The BEST episodes of The Simpsons season 9

Every episode of The Simpsons season 9, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Simpsons season 9!

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.

Last Updated: 11/11/2024Network: FOXStatus: Continuing
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The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
star
7.92
2057 votes

#1 - The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson

Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/21/1997

Homer must travel to New York to get his car back, which is illegally parked at World Trade Center Plaza.

Directors: Jim Reardon
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Lost Our Lisa
star
7.86
1339 votes

#2 - Lost Our Lisa

Season 9 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/10/1998

Bart’s latest stunt thwarts Lisa’s plan to attend a museum exhibit. When she tries to go alone and takes the wrong bus, Homer sets out to find her.

Directors: Pete Michels
Writer: Brian Scully
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Das Bus
star
7.79
1692 votes

#3 - Das Bus

Season 9 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/15/1998

When Otto drives the school bus off a bridge, the kids wind up on a deserted island, fending for themselves in a “Lord of the Flies” parody. Back in Springfield, Homer takes on Bill Gates.

Directors: Pete Michels
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Simpson Tide
star
7.76
1502 votes

#4 - Simpson Tide

Season 9 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/29/1998

When Homer joins the Naval Reserve, a captain takes a liking to him and leaves him in charge of a nuclear submarine.

Directors: Milton Gray
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Lisa the Skeptic
star
7.73
1658 votes

#5 - Lisa the Skeptic

Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/23/1997

When a skeleton is unearthed at the site of a future shopping mall, all Springfield is convinced it is the skeleton of an angel – except Lisa.

Directors: Neil Affleck
Watch Now:Apple TV
Trash of the Titans
star
7.71
1517 votes

#6 - Trash of the Titans

Season 9 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/26/1998

Homer feuds with the Springfield garbage men and decides to run for Sanitation Commissioner. After winning the election with a sleazy campaign, Homer can’t keep the extravagant promises he made to the town.

Directors: Jim Reardon
Watch Now:Apple TV
King of the Hill
star
7.70
1469 votes

#7 - King of the Hill

Season 9 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/3/1998

After Rainier Wolfcastle helps Homer get in shape, Homer accepts a challenge to climb the Murderhorn, the tallest mountain in Springfield.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Lisa's Sax
star
7.69
1588 votes

#8 - Lisa's Sax

Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/19/1997

After Lisa’s saxophone is destroyed, the Simpsons reminisce about how she originally got the instrument. On the hottest day of the year, Homer must decide whether to buy an air conditioner or replace Lisa’s sax.

Directors: Dominic Polcino
Writer: Al Jean
Watch Now:Apple TV
Natural Born Kissers
star
7.69
1357 votes

#9 - Natural Born Kissers

Season 9 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/17/1998

Homer and Marge try to spice up their love life and are caught baring it all in public. Bart and Lisa discover an alternate ending to Casablanca.

Directors: Klay Hall
Writer: Matt Selman
Watch Now:Apple TV
Girly Edition
star
7.68
1488 votes

#10 - Girly Edition

Season 9 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/19/1998

Lisa becomes the anchor of a kids’ news program but is upstaged by Bart’s treacly human interest stories. At home, Homer corrupts a helper monkey.

Directors: Mark Kirkland
Writer: Larry Doyle
Watch Now:Apple TV
This Little Wiggy
star
7.63
1377 votes

#11 - This Little Wiggy

Season 9 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/22/1998

At Marge’s insistence, Bart has a “play date” with Ralph. Bart suddenly sees the upside of this friendship when he discovers Chief Wiggum’s “master key” and goes to explore Springfield’s abandoned prison.

Directors: Neil Affleck
Writer: Dan Greaney
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Joy of Sect
star
7.60
1527 votes

#12 - The Joy of Sect

Season 9 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/8/1998

A cult lures in most of Springfield to toil for “The Leader.” After Marge escapes and has the family deprogrammed, Homer exposes the man behind the spaceship.

Watch Now:Apple TV
The Cartridge Family
star
7.59
1834 votes

#13 - The Cartridge Family

Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/2/1997

Alarmed by a soccer riot, Homer buys a handgun. His reckless behavior drives Marge and the kids out of the house, and even his new gun club buddies desert him.

