Homer's Barbershop Quartet praised the "four-part harmony of hilarity [that] gets a flawless mop top modeling", complimenting the references to pop culture icons as being "right on the money". TV DVD Reviews commented on how the episode "hit all the right notes", and was pleased with Harrison's cameo. Despite the episode being a "leftover from last season", "The Washington Post" still applauded the episode's humor, saying, "Who cares? It's funny." "The Courier-Mail" found "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" an entertaining episode. Asserting that the series hit its peak with season five episodes such as "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", the "Sunday Tasmanian" called the episode a "first-class
Sing Sing at the time expected to cost $14 million. The proposed museum would display the Sing Sing story as it unfolded over time. The expression "up the river" to describe someone in prison or heading to prison derives from the practice of sentencing people convicted in New York City to serve their terms in Sing Sing. The prison is literally up the Hudson River from the city. The slang expression dates from 1891. Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining,