The Simpsons: Season 11 (1999-2000)

In the 11th series of the long-running cartoon, the writers decide to shake things up with plotlines that change the lives of some of Springfield's most famous residents: Apu's wife gives birth to octuplets, while Ned Flanders becomes a widower after his wife Maude is tragically killed by a freak accident involving a gun that fires T-shirts. Homer's attempts to help Ned through his grief include a dating service and an introduction to a pretty Christian-rock singer. The series is bookended by two strong episodes. The premiere finds Homer befriending actor Mel Gibson, who seeks his counsel for an ill-advised remake of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," while the finale is a surreal parody of the VH1 series "Behind the Music," which suggests that the animated characters are real people struggling with the fame of starring in a hit television show.