Directors: Pete Michels
Watch Now:Apple TV
Miracle on Evergreen Terrace
star
7.58
1509 votes

#14 - Miracle on Evergreen Terrace

Season 9 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/21/1997

When Bart accidentally burns down the family's Christmas tree and gifts, he claims that a robber stole everything. When Kent Brockman does a human interest story on the family’s tragic loss, the townspeople shower the family with generosity… until the truth comes out.

Directors: Bob Anderson
Writer: Ron Hauge
Watch Now:Apple TV
Bart Carny
star
7.58
1471 votes

#15 - Bart Carny

Season 9 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/11/1998

When the carnival comes to town, Homer and Bart wind up working the ring toss. A father-son team of grifters shows them the downside of the “carny code,” but the Simpsons beat them at their own game.

Directors: Mark Kirkland
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Trouble With Trillions
star
7.56
1378 votes

#16 - The Trouble With Trillions

Season 9 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/5/1998

Facing an IRS audit, Homer agrees to help the feds bust Mr. Burns for a missing trillion-dollar bill. When Burns makes an anti-government stand, Homer flees with him to Cuba.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Lisa the Simpson
star
7.52
1622 votes

#17 - Lisa the Simpson

Season 9 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/8/1998

Lisa struggles with solving a simple puzzle and fears that the "Simpson gene” is suddenly wiping out her intelligence. Homer stages a family reunion in hopes of introducing Lisa to some Simpsons she can respect.

Directors: Susie Dietter
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
star
7.49
1587 votes

#18 - The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons

Season 9 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/16/1997

Trying to escape his arranged marriage, Apu asks Marge to pose as his wife during his mother’s visit. When the ruse fails, Homer makes a last-ditch attempt to intervene, but Apu is smitten with his new bride Manjula.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Realty Bites
star
7.48
1531 votes

#19 - Realty Bites

Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/7/1997

When Marge gets her real estate license, she learns to put a positive spin on the flaws of the houses she’s selling. But when the Flanders buy the Murder House, she realizes she has to tell the truth.

Writer: Dan Greaney
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Last Temptation of Krust
star
7.48
1294 votes

#20 - The Last Temptation of Krust

Season 9 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/22/1998

Krusty bombs at a charity comedy event and feels like a tired old hack. With the Simpsons’ support, Krusty takes his act in a fresh new direction… but in the end, his true nature asserts itself.

Directors: Mike B. Anderson
Writer: Donick Cary
Watch Now:Apple TV
Treehouse of Horror VIII
star
7.44
1828 votes

#21 - Treehouse of Horror VIII

Season 9 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/26/1997

In “The Homega Man,” Homer faces a post-apocalyptic Springfield. Next, Bart attempts to become Superfly in "Fly vs. Fly." In “Easy-Bake Coven,” amidst a witch hunt in 1649, Marge and her sisters invent trick-or-treating.

Directors: Mark Kirkland
Watch Now:Apple TV
Dumbbell Indemnity
star
7.41
1321 votes

#22 - Dumbbell Indemnity

Season 9 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/1/1998

Moe goes broke trying to wine and dine a new girlfriend. Desperate for money, he cooks up an insurance scam with Homer.

Directors: Dominic Polcino
Writer: Ron Hauge
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Principal and the Pauper
star
7.36
1463 votes

#23 - The Principal and the Pauper

Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/28/1997

Unmasked as an impostor, Principal Skinner flees to Capital City to reclaim his former life as a shiftless good-for-nothing. The people of Springfield gain a newfound appreciation for him and form a plan to bring him back.

Writer: Ken Keeler
Watch Now:Apple TV
Bart Star
star
7.34
1606 votes

#24 - Bart Star

Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/9/1997

When Homer becomes the coach of a peewee football team, he replaces star quarterback Nelson with the less talented Bart. Facing his teammates’ scorn, Bart looks for a way out but finds a better way to show his team spirit.

Directors: Dominic Polcino
Writer: Donick Cary
Watch Now:Apple TV
All Singing, All Dancing
star
6.22
1420 votes

#25 - All Singing, All Dancing

Season 9 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/4/1998

Homer rents a Clint Eastwood movie and is dismayed to find it's a musical. Using clips from past episodes, the rest of the family reminds him about the many times he and other members of the family and town have broken into song and dance.

Directors: Mark Ervin
Watch Now:Apple TV