The Simpsons Tested An Itchy & Scratchy Spinoff So Gory It Made Audiences Sick
Itchy and Scratchy are responsible for some of the most memorable episodes of "The Simpsons." Every fan will fondly remember "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show" or Marge's crusade against the ultra-violent kids' cartoon in "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge." Indeed, "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show" landed at number five on /Film's ranking of the best episodes of "The Simpsons," with "Itchy and Scratchy Land" coming in at number 15.
Clearly, then, "Itchy and Scratchy" was more than a parody of "Tom & Jerry"-style cartoons. Though the central joke was as simple as "What if Tom & Jerry was super violent," the show-within-a-show was often used as a way to extend the cultural satire that was so integral to "The Simpsons." Plus, as legendary writer John Schwartzwelder once told The New Yorker, it allowed the writers a break from the rules of the show overall:
"We could show horrendous things to the children at home, as long as we portrayed them being shown to the Simpsons' children first. Somehow this extra step baffled our critics and foiled the mobs with torches."
In other words, "Itchy and Scratchy" let "The Simpsons" writers break every rule of TV, which evidently proved popular with audiences. As show creator Matt Groening explained during a making-of special:
"I don't think 'Itchy and Scratchy' would have gotten on the air in undiluted format. The fact is, you only see a few seconds of 'Itchy and Scratchy.' I can't tell you the number of fan letters we get from people who think that 'Itchy and Scratchy' should have their own show. I don't think they really want what they're asking for."
Groening might not have been convinced that "Itchy and Scratchy" could survive as a standalone show, but this didn't stop the "Simpsons" producers from trying.
The Itchy and Scratchy spin-off never made it past a test screening
Within the world of "The Simpsons," "The Itchy and Scratchy Show" is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, spawning a movie based on the cat and mouse duo and a theme park that was basically a mashup of Disneyland and Jurassic Park. But it seems the sadistic mouse and his perennial victim were also popular outside of "The Simpsons."
The show's longest-serving writer and producer, Mike Reiss, wrote a book chronicling his time on the series, titled, "Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons." Reiss writes about how Itchy and Scratchy first appeared when "The Simpsons" existed solely as a series of shorts designed to transition "The Tracey Ullman Show" to commercials. According to Reiss, the cat and mouse characters were not actually a parody of "Tom and Jerry," but were "inspired by 'Herman and Katnip,' a cheap, ultraviolet knockoff of T&J." The producer also seemingly confirmed Matt Groening's claim that audiences had long been requesting an actual "Itchy and Scratchy" spin-off, explaining how people had been asking about such a show "for years." In fact, the writers actually set such a project in motion before very quickly backtracking. As Reiss writes:
"To test out the possibility [of an 'Itchy and Scratchy' spin-off], our production team cut together every single 'Itchy & Scratchy' short. It lasted just 14 minutes — some of those cartoons are only nine seconds long — and contained such concentrated gore and mindless violence that it made people physically ill. Someone compared the assembled footage to the brainwashing films Alex had to watch in 'A Clockwork Orange.'"
The Simpsons teased its fans for wanting an Itchy and Scratchy spin-off
If you'd like to experience something akin to the revulsion felt by the writers upon witnessing this "Itchy and Scratchy" supercut, there are videos online that compile every clip of the show-within-a-show. Having grown up with "The Simpsons" and "Itchy and Scratchy," revisiting the show in this condensed form was indeed somewhat jarring. The series really didn't hold back when it came to depicting Itchy's depraved actions and while it's still hilarious, it really is amazing that Fox let "The Simpsons" get away with it considering the Fox censors were notoriously zealous.
That said, it's well known that "The Simpsons" enjoyed, and still enjoys, a level of freedom not afforded to other shows. But even then, allowing Scratchy's muscles to be sliced off one by one before having his brain removed with a pair of scissors still seems a tad risqué. You can imagine how watching 14 minutes of such twisted mayhem would get slightly nauseating.
"The Simpsons" was seemingly commenting on this whole affair and taking subtle shots at those specific fans who asked for an "Itchy and Scratchy" spin-off with "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show" episode. During the installment, Roger Meyers Jr. holds an audience research session with the kids and ends up chastising them, saying "You kids don't know what you want. That's why you're still kids, 'cause you're stupid." There's an echo of Matt Groening's assertion that fans don't "really want what they're asking for" with regards to a spin-off show, here, and considering this episode also features the classic "I withdraw my question" moment, "Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie" seems like a direct refusal from the writers to give the fans what they were asking for — and probably for good reason.