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The Best Episodes of The Simpsons

Every episode of The Simpsons ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Simpsons!

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.

Genres:FamilyAnimationComedy
Network:FOX

Top Episode Ratings Summary

The best episode of "The Simpsons" is "Homer's Enemy", rated 9.3/10 from 7106 user votes. It was directed by Jim Reardon and written by John Swartzwelder. "Homer's Enemy" aired on 5/4/1997 and is rated 0.1 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Cape Feare".

  • Homer's Enemy
    9.3/10 7,106 votes

    #1 - Homer's Enemy

    Season 8 Episode 23 - Aired 5/4/1997

    A hardworking new employee at the power plant is consumed with resentment at Homer's undeserved success.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: John Swartzwelder

  • Cape Feare
    9.2/10 6,034 votes

    #2 - Cape Feare

    Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 10/7/1993

    The Simpsons go incognito to avoid the newly paroled Sideshow Bob, who's out to get Bart.

    Director: Rich Moore

    Writer: Jon Vitti

  • Treehouse of Horror V
    9.2/10 5,452 votes

    #3 - Treehouse of Horror V

    Season 6 Episode 6 - Aired 10/30/1994

    Lack of beer and cable TV make Homer a crazed killer; the present is altered by a time-traveling Homer; and Principal Skinner turns detention students into food.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: Bob Kushell, Dan McGrath, David X. Cohen, Greg Daniels

  • Who Shot Mr. Burns? (1)
    9.2/10 4,928 votes

    #4 - Who Shot Mr. Burns? (1)

    Season 6 Episode 25 - Aired 5/21/1995

    Mr. Burns makes many enemies when he steals the oil discovered beneath Springfield Elementary.

    Director: Wes Archer, Jeffrey Lynch

    Writer: Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein

  • You Only Move Twice
    9.2/10 6,651 votes

    #5 - You Only Move Twice

    Season 8 Episode 2 - Aired 11/3/1996

    In an idyllic planned community, Homer works for a new boss who has trouble with the government. Meanwhile, the rest of the family has difficulty dealing with the bucolic burg.

    Director: Mike B. Anderson

    Writer: John Swartzwelder

  • Marge vs. the Monorail
    9.1/10 6,047 votes

    #6 - Marge vs. the Monorail

    Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 1/14/1993

    When Springfield gets a sudden windfall, a charismatic traveling salesman convinces the town to build a monorail.

    Director: Rich Moore

    Writer: Conan O'Brien

  • The Springfield Files
    9.1/10 4,971 votes

    #7 - The Springfield Files

    Season 8 Episode 10 - Aired 1/12/1997

    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.

    Director: Steven Dean Moore

    Writer: Reid Harrison

  • Last Exit to Springfield
    9.0/10 5,510 votes

    #8 - Last Exit to Springfield

    Season 4 Episode 17 - Aired 3/11/1993

    Union president Homer fights to keep the dental plan.

    Director: Mark Kirkland

    Writer: Jay Kogen, Wallace Wolodarsky

  • Homer Badman
    9.0/10 4,930 votes

    #9 - Homer Badman

    Season 6 Episode 9 - Aired 11/27/1994

    When Homer gropes for a gummy candy stuck to the babysitter's pants, she mistakes his intentions and turns the town against him.

    Director: Jeffrey Lynch

    Writer: Greg Daniels

  • Homer the Great
    9.0/10 4,649 votes

    #10 - Homer the Great

    Season 6 Episode 12 - Aired 1/8/1995

    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.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: John Swartzwelder

  • Who Shot Mr. Burns? (2)
    9.0/10 4,488 votes

    #11 - Who Shot Mr. Burns? (2)

    Season 7 Episode 1 - Aired 9/17/1995

    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.

