Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company ( often shortened to Fox and stylized as FOX ) is an American English language commercial broadcast television network that is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of 21st Century Fox . The network is headquartered at the 20th Century Fox studio lot on Pico Boulevard in the Century City section of Los Angeles , with additional major offices and production facilities at the Fox Television Center in nearby West Los Angeles and the Fox Broadcasting Center in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan , New York City . It is the third largest major television network in the world based on total revenues , assets , and international coverage .   Launched on October 9 , 1986 as a competitor to the Big Three television networks ( ABC , NBC and CBS ) , Fox went on to become the most successful attempt at a fourth television network . It was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18 -- 49 demographic from 2004 to 2012 , and earned the position as the most-watched American television network in total viewership during the 2007 -- 08 season .   Fox and its affiliated companies operate many entertainment channels in international markets , although these do not necessarily air the same programming as the U.S. network . Most viewers in Canada have access to at least one U.S.-based Fox affiliate , either over-the-air or through a pay television provider , although Fox 's National Football League telecasts and most of its prime time programming are subject to simultaneous substitution regulations for cable and satellite providers imposed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) to protect rights held by domestically based networks .   The network is named after sister company 20th Century Fox , and indirectly for producer William Fox , who founded one of the movie studio 's predecessors , Fox Film . Fox is a member of the North American Broadcasters Association and the National Association of Broadcasters . Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ( -LSB- neɡ̊olaɪ̯ kʰʌsd̥ɐ ˈʋald̥ɑʊ̯ -RSB- ; born 27 July 1970 ) is a Danish actor , producer and screenwriter . He graduated from Danish National School of Theatre in Copenhagen in 1993 . Coster-Waldau 's breakthrough performance in Denmark was his role in the film Nightwatch ( 1994 ) . Since then he has appeared in numerous films in his native Scandinavia and Europe in general , including Headhunters ( 2011 ) and A Thousand Times Good Night ( 2013 ) .   In the United States , his debut film role was in the war film Black Hawk Down ( 2001 ) , playing Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon . He then played Detective John Amsterdam in the short-lived Fox television series New Amsterdam ( 2008 ) , as well as appearing as Frank Pike in the 2009 Fox television film Virtuality , originally intended as a pilot . He became widely known to a broad audience for his current role as Ser Jaime Lannister , in the HBO series Game of Thrones . In 2017 , he became one of the highest paid actors on television and earned # 2 million per episode of Game of Thrones .
A Star Is Burns `` A Star Is Burns '' is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons ' sixth season . It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 5 , 1995 . In the episode , Springfield decides to hold a film festival , and famed critic Jay Sherman is invited to be a judge .   The story involves a crossover with the short-lived animated series The Critic . Jay Sherman was the main character on the show . The Critic was created by Al Jean and Mike Reiss , who had previously written for The Simpsons but left following the fourth season , and produced by James L. Brooks , who was also a producer for The Simpsons . The show had premiered on the American Broadcasting Company ( ABC ) network in January 1994 but was canceled despite positive critical reception . The series was switched over to Fox , and put in the timeslot directly after The Simpsons . Brooks pitched a crossover episode as a way to promote The Critic and decided that a film festival would be a good way to introduce Sherman .   Matt Groening , creator of The Simpsons , reacted negatively when he heard about this episode , feeling that it was just an advertisement for The Critic , and that people would incorrectly associate the show with him . When he was unsuccessful in getting the program pulled , he had his name removed from the credits and went public with his concerns , openly criticizing James L. Brooks .   The episode was directed by Susie Dietter and was the first episode to be written by Ken Keeler . Jon Lovitz , the star of The Critic , guest stars as Jay Sherman , while Maurice LaMarche ( who was also a regular on The Critic ) has a few minor roles . The episode received mixed reviews from critics , many of whom felt the crossover was out of place on the show , although Barney 's film festival entry was well received . The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company . The series is a satirical depiction of working-class life epitomized by the Simpson family , which consists of Homer , Marge , Bart , Lisa , and Maggie . The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture , society , television , and the human condition .   