The Simpsons (TV Series) Dial 'N' for Nerder (2008) User Reviews

Is The Simpson Dying?

[bugz-rabbit · 6/10 · 9 March 2008]

This latest season has been disappointing, and this latest episode is possibly the worst I've seen. It just didn't seem to gel together at all. Its almost like two different writers sat down and wrote half an episode each, then the two scripts were edited together by a third person.

The stories (2 different issues running) just weren't funny. Nor were the stories connected in any way. Firstly, Homers story could have been much better, if this was the only story in the episode, the only laugh i got was from the 'Lamb/Motel' scene. Bart, Lisa and Martins story was completely lacking in humor. And the 'Butterfly' ending was just weird, WHAT happened to this brand? Maybe 19 seasons is just too many?? Please Matt, bring back Futurama!!!!!! Even if Fox won't touch it, there are other networks man

Enjoyable

[canireallywin · 8/10 · 2 October 2023]

This was a novel outing from The Simpsons' Silver Age.

Anyone remotely au fait with detective shows, especially ones of a certain vintage, will surely recognise the various ways in which this episode playfully parodies their tropes and famous catchphrases.

This was a very charming and energetic outing, thanks to a nice, snappy script, and something quite original for the show. Now, beyond even the show's Bronze Age of the 2010s, after having seen various reworks of the same basic plots (e.g. 'Homer and Marge's marriage is in trouble'), I appreciate these kinds of episodes. Freshness reigns supreme.

Nelson steals the episode

[safenoe · 6/10 · 6 January 2023]

By far Nelson steals this episode for sure, as he becomes a Columbo-life character to solve the untimely death of Martin Prince, or was it?

The final scene was hilarious, parodying the NBC Mystery Movie opening and theme: Columbo, Quincey, McCloud and McMillan & Wife, with the Henry Mancini theme bringing back memories and all.

The sub-plot of Homer cheating on his diet was a bit sub-standard I'm afraid, and kind of worth ignoring please because it got a bit tacky at times and really it wasn't funny.

I loved the reference to the Sanyo DL 30 which gave this episode much to laugh about for sure.

This episode was practically perfect!

[TOMNEL · 10/10 · 11 March 2008]

The Simpsons are now 19 years old, and it's obvious that there has been at least a slight decline in the writing since the show's prime. But this season, there have been quite a few episodes proving that idea wrong. This is the best episode, so far, of season 19, and possibly the best since several seasons back. The writing is near perfect, and unlike many recent episodes, none of the jokes are lingered on long enough to be killed.

Bart and Lisa find Martin looking at nature, and Bart pulls a prank on him, knocking him off a cliff. They both have the horrible guilt that they killed Martin Prince. Meanwhile, Homer is cheating on his diet, and Marge hires a TV show to check it out. These are both good story lines, and there are some very funny moments to go with them. Now, if the rest of the season is as good as this episode, then this will be a season equivalent to the fourth or fifth.

My rating: Perfect episode. 30 mins. TVPGDLS

The ultimate test of the Simpsons' dynamics...

[adampkalb · 10/10 · 8 October 2019]

This was quite an interesting watch. I even dare to say it was better than Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind! There was a serious A-plot about Bart and Lisa killing Martin Prince and a silly B-plot about Homer cheating on his bell pepper diet. I actually thought Dial N for Nerder did a good job balancing both plots and no one was flanderized to be out of character at all. The only thing missing from the episode was Martin's parents crying about their missing son. It's up to Nelson Muntz to solve this Martin Murder Mystery! This ain't your typical Martin Mystery.

The best part of the A-plot is the Martin tribute video of scenes with him from Girls Just Want to Have Sums, Fat Man and Little Boy, Treehouse of Horror III, and Three Men and a Comic Book. The best part of the B-plot is Homer kissing and making out with a rack of lamb. This challenged the Simpsons' dynamics because the reality show Sneakers wanted to see if Marge would break up with Homer for not sticking to his bell pepper diet, and when Bart wanted to confess to his murder prank before his guilt got to him, Lisa told him no because they shouldn't ruin their own lives over an accidental murder, since confessing would not bring Martin back. There's also more tension and stakes when Bart and Lisa need to hide from the police they saw on the news, and Nelson because he was investigating Martin's murder and knew Martin didn't just "fall by accident" as Police Chief Wiggum said because Martin was afraid of heights, meaning someone else knocked him off a cliff.

