Writer:	Michael Price
Director:	Susie Dietter
Star:	Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson, Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, and others),  Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Waylon Smithers, Kent Brockman, and others),  Hank Azaria (Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Lou, and others),  Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier, and Selma Bouvier),  Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson),  Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, and others)
Recurring Role:	Karl Wiedergott (Additional Voices),  Marcia Wallace (Edna Krabappel),  Pamela Hayden (Milhouse Van Houten, Rod Flanders, Jimbo Jones, and others),  Tress MacNeille (Agnes Skinner, Brandine Del Roy, Dolph and others),  Russi Taylor (Martin Prince, Sherri, Terri and others)
Guest Star:	Meg Ryan (Dr. Swanson),  James Patterson (II) (Himself),  Andy Dick (Himself),  Peter Bogdanovich (Psychologist),  Stephen Sondheim (Himself)

This episode won the 2008 Annie Award for Best Music in an Animated Television Production. (edit) Blackboard Joke: None.
Couch Gag: The couch is replaced by a vending machine filled with figurines of the family along the top row and the rest of the rows filled with various Springfield residents. Ralph Wiggum enters the living room and selects C5 on the machine, which dispenses him a figurine of Homer. He bites the head of Homer and exits. (edit)

(Bart tries to reject conversation with his therapist.)
Dr. Swanson: Well, I get paid whether you make progress or not. Why don't we just kill the time playing video games?
Bart: (Sarcastically) Yeah right. I bet you got a bunch of learning games. Why don't you go online and find a boyfriend, while I take a nap?
(Bart turns over and lies down on the couch.)
Dr Swanson: Actually, I just got "Death Kill City II: Death Kill Stories!"
Bart: Whoa! You've got DKCIIDKS?! That one's rated bad for everyone! (edit) Lisa: My name is Lisa. What are your names?
Yokel Child: Whitney.
Yokel Child: Jitney.
Yokel Child: Dubya.
Yokel Child: Incest.
Yokel Child: Krystalmeth.
Yokel Child: International Harvester.
Yokel Child: Birthday.
Jitney: Awwww, are we gonna do this much work every day? (edit) Bart: Years ago, Stanley DeGroot was a cook here at school. All the kids made fun of him because he never graduated from college.
Kids: Stanley, Stanley, no degree! Two credits short at MIT! (edit) Skinner: Simpson, I know you're behind this! Well, you are going to get some counseling from the school psychologist!
School Psychologist: DARK STANLEY'S GONNA EAT MY BRAINS!
Superintendent Chalmers: Or from a qualified professional. (edit) Bart: They hanged him for murder and buried him an unmarked grave. When they came back the next day, the whole cemetary was missing! (edit)

Dr. Swanson brings up Dark Stanley in Bart's session without any problem, but when she sees her therapist and he brings up Dark Stanley, she freaks out. (edit) Cletus says that he teaches his older kids and they teach the younger kids, but that he himself wasn't properly educated. If that's the case it's strange that all the kids can read a fairly complicated TV promo without any practice, but Cletus can only pretend to read their contract. (edit) In the scene where Brandine stops Cletus from letting the children go on tour, the box factory is visible behind Brandine. The box factory was featured in the episode "Bart Gets Famous", which was the first Simpsons episode that Susie Dietter directed. (edit) Lisa says she sent Brandine an email to let her know what was going on with her children. But as indicated in episode #217 "I'm With Cupid" when she couldn't decipher a message consisting of 6 characters (I Love *), Brandine can't read. (edit) Susie Dietter directed a Simpsons episode for the first time since "Lisa the Simpson" in season 9. (edit)

The Magnificent Seven
The music that plays when Groundskeeper Willie is rounding up the children with a lasso is an original score from the 1960 western film The Magnificent Seven. (edit) Krusty: …Appalachian Dumpling Gang…

This is a reference to the Disney movie The Apple Dumpling Gang starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway. (edit) Krusty's "No-Collar Comedy Tour" is a jab at the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" created by Jeff Foxworthy and including Bill Engvall, Ron White and Larry The Cable Guy. (edit) Krusty mistakes Stephen Sondheim for the creator of the musical Cats. It was actually written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also composed such hits as Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Phantom of the Opera. (edit) Bart: And then I had a dream that my entire family were cartoon characters and our success had led to a propaganda network called Fox News.

This is another in The Simpsons pattern of self-allusion. (edit)