- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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".