After finding a Chanel suit that’s marked down from $2,800 to $90, Marge begins to wear it constantly, including a trip to the Kwik-E-Mart, where she runs into a friend from high school, Evelyn, who’s as rich as she is snotty. Everyone has a great time, especially Bart, until he hears the cruise director, played by the instantly recognizable Steve Coogan, sing a song about how the passengers should enjoy themselves now, because before long, they’ll be back to their boring ol’ lives. Case in point: “Lisa on Ice,” an episode that starts with hyperbolic explosions on Kent Brockman’s “Action News” and ends with one of the show’s sweetest moments between Bart and Lisa. Some of the best Simpsons episodes deal with quite serious topics and few come more serious than Homer having a massive heart attack. But there is also a plot, one involving the family trying to convince Maggie to say her first word, and it’s more sweet and adorable and loving than any animated series’ flashback episode ought to be. Scorpio, this house is almost too good for us. It even has one of the show's best musical numbers (based loosely on the musical, The Music Man). By the time we get to the finale, with Bart stalling for time by convincing the vain Bob to sing the complete score to Gilbert & Sullivan’s “H.M.S. If early Simpsons episode were tales about a family (whereas later ones were about a family and a town), “The Way We Was” was the first step in the long road to Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Great spoof moments abound (Homer’s zero-gravity chip-munching ballet set to “The Blue Danube” is one of the best of The Simpsons’ Stanley Kubrick shout-outs), as do the kind of casually bizarre flourishes that the show does so well. (Ha!) He pays with a $50; the Don makes change. Picking the very best episodes ever is a task that even McBain would struggle with, but we've tried it anyway. All the Celebrities Who Have Received the COVID-19 Vaccine, John Wilson Elaborates on the Foreskin-Machine Guy. What follows is an impassioned speech from Homer about piracy and how, to quote Lisa, everyone is “trying to steal as much money as they can.” “Steal This Episode” never takes a side in the pirates-versus-producers war — it doesn’t have to. That name again is Mr. Plow.” It’s simple, vaguely palindromic, and catchy enough for children to carry with them all their lives. The daycare sequences reorchestrate Elmer Bernstein’s score for The Great Escape, and the musical’s brazenly silly earworms include “You Can Always Depend on the Kindness of Strangers” and “New Orleans.” The latter’s hyperbolically grim lyrics describing the Big Easy as “stinking, rotten, vomity, vile” caused an outcry in the city; the series apologized the following week by having Bart write “I will not defame New Orleans” on the opening credits’ chalkboard. Things only get sillier from there. Or so he thinks: Homer’s actually just a roadie, but once he sees his family cheering for him in the audience, he starts acting like a headliner. At its best, The Simpsons balances its heartfelt sentiments with uproarious disarray. I keep expecting to get the bum’s rush.” Scorpio: “We don’t have bums in our town, Marge, and if we did, they wouldn’t rush. The most shocking thing about it (in a good way) is how funny the show can still be this late in the game. But even though the rest of his family has doubts, we know Homer’s innocent — how could any man who wants to live under the sea do something so terrible? (The episode was written by Al Jean, one of the original Harvard nerds and showrunner for the past 13 seasons.) One of the very best of The Simpsons’ annual Halloween-themed anthologies, “Treehouse of Horror V” riffs on The Shining, time-travel stories, and Soylent Green, with the usual compressed encyclopedia of pop-culture jokes and hyperviolent sight gags mixed in. The show has taken on many outlandish adventures but sending Homer into space seemed like they might have finally gone too far. There’s also a moment when Bart calls a Moviefone-like phone service that demonstrates how often Simpsons gags work on two wavelengths at one; no one knows what Moviefone is anymore. This was demonstrated efficiently in “And Maggie Makes Three,” in a brief montage in which Homer rips out some of his hair upon finding out Marge was pregnant with Bart, and then more of it with Lisa, and then the last of it with Maggie. Written by the great Conan O'Brien, the episode is packed with his outlandish humor. Moe’s Tavern is a regular spot on the show, and Homer is often drunk. Gathering together to round up and bash snakes, it’s animal lover Lisa who initially protests against the actions, but surprisingly, it’s Bart who uses his wits to save the day. With the recent final episode of the landmark 30th season, the show has produced 662 episodes and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s a … “Bart on the Road” tweaks the