Ratings and Critical Reviews
In its original American broadcast, "Homer and Apu" finished twenty-sixth in the ratings for the week of February 7–13, 1994, with a Nielsen rating of 13.3. The episode was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. The song "Who Needs The Kwik-E-Mart?" was nominated for an Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" category, but lost to "The Song Remembers When" from the television special Trisha Yearwood: The Song Remembers When.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, wrote: "One of the very best, with the gags coming thick and fast. We particularly like the spy camera concealed in Homer's massive stetson, Apu and Marge's trip to the Monster Mart, and 'Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?', possibly the cleverest song in the series. And the Christians harassing people at the Indian airport, and Homer's wastage of three questions, and James Woods' parting words to the Simpsons, and the footage of Apu doing a hummingbird impression..." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson said: "The first episode to focus on Apu, this one works well. Our glimpses of Apu’s sleaziness and culture are entertaining, and the 'Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?' tune is one of the better musical numbers ." Jacobson went on to say: "Also count James Woods as one of the all-time best guest stars, which is likely why he gets many more lines than the average cameo voice." Total Film's Nathan Ditum named Woods' performance in the episode the 19th best guest appearance on The Simpsons.
Patrick Bromley of DVD Verdict gave the episode a grade of A+ and commented that it features one of the best musical numbers in the show's "history of great musical numbers". Adam Suraf of Dunkirkma.net named it the best episode of the season, and added: "I don’t know what it is about this episode — the 'Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?' song number; James Woods filling in for Apu at the store; or Homer’s wise line 'I’ve learned that life is one crushing defeat after another until you just wish Flanders was dead' — but the entire affair is inspired. It’s in the little details that make this episode the year’s best, and solidifies The Simpsons as the funniest sitcom of all time." A reviewer for Currentfilm.com wrote: "Although Homer becomes a little too dumb sometimes, there's some classic Homer bits to be found, a hilarious Lisa moment after she eats spicy food served by Apu and says 'I can see through time!', and a great song, 'Who Needs the Quick-E-Mart?'" AskMen.com ranked "Homer and Apu" as number six on their list of the top ten The Simpsons episodes. Bill Gibron of DVD Talk gave the episode a score of 5 out of 5.
Read more about this topic: Homer And Apu, Reception
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