The Best Episodes of The Simpsons
Last Updated: May 25, 2019
Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.
#1 - Homer the Great
Season 6 - Episode 12
Homer joins the secret society of the Stonecutters and is suddenly exalted when the brethren discover his birthmark. The ancient order is shaken to the core by the ineptitude of its new Chosen One.
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#2 - Cape Feare
Season 5 - Episode 2
When Bart receives death threats from newly paroled Sideshow Bob, the family goes into the Witness Relocation Program and starts a new life on a houseboat on Terror Lake.
8.23 
#3 - Marge vs. the Monorail
Season 4 - Episode 12
When Springfield gets a sudden windfall, a charismatic traveling salesman convinces the town to build a monorail.
8.22 
#4 - Who Shot Mr. Burns? (1)
Season 6 - Episode 25
In Part I of this two-part suspense story, Mr. Burns' evil schemes go too far. When Burns winds up shot, everyone is a suspect.
8.22 
#5 - Mr. Plow
Season 4 - Episode 9
Homer starts a thriving snow-plowing business, but cutthroat competition arrives when Barney sets up shop as the "Plow King." When an avalanche buries Barney, Homer realizes the rivalry has gone too far.
8.19 
#6 - Bart's Comet
Season 6 - Episode 14
When Bart is forced to assist Principal Skinner in early-morning astronomy observations, he discovers a giant comet heading towards Springfield. Facing impending doom, the entire town shows up at the Flanders family bomb shelter.
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#7 - The Springfield Files
Season 8 - Episode 10
Homer witnesses something out of this world in Springfield woods, but no one believes him -- not even FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who come to investigate the incident.
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#8 - Lemon of Troy
Season 6 - Episode 24
The simmering rivalry between Springfield and a neighboring town heats up when Shelbyville kids steal Springfield's prized lemon tree.
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#9 - Treehouse of Horror V
Season 6 - Episode 6
In "The Shinning," Homer becomes groundskeeper of Mr. Burns' isolated mountain mansion. Next, in "Time and Punishment," Homer tries to fix the toaster and winds up traveling through time. In "Nightmare Cafeteria," Principal Skinner finds an ingenious way to reduce overcrowding in the detention room and deal with cafeteria budget cuts.
8.16 
#10 - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Season 5 - Episode 20
Playing hooky, Bart sneaks onto the Quimby Compound and is the only witness when Mayor Quimby's ne'er-do-well nephew Freddy allegedly assaults a snooty French butler. But if he comes forward, he will be punished for truancy.
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#11 - King-Size Homer
Season 7 - Episode 7
Homer tries to gain sixty pounds so he can stay home on disability. When he nearly causes a catastrophe at the plant, Homer reconsiders his plan.
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#12 - Summer of 4 Ft. 2
Season 7 - Episode 25
On a family vacation, Lisa tries on a new identity to fit in with the other kids at the beach. Jealous, Bart reveals her true nerdiness to the group.
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#13 - Trilogy of Error
Season 12 - Episode 18
Homer's thumb is cut off following breakfast and the episode follows three different paths. Homer's day: as he and Marge race to get his thumb reattached. Lisa's day: as she misses the bus and tries to get to school so that she can win the science fair, but finds herself at one point at West Springfield Elementary. Bart's day: as he and Milhouse make use of a stash of fireworks that Fat Tony has illegally smuggled into the country. In the end their respective paths come together.
8.13 
#14 - You Only Move Twice
Season 8 - Episode 2
When Homer accepts a job offer, the Simpsons move to Cypress Creek, where everything seems too good to be true. Finally happy at his job, Homer fails to notice that his new boss is an evil megalomaniac bent on world domination.
8.13 
#15 - Holidays of Future Passed
Season 23 - Episode 9
In this futuristic holiday episode, Bart is a deadbeat dad living in Springfield Elementary (which is now an apartment complex instead of a school) with Principal Skinner as his landlord. Meanwhile, a pregnant Maggie goes into labor during a family dinner.
8.13 
#16 - Last Exit to Springfield
Season 4 - Episode 17
Homer negotiates his union's contract with Mr. Burns, mindful that he needs a dental plan for Lisa's new braces. Burns mistakes Homer's utter ineptitude for strategy and concedes, on the condition that Homer resign as union president.
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#17 - Homer vs. the 18th Amendment
Season 8 - Episode 18
When Prohibition is revived in Springfield, Homer and Bart supply the town with alcohol.
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#18 - Who Shot Mr. Burns? (2)
Season 7 - Episode 1
With Mr. Burns shot, Chief Wiggum investigates the crime, and nearly everyone in town has a motive. At the end, it all comes down to the Simpson DNA.
8.11 
#19 - Raging Abe Simpson and his Grumbling Grandson in: 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish'
Season 7 - Episode 22
When a fellow veteran dies, Grandpa Simpson and Mr. Burns fight for buried WWII treasure as the only surviving members of their battalion.
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#20 - Itchy & Scratchy Land
Season 6 - Episode 4
The family's trip to Itchy & Scratchy Land takes an unexpected turn when high-tech robots malfunction and become violent.
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#21 - Homer the Heretic
Season 4 - Episode 3
After skipping church one Sunday morning, Homer decides to quit church altogether and spend Sundays worshiping in his own way -- with cigars and beer.
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#22 - Homer Badman
Season 6 - Episode 9
When Homer gropes for a gummy candy stuck to the babysitter's pants, she mistakes his intentions and turns the town against him.
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#23 - Homer at the Bat
Season 3 - Episode 17
With a million dollars on the line, Mr. Burns hires ringers for the upcoming baseball game against the Shelbyville Nuclear Power Plant. But as misfortunes fell the pros, with bases loaded and the score tied in the ninth inning, Homer is sent to bat.
8.07 
#24 - The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
Season 9 - Episode 1
Designated driver Barney absconds to Manhattan in Homer's car and leaves it there. But when the family journeys to the Big Apple to retrieve their property, Homer discovers his car has been booted.
8.06 
#25 - Bart vs. Australia
Season 6 - Episode 16
After Bart's prank phone call to Australia goes awry, the Simpsons must fly out to the land down under and apologize to the Australian people. When they discover Bart's penalty will be a kick in the pants, international relations deteriorate.
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