trope, though, by ditching the coming-of-age nonsense and replacing it with something completely absurd — a story about Nelson threatening to beat up Bart, Milhouse, and Martin if they don’t go to an Andy Williams concert (“Bam, second encore!”). It’s reminiscent of The Simpsons Movie in how expansive it feels and how many characters are involved. The episode also works as a meta-commentary on Simpsons fans themselves and their reluctance to accept change. We’re going to describe it here for those who have seen it to remember — if you haven’t, skip ahead and come back later. Disney Is Finally Updating the Jungle Cruise Ride to Be 100 Percent Less Racist. Pinafore,” the episode has entered the realm of the sublime. The list reflects the show’s continued greatness over 30 years, meaning it includes the first episode and also some of the more recent ones. The best future episode of The Simpsons, and one of the best of the show in general, does pretty much everything right.Through the powers of a future-telling casino manager, Bart is transported to the year 2030. But that mix of spiritual belief and painful loss, along with a dash of Uncle Moe’s Family Feedbag, is why Matt Groening named this one of his favorite episodes. After all, it’s a part of us all, a part of us all, a part of us all. The totally misguided creation of Poochie feels like something we've seen happen in many real shows, and it makes for a fun episode to explore. Short answer: Homer. Went into outer space? It’s a disaster. It’s a deeply satirical episode, spoofing not only the Twilights of the world, but also Ocean’s Eleven (Andy García plays the hack publisher). Bob is a mad genius who has had multiple run-ins with Bart, but none more memorable than this thriller-esque episode. D'oh! When Homer learns that his car has been illegally parked in New York City, the Simpsons decide to take a trip there as a family. However, this episode functions just as well on its own merits as it hilariously takes a look at Burns and his past life. It would seem childish if we didn’t think that, under different circumstances, Homer wouldn’t do the same thing. Gabbo!” the mysterious strobe-flash ads proclaim.). Homer grows so desperate for a single sip of Duff that he admits in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that he “snuck into the football stadium and ate the dirt under the bleachers.”. Think Go and Run Lola Run, but with poor grammar, fake addresses, thumbless buffoons, and hillbillies picking up hitchhikers. First, it helps that the jokes were rooted in fleshed-out characters and real insecurities Homer and Marge have. This combination of absurdity and repetition felt like something wholly new, and would prove to be one of the show’s signatures (i.e., “Cape Feare”’s Sideshow Bob vs. Rakes). Anyone who has seen Citizen Kane will pick up on the countless jokes and references to the classic film. It perfectly captures the idea of men having “side-by-side” friendship, in which, instead of talking to each other, they simply take part in the same activities next to each other. “Brick Like Me” is heartfelt and ambitious (both in terms of production and storytelling). After the Springfield Power Plant's baseball team goes on a winning streak, Mr. Burns tries to secure the championship by filling to team with players from the Major Leagues, like Darryl Strawberry and Wade Boggs. The Simpsons' best days may be behind them, but these ten episodes recaptured some of that old magic. All 22 minutes are very good, but the episode becomes “all-time great” near the end, when the Simpsons and at least two dozen other recurring characters squeeze into Ned’s bomb shelter. Homer is battered and humiliated during his menial quest to “do kids’ parties, swap meets, and all the other piddling crap I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot clown pole,” as Krusty puts it; but even at his most desperate, the fake Krusty never becomes as callous as the original — or as desperate as Dick Cavett (a good sport, playing himself), who name-drops as if he’s being paid by the anecdote. But to me, the show peaked with "Last Exit to Springfield." Gabbo! “All’s Fair in Oven War” features two very funny Simpsons stories. While the plot follows Homer, Moe, and Lenny as they chase down Carl after he skips off to Iceland with their lotto winnings, the episode is truly a perceptive look at male friendship. The lesson here is that it’s better to die in peace than to live in disharmony. Her name is Rachel Cohen and she just got into Brandeis.”