleships to Candy Island.

It’s a fun premise, but as Marge points out, “It’s hard to believe someone that young could have risen to the rank of admiral.”

4/10 Pardon My Zinger

In the world of The Simpsons, Pardon My Zinger is a show that airs on weekdays at 3pm on Comedy Central. Daily viewings of this show are used to indicate Smithers’ spiral into alcoholism and depravity after becoming the top suspect in the shooting of Mr. Burns in The Simpsons’ one and only two-part episode, “Who Shot Mr. Burns?”

Despite the fact that the show goes out of its way to portray Pardon My Zinger as a tired, trite comedy variety series, Redditor u/Arkvoodle42 would still like to see a real version of the show. If Krusty plagiarizes jokes from its monologues, it must be pretty funny.

3/10 Ben

When the Simpsons writers needed to come up with the most absurd premise imaginable for a fictional talk show, they strapped a microphone to the head of celebrity bear “Gentle Ben” for the show Ben. In the episode “Homer Badman,” Ben is seen on the air, taking audience opinions about Homer’s alleged misconduct.

Redditor u/Professor_Spankem would like to see a real version of this show, in spite of the fact that Ben is easily distracted by the backstage buffet, necessitating the involvement of “Ben Control.”

2/10 Knightboat, The Crime-Solving Boat

When Marge wants to set aside some family time, Homer and the kids are glued to the TV because their favorite police procedural series – Knightboat, the Crime-Solving Boat (a parody of Knight Rider with a talking boat instead of a talking car) – is airing its latest thrilling installment.

Redditor u/Tilbernator wants to see a real police procedural with a talking, crime-solving boat. Every week, there’s a conveniently placed canal that allows Knightboat to chase down the bad guys.

1/10 The Itchy & Scratchy Show

The most iconic fictional series in the world of The Simpsons is Bart and Lisa’s favorite cartoon, The Itchy & Scratchy Show, which airs new episodes in the middle of Krusty the Clown broadcasts. Redditor u/Emerald_GAME would like to see Itchy & Scratchy extrapolated into a full-blown spin-off series.

Itchy & Scratchy is a lot like Tom & Jerry with more blood. If Jerry used weapons ranging from axes to machetes to falling moons to fight back against Tom, then it might look something like Itchy & Scratchy.

NEXT: The Simpsons’ 10 Best Fourth Wall Breaks