The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a solicitation for a series of animated shorts with producer James L. Brooks . Groening created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after members of his own family , substituting Bart for his own name . The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19 , 1987 . After a three-season run , the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and became an early hit for Fox , becoming the network 's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season ( 1989 -- 90 ) .   Since its debut on December 17 , 1989 , episodes of The Simpsons have been broadcast . Its 28th season began on September 25 , 2016 . It is the longest-running American sitcom and the longest-running American animated program , and , in 2009 , it surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest-running American scripted primetime television series . The Simpsons Movie , a feature-length film , was released in theaters worldwide on July 27 , 2007 , and grossed over $ 527 million . On November 4 , 2016 , the series was renewed for a twenty-ninth and thirtieth season of 22 episodes each , extending the show to 2019 .   The Simpsons received widespread critical acclaim throughout its first nine seasons , which are generally considered its `` Golden Age '' . Time named it the 20th century 's best television series , and Erik Adams of The A.V. Club named it `` television 's crowning achievement regardless of format '' . On January 14 , 2000 , the Simpson family was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . It has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series , including 31 Primetime Emmy Awards , 30 Annie Awards , and a Peabody Award . Homer 's exclamatory catchphrase `` D'oh ! '' has been adopted into the English language , while The Simpsons has influenced many adult-oriented animated sitcoms . Despite this , the show has also been criticized for what many perceive as a decline in quality over the years . Happening Now Happening Now is a news program broadcast on the Fox News Channel weekdays at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time . 1994 United States broadcast TV realignment The 1994 United States broadcast television realignment consisted of a series of events , primarily involving affiliation switches between television stations , that resulted from a multimillion-dollar deal between the Fox Broadcasting Company ( commonly known as simply Fox ) and New World Communications , a media company that -- through its then-recently formed broadcasting division -- owned several VHF television stations affiliated with major broadcast television networks , primarily CBS .   The major impetus for the changes was to allow Fox to improve its local affiliate coverage , in preparation for the commencement of its rights to the National Football Conference ( NFC ) television package , which the National Football League ( NFL ) awarded to the fledgling network in December 1993 . As a result of various other deals that followed as a result of the affiliation switches created by the deal between Fox and New World , most notably the buyout of CBS by Westinghouse , the switches constituted some of the most sweeping changes in American television history . As a result of this realignment , Fox ascended to the status of a major television network , comparable in influence to the Big Three television networks ( CBS , NBC and ABC ) .   Nearly 70 stations in 30 media markets throughout the United States changed affiliations starting in September 1994 and continuing through September 1996 ( although an additional affiliation switch would occur in February 1997 , through the launch of an upstart station that gained its network partner through one of the ancillary deals ) , which -- along with the concurrent January 1995 launches of The WB Television Network ( a joint venture between Time Warner , the Tribune Company and the network 's founding chief executive officer , Jamie Kellner ) and the United Paramount Network ( UPN ) ( founded by Chris-Craft/United Television , through a programming partnership with Paramount Television ) , both of which affiliated with certain stations that lost their previous network partners through the various affiliation agreements -- marked some of the most expansive changes ever to have occurred in American television . WWJ-TV WWJ-TV , ( virtual channel 62/physical channel 44 ) , is a CBS owned-and-operated television station located in Detroit , Michigan , United States . The station is owned by the CBS Television Stations subsidiary of CBS Corporation , as part of a duopoly with CW owned-and-operated station WKBD-TV ( channel 50 ) . The two stations share studio facilities in the Detroit suburb of Southfield ; WWJ-TV 's transmitter is located in Oak Park , Michigan .   