Bart the Murderer

"**Bart the Murderer**"
"Bart the Murderer"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 4
Directed by	Rich Moore
Written by	John Swartzwelder
Production code	8F03
Original air date	October 10, 1991
Guest appearances
	Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony and himself playing Fat Tony; Phil Hartman as Troy McClure, Mobster and Lionel Hutz; Neil Patrick Harris as himself playing Bart Simpson; Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel;
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	(first) "High explosives and school don't mix"/(second) "I will not bribe Principal Skinner" (during the episode)
Couch gag	The family forms a human pyramid with Maggie on top.
Commentary	Matt Groening; James L. Brooks; Al Jean; Nancy Cartwright; Rich Moore
Episode chronology
← Previous; "When Flanders Failed"	Next →; "Homer Defined"
	The Simpsons season 3
	List of episodes

"Bart the Murderer" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 10, 1991. In the episode, Bart stumbles upon a Mafia-owned club. The owner of the bar, mobster Fat Tony, hires Bart as a bartender. When Principal Skinner goes missing after giving Bart detention, Bart is put on trial, accused of murdering Skinner.

The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Rich Moore. This episode marks the first appearances of recurring characters Fat Tony (Joe Mantegna) and his henchmen, Legs and Louie. The episode features cultural references to songs such as "Witchcraft" and "One Fine Day", the American television series MacGyver and the movies The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and Goodfellas.

Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 13.4 and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired.