The WORST episodes of The Tracey Ullman Show
Every episode of The Tracey Ullman Show ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Tracey Ullman Show!
A variety/sketch show brought to you by funnywoman Tracey Ullman. The show was one of the first programs on the then-new FOX Network in the U.S. in the mid 1980s. Tracey's show was a sketch comedy show including lots of singing and dancing. The Simpsons appear as short, animated sketches, interspersed between the main, live-action sketches. Spinoffs: The Tracy Ullman Show led to the creation of the hit FOX show, The Simpsons. It began as short skits on Ullman's Show. Overall the Simpsons made appearances in 50 episodes in the show's first three seasons and one additional apppearance in the fourth and final season.
#1 - Kay Trapped
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/9/1989
KAY: TRAPPED; A restropsective episode featuring flashbacks in Kay Clark's life when she's trapped in an elevator with an attractive businessman (Joe Malone).
#2 - 7W04
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/22/1989
THE FINAL POLKA; At a traditional Slavic wedding reception, Staush (Dan Castellaneta) thinks about getting an annulment, until his new eccentric wife Maja (Tracey Ullman), shows him that she can be fun. SERMON ON THE MOUND; During a major league baseball game, catcher Louise (Dan Castellaneta) and pitcher George (Sam McMurray) discuss their problems with each other regarding their troubled friendship. MY BABY; While waiting to see a doctor, three overdue pregnant women (Tracey Ullman, Julie Kavner and special guest star Marilu Henner) talk about their babies, sing and dance for excitement and go into labor in the process.
#3 - 7W03
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/1989
DA ME LA MANO; At a New York beauty shop, a customer (Tracey Ullman) tells the manicurist (Julie Kavner) about her boyfriend and the manicurist reveals that she had the same boyfriend that jilted her weeks earlier. NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK; Doc (special guest star Martin Short), a die-hard Elvis Presley fan, is on a diner date with his girl (Tracey Ullman) when he shows off his singing talents as Elvis Presley to impress her.
#4 - 7W02
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/1/1989
MY DATE WITH IL DUCE; An elderly Italian lady (Isabella Rossellini) tells her about-to-be-married granddaughter (Tracey Ullman) about a time in 1920 Italy when she had a fling with future dictator Benito Mussolini (Dan Castellaneta). THE WRONG MESSAGE; Nervous Faith Dunn (Tracey Ullman) leaves an outrageously silly message on the answering machine of a man she just met. THE THRILL IS GONE; Brenda and her new boyfriend, Brock (Dan Castellaneta), are bungee jumping off a bridge when Brock reveals his decision to break up with her.
#5 - 7W01
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/10/1989
...AND GOD CREATED TILLMAN; Ginny becomes jealous when she finds out that her ex-husband Lawrence is seeing a younger, more attractive Italian woman named Mae (Isabella Rossellini). A RARE TALENT; Jinx Haber (Tracey Ullman) auditions for the lead part in the Broadway show of Peter Pan for she has the real gift of flying.
#6 - Best of the Tracey Ullman Show Season 3 (1 hour)
Season 3 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/21/1989
One hour highlight special. Featured sketches: "D.U.I.", "Mr. Right", "Family Therapy" (Simpsons short), "9 Minutes and 52 Seconds Over Tokyo", "Conjugal Visit", "Special Skills"
#7 - Psychiatric Hour - TV Simpsons -Summer Goes Shopping - Who Now, Brown Cow
Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/14/1989
PSYCHIATRIC HOUR; Zizi, Stacy, and June (Tracey Ullman, Ann DeSavo and Andrea Martin) are three unsure-of-themselves women who meet at a psychiatrists office to talk of their life problems unaware who the psychiatrist is. SUMMER GOES SHOPPING; Summer Storm is caught while instinctively trying to steal dog food and spends the time talking to the store clerk (Dan Castellaneta) of her life problems. WHO NOW, BROWN COW?; A unhappily married couple (Tracey Ullman and Joe Malone) are in a cow suit rehearsing to find the perfect dance steps before their appearance at a carnival. TV SIMPSONS; After Bart's kite gets caught on the TV antenna, Homer goes on the roof to get TV picture working again.
#8 - All About Tammy Lee - Maggie in Peril - The Thrilling Conclusion
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/7/1989
ALL ABOUT TAMMY LEE; Tammy Lee Didawick (Tracey Ullman) is the personal assistant to Dee Dee Pernell (Julie Kavner), a drunken, washed up, country-western singer who plans to go on a tour despite her drinking problem. When Dee Dee passes out, the crafty Tammy Lee plots to take her place in the spotlight at her first country-western concert. MAGGIE IN PERIL: THE THRILLING CONCLUSION; Maggie gets away from the waterfall and by grabbing some helium balloons, she floats back to her crib unharmed and excited about her adventure.
#9 - The Wave Girls - Maggie in Peril - Chapter One - The Cure - D.U.I.
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/30/1989
THE WAVE GIRLS; Dreana (Tracey Ullman), a 15-year San Diego Wave Girl veteran, meets with owner Mr. Big (Sam McMurray) to try to convince him to let her continue being a part of the Wave Girls after her final night. THE CURE; Dr. Gibson can't bring himself to let go of Meril (Julie Kavner), a long-time patient of his after he tells her that she is cured of her troubles. D.U.I.; After Brenda is pulled over by two Palm Springs motorcycle cops (Joe Malone and Julie Kavner), she must do odd dance steps to prove that she was not Driving Under the Influence. MAGGIE IN PEARL: CHAPTER ONE; While Marge and Homer go out shopping, Maggie gets out of her crib to chase after her rubber ball and is in pearl when she falls into a sewer and floats down to a waterfall...
#10 - Maid Service - Family Therapy - Code of Silence - Clowns D'Amore
Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/23/1989
MAID SERVICE; Maria (Tracey Ullman), an overweight Mexican maid for a smug, wealthy family, realizes that the lady of the house Mrs. Brenna (Anna Levine), has some compassion for her after all. CODE OF SILENCE; In London, Patty (Tracey Ullman) tries to get her old boyfriend Dennis (Sam McMurray), a palace guard, to break the code of silence to talk to her after she breaks up with her other boyfriend Vic (Dan Castellaneta). CLOWNS D'AMORE; Circus clowns Scott and Linda (Dan Castellaneta and Tracey Ullman), meet for the first time without their makeup on to go out on a date. FAMILY THERAPY; The Simpsons visit a family therapist to discuss their problems and end up taking their anger on the therapist.
#11 - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Kay - Bart of the Jungle - Sweet Dreams - Pumping Irony
Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/16/1989
TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, KAY; Kay must decide if she wants to tell Mrs. Leroy (Julie Kavner) about her husband's philandering after she catches him in the act with the delivery girl. SWEET DREAMS; Now two months married, Gary and Joanie talk one night about their marital status after she thinks that he may be losing interest in her. PUMPING IRONY; Sara and Greg Downey hire a fitness instructor (special guest star Jake Steinfield) to keep them in shape, while lazy Greg disavows the routine. BART OF THE JUNGLE; Bart, Lisa and Maggie take all of Homer's neckties and play jungle in their back yard.
#12 - 7W05
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/29/1989
THE CO-OP; Dave and William attend a co-op meeting with three apartment residents who will decide if they will be fit to move into their new apartment. The residents includ: Emily Davis, a blind woman (Julie Kavner); Ann B. Cooper (Tracey Ullman), an elderly, eccentric woman with lots of cats; and Frederick Bolt (Harold Sylvester), a conservative business type. THE MAN WHO GOT AWAY; Dr. Gibson tries not to let go of Raymond Mead (Sam McMurray), an egomanical businessman who is thinking about becoming a patient of his. PARALLEL EXISTENCE (MY BETTER WHOLE); A donut shop waitress (Julie Kavner) meets her wealthy double (Tracey Ullman) from a parallel universe who tells her that her life can be better.
