Rolling In The D’oh! The 12 Best Classic ‘Simpsons’ Episodes
The Simpsons first hit the airwaves 35 years ago on December 17, 1989, with the pilot “Santas Little Helper” and began its regular run in January 1990.
After all this time, the series is still going … strong-ish? At least we hear they’re still making new episodes.
Fortunately, we got on The Simpsons DVD box sets when those were still a thing, plus you can watch a ton of classic episodes airing on FXX and streaming on Disney+.
Here are our 12 best episodes from the series’ heyday:
1Homer at the Bat
Mr. Burns stocks his nuclear power plant’s softball team with ringers in this classic episode that really brings home just how long The Simpsons has been on the air. The ringers Mr. Burns hires at the plant so they can play on the team are a who’s-who of early ’90s MLB stars.
2Rosebud
In a parody of Citizen Kane, Mr. Burns longs for his childhood teddy bear, Bobo. After a long, amazing journey through the decades, Bobo ends up the property of Maggie Simpson. Mr. Burns goes to extreme lengths to force the Simpsons to give up the bear. Mmmm … 64 slices of American cheese.
3Lisa on Ice
Sibling rivalry gets ratcheted up when Lisa proves to be an excellent hockey goalie and squares off against Bart’s team. The episode also provides one of Ralph Wiggum’s greatest moments: “Me fail English? That’s unpossible!”
4Homer Badman
Airing in the wake of the media frenzy surrounding the O.J. Simpson murder case and the dawn of TV tabloid newsmagazine shows, this episode’s depiction of the circus surrounding the mistaken allegation of sexual harassment made against Homer by his babysitter has aged beautifully.
4Homer the Great
Homer joins the ancient mystic society of The Stonecutters, and it’s soon discovered that he is The Chosen One prophesied to lead them to greatness. But after Homer abuses his power, all his friends abandon him, leaving him alone to reenact the Civil War with monkeys. Attach the Stone of Triumph!
6A Star Is Burns
Usually, crossover shows don’t work too well, but this episode that brings Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz) of the animated ’90s series The Critic into Springfield for a film festival ranks as one of the successes. Marge hopes that a film festival will help bring some culture to the town, but it just results in George C. Scott winning the Oscar for “Man Getting Hit by Football.” Ow, my groin!
7King-Size Homer
Leave it up to Homer, already at a dangerously high weight, to purposely put on even more so that he can qualify as “hyper-obese” and become able to work at home on disability (and avoid Mr. Burns’ new workplace calisthenics program).
8You Only Move Twice
Written by Simpsons scribe supreme John Swartzwelder and featuring the voice of Albert Brooks, this episode finds Homer moving his family to a seemingly idyllic town where he will start a seemingly idyllic new job — remaining oblivious throughout the entire episode that his boss, Hank Scorpio (Brooks), is actually a supervillain bent on world domination.
9The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
Some of The Simpsons’ finer episodes have satirized the industry its creative teams know best: the cartoon-making business. With The Itchy & Scratchy Show ratings slipping, the powers that be decide that Itchy and Scratchy need a new character to join them. Homer gets the job voicing ill-fated dog Poochie. (His home planet needed him.)
10Homer’s Phobia
After a shop owner (voiced by John Waters) befriends the Simpsons, and they learn he is a homosexual, Homer fears that Bart will become gay in this sendup of cultural stereotypes and prejudices. ZZZZZZAAAAAPPP!!
11Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment
When Prohibition hits Springfield, Homer finds his calling as the city’s new Beer Baron, and delivers some of his best lines in the series, including “Ah, I’m not gonna lie to you, Marge. … So long!” and “Gone bowling. Not back, avenge death.”
12The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase
While The Simpsons, to its credit, has not tried to cash in on its success with an actual spinoff series, this episode has a lot of fun with “what-if” scenarios of potential spinoffs, all while mocking various lame TV series tropes.
