Although an episode ofThe Simpsonsmight seem like an unlikely candidate for an award given to media focused on First Amendment issues, one outing of the long-running cartoon comedy more than earned this surprising accolade. As ofThe Simpsonsseason 36’s finale, which first aired in May 2025, there are officially 790 episodes of the iconic TV comedy.The Simpsonsis the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show in history, so it is no surprise that the series has been awarded countless prizes for its writing and direction.
That said, there are some limitations to the things that even a show as influential asThe Simpsonscan achieve. At the end of the day,The Simpsonsis a family comedy that airs on a major American network, so there are topics thatThe Simpsonsseason 37is unlikely to address due to potential divisiveness. Despite this,The Simpsonshas repeatedly proven that the show isn’t averse to taking big risks.The Simpsonsquietly retiring Apuproves the creators sometimes wisely avoid unnecessary controversy, but an earlier episode showed that the series is capable of daring commentary.
The Simpsons Season 15 Finale Won The Paul Selvin Award
The Writers Guild of America Award Highlights First Amendment Issues
Beginning in 1990, the Writers Guild of America has annually awarded the Paul Selvin Award to works that highlight First Amendment Issues. Named after the attorney Paul Phillip Selvin, who spent his career defending the free speech rights of writers in the entertainment industry, the Paul Selvin Award is intended to honor the script that “Best embodies the spirit of the constitutional and civil rights and liberties which are indispensable to the survival of free writers everywhere.” according to the Writers Guild of America.
The inaugural award was received by 1989’s TV movieRoe vs. Wade, which recounted the landmark US Supreme Court case of the title.
As that lofty and laudable description hints, the winners of the Paul Selvin Award tend to be works that are directly concerned with censorship or works that are likely to engender censorship thanks to their themes. The inaugural award was received by 1989’s TV movieRoe vs. Wade, which recounted the landmark US Supreme Court case of the title. Other winners includeThe People vs. Larry Flynt, 20003’sThe Pentagon Papers, 2005’sGood Night, and Good Luck, 2008’sMilk, 2013’sWe Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks, and 2021’sThe Underground Railroad.
Within this context, it is pretty striking thatan episode ofThe Simpsonswon the Paul Selvin Award in 2004. WhileThe Simpsons’ Lisa storylineshave often incorporated political and social commentary since the series began, it is easy to see why season 15, episode 22, “Fraudcast News,” was the outing that the award sought to highlight. Although it might be tough to imagine a mainstream TV mainstay likeThe Simpsonsbeing on the vanguard of political free speech, “Fraudcast News” was a scathing indictment of the US’s growing media monopolization problem.
What The Simpsons Season 15, Episode 22 Is About
The Episode Focused On Media Monopolization
In “Fraudcast News,” Springfield celebrates its new national park, Geezer Rock, with an opening ceremony. Inevitably, Homer’s antics lead to the rock formation’s destruction, resulting in the apparent death of Mr. Burns. Although Burns is revealed to have survived, he is horrified by Springfield’s uncaring attitude toward his passing. The town dismisses him as a cold-hearted tycoon and memorializes him as such, resulting in Burns going to elaborate measures to change their minds.
Of course, since this is Mr. Burns, he doesn’t start doing good deeds to win their favor or redistribute his vast fortune among the less fortunate. Instead, Burns uses his money to buy every newspaper and news channel in town, utilizing them to spread propaganda about himself. WhileThe Simpsonsseason 36 gets darkfrom time to time, this earlier plot shows a gleefully evil side of Burns. The storyline also letsThe Simpsonstackle a serious real-life issue, as Burns buys every paper in town so they portray him positively and reflect the ways the uber-rich use real-life media companies.
Why The Simpsons' “Fraudcast News” Deserved To Win The Paul Selvin Award
“Fraudcast News” Features An Impressively Sharp Satirical Storyline
Numerous other satirical works have won the Paul Selvin Award, like 2019’s underratedVice. However, “Fraudcast News” is nowhere near as explicitly concerned with real-life US political figures as that Adam McKay-directed satire. Despite this,“Fraudcast News” earned this Writers Guild of America Award thanks to its sharp satirical deconstruction of real-life media monopolies. Burns’ attitude toward the media companies he purchases might be cartoonishly evil, but it is not all that different from the world’s richest men purchasing newspapers of record or social media platforms in the 2020s.
The episode even ends with a jab at the show’s owners, as Burns says no one other than Fox’s Rupert Murdoch can own the entire media landscape.The Simpsonshas mocked itself for yearsand the show often bit the hand that fed it by mocking the subpar programming on Fox in earlier outings. However, this gag explicitly calls out its own network as part of the media consolidation problem, which is significantly more serious than merely mocking Fox’s lesser TV shows.
The Simpsons Season 15, Episode 22 Proves Its Best Villain Still Works
Mr. Burns Remains A Formidable Antagonist Even After Decades
A lot of what makes “Fraudcast News” work is the episode’s inspired silliness. Perhaps the biggest laugh comes from Milhouse’s shamefaced admission that all his reporting from Baghdad was fabricated, as he was actually in Basra throughout the US invasion. However, the plot would fall apart without the presence of the show’s most iconic villain.“Fraudcast News” makes Burns a genuinely threatening presence, which is pretty impressive since dozens of episodes have humanized him at this stage from season 5, episode 18, “Burns’ Heir,” to season 13, episode 4, “A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love.”
For all ofThe Simpsons’ light-hearted parodies, this sharp satire proves the show still had an edge after over fifteen years on the air.
Numerous earlier outings focused on Burns’ humanity, so it is a surprising and welcome change to see “Fraudcast News” treat Homer’s boss as a straightforward villain. Pitted against Lisa, who has often been the show’s true heart, Burns is a pitiless tycoon, and “Fraudcast News” depicts the consequences of his media monopoly as a genuine problem for the town. For all ofThe Simpsons’ light-hearted parodies, this sharp satire proves the show still had an edge after over fifteen years on the air whenThe Simpsonshad something serious to say.