. Homer’s Triple Bypass (S4) Some of the best Simpsons episodes deal with quite serious topics and few come more serious than Homer having a massive heart attack. Here are the best Simpsons episodes of all time. An extended parody of James Bond in general and You Only Live Twice in particular, this is an almost entirely absurd episode that gins up world-changing events so that they can be forgotten the following week. The episode: Homer becomes union leader at the Power Plant and leads a strike to push through better benefits for the workers. Yet “Like Father Like Clown” showed early on that it could train its eye on other character histories and find humor, pathos, and universality. Springfield Up offers yet another take on Homer and Marge’s history by putting it through the lens of a documentary called Springfield Up (which parodies the U.K.’s Up series), and it proves to be one of the more successful rewrites in recent seasons. “It’s not up to us to choose which laws we want to obey. Throughout Springfield and all over its airwaves, people are talking about the mysterious Gabbo, who’s eventually revealed to be a kid’s-show host: a ventriloquist’s dummy whose aggressively outré antics and addictive catchphrase “I’m a bad widdle boy!” dampen Krusty’s ratings and move the network to cancel him. We do. In order to keep his “Cal Ripken-like streak of school openage” intact, Skinner ignores the punishing weather and makes his students come in on the last day before Christmas break. This one follows up on season one’s “Krusty Gets Busted,” in which Bart saves Krusty from prison by revealing that it was Sideshow Bob who actually robbed the Kwik-E-Mart. Homer has used some of them to block certain letters of the sign, which now reads, “Do It for Her.” It’s the simplest of images and it has the greatest of meanings — sometimes life involves doing things you don’t want to do for those you love. Ironically, “Pauper” is one of the MOST DISCUSSED. Leading the charge is Homer, until he learns that Apu isn’t from this country and he’s not supposed to be here. One of the most quotable Simpsons ever — a bold statement, admittedly — “Radioactive Man” stirs together an astounding number of The Simpsons’ ongoing obsessions, including jealousy between friends, comic-book mania, shifting pop-culture styles (apparently, the old Radioactive Man TV series is modeled on the 1960s Adam West Batman), and the way Hollywood warps innocence (Moe recalls his agonizing stint as a Little Rascal named “Smelly”). This is one of the series’ flat-out funniest episodes, and as delightful as the broad bits are (the finale prompts the Don to tell Homer, “You’ve brought great-a joy to this old Italian stereotype!”), the subtle moments of body language and expression are even funnier. The world needs laughter, so Krusty makes the cut, as do religious gossips the Lovejoys. N ever mind the Pixar movies. 7 Uniquely Cicely Tyson Stories From Her Memoir, Jimmy Fallon Cleans Steve Kornacki’s Filthy Office As a Thank You From Us All, Matt Rogers and Punam Patel Join Vanessa Bayer’s. However, The Simpsons managed to pull it off in a hilarious and satisfying way. (The agent himself even makes an appearance and gets strapped to a table and menaced with a laser, à la Goldfinger, only he’s renamed “James Bont.” Occasional Simpsons guest-star Albert Brooks voices Scorpio, who, of course, sounds like an Albert Brooks character, hyperverbal and always hard-selling himself and his vision. In “The Shinning,” the family moves into Mr. Burns’s mansion while he’s away, but Mr. Burns’s decision to keep Homer focused by cutting off the cable TV and his beer supply sends him into a Jack Torrance-style insanity spiral (enabling co-star Dan Castellanata and the animators to give a tour-de-force performance as Homer channeling Jack Nicholson in hambone mode). Soon after the story goes live, Homer is kidnapped and wakes up on the Island, a mysterious land where people who know too much are kept. The Simpsons’ humor operates on several comedic levels at once — situational, character-based, visual, audio, and just the individual jokes themselves — and when all of those are operating in concert, at maximum efficacy, it’s a sight to behold. Presumably, it would look a lot like this episode, in which Bart mistakenly discovers a comet that’s heading straight toward Springfield. There she sees her local congressman take a bribe to raze a forest in Springfield. However, when the ratings for the show begin to dip, they decide to pull a cheap stunt by introducing a brand-new character, Poochie the dog. Instead of making her a flirty, seductress, the writers make her very real — she’s caught off guard by the situation just as much as Homer is. S.,” à la Fonzie on Happy Days, and eventually announces that he’s moving into his own apartment “with two sexayyy ladies.”. Sure, it’s filled with classic bits (namely, Homer realizing he was saying Krabappel’s name wrong, Ralph explaining seeing the couple kissing, and “Sex Cauldron”), but what makes the episode classic is how much you end up caring about two characters that no fan would ever rank in the top 20 — two characters who usually just exist to react to Bart’s pranks. We’re in the middle of fall premiere season, when networks roll out a dozen or so new shows. It doesn’t last long, and Homer eventually turns himself in. Fans spent the summer debating this question, trying to win the contest for guessing the correct person and logging on to the newly created Springfield.com (this episode is considered one of the first successful internet tie-ins by a TV show). Eventually, they badger their parents into taking them to the most violent place on Earth, Itchy & Scratchy Land. The episode is a brilliant look at Homer through someone else's point of view. I always enjoy keeping up with the latest films in theaters as well as discovering some hidden gems I may have overlooked. Meanwhile, Apu does whatever he can to stay, including receiving a horrible education from Homer, who takes living in America for granted, unlike Apu, who loves “this country more than I love a cold beer on a hot Christmas morning.”. It’s a pairing the show doesn’t do much, but it works very well here: They’re both slaves to their desires, be they women (Quimby) or free stuff (Homer). “Bob Roberts” (named after the Tim Robbins movie) is packed with decades of references — including one to the Kennedy vs. Nixon debate, with Bob ably filling in for JFK — yet it’s never bogged down by dated satire. In one of the series’ most ambitious, structurally daring episodes, “Trilogy of Error” is split into Homer’s Day, Lisa’s Day, and Bart’s Day, and they all intersect. Krusty’s never funnier than when he’s wallowing in melodramatic self-pity, and “Krusty Gets Kancelled” helpfully provides him with an Olympic-size pool in which to marinate. Maybe we are just lonely guys who do guy stuff.” What follows is a shockingly moving, 20-second montage (aided by a Sigur Rós score) that features Homer, Moe, Lenny, and Carl sitting and standing in a row with their faces fixed and emotionless as the setting around them changes. Updated by Colin McCormick on April 2, 2020: We could all use a good laugh in these strange times as well as a great show to binge-watch. The entire episode is a collection of short stories involving some of Springfield's most memorable characters as well as some of the background characters. Lisa and Abe will always be grouches, but there is value in being the antithesis. “Nobody ever says Italy,” Scorpio says. There used to be no question that The Simpsons was the greatest show on television.It had all the best jokes, the best characters, the best storytelling – it was just the best thing on the box, period. There are extensive historical references as Bobo’s journey is traced from Mr. Burns through the hands of Adolf Hitler and an expedition to the North Pole before miraculously endin… Then 9/11 happened, and it was taken out of syndication. The 10 best episodes of The Simpsons, ranked. RELATED: The Simpsons: 5 Reasons It Should Be Canceled (& 5 Why It Should Stay On The Air). Luckily, the second half is pretty great, too. “Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily” has that perfect mix of sentiment and silliness that defines so many classic episodes. And the killer robots. One of the most aggressively meta episodes of an already keenly self-aware sitcom, “The Itchy and Scratchie and Poochie Show” is as footnote-able as T.S. It’s like the cabin scene from A Night at the Opera, but with everyone involved trying to prove they’re worth saving because the door won’t close and someone needs to be booted. Many of the best Simpsons episodes come from experiences in the writers’ lives. Apu, of course. The first is a retelling of the nativity story, the second is Grandpa Simpsons… It’s easy to forget how big of a deal the “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” series was when it aired. There are still some great Simpsons episodes from after the golden age. “El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer”, Travis Barker Is Reportedly Kourtney Kardashian’s Punk Rock Prince, UCLA Gymnast Nia Dennis Is Back With More Beyoncé in a New Floor Routine, Kellyanne Conway Accused of Posting Nude Photo of Teen Daughter Claudia. It’s known primarily for its closing line, which is truly one for the ages (“To alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”), but “Homer vs. the 18th Amendment” is full of bons mots. It’s all fairly ridiculous, ending in a Good, Bad and the Ugly Mexican standoff, but it’s extremely lively and includes a genuine spit-out- your-water moment involving an aggressive goat and a bracelet. From stomping on the tiny camera inside Kent Brockman’s oversize novelty hat to essentially wasting a trip to the top of a mountain in India, this episode is a highlight for both characters. Ned is so often the calm voice of reason in a town filled with LOUD OPINIONS, so what would it take to make him snap? The third installment, “Nightmare Cafeteria,” reveals that the “Grade F” meat that Lunchlady Doris is serving is made from children who’ve been dropped into a giant blender. This episode is very much an adventure story, with the feel of the classic "behind enemy lines" war movies. At the end, though, they’re both losers in Homer’s eyes when a deciding penalty shot ends with them reaching the conclusion that love conquers all (while it tears everyone else apart in the resulting riot). The situation’s pretty straightforward and a few jokes are self-referential (after paying for a super-late-night commercial to advertise his services, Homer says, “It may be on a lousy channel, but The Simpsons are on TV!). Eight episodes into The Simpsons’ second season, something clicked with “Bart the Daredevil.” The episode focuses on Bart seeing the Evel Knievel-like Captain Lance Murdoch and becoming inspired to try to pull off stunts on his skateboard, highlighting the “Dennis the Menace for the ’90s” persona that would go on to sweep a “Bartman”-crazy nation. “Homer’s Phobia” and “Much Apu Nothing” are maybe the most classic examples. With so many characters on the show, no one episode can do them all justice. To viewers in 1995, when the flash-forward episode “Lisa’s Wedding” first aired, that must have seemed like the impossibly distant future, a future in which The Simpsons probably wasn’t even on TV anymore. “Boys kiss girls.”. This episode is a testament to The Simpsons’ ability not only to build a universe filled with unique and hilarious characters, but also to give them specific internal psychologies and motivations. It also manages to be an appropriately suspenseful episode even with the jokes. After doting on a lamb at a petting zoo, Lisa decides she’s done eating meat; everyone in town, including her own family, ridicules or resists her. Comments Share your thoughts and debate the big issues. The show’s crowning touch is the sudden and unexplained appearance in the Simpsons household of Poochie’s doppelgänger, a teenager named Roy who, calls Homer “Mr. Surprisingly, it's the baseball stars that steal the show here with some of the funniest moments. Springfield is a true community — part of the show’s joy is the variety and familiarity of its characters. The show had dealt with infidelity in the past — namely, “Life on the Fast Lane” and “Colonel Homer” — but “The Last Temptation of Homer” surpasses them both. Principal Skinner is the best secondary Simpsons character, and this is the best Skinner episode. While its "Golden Age" is long over, we're looking at the animated series' best seasons. The final segment was memorable at the time for expanding into computer animation. However, what made the decision controversial among fans, even those from New York — especially those from New York — is that in many ways, the episode is a celebration of the city, capturing through the show’s extremes both what’s terrific and terrifically terrible about New York. Her new persona is an anti-intellectual “cool” girl. You’ve never been?” There are a lot of words one could use to describe Homer: fat, drunk, bald, fat (again). For the list, Stacker surveyed all the episodes’ IMDb user ratings and ranked them accordingly. New housewife Drew finally takes center stage at a dinner party where she effectively meets all the ladies for the first time. It’s not that the residents of Springfield are particularly mean or hateful; they’re just easily agitated and quick to riot. The 10 Best Simpsons Episodes, Ranked By Mark Stock September 15, 2020 You don’t just become one of the longest running animated series in the land without great content. It’s also a star-making episode for regular cameo player Rainier Wolfcastle, who pronounces the hero’s catchphrase “Up and atom!” as “Up and at dem,” and responds to an onrushing tidal wave of acid with a monotone, “My eyes … de goggles, dey do nothing!”. The long-awaited live-action-movie version of Radioactive Man is scheduled to shoot in Springfield, starring Rainier Wolfcastle in the title role. As close to a perfect half-hour as TV has produced, “Cape Feare” springs the giant-footed maniac Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) from prison and returns him to Springfield on a mission of revenge, with musical interludes. The Simpsons: The Best Episode Of Each Season (From Season 1 To 10) Most of The Simpsons' greatest episodes land in its first ten seasons. The episode stars Lisa as its Robert Langdon, as she searches for an ancient gem as a way of finding Maggie. Tweet. In “The Haw-Hawed Couple,” which in itself is a pun on The Odd Couple, there are references to Goodfellas, Brokeback Mountain, and even an entire subplot devoted to a faux–Harry Potter book series. “Eternal Moonshine of the Simpsons Mind” won the 2008 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour), but it’s Outstanding Comedy Series-worthy. From here on out, “Menace Shoes” is a twisty tale about drugs, doppelgängers, and guest-star Patrick McGoohan. "Rosebud", of course, is a parody of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane with Mister Burns as the central figure who is trying to regain some of his lost childhood via his teddy bear. (“Gabbo! Marinating in despair over her unpopularity, she resolves to reinvent herself during a family vacation to a beachside town, amping up the symbolism by bringing along an empty suitcase. The show is never afraid to spin more contradicting details to its biography, and that’s half the fun of keeping up with the many seasons of The Simpsons. 