This review is dedicated to the loving memory of Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944-July 26, 2019). That Martin slideshow meant everything to Russi Taylor fans, and it has gotten more meaningful after Russi Taylor's death. What will happen to Martin, Sherri, Terri and Uter, and who will voice Minnie Mouse now? 5 years ago, I said goodbye to Edna Krabappel after 25 seasons, and now I say goodbye to Martin Prince after 30 seasons. "Martin was like Jesus, only real!"-Bart Simpson, 2008

The fact that it's one of the more tolerable episodes of modern-day Simpsons doesn't make it a good episode.

[santifersan · 6/10 · 13 August 2023]

"Dial 'N' for Nerder" is undoubtedly one of those episodes of The Simpsons that falls into the category of being "bearable" within the modern lineup of the show. However, this doesn't necessarily translate into it being a genuinely good episode. It can be interesting to watch it once, but watching it more that once is a waste of time.

One of the main criticisms of this episode lies in its central plotline. The A-plot revolves around Nelson Muntz suddenly transforming into a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective without any plausible explanation or development. This departure from the established traits of the character comes across as forced and out of character. Moreover, the fact that Nelson can withstand punches to the face without any consequences further emphasizes the departure from the show's once-grounded realism.

In fact, I prefer the silly yet amusing subplot involving Homer over the A-story.

For those of you who think The Simpsons have gone downhill, this episode is a perfect example of how that's not true

[SimpsonsFan13 · 9/10 · 20 December 2008]

IMO, season 19 has been a really great comeback for The Simpsons, and this episode was no exception. Heck, it's probably my favorite of the season. Some of my favorite episodes are Bart & Lisa ones because I think they make a fantastic duo. This episode had a brilliant A story, with a hilarious B story involving Homer backing it up nicely. I also love certain episodes where we see a darker side of Lisa. I found it hilarious that Nelson of all people would be investigating the crime. As I've mentioned before, Homer's B story was hilarious, the two highlights being the bell-pepper montage as well as Homer making love to a rack of lamb (sure it's gross but I couldn't help laughing at it). Overall this is a fantastic episode that shows the newer episodes can be just as great as the older ones. PS: NBC Mystery Theater was the perfect way to end this episode.

Awesome and surprising episode

[pap25 · 9/10 · 6 March 2011]

Even though I still find myself enjoying the series after 20 years, believe it has maintained a degree of quality and integrity, gets unfairly over-criticized and under-acknowledged -just because it lacks Golden Age quality does not mean it's awful-, I can't deny my beloved Simpsons have been recycling story lines for years now, characters are a shadows of their former selves and seldom experience development and are sadly and blatantly exploited in search of a quick, cheap and forgettable laugh. The emotional weight that characterized the series and set it apart from the crowd has now been tossed aside.

It would seem that there is no other direction they could go that they haven't gone before but every once in a while comes an episode that breaths new life into the series. This episode features a surprising and unpredictable reversal of roles between Bart and Lisa whom we get to see the dark side of. Nelson plays an important and unusual part in it.

Not even the weaker Marge/Homer subplot is able to bring this episode down or prevent it from being one of the best of the last 10 years.

Great Columbo style episode!

[jeremyleskinen · 10/10 · 5 December 2011]

I love The Simpsons, and as most of you know the newer episodes aren't as good as the good old classics (seasons 1-9), but this episode was actually really good. Most of why I liked it was that was obviously referencing the TV show Columbo throughout the episode and I love Columbo, it's one of my favourite shows along side The Simpsons, Friends South Park and The X-Files, and I liked the ending which parodied the NBC Mystery Movie. So for a newer episode I really enjoyed it and the sub-plot was also quite funny, though it was also quite weird.

So overall great episode! 10/10!

A mixed episode

[studioAT · 3/10 · 9 January 2020]

This episode has one good A story (have Lisa and Bart killed Martin) in which there's some great laughs and storytelling.

It also has a B story (Homer cheating on a diet) that is just plain silly, and relies on Homer being dumb for its humour.

Overall an inconsistent episode.

Barely Worse Than Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind

[e_daneva · 9/10 · 21 December 2023]

Dial 'N' for Nerder is an amazing episode. I have watched 14 other Season 19 episodes, and there was 5 bad, 4 okay, 1 good, and 5 really good. This episode goes in the really good category. This episode is one of the best episodes of Season 19, if not one of the best middle age ( S11-S20 episodes. Dial 'N' for Nerder is jsut barely worse than Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind. Just barely. I mean, this episode is soo good. It has such a simple and entertaining plot. This episode also is a really funny episode too. Last but not least, this episode has a lot of great character development. If you want to watch a really good modern episode with a lot of heart, then this is your episode. It's also a very creative episode too. I think the A-plot was better than the B-plot, but the B-plot still was pretty good. It, like the A-plot, showed lots of heart. In all, I give this episode a 8.6 out of 10. Really good episode!!