#13 - Stress Management - Bart's Nightmare - Rudy Visits Omi - Brick House
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/26/1989
STRESS MANAGEMENT; Sara and Greg attend a class where a professional stress management woman (Julie Kavner) gives group therapy about how to confront stress. RUDY VISITS OMI; Rudy (Dan Castellaneta) visits his frail grandmother, Omi (Tracey Ullman), in a nursing home and tries to make her talk after she has had several strokes. BRICK HOUSE; Lingerie shop owners Candy and Chesty (Julie Kavner and Tracey Ullman) try to show a shy, naive woman (Anna Levine) the fashions of the place. BART'S NIGHTMARE; After Bart eats a whole batch of cookies, he passes out and ventures into a dreamscape where everyone confronts him with his guilt.
#14 - Occupied - Bathtime - Mr. Right
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/19/1989
OCCUPIED; On a airplane to Australia, Kiki Howard-Smith, devastated by the knowledge of her husband leaving her, meets Antonio Gianelli (Dan Castellaneta), a wealthy Italian businessman who takes an interest in her. MR. RIGHT; Millie and Jack (Anna Levine and Dan Castellaneta) visit their crazy friend Bonnie (Tracey Ullman), who claims that she has met Mr. Right: a ventriloquist's dummy named Lenny. BATHTIME; Bart takes a bath and floods the bathroom after leaving the water on.
#15 - Goodbye, Butchie - Echo Canyon - The Handout - Teamies
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/12/1989
GOODBYE, BUTCHIE; Summer Storm's favorite dog dies and she asks her ex-husband Jerry (Sam McMurray) to keep her company while her other friends Keith and Freddy plan to cheer her up. THE HANDOUT; Three executive prize winners (Dan Castellaneta, Tracey Ullman and Anna Levine), walking home from an awards dinner, confront a bum in the street looking for a handout. TEAMIES; Three athletic women race walkers (Tracey Ullman, Anna Levine and Fay Burns) in training must face the fact that only one of them will be competing in the coming race. ECHO CANYON; The Simpsons visit Echo Canyon to listen to their echoes.
#16 - Rock on the Block - Shoplifting - The Height of Friendship - The Orange Badge of Courage
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/26/1989
ROCK ON THE BLOCK; Ian Miles (special guest star Tim Curry) is a past-his-prime rock star who does some soul searching to simplify his life on the day all his personal items will be put up for auction by auctioneer Jacqueline Andrews (Tracey Ullman). THE HEIGHT OF FRIENDSHIP; Two New York City window washers (Dan Castellaneta and Sam McMurray) fight with each other on the side of a building after one of them accuses the other of sleeping with his wife. THE ORANGE BADGE OF COURAGE; Sara and Greg are captured by a rival team during a wargames simulation outing in California. SHOPLIFTING; Bart is arrested for shoplifting and tries to wisecrack himself out of it.
#17 - The Subway - Home Hypnotism - I Do, I Will
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/19/1989
THE SUBWAY; A breakdown on a New York subway traps dozens of people together in one car that include: Greg Downey (Dan Castellaneta), a Broadway dancer (Joe Malone), a pizza deliveryman (Sam McMurray), a Boy Scout leader, a hysterical woman (Anna Levine), a smug rich lady (Anne DeSavo), a drunk, and a local black woman (Tracey Ullman) who tries to calm everyone down. I DO, I WILL; Newlyweds Gary and Joanie Sours (Sam McMurray and Tracey Ullman) think about their future on the morning after their wedding in the bridal suite. HOME HYPNOTISM; Homer tries to control the wild Bart, Lisa and Maggie with hypnotism, but it only turns the kids into mindless zombies.
#18 - Francesca A Physical Education Scary Movie - Someone to Watch Over Me
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 2/12/1989
FRANCESCA: A PHYSICAL EDUCATION; After Francesca is reprimanded by Dave and William for mouthing off to her stern gym instructor Miss Belts (special guest star Betty Thomas), she must overcome her radical ideals to partake and win the girls high school volleyball game. SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME; Dr. Gibson meets with Kay Clark for the first time at the building where she works to talk about her loneliness and of being unable to find a special someone. SCARY MOVIE; Bart, Lisa, and Maggie go to the movie theater to see a scary Sci-Fi/Horror movie.
