In particular when watching the show on television it is never evident what episode starts playing. Is the episode title displayed at any point during the intro or credits?
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4@ZipZapJ How is the question off topic? It's no-research but it's not off topic to ask questions about the opening credits of a show.– CatijaFeb 1, 2018 at 22:19
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1It often helps if you explain what you've tried in the question. Many shows don't actually note the episode title anywhere.– CatijaFeb 1, 2018 at 22:28
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1Most shows don't display the episode's title.– BCdotWEBFeb 1, 2018 at 22:28
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3@KevinFegan I wonder, though, why some people have to make the common fact of some questions being on-topic and others not, a personal issue and insinuate that close-voters just want to ruin other people's days. Frankly, that attitude is not helpful at all and highly problematic. You don't agree the question is off-topic? Fine, you don't have to (and many others don't either). But please don't come with resentful talk like that about people who do and genuinely try to moderate this site.– Napoleon Wilson ♦Feb 9, 2018 at 21:41
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1I know the question mentions watching it on TV. If you watch the DVDs with subtitles, it displays the name in the subtitle text in the opening sequence– Guy SMar 10, 2018 at 3:08
2 Answers
It doesn't... usually.
In the vast majority of Simpsons episodes, the title is never shown on-screen. It is contained within the TV listings, so if you press the Info button on your digital remote, it will display the episode title along with a short synopsis. Each episode's closing credits also lists the episode's production code.
There are, however, a few exceptions to the rule, the primary ones being the annual Treehouse of Horror episodes: each one has its own title card, and a title card for each individual segment. Episodes that parody other shows - such as "Behind The Laughter", a parody of VH1's "Behind The Music" - also tend to have title cards based on whatever it is they're parodying.
The Simpsons Wiki has a full list of episodes that have title cards, as well as screenshots of said title cards, and notes that out of over 600 episodes:
The only canon episodes with on-screen titles are "The Telltale Head", "Bart Gets Hit by a Car", "22 Short Films About Springfield", "The Book Job", "Homerland", "Barthood" and "The Great Phatsby: Part One".
The latter four, like "Behind The Laughter", appear to use their title cards for parody purposes.
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Would you accept merging my answer to yours as I have information and a screenshot and production codes? movies.stackexchange.com/a/85367/61567 Feb 2, 2018 at 14:51
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I found a full list of every episode with a title card and have updated my answer to cite it.– F1KrazyFeb 2, 2018 at 19:28
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1It may be worth noting that the closing credits (which may be actually or effectively cut short or dropped by the network/station) always include the episode's production code near the end.– RDFozzMar 9, 2018 at 21:44
Like most shows, The Simpsons did not typically show the titles to any of their episodes on TV itself, with a handful of exceptions including the annual Treehouse of Horror episodes. If you wanted to know the episode titles in the pre-internet era, you had to look it up on a TV guide.