The station is carried on several Canadian cable providers , predominately in the province of Ontario , and is one of five local Detroit television stations seen in Canada on satellite provider Shaw Direct .   On cable , the station is available in standard definition on channel 15 on Comcast Xfinity 's Detroit city and Wayne County systems and Cogeco 's Windsor system , channel 9 on Xfinity 's South Oakland system , channel 14 on most cable systems in outlying areas ( except for WOW ! , where it is carried on channel 6 ) , channel 62 on AT&T U-verse , and in high definition on Xfinity channel 233 , Cogeco channel 713 , and AT&T U-verse channel 1062 .   WWJ was notable for its brief weather forecast at 11 p.m. , which begun with the meteorologist saying `` Two and a Half Men , starts in two and a half minutes . '' However , WWJ has since dropped Two and a Half Men ; it has been replaced by reruns of The Big Bang Theory . At one point , viewers were invited to submit videos of themselves saying the phrase , which were then played in a montage before each forecast . Sports Night Sports Night is an American television series about a fictional sports news show also called Sports Night . It focuses on the friendships , pitfalls and ethical issues the creative talent of the program face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure . Created by Aaron Sorkin , the half-hour prime time comedy-drama aired on ABC for two seasons , from 1998 to 2000 .   The show stars Robert Guillaume as managing editor Isaac Jaffe , Felicity Huffman as executive producer Dana Whitaker , Peter Krause as anchor Casey McCall , Josh Charles as anchor Dan Rydell , Sabrina Lloyd as senior associate producer Natalie Hurley and Joshua Malina as associate producer Jeremy Goodwin . Regular guest stars included William H. Macy as ratings expert Sam Donovan and Brenda Strong as Sally Sasser , the producer of West Coast Update ( another show on the same network as Sports Night ) and rival of Dana . Other notable guest stars included Paula Marshall and several who later appeared on Sorkin 's The West Wing including Janel Moloney , Teri Polo , Ted McGinley , Lisa Edelstein , Clark Gregg , Nina Siemaszko , John DeLancie , Timothy Davis-Reed , Cress Williams , Nadia Dajani , and Spencer Garrett . In addition , both Malina and Huffman also appeared in The West Wing .   TV Guide ranked it # 10 on their 2013 list of 60 shows that were `` Cancelled Too Soon '' . Fox Sports Digital Media Fox Sports Digital Media , formerly known as News Corp. . Digital Media and Fox Interactive Media , is a subsidiary of Fox Entertainment Group which operates Fox Sports ' online properties in the United States .   When known as Fox Interactive Media , it was formed to oversee News Corporation 's new media acquisitions , including IGN , Myspace and Photobucket . However , the group would later divest most of its properties ; in 2006 , Demand Media , a company run by Richard Rosenblatt , former CEO of Intermix Media and chairman of Myspace , purchased back all of the non-MySpace assets Intermix had sold to News Corporation . In December 2009 , Fox sold Photobucket to the startup digital photography company Ontela . In October 2010 , the Fox Audience Network was sold to ad technology firm Rubicon Project .   Fox Interactive Media also operated the websites of Fox 's television stations . As part of a joint venture with LIN Media in 2008 , Fox Interactive Media also began offering the Digital Publishing Platform ( DPP ) , an enterprise content management system and hosting platform primarily intended for local station websites . The DPP products were later spun off as the independent company EndPlay , which Fox and LIN still hold equity interests in . Fox would begin outsourcing their television station websites to competing provider Worldnow in 2012 .   In June 2011 , Specific Media and pop singer Justin Timberlake bought Myspace for $ 35 million , which CNN reported noted was `` far less than the $ 580 million News Corp. paid for Myspace in 2005 . '' Murdoch went on to call the Myspace purchase a `` huge mistake '' . In February 2013 , IGN Entertainment was sold to Ziff Davis Media .   As its only remaining properties relate to Fox Sports , the company was renamed Fox Sports Digital Media in mid-2013 . Fox 8 Fox 8 may refer to :   Fox8 , a general entertainment channel in Australia owned by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd  Television stations in the United States affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company :  WAGM-TV , Presque Isle , Maine ( station operates a Fox affiliate under this brand on its first digital subchannel )  WJW ( TV ) , Cleveland , Ohio  WGHP , High Point , North Carolina  WWCP-TV Johnstown , Pennsylvania  WVUE-DT , New Orleans , Louisiana  WFXI , Morehead City , North Carolina ( previously known on-air as `` Fox 8 , Fox 14 '' ; now known as `` Fox Eastern Carolina '' )  Veronica