"The Dad Who Knew Too Little" was written by Matt Selman and directed by Mark Kirkland as part of the fourteenth season of The Simpsons (2002–03).Selman, Matt (2011). Audio commentary for "The Dad Who Knew Too Little", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. American actor Elliott Gould guest starred in the episode as himself, appearing in the television show Padz that Bart and Lisa watch at the beginning of the episode. Padz, which is a parody of the reality show MTV Cribs, takes its viewers inside the luxurious homes of celebrities. The celebrity featured in the episode that Bart and Lisa watch is Krusty the Clown, and he is seen having a fight with his neighbor, Gould, whose son has been bitten by Krusty's tame chimp.Jean, Al (2011). Audio commentary for "The Dad Who Knew Too Little", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. Gould had been referenced in a previous episode of The Simpsons, in which it was revealed that he was Marge's hero when she was in high school. According to The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean, Gould wrote a letter to the producers of the show thanking them for the reference. This prompted them to ask him if he wanted to do a guest appearance in the series. When Gould assaults Krusty, he names his fists and feet Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, a reference to the film of the same name that Gould starred in.
