Best Episodes
The Simpsons is an iconic American show that has been airing since 1989 on FOX. Set in the average American town of Springfield, the show follows the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family. Over the 36 seasons of the show, there have been many memorable episodes that have made The Simpsons a household name. Here we will rank the best episodes of The Simpsons, from the highest to the lowest rated.
The Simpsons is filled with comedy, satire and commentary directed at politics, media and American life. It has attracted hundreds of celebrities to guest star in the show, making it even more popular. With so many great episodes, it can be hard to pick out the best. Here we will rank the top episodes based on their ratings, reviews and overall popularity.
So sit back and enjoy this list of the best episodes of The Simpsons, ranked from highest to lowest. There is sure to be something here to satisfy everyone, so let’s get started!
Written by Sophie and last updated on dec 20, 2024.
PS: The following content contains spoilers!
PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!
Homer, Apu, Moe and Skinner volunteer as firemen after Homer's sleepwalking accident injures the town's firefighters. They do some light looting at the fires to make up for not being compensated, but Marge and Lisa shame them into mending their ways.
The episode was rated 7.28 from 385 votes.
A child psychiatrist suggests drumming to channel Bart's energy, and the boy proves he's got the beat when he shows some talent on the skins.
The episode was rated 7.28 from 484 votes.
Newsman Kent Brockman is fired for swearing on the air when Homer dumps coffee in his lap, but Lisa gets Brockman back in the game with her Webcam.
The episode was rated 7.29 from 374 votes.
Selma and Patti's home movies make Marge nostalgic for the Barnacle Bay vacations of her youth, so Homer takes the family there, but the area has changed since the Bouviers were little girls.
The episode was rated 7.30 from 401 votes.
Homer is bamboozled by Army recruiters and winds up in basic training, where he runs afoul of a tough-minded colonel and is assigned to play the enemy in war games.
The episode was rated 7.31 from 477 votes.
Homer learns three lessons about revenge from stories told by Marge, Lisa and Bart that parody "The Count of Monte Cristo," "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Batman Begins."
The episode was rated 7.34 from 420 votes.
After a celebrity scandal is accidentally captured in a family photo, Homer decides to become a paparazzo.
The episode was rated 7.34 from 399 votes.
The 17th annual Halloween trilogy. Included: "Married to the Blob," in which a meteor turns Homer into a monster; "You Gotta Know When to Golem," about a monster from Jewish folklore; and "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid," about an alien invasion.
The episode was rated 7.35 from 618 votes.
Marge reads Homer's carpentry books and becomes very handy at fixing things. Gender bias keeps the townspeople from accepting a female carpenter, so Marge pretends that Homer does the work. Meanwhile, Bart torments Skinner when he learns the principal has an extreme allergy to peanuts.
The episode was rated 7.39 from 505 votes.
Homer is fired and decides to buy an ice-cream truck. Marge makes use of the mountains of Popsicle sticks from Homer's ice-cream consumption by creating sculptures of Springfield citizens with them, leading to a feature about her on the news.
The episode was rated 7.42 from 446 votes.
A documentary filmmaker who interviewed a group of Springfield schoolchildren 32 years ago has followed up at eight-year intervals to film how their lives have unfolded.
The episode was rated 7.43 from 402 votes.
When Bart ends up the only guest at Nelson's birthday party, the bully decides he's his best friend and goes about protecting Bart in a parody of "Goodfellas." Meanwhile, Homer reads Lisa to sleep and debates on whether to reveal the book's sad ending to her.
The episode was rated 7.50 from 451 votes.
Marge goes online for the first time and becomes obsessed with a role-playing game that Bart and many of their neighbors are playing. Meanwhile, Lisa develops her own obsession--for soccer--and Homer becomes a referee.
The episode was rated 7.57 from 427 votes.
Lisa's friendship with Fat Tony's son Michael prompts mob boss Tony to invite the Simpsons over for dinner. Michael says he'd rather be a chef than take over the family business, but that's before Tony is shot by a rival mobster.
The episode was rated 7.59 from 558 votes.
In a parody of "24," the school's Counter Truancy Unit tries to stop three sixth-graders planning to disrupt the school bake sale with a stink bomb.
The episode was rated 7.63 from 413 votes.