TV , a Dutch television channel formerly known as Fox 8 when it was owned by News Corporation Fox 23 Fox 23 may refer to one of five television stations in the United States affiliated with the Fox television network :   WXXA-TV , licensed to Albany , New York  KOKI-TV , licensed to Tulsa , Oklahoma  KBSI , licensed to Cape Girardeau , Missouri  WPFO , licensed to Waterville , Maine  WHPM-LD , licensed to Hattiesburg , Mississippi WLAX WLAX is the Fox-affiliated television station for Western Wisconsin that is licensed to La Crosse . It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 ( or virtual channel 25.1 via PSIP ) from a transmitter in La Crescent , Minnesota near the studios of ABC affiliate WXOW . Owned by Nexstar Media Group , the station has studios at Interchange Place in La Crosse at the intersection of I-90 / US 53/WIS 35 and Rose Street ( hence the postal address name ) . Syndicated programming on WLAX includes The Big Bang Theory , Two and a Half Men , Modern Family , and Judge Judy among others .   The station operates a full-time satellite , WEUX , licensed to Chippewa Falls and serving Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley . This outlet broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 49 ( or virtual channel 48.1 via PSIP ) from a transmitter , southeast of Colfax , along the Dunn and Chippewa County line . It maintains an advertising sales office on WIS 93 in Eau Claire along the U.S. 53 and Business U.S. 53/Hastings Way interchange . A&E Networks A&E Networks ( branded as A+E Networks ) is an American media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the U.S. and abroad . A&E stands for Arts & Entertainment . The company is a joint venture with Hearst and Disney-ABC Television Group , a unit of the Disney Media Networks subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company . The Simpsons (season 25) The Simpsons '' ' twenty-fifth season began airing on Fox on September 29 , 2013 and ended on May 18 , 2014 .   In this season , Homer sells his Mapple stock to buy a bowling ball ; Marge blames herself and Kiss for Bart 's rebellious streak ( `` Four Regrettings and a Funeral '' ) ; Lisa becomes a cheerleader for Springfield 's football team ; and Homer delivers a baby ( `` Labor Pains '' ) . Guest stars for this season include Judd Apatow , Will Arnett , Anderson Cooper , Harlan Ellison , Zach Galifianakis , Stan Lee , Eva Longoria , Rachel Maddow , Elisabeth Moss , Joe Namath , Daniel Radcliffe , Aaron Sorkin , and Kristen Wiig . This is Al Jean 's 13th consecutive season as showrunner and 15th overall . Matt Groening , James L. Brooks , Matt Selman , and John Frink serve as executive producers . Executive producer Al Jean stated that Edna Krabappel will be retired from the show following the death of Marcia Wallace on October 25 , 2013 .   February 2014 held back Simpsons episodes , due to the transmission of the Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford , New Jersey , United States ; the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi , Russia ; the 2014 Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach , Florida , US ; and the 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood , Los Angeles , California .   This season The Simpsons '' won three Primetime Emmy Awards out of four nominations , including an Primetime Emmy Award for Character Voice-Over Performance to Harry Shearer , who was the last member of the main cast to earn the award . 20th Television Twentieth Television ( or 20TV , stylized as 20th Television ) is an American television syndication studio and the syndication arm of 20th Century Fox Television itself a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox . TV Nation TV Nation is a satirical newsmagazine television series written , directed and hosted by Michael Moore that was co-funded and originally broadcast by NBC in the United States and BBC2 in the United Kingdom . The show blended humor and journalism into provocative reports about various issues . After moving to Fox for its second ( and final ) season , the show won an Emmy Award in 1995 for Outstanding Informational Series .   TV Nation was created in the wake of the success Moore had with the documentary Roger & Me , prompting Warner Bros. . Television to ask Moore for television series ideas . In January 1993 , NBC green-lit a pilot episode which took three months to complete . Interest from the BBC prompted NBC to insert the show into its summer 1994 lineup . NewsCenter NewsCenter or variant , is a brand that has been used by many broadcasting entities to refer to its regular newscasts .   