    Director: Wes Archer

    Writer: Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein

  • King-Size Homer
    9.0/10 4,871 votes

    #12 - King-Size Homer

    Season 7 Episode 7 - Aired 11/5/1995

    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.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: Dan Greaney

  • 22 Short Films About Springfield
    9.0/10 4,323 votes

    #13 - 22 Short Films About Springfield

    Season 7 Episode 21 - Aired 4/14/1996

    Bart and Milhouse wonder if anything interesting happens to the citizens of Springfield, which leads to a series of interconnected vignettes.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: Bill Oakley, Brent Forrester, David X. Cohen, Greg Daniels, Jennifer Crittenden, Jonathan Collier, Josh Weinstein, Matt Groening, Rachel Pulido, Richard Appel, Steve Tompkins

  • The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
    9.0/10 5,245 votes

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

    Season 9 Episode 1 - Aired 9/21/1997

    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.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: Ian Maxtone-Graham

  • Homer the Heretic
    8.9/10 5,426 votes

    #15 - Homer the Heretic

    Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/1992

    After skipping church one Sunday morning, Homer decides to quit church altogether and spend Sundays worshiping in his own way -- with cigars and beer.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: George Meyer

  • Deep Space Homer
    8.9/10 4,574 votes

    #16 - Deep Space Homer

    Season 5 Episode 15 - Aired 2/24/1994

    Homer and Barney compete to be the first "average" American in space.

    Director: Carlos Baeza

    Writer: David Mirkin

  • And Maggie Makes Three
    8.9/10 4,180 votes

    #17 - And Maggie Makes Three

    Season 6 Episode 13 - Aired 1/22/1995

    The story of Maggie's birth is told in flashbacks: after Homer quits the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to pursue his dream of working at a bowling alley, Marge reveals that she is pregnant.

    Director: Swinton O. Scott III

    Writer: Jennifer Crittenden

  • One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish
    8.8/10 5,526 votes

    #18 - One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish

    Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 1/24/1991

    After eating poisonous blowfish at a sushi restaurant, Homer decides to live life to the fullest in the 24 hours he has left to live.

    Director: Wes Archer

    Writer: Nell Scovell

  • Flaming Moe's
    8.8/10 4,905 votes

    #19 - Flaming Moe's

    Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 11/21/1991

    Moe steals the drink recipe Homer invented, and the rechristened “Flaming Moe” turns his tavern into a hotspot. When a national franchise wants to buy the recipe, Homer wants revenge.

    Director: Rich Moore, Alan Smart

    Writer: Robert Cohen

  • Mr. Plow
    8.8/10 4,771 votes

    #20 - Mr. Plow

    Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 11/19/1992

    Homer and Barney become competitors in the snow-plowing business.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: Jon Vitti

  • Rosebud
    8.8/10 4,627 votes

    #21 - Rosebud

    Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 10/21/1993

    Burns longs for a childhood toy that winds up in the grip of Maggie.

    Director: Wes Archer

    Writer: John Swartzwelder

  • Treehouse of Horror IV
    8.8/10 4,502 votes

    #22 - Treehouse of Horror IV

    Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 10/28/1993

    Homer sells his soul; Vampire Burns invites the Simpsons for dinner; Bart sees a gremlin damaging his school bus.

    Director: David Silverman

    Writer: Bill Oakley, Conan O'Brien, Dan McGrath, Greg Daniels, Josh Weinstein, Bill Canterbury

  • Bart Sells His Soul
    8.8/10 4,400 votes

    #23 - Bart Sells His Soul

    Season 7 Episode 4 - Aired 10/8/1995

    Bart sells his soul to Milhouse for five dollars, but soon regrets his decision. Meanwhile, Moe turns the Tavern into a family-friendly restaurant.

    Director: Wes Archer

    Writer: Greg Daniels

  • Homer the Smithers
    8.8/10 4,278 votes

    #24 - Homer the Smithers

    Season 7 Episode 17 - Aired 2/25/1996

    Forced to take a vacation, Smithers needs to find a temporary replacement who won't outshine him. Homer seems the perfect choice until a sudden outburst forces Mr. Burns to assert his independence.

    Director: Steven Dean Moore

    Writer: John Swartzwelder

  • Homer's Phobia
    8.8/10 4,552 votes

    #25 - Homer's Phobia

    Season 8 Episode 15 - Aired 2/16/1997

    The Simpsons befriend a shop owner, but when Homer discovers the man is gay, he worries about his influence on Bart.

    Director: Mike B. Anderson

    Writer: Ron Hauge