#19 - Special Skills - Bart's Little Fantasy - Flesh and Desire - Heaven
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 2/5/1989
SPECIAL SKILLS; CEO Renee Lawton (Anna Levine), decides to let yuppie finalists Leonard (Dan Castellaneta), Zizi (Tracey Ullman), and Patricia (Janeen Rae Heller) compete with each other to see what special skills they have in order to enter the company. FLESH AND DESIRE; William makes himself a midnight snack of a meatloaf sandwich which makes vegetarian Dave angry. HEAVEN; In orbit around Earth, astronaut Chuck (Dan Castellaneta) and cosmonaut Anna (Tracey Ullman), together in the space shuttle, discover passion for each other but they are prevented by the cameras watching them. BART'S LITTLE FANTASY; Bart tells Lisa and Maggie of his vision of where they are the parents, and Homer and Marge are the children.
#20 - Francesca's Task - Bart the Hero - The Nuclear Family
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/29/1989
FRANCESCA'S TASK; Lazy Francesca is faced with writing a major term paper for school, and is apprehensive about William helping her. THE NUCLEAR FAMILY; At a family owned nuclear power plant, chairman Allen Gardener Dan Castellaneta) tells his supervisor mother (Tracey Ullman) that he has decided to let her go off the work force. BART THE HERO; Bart single-handingly captures a burglar robbing a candy store and trades the reward money for candy.
#21 - Kay Babysits - The Krusty the Clown Show - Check, Please
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/15/1989
KAY BABYSITS; Kay is forced by her ruthless boss Mr. Leroy (Dan Castellaneta), to look after his spoiled 10-year old daughter Missy, for the day at the office. CHECK, PLEASE; Three men (Dan Castellaneta, Sam McMurray and Joe Malone) wait and wait to see who will pay the bill for lunch at a fancy, private golf club restaurant. THE KRUSTY THE CLOWN SHOW; Bart, Lisa and Maggie go on the popular children's show, and Bart naturally causes trouble, this time on-air.
#22 - 7W15
Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/11/1990
THE WORD; Francesca visits newspaper publisher Sheldon Moss (special guest star Bill Pullman) to complain of a single word (plain) describing her in a newspaper article as a great writer. THE FEE; Brenda is unwilling to pay Dr. Gibson the new fee of $100 per session, unless he validates her parking. THE SELL; Psychotic saleswoman Daniela Greenback (Tracey Ullman), visits Kevin Patten (Joe Malone), the general manager of a TV station, in his office and threatens to kill herself if he doesn't buy the product she is trying to sell.
#23 - Best of... (90 min)
Season 4 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/26/1990
Fourth season highlight special. Featured sketches: "Tea", "Power Play", "Two Time Losers", "...And God Created Tillman", "Something Cool", "Creative Differences", "I Hate Paris", "Due Diligence"
#24 - 7W20
Season 4 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/12/1990
MODERN MATURITY; Roz's long-suffering husband Leonard (Sam McMurray), tries to get more attention from her by playing sick. SPIES; Moscow, USSR. Russian spy Nadia Turkcanov (Tracey Ullman) feels compassion for her next target: American spy Toni Conners (Julie Kavner). BASEBALL WIVES; At a major league baseball game, new baseball wife Sandy (Tracey Ullman) meets other attractive, but dumb wives of other major league baseball players, all of them with the same name of Cindy, who go through dull days of watching their husbands play.
#25 - 7W23
Season 4 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/5/1990
UNDER THE BOUNDING MAIN; Angel and Marty Tish are on a cruse ship to the South Pacific when they meet Gulliver Dark, who happens to be Marty's former singing partner (now rival) from the old days. ARMS CONTROL; After Rosalie kills a burglar with a gun, Big Tony descends into fear thinking she may one day kill him with the gun.