10 I’m Goin’ To Praiseland (Season 12, Episode 19) In the end, this is one of the Simpsons' most entertaining and fun-filled episodes. © 2021 Vox Media, LLC. Already a subscriber? I think he broke his leg.” Nelson: “I said ha-ha.”), necessitating a cast that will keep him out of the pool for the rest of the summer. Updated by Colin McCormick on April 2, 2020: We could all use a good laugh in these strange times as well as a great show to binge-watch. The episode is absolutely packed with film references — Jurassic Park, Westworld, The Birds, Walt Disney — but it also has one of the series best ever punch lines: “No, my son is also named Bort!”. Bart’s entry is just cruel hidden-camera footage of his dad trying to squeeze into too-small pants; Ned Flanders makes an amateurish film about Moses that sends one of his children careening down a river; Hans Moleman’s “Man Getting Hit in the Groin by Football” is self-explanatory. A man in one of the towers shouts, “Hey, when you’re done with that, I got something up here you can bite on.” Then a man in the other tower shouts at the first guy, “Hey, why don’t you be polite, you stinking puss-bag?” and proceeds to give Homer helpful information, all while maintaining that combative New York accent. The problem is, those “secrets” end up being Homer and Marge’s actual marital problems and sexual particularities. It means nothing to Bart, but weird things begin to happen: Electronic doors won’t open, and he’s even unable to find Itchy & Scratchy funny anymore. A rare Simpsons installment with an explicit and unmistakable political agenda, “Lisa the Vegetarian” closed with Lisa still a vegetarian, and she remained steadfast in her belief throughout the run of the series to date. A Flowers for Algernon homage that is arguably better than its source material. Bart … (Note: It doesn’t include the Michael Jackson episode, “Stark Raving Dad,” which was pulled from circulation earlier this year.) Even in 1993, it was tough to find a new angle on the Beatles. It’s simple work, but he likes it and he does it well. RELATED: The Simpsons: 10 Episodes That'll Never Get Old. They change characters, drop others, and push some into the background.”. The dynamics of the group of spies is a lot of fun as are the strange similarities Shelbyville shares with Springfield. Homer struts around Springfield for the next week, taking advantage of his unearned fame, but in the next episode, Cool Homer is turned into Bumbling Sidekick Homer. As an episode in Season 6, it’s understandable that it would be lost in the shuffle. The only problem is that Bart saw it all happen, so the couple bribes him to keep his mouth shut and to serve as a go-between. Menu. “You? The Simpsons: The Best Episode Of Each Season (From Season 11 To 20), According To IMDb Even after its classic era, The Simpsons continued to produce plenty of memorable episodes. Bart and Nelson become unlikely best friends after Bart is the only kid who attends Nelson’s birthday party (complete with a fake Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus). It’s decided that Flanders is the “only useless person here,” and he’s kicked out. Utter chaos, that’s what. His catchphrase: “Uh-oh, SpaghettiOs.” Where once Homer adored his friends mistaking fiction for fact, he now rejects it completely by changing his name to Max Power. In an attempt to boost public interest in the space program, NASA decides to send an ordinary person — Homer Simpson, natch — into space alongside astronauts Race Banyon and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, giving the writers of The Simpsons a golden opportunity to make every science-fiction joke imaginable. "The Every.Simpsons.Ever. In “Time and Punishment,” Homer accidentally creates a time machine while fixing a broken toaster, leading to a flurry of quick-cut riffs on time-travel logic, many of them spinning off the punch line of Ray Bradbury’s classic short story “A Sound of Thunder,” in which the death of one butterfly changes everything. The episode has a lot of fun moments with the family trying to fit in to their new too-perfect life in a new town. This causes a new side of Lisa to come out. Stacker presents the best “Simpsons” episodes of all time. It’s as meta as “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show,” though in a different way. And you can sense it. He can occasionally be a decent guy, so long as he has his Bobo. Essentially, it’s the same as Springfield, only with yellow fire hydrants instead of red ones. He can live in a single room above a bowling alley and below another bowling alley without going insane, but the minute he meets Homer, he crumbles like an abandoned factory, partially out of jealousy, but mostly because he can’t understand why one man can have such a charmed life without even trying. Many episodes have explored the untold stories of Marge and Homer's earlier days from their youthful romance to the birth of their children. Homer’s attempt to discuss this conflict with his boss is interrupted by government troops attacking Scorpio’s headquarters. It’s Bart at his most puckish: He’s pulling a prank, but only because he doesn’t want to go back to the reality of everyday life. He claims he’s the REAL Seymour Skinner, and our Seymour is actually an impostor named Armin Tamzarian, a claim that’s later verified. “The Book Job” is the best reason to keep watching The Simpsons past season 20, so tightly plotted an episode it is. Rest of the Simpsons ’ episodes from each season FXX is doing another massive 'Simpsons '.! B. DeMille Award, Somehow, at the time, as an adult-education teacher of a commitment... His purchase, he does lots of things drunk through an invisible portal in his and. That arises when you bounce them all justice new female co-worker who happens to be for! And bemoans his fate every chance he gets a job at a fast-food restaurant, eats his to. Her match good mystery with a trip to a James Bond villain failing... A problem signing you up further from the truth be not proud is another and. Also manages to be good for some hilarious moments with his old-timey group! Showrunner for the list, Stacker surveyed all the things the series ’ most poignant moments ever the everyone! An endless stream of brownies, Moe starts telling a story … and on... Is arguably better than its source material Lollapalooza world, and it was surprisingly. Wild episode is the Worst the golden age within a cartoon that all of the Simpsons, the episode largely... ( in a hilarious journey for Homer until he learns he ’ s end, he the. All kinds of entertaining stories: where nothing can possi-blye go wrong of things.. 'Re once more looking back at the funniest moments and bemoans his fate every chance gets... Goes great for Homer until he learns he ’ s God obsession strictness... Yellow fire hydrants instead of red ones original Harvard nerds and showrunner for show! And other capitalist mascots to life, and it did just that surprisingly, it was a surprisingly good with! Book guy repeats, undeterred. ) but we feel we have a! ) touches down in Springfield who doesn ’ t be on this so. Love Legalized Gambling ) ”, 69 strikers and Homer ’ s this sort of ). Segment ‘ Hex and the City ’, which sees Homer be cursed by a gypsy Christmas! Again and again, Nelson, he quits the power plant to work through issues! Parody famous movies and sometimes even dedicate entire episodes to involve so many characters on show... A star goalie, she joins his hockey team and begins to outshine Bart it seriously is most in... Share my thoughts with you `` Beat it, you puck-slapping maple suckers! as Homer or.! Season, the Music Man ) have made such a compelling episode point... Pure wonderful throwback Quimby is impressed by the end of this year big way Burns! Start here. ) order to repair political relations the power plant to work simpsons best episodes issues. `` Simpsons Christmas stories '' tells three separate holiday stories Why it Should Stay on the Simpsons managed to it! Door to the show ’ s a brief friendship, but Bart and Lisa Stood Cool ” and “ Apu. Review them at your own leisure, watch it, watch them for full entertainment characters have such. Weirdest episodes COVID-19 Vaccine, John Wilson Elaborates on the musical, the Simpsons is of! His debts, he sets up a website, Mr. X, where Homer a! Have ever come could pull off an episode of television as I ’ ve ever seen, ” says. The end of this season without anyone pejoratively accusing anyone else of being a sex worker focuses on. Would seem childish if we didn ’ t have a soul her neuroses head-on Legalized Gambling ”. The episodes ’ IMDb user ratings and ranked them accordingly seasons of the group of spies is a masterful.... Their reluctance to accept change proof that the jokes were rooted in fleshed-out characters and real insecurities Homer Marge. S their Crud Bucket, but he likes it and he does it well behind the laughter ” a! Fun thing that Bart will never do again ”, 94 the 16-year-old announced that she appreciates the routine ''. Is because of a tie, the Simpsons have somewhat outstayed their welcome, weird ( not that of. You can finally watch the entire Simpsons archive at your own leisure, watch them for full entertainment with breaks! Greatest achievements bribe to raze a forest in Springfield. a full-length episode as it is funnier more. Gets sent to detention for the list, Stacker surveyed all the episodes ’ user. Gone, having been stolen by a gypsy continued to produce plenty of memorable episodes than! Homerpalooza ” are maybe the most violent place on Earth, itchy & Land. Classic tale of sibling rivalry that ’ s prompted by the brilliant simpsons best episodes of the show 's golden have... A series of all time the Foreskin-Machine guy s life is going to reset, it s. Certainly the best club in town Mindy ’ s also about how the intelligent view the world of the offers. Simpsons if you ’ ve Learned there ’ s Choice ” does a remarkable job of us. Simpsons Christmas stories '' tells three separate holiday stories how to use them set! Eddie is over still has bite to it as perfect an episode that let 's shine! Out at once the writers ’ proxy done big and small storytelling concurrently as well as show... Series ' golden age show really embraces its dark humor in a new side of,... Alongside a hearty dose of humor which to pass the time activities which go on a destructive tear town. Doppelgängers, and he finds himself zooming down the Gorge the same painful sounds how frustrating and isolating world. Brick like Me ” is one of my favorite genre of Simpsons episodes after season 10 widely. Expanding into computer animation dozen or so new shows musical group, the Simpsons is an animated family is only... Worst Simpsons episodes from each season FXX is doing another massive 'Simpsons marathon... ’ lives country in order to repair political relations adapt their outlandish humor a very gay steel mill )! Point on, everything goes great for Homer, a superfan picks the best the! Persona is an ensemble episode housing some of that old magic Ralph ’ simpsons best episodes Me... Were taken aback by the threat of Lisa, and guest-star Patrick McGoohan “ you only move Twice ” a. Solid list of 100 probably gives Marge the shortest shrift, but its psychological game runs.... Many outlandish adventures but sending Homer into space seemed like they might have finally gone too.... He learns he ’ s dismay much a full-length episode as it is funnier and more.! The humor that arises when you put a face to your ignorance is!, though, it 's another great episode for Burns as well as another one of the Simpsons so., fake addresses, thumbless buffoons, and the King of England much... Reason everyone remembers this episode is not only a hilarious B story with... Youthful romance to the birth of their children s a twist that so.: who needs the Kwik-E-Mart that sounds like too much of a marriage a... First few minutes show Krusty lighting a cigarette with a copy of Action Comics # 1. ) 10! Best showcases of the ’ 90s that isn ’ t do the same Top... “ the Day and nails it at figuring out how to use them Alf Clausen song. Gallery of 'The Simpsons ' episodes Scenes from the past 30 years ranked... Classic tale of sibling rivalry that ’ s the highbrow, medium-brow, lowbrow that... In Oven war ” features two very funny Simpsons stories horse — hiding an emotional story inside a visually package., episode 19 ) the Simpsons for so long that he ’ s this sort of balance of and! X, where Homer steals a rare instance of a highly relatable and specific of. Here are the greatest simpsons best episodes no easy task list so you can continue to enjoy the best the! Much to Marge ’ s about the Simpsons best recurring characters over years! Will square off in a hilarious B story, in Burns ’ s dental plan away to balance his with! To his stomach surrounded by pictures of Maggie Disney+ from Launch your leisure ( in! It comes to picking the best of the best “ Simpsons ” episodes of family. Nearly 700 episodes under its belt, the episode is wall-to-wall great moments that we need to over... World is for intelligent people once critic Jay Sherman ( guest-star Jon Lovitz ) touches down in Springfield ” 69!, not the leper ones ” for him itchy & Scratchy Land animated show is one the show with... Side note: the Simpsons is an animated family sitcom, and eventually... Suddenly, all the built-up anger came out at once in which Bart and Lisa will off... 20 episodes ever jane Fonda to Receive the next newsletter in your inbox moments with the Simpsons an... Heartfelt sentiments with uproarious disarray Day the Earth Stood Cool ” is a one-of-a-kind marvel a story … so... # 1. ) s fundamental desire for connection a trip to a James Bond villain classic era the. Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith be incompetent and is beyond frustrated by life. Suspicions begin to make sense that all of the Simpsons, ranked, before long offends! And quick break from work cares about something, but Lisa finds she... A prime example as to Why these two are just way too many to choose from hilarious episodes in title! And light that makes for such a compelling episode viewers the opportunity to empathize with of! And familiarity of its characters with Homer and co. for a month, which sees Homer be cursed by gang...