The ten greatest Simpsons episodes ever, ranked

The Simpsons are on the core of the present that bears their title, however this season 7 episode allowed viewers to concentrate on the numerous different colourful characters that inhabit Springfield. Framed as a sequence of vignettes, 22 Brief Movies About Springfield packs so many tales into its tight working time that it might probably really feel overwhelming, however the jokes are so good that you simply received’t thoughts watching it over and over.

A cameo by legendary rock band Aerosmith is only a teaser for the greatness that’s Flaming Moe’s. The episode sees Moe the bartender taking credit score for a drink that Homer invented, and actually simply feels rock-solid from entrance to again.

The jokes all hit, we get a couple of surprisingly tender moments that assist us higher perceive Moe, and loads of time with Homer as he makes an attempt to course of how Moe might have betrayed him like this.

A surprisingly candy episode, And Maggie Makes Three provides us a flashback to a time when there have been simply 4 Simpsons. Homer finds himself with a chance to go away the nuclear energy plant, till he discovers that Marge is pregnant with Maggie.

After Homer realizes that he can’t depart his job, he’s gifted a pleasant plaque from Mr. Burns that reminds him of his endless toil, and likewise places footage of Maggie in his workplace as a reminder of the explanation he will get up each morning and goes to work.

A straight-up parody of The X-Information that even options Mulder and Scully, The Springfield Information is a reminder that whereas folks might complain about how reliant trendy Simpsons are on on simple parodies and references, the present used to have the ability to carry them off with aplomb.

Mulder and Scully come to city to analyze an alien that Homer claims he noticed within the woods, and we even get a little bit of Leonard Nimoy in a framing story. Like so lots of the greatest Simpsons episodes, it understands The X-Information nicely sufficient to know easy methods to greatest skewer it, and that’s what makes it one of many present’s best.

Mr. Burns is sort of at all times attempting to face between Homer and his glory, and that’s by no means extra clear than in Homer on the Bat. When Homer joins the ability plant’s softball group, he finds that Burns has stacked the opposing group with legendary MLB gamers, all voiced by the actual guys.

What follows is a fairly convincing send-up of sports activities film tropes, as every of the skilled gamers get eradicated from the sport in really outlandish methods. Ultimately, Homer finds that he may very well be capable of get his second of glory in any case, and The Simpsons‘ writers knew that they didn’t have to undercut that.

Though Homer spends most of The Simpsons working on the energy plant, he’s accrued some memorable aspect gigs over the course of his a few years on the present. One of the memorable, although, was Mr. Plow, when he grew to become a minor superstar due to his snow-plowing enterprise.

When Homer’s ingesting buddy Barney decides to get into the enterprise because the Plow King, the rivalry between the 2 comes fairly near a boil. Alongside the best way, we get loads of excellent joke supply and a great deal of memorable moments between Barney and Homer.

A uncommon concentrate on Marge within the present’s early seasons additionally turned out to be one of many present’s best outings. Along with being constantly hilarious, Marge vs. the Monorail additionally doubles as a parody of The Music Man, and a fairly nice one at that.

The musical quantity on the middle of the episode is fantastic, as is Marge’s earnest questioning of whether or not the city of Springfield actually wants such a convoluted piece of latest expertise.

The Simpsons didn’t have to parody different popular culture to be nice, however it by no means damage when it did. Who Shot Mr. Burns? — a riff on the legendary Dallas storyline Who Shot J.R.? — is definitely a two-parter, however it’s the primary episode that lands on the high of our checklist.

After Mr. Burns hatches a dastardly plot to dam out the solar, he winds up shot, and nearly everyone seems to be a suspect. Clues as to the killer’s id are literally rigorously positioned all through the episode, as are sufficient jokes to make this one of many funniest belongings you’re more likely to ever see.