In particular , `` NewsCenter '' may refer to :   The former NBC branding of Channel 4 News ( United States )  WNBC-TV , using NewsCenter 4 in 1970s  NBC WCSH-6 Portland NewsCenter  NBC WLBZ-2 Bangor NewsCenter  Granite Broadcasting Corporation 's branding `` NewsCenter ''  Northland 's NewsCenter , in Minnesota  Indiana 's NewsCenter  WCVB-TV in Boston , using `` NewsCenter 5 '' since its sign on in 1972  KGUN-TV in Tucson , using `` NewsCenter 9 '' during the 1970s and 1980s  NHK News Center 9 , Japan  MBC News Center , South Korea Major film studio A major film studio is a production and film distributor that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box office revenue in a given market . In the North American , Western , and global markets , the major film studios , often simply known as the majors , are commonly regarded as the six diversified media conglomerates whose various film production and distribution subsidiaries collectively command approximately 80 to 85 percent of U.S. and Canadian box office revenue . The term may also be applied more specifically to the primary motion picture business subsidiary of each respective conglomerate .   The `` Big Six '' majors , whose operations are based in or around the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood , are all centered in film studios active during Hollywood 's Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s . In three cases -- 20th Century Fox , Warner Bros. , and Paramount -- the studios were one of the `` Big Five '' majors during that era as well . In two cases -- Columbia and Universal -- the studios were also considered majors , but in the next tier down , part of the `` Little Three '' . In the sixth case , Walt Disney Studios was an independent production company during the Golden Age ; it was an important Hollywood entity , but not a major . Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , United Artists , and RKO were majors .   Today , Disney is the only member of the Big Six whose parent entity is still located near Los Angeles ( actually , on Disney 's studio lot and in the same building ) . The five others report to conglomerates headquartered in New York City , Philadelphia , and Tokyo . Of the Big Six , Paramount is the only one still based in Hollywood , and Paramount and Fox are the only ones still located within the Los Angeles city limits , while Disney and Warner Bros. are located in Burbank , Columbia in Culver City , and Universal in the unincorporated area of Universal City .   Most of today 's Big Six control subsidiaries with their own distribution networks that concentrate on arthouse pictures ( e.g. Fox Searchlight Pictures ) or genre films ( e.g. Sony 's Screen Gems ) ; several of these specialty units were shut down or sold off between 2008 and 2010 . The six major studios are contrasted with smaller production and/or distribution companies , which are known as independents or `` indies '' . The leading independent producer/distributors -- Lionsgate Films , The Weinstein Company , and former major studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer -- are sometimes referred to as `` mini-majors '' . From 1998 through 2005 , DreamWorks SKG commanded a large enough market share to arguably qualify it as a seventh major , despite its relatively small output . In 2006 , DreamWorks was acquired by Viacom , Paramount 's corporate parent . In late 2008 , DreamWorks once again became an independent production company ; its films were distributed by Disney 's Touchstone Pictures until 2016 , at which point distribution switched to Universal .   The Big Six major studios are today primarily backers and distributors of films whose actual production is largely handled by independent companies -- either long-running entities or ones created for and dedicated to the making of a specific film . The specialty divisions often simply acquire distribution rights to pictures in which the studio has had no prior involvement . While the majors still do a modicum of true production , their activities are focused more in the areas of development , financing , marketing , and merchandising . Those business functions are still usually performed in or near Los Angeles , even though the runaway production phenomenon means that most films are now mostly or completely shot on location at places outside Los Angeles .   Since the dawn of filmmaking , the U.S. major film studios have dominated both American cinema and the global film industry . U.S. studios have benefited from a strong first-mover advantage in that they were the first to industrialize filmmaking and master the art of mass-producing and distributing high-quality films with broad cross-cultural appeal . Today , the Big Six majors routinely distribute hundreds of films every year into all significant international markets ( that is , where discretionary income is high enough for consumers to afford to watch films ) . It is very rare , if not impossible , for a film to reach a broad international audience on multiple continents and in multiple languages without first being picked up by one of the majors for distribution . Fox (Finland) Fox ( formerly SuomiTV ) is a Finnish entertainment TV channel owned and produced by Fox Networks Group ( FNG ) Nordic . The channel was acquired by FNG Nordic in January 2012 , and then relaunched as the current incarnation on 16 April that year .   Fox is freely available in Finland both over-the-air and through cable , as it bases its funding on television advertisements . It is FIC Nordic 's first channel that does not operate on subscriber fees .   The channel provides a free catch up service through its online platform FOXPlay The Falcon and the D'ohman `` The Falcon and the D'ohman '' is the season premiere of the twenty-third season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 25 , 2011 . In the episode , the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant hires a new security guard named Wayne and Homer soon becomes friends with him . `` The Falcon and the D'ohman '' also reveals the fate of the relationship between the characters Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel that was initiated in the previous episode of the series , `` The Ned-Liest Catch '' , that aired in May 2011 .   Actor Kiefer Sutherland guest starred in the episode as the voice of Wayne . This was the third time he appeared on The Simpsons . The episode also features a guest appearance by American chef and Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio as himself in a segment in which Marge dreams about being a contestant in a show similar to Top Chef . `` The Falcon and the D'ohman '' has received mixed reviews from television critics , with criticism directed at the plot and the cultural references featured . However , a reference in the episode to the computer animated re-enactments of news stories done by the Taiwan-based Next Media Animation has been particularly praised . Excellence in Broadcasting `` Excellence in Broadcasting '' is the second episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy . It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 3 , 2010 . The episode features anthropomorphic dog Brian , an adamant liberal , confronting conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh at a book signing in Quahog , and ultimately having a political change of heart when Limbaugh convinces him to read his latest book . Brian eventually decides to become a devoted member of the Republican Party , and soon begins criticizing liberals . This leads Brian to become roommates with Limbaugh , and begins following him everywhere , before Limbaugh convinces Brian of his true political convictions .   The episode was written by Patrick Meighan and directed by John Holmquist . It received mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references , in addition to receiving both praise and criticism from conservative news outlets . According to Nielsen ratings , it was viewed in 7.94 million homes in its original airing . As well as Limbaugh , the episode featured guest performances by Gary Cole , Christine Lakin , Phil LaMarr , Shelley Long , Nana Visitor and Rainn Wilson , along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series . `` Excellence in Broadcasting '' was released on DVD along with three other episodes from the season on December 13 , 2011 . The Splendid Source `` The Splendid Source '' is the 19th episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy . Directed by Brian Iles and written by Mark Hentemann , the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 16 , 2010 . The episode follows Peter , Joe and Quagmire as they set out on a journey to find the ultimate source of all the world 's dirty jokes . Along the way , the group is reunited with their old friend , Cleveland Brown , while traveling through Stoolbend , Virginia . Their journey becomes much more difficult than expected when they are kidnapped and taken to a remote island . There , they discover a secret society of the world 's greatest geniuses at the center of all the world 's dirty jokes . The plot is based on a short story of the same name written by Richard Matheson and first published in the May 1956 edition of Playboy magazine .   The episode was a follow-up to the departure of main character Cleveland Brown , who was removed from Family Guy to become the center of the spin-off The Cleveland Show . Former series writer and cast member Mike Henry returned to the series to provide the voice of Cleveland . The episode also featured the first official crossover between Family Guy and The Cleveland Show , and included cameo appearances by several of The Cleveland Shows main characters . The episode was first announced at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International .   Critical response to the episode was favorable . Critics praised the episode for its original premise , and its under-reliance on cultural references , but criticized the episode 's plot . According to Nielsen ratings , it was viewed in 7.59 million homes in its original airing . The episode featured guest performances by Marc Alaimo , Gary Cole , Ioan Gruffudd , Sanaa Lathan , David Lynch , Kevin Michael Richardson and Wally Wingert , along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series . `` The Splendid Source '' was released on DVD along with ten other episodes from the season on December 13 , 2011 .