18 episodes are there of on my block.
how many episodes of on my block are there?
18
the chalkboard gag is a running visual joke that occurs during the opening credits of many episodes. in this gag, bart simpson is writing lines on the chalkboard as a punishment; when the school bell rings, he immediately stops writing and runs out of the classroom. the phrase he writes on the chalkboard changes from episode to episode. chalkboard messages may involve political humor such as "the first amendment does not cover burping", pop culture references such as "i can't see dead people" ("the sixth sense") and "i was not the sixth beatle", the "invader zim" pilot with dib, and meta-references such as "i am not a 32-year-old woman" (in reference to bart's voice actress nancy cartwright) and "nobody reads these anymore". when possible, bart is shown deliberately disobeying the line that he is writing on the chalkboard (e.g. squeaking chalk when asked to write "i will not squeak chalk", putting in ditto marks for "i will not cut corners", showing dis-coordination with "coffee is not for kids", or putting "i will finish what i sta" for a single line). in "the simpsons movie", the gag, "i will not illegally download this movie", is a reference to piracy. the animators are able to produce the chalkboard gags quickly and in some cases have changed them to fit current events. for example, the chalkboard gag for "homer the heretic" (season four, 1992) read, "i will not defame new orleans." the gag had been written as an apology to the city for a controversial song in the previous week's episode, which called the city a "home of pirates, drunks and whores". another such chalkboard line gave the creators stance on the threats made towards another popular animated sitcom, "south park", by the group revolution muslim, following the controversies with the episodes 200 and 201 and the depictions of muslim prophet mohammed (south park- we'd stand beside you if we weren't so scared). many episodes do not feature a chalkboard gag because they are cut to make more room for story, plot development and advertisements. in "four regrettings and a funeral" (season 25, 2013), bart writes "we'll really miss you mrs. k" only once, in tribute to the recent death of marcia wallace, the voice of edna krabappel. in the first episode to air after donald trump won the united states presidential election in 2016, bart writes "being right sucks", a reference to the 2000 episode "bart to the future" where lisa succeeds trump as commander-in-chief.
the simpsons opening sequence
serialized storytelling can also be seen in other dramas. heavily serialized dramas include "babylon 5", "the sopranos", "twin peaks", "24", "battlestar galactica", "breaking bad", "dexter", "the wire", and "downton abbey". series such as "buffy the vampire slayer", "veronica mars", "", "the good wife", and "the x-files" fall somewhere in-between, featuring a new case each week that is solved by the end of the episode, but also having an overarching mystery that receives focus in many episodes. the more serialized its storytelling, the less likely a show is to fare well in repeats. the format places a demand on episodes to be run in order, without which story arcs stretching over many episodes may be difficult for new viewers to delve into. "desperate housewives" also falls into the category while each season involves a new mystery that spans an entire season (and on one occasion, half the season) while planting hints throughout the episodes until the climax in the finale.
serial (radio and television)