Listopolis: Top 25 Simpsons Episodes
25. “Guess Who’s Coming to Criticize Dinner” (Season Eleven)
Homer gets a job as a restaurant critic, only he loves all food and he’s not very good at writing. (“Groin-grabbingly good”) A nice team-up with Lisa, and a review consisting largely of the phrase “Screw Flanders” make this one a classic.
24. “Homer at the Bat” (Season Three)
Traditionally, pro athletes aren’t very good on The Simpsons. This is the exception. Mr. Burns brings in a gang of ringers for a company softball game (including Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, and Jose Canseco), leaving Homer, the team’s star, out. It’s one of the series’ first forays into real absurdism, and it proves to be a perfect fit.
23. “Blood Feud” (Season Two)
And here’s the first episode that really feels like what The Simpsons would become. A transfusion of Bart’s rare blood type saves Burns’ life, and Homer is infuriated when the billionaire shows his gratitude with a thank-you note. It all goes wrong and ends up with Homer impersonating his boss at the post office (“What’s your first name?” “I don’t know.”) and Burns purchasing a certain Olmec Indian idol who still occasionally shows up in the basement to this day.
22. “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson” (Season Nine)
This episode disappeared from syndication for years following 9/11, and if you can get past the World Trade Center as the setting for much of the action, this episode is really very funny. With the first appearance of Duffman, the origin of Homer’s hatred of New York, and Homer’s quietest meltdown ever, this is easily the best of the show’s many travel episodes.21. “Bart Sells His Soul” (Season Seven)
Pretty much what the title says. Bart sells his soul to Milhouse for five bucks, and then feels like he made a mistake. Bart’s panic is sad and funny at the same time, and the B-plot with Moe turning his seedy bar into a family-style restaurant, is hysterical. Uncle Moe and a pipe organ version of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” in the same episode? Genius.
20. “Team Homer” (Season Seven)
Homer starts a bowling league with Apu, Otto, and Moe. At least, until Mr. Burns learns that they scammed money from him and demands to join the team. It’s a great mix of characters to play off one another, and I adore Mr. Burns’ old-timey slang and hilariously feeble attempts to bowl.
19. “Trilogy of Error” (Season Twelve)
A very loose parody of Run, Lola, Run, this episode shows on day from three different perspectives. Homer cuts his thumb off, Bart ends up wearing a wire in a mob sting, and Lisa invents a robot that corrects grammar. There’s no part of that description that’s not awesome.
18. “Radioactive Man” (Season Seven)
Movie producers come to Springfield to shoot a film about Bart’s favorite superhero and hire Milhouse as sidekick Fallout Boy. (Yes, that’s where the band got it from.) A really funny Hollywood parody, a nice showcase for Milhouse, and Ranier Wolfcastle’s finest moment (“The goggles! They do nothing!’) all come together for an absolute classic.
17. “HOM’R” (Season Twelve)
Know why Homer’s so dumb? He has a blue crayon lodged in his brain! Once that crayon is removed, his intelligence immediately doubles. While this means he can better relate to Lisa, he finds himself ostracized by the rest of the town. “Is there no place for a man with a 102 IQ?”
16. “Who Shot Mr. Burns” (Seasons Six and Seven)
This whodunit cliffhanger is not only a tightly-plotted mystery, but also exceptionally funny. When Mr. Burns steals the school’s oil and blocks out the sun, somebody actually shoots him in the chest. But who? Who? I really like the way the second part actually parodies the network promotion for the first part. And yes, I spent the whole summer thinking it was Sideshow Mel.
15. “Mr. Plow” (Season Four)
Homer finally finds success as a snowplow driver, but when best friend Barney starts a competing business, it gets ugly fast. Homer’s commercial is a classic, and the big rescue scene at the end is both funny and suspenseful. If that doesn’t sell you, how about that Adam West cameo? Yeah, I thought so.
14. “Lisa’s Rival” (Season Six)
When a new smart girl moves in, Lisa suddenly has a competitor and then a friend. The Lisa-centric episodes often sacrifice humor for emotion, but this one is an exception. This episode has the classic Ralph line “I bent my Wookie”, as well as a subplot where Homer comes into a mass quantity of sugar and tries to sell it. (“This has shards of glass and screws in it.” “Those are prizes.”)
13. “King-Size Homer” (Season Seven)
Rather than be forced to exercise at work, Homer elects to gain enough weight to qualify as 
“disabled” so he can work from home. Homer’s binge-eating is both creepy and funny, and his home terminal makes me laugh to this day. This episode is mostly broad physical comedy, but it’s really well-done broad physical comedy. Now let me get my reaching broom…
“disabled” so he can work from home. Homer’s binge-eating is both creepy and funny, and his home terminal makes me laugh to this day. This episode is mostly broad physical comedy, but it’s really well-done broad physical comedy. Now let me get my reaching broom…12. “Homer vs. the 18th Amendment” (Season Eight)
After Bart gets drunk at a St. Patrick’s Day parade, Springfield re-invokes prohibition. When Homer sets up a bootlegging business, lawman Rex Baron comes to town. The combination of alcohol and explosions is pretty much irresistible.
11. “Marge vs. the Monorail” (Season Four)
In this Conan O’Brien-written episode, a con man (Phil Hartman) comes to town and convinces Springfield to build a monorail. And when Homer gets a job as the engineer, you know it’s going to lead to disaster. As a bonus, this episode also includes “The escalator to nowhere”. By the way, I call the big one ‘Bitey’.
10. “Last Exit to Springfield” (Season Four)
Homer accidentally becomes the Union President and stands up to Mr. Burns when he takes away the dental plan. This episode is one rapid-fire gag after another, and they all land. Homer thinking Burns is flirting with him, Lisa’s budget braces, Grandpa’s stories about the old days of strikebreaking… It’s all gold here.
9. “A Fish Called Selma” (Season Seven)
Faded movie star Troy McClure marries Marge’s sister, largely to invigorate his career and stave off those persistent rumors about what he does with fish. The late Phil Hartman did such great work on this show, and in the only episode where McClure interacts with the main cast, he really shines. This one manages to be both twisted and heartbreaking, and also includes “Planet of the Apes: The Musical”. (“I hate every ape I see / from chimpan-a to chimpan-z.”)8. “22 Short Films about Springfield” (Season Seven)
A series of vaguely connected vignettes make up this episode, many focusing on the supporting cast. Lisa gets gum in her hair, Bumblebee Man comes home from work, Cletus finds some boots, a very tall man gets revenge on Nelson, and most importantly, Principal Skinner makes dinner for Superintendent Chalmers in one of the greatest scenes in series history. (Skinner explains away a kitchen fire by citing the Aurora Borealis and claiming that he calls hamburgers “steamed hams”.)
7. “Sideshow Bob’s Last Gleaming” (Season Seven)
Bob takes his semi-annual attempts to kill Bart Simpson to the next level by stealing an atomic bomb and threatening to blow up Springfield if all of the local TV stations don’t immediately stop broadcasting. Naturally, Bart and Lisa take it upon themselves to foil him even as Krusty the Klown violates the ban with his own pirate TV station.
6. “Treehouse of Horror IV” (Season Five)
This one was a tough call, as the annual “Treehouse” Halloween episodes are usually pretty great. So this could go another way on any given day, but today, I’ve got to go with this one. Homer sells
his soul for a donut, a gremlin attacks the bus, and Mr. Burns turns out to be Dracula. I especially love attorney Lionel Hutz arguing before a jury of the damned. Lionel Hutz? Always funny.
his soul for a donut, a gremlin attacks the bus, and Mr. Burns turns out to be Dracula. I especially love attorney Lionel Hutz arguing before a jury of the damned. Lionel Hutz? Always funny.5. “Marge Be Not Proud” (Season Seven)
It’s their first Christmas episode since the series premiere, and it’s worth the wait. When Bart steals a videogame, it strains his relationship with Marge and threatens to ruin the holidays. It’s a really sweet episode, with Marge’s finest moment outside of the movie and some really convincing guilt from Bart. Plus, Lawrence Tierney is screamingly funny as the store security guard.
4. “Homer the Great” (Season Six)
Better known as the Stonecutters episode, this one introduces Springfield’s secret society, and their insanely catching drinking song. When Homer turns out to be the Chosen One, he ruins the fun for everybody. This is one of those episodes that everybody loves, with a host of great lines and a chimpanzee reenactment of the Civil War.
3. “Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show” (Season Eight)
Bowing to network pressure, the producers of Itchy & Scratchy bring a hip new character to the series – a focus-group tested dog named Poochie, voices by Homer. The audience hates Poochie, leading to heartbreak for our hero. This episode also changed the vocabulary of TV forever. You know a Poochie when you see one.
2. “Homer’s Enemy” (Season Eight)
Frank Grimes, a self-made man, gets hired at the Nuclear Power Plant. As somebody who’s struggled all his life, he’s first irritated and then driven to blind rage by Homer’s undeserved popularity. It’s actually an attempt to place a realistic character in The Simpsons Universe, and the results are hilarious. Poor Grimey…
1. “You Only Move Twice” (Season Eight)
The Globex Corporation offers Homer a high-paying job, mistaking his career stagnation for 
competence. The whole family moves to a planned community and settles into a better life. New boss Hank Scorpio (Albert Brooks) is a great parody of 90’s management style, but he also turns out to be a James Bond villain bent on world domination. Either one of those traits would be really funny, but together it’s an absolutely glorious mix. From, “Have you ever seen a man say good-bye to a pair of shoes?” to “On your way out, if you could kill somebody, it would really help me a lot.”, every one of his lines is really funny. Plus, we get the introduction of Tom Landry’s hat and priceless scenes of Bart in the special class. Best episode ever!
competence. The whole family moves to a planned community and settles into a better life. New boss Hank Scorpio (Albert Brooks) is a great parody of 90’s management style, but he also turns out to be a James Bond villain bent on world domination. Either one of those traits would be really funny, but together it’s an absolutely glorious mix. From, “Have you ever seen a man say good-bye to a pair of shoes?” to “On your way out, if you could kill somebody, it would really help me a lot.”, every one of his lines is really funny. Plus, we get the introduction of Tom Landry’s hat and priceless scenes of Bart in the special class. Best episode ever!Agree? Disagree? Let us know!
