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The Best Episodes of The Simpsons Season 8

Every episode of The Simpsons Season 8 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Simpsons Season 8!

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...
Genres:FamilyAnimationComedy
Network:FOX

Season 8 Ratings Summary

"Treehouse of Horror VII" is the best rated episode of "The Simpsons" season 8. It scored 8.5/10 based on 3725 votes. Directed by Mike B. Anderson and written by Dan Greaney, David X. Cohen, Ken Keeler, it aired on 10/27/1996. This episode is rated 0.7 points higher than the second-best, "You Only Move Twice".

  • Treehouse of Horror VII
    8.5/103,725 votes

    #1 - Treehouse of Horror VII

    Season 8 Episode 1 - Aired 10/27/1996

    A Halloween trilogy. This time, Bart meets his "pure evil" Siamese twin; Lisa's science project attacks Bart; aliens Kang and Kodos invade as Clinton and Dole's replicas just before the 1996 Presidential election.

    Director: Mike B. Anderson

    Writer: Dan Greaney, David X. Cohen, Ken Keeler

  • You Only Move Twice
    9.2/106,724 votes

    #2 - 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

  • The Homer They Fall
    8.1/103,199 votes

    #3 - The Homer They Fall

    Season 8 Episode 3 - Aired 11/10/1996

    When Moe sees that Homer can absorb massive blows to the head, he turns him into a prizefighter and sets up a match with heavyweight champion Drederick Tatum.

    Director: Mark Kirkland

    Writer: Jonathan Collier

  • Burns, Baby Burns
    7.6/103,075 votes

    #4 - Burns, Baby Burns

    Season 8 Episode 4 - Aired 11/17/1996

    Mr. Burns' boorish long-lost son Larry gets the brush-off from Burns, but Homer hatches a plan to reconcile them.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: Ian Maxtone-Graham

  • Bart After Dark
    8.3/103,290 votes

    #5 - Bart After Dark

    Season 8 Episode 5 - Aired 11/24/1996

    After trespassing and damaging property at a mysterious old house, Bart is required to work there as a punishment... but it turns out to be a burlesque house.

    Director: Dominic Polcino

    Writer: Richard Appel

  • A Milhouse Divided
    8.1/103,085 votes

    #6 - A Milhouse Divided

    Season 8 Episode 6 - Aired 12/1/1996

    Kirk and Luann Van Houten are getting a divorce. Homer is confident that it will never happen to him, but Kirk tells him how quickly things can change.

    Director: Steven Dean Moore

    Writer: Steve Tompkins

  • Lisa's Date with Density
    7.8/102,978 votes

    #7 - Lisa's Date with Density

    Season 8 Episode 7 - Aired 12/15/1996

    Lisa develops a crush on Nelson and tries to change him into a better person. Meanwhile, Homer finds an autodialer and starts a telemarketing scam.

    Director: Susie Dietter

    Writer: Mike Scully

  • Hurricane Neddy
    8.7/104,097 votes

    #8 - Hurricane Neddy

    Season 8 Episode 8 - Aired 12/29/1996

    A hurricane destroys the Flanders' home and they have to move into the church basement. The people of Springfield gather to rebuild their house, but when Ned sees the poor workmanship, he has a complete breakdown.

    Director: Bob Anderson

    Writer: Steve Young

  • El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)
    8.6/104,093 votes

    #9 - El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)

    Season 8 Episode 9 - Aired 1/5/1997

    After eating a dish laced with potent peppers during the chili cookoff, Homer has hallucinations where a mystical coyote urges him to find his soulmate.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: Ken Keeler

  • The Springfield Files
    9.1/105,036 votes

    #10 - 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

  • The Twisted World of Marge Simpson
    7.7/102,912 votes

    #11 - The Twisted World of Marge Simpson

    Season 8 Episode 11 - Aired 1/19/1997

    Marge's new pretzel franchise is failing until Homer strikes a deal with Fat Tony, Springfield's local mobster.

    Director: Chuck Sheetz

    Writer: Jennifer Crittenden

  • Mountain of Madness
    8.5/103,725 votes

    #12 - Mountain of Madness

    Season 8 Episode 12 - Aired 2/2/1997

    To promote teamwork amongst the power plant's employees, Mr. Burns makes them go on a corporate retreat up in the mountains.

    Director: Mark Kirkland

    Writer: John Swartzwelder

  • Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala (Annoyed Grunt) cious
    7.6/103,201 votes

    #13 - Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala (Annoyed Grunt) cious

    Season 8 Episode 13 - Aired 2/7/1997

    Marge is stressed by the demands of motherhood and the Simpsons get a magical British nanny, who floats down from the sky holding an umbrella.

    Director: Chuck Sheetz

    Writer: Al Jean, Mike Reiss

  • The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
    8.0/103,164 votes

    #14 - The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show

    Season 8 Episode 14 - Aired 2/9/1997

    In an attempt to boost ratings, the Itchy and Scratchy Show adds a new "in-your-face" character voiced by Homer.

    Director: Steven Dean Moore

    Writer: David X. Cohen

  • Homer's Phobia
    8.8/104,593 votes

    #15 - 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

  • Brother from Another Series
    8.2/103,188 votes

    #16 - Brother from Another Series

    Season 8 Episode 16 - Aired 2/23/1997

    When Sideshow Bob is released from prison, his brother Cecil puts him in charge of building Springfield's new hydroelectric dam.

    Director: Pete Michels

    Writer: Ken Keeler

  • My Sister, My Sitter
    7.8/103,280 votes

    #17 - My Sister, My Sitter

    Season 8 Episode 17 - Aired 3/2/1997

    Lisa has a stellar reputation as a babysitter, but when Homer and Marge leave her in charge of Bart and Maggie, everything starts going wrong.

    Director: Jim Reardon

    Writer: Dan Greaney

  • Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment
    8.8/103,840 votes

    #18 - Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment

    Season 8 Episode 18 - Aired 3/16/1997

    When Prohibition is revived in Springfield, Homer and Bart supply the town with alcohol.

    Director: Bob Anderson

    Writer: John Swartzwelder

  • Grade School Confidential
    8.2/103,316 votes

    #19 - Grade School Confidential

    Season 8 Episode 19 - Aired 4/6/1997

    Bart discovers Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel kissing, and it's not long before the whole town knows of their secret affair.

    Director: Susie Dietter

    Writer: Bill Oakley, Rachel Pulido

  • The Canine Mutiny
    7.6/102,712 votes

    #20 - The Canine Mutiny

    Season 8 Episode 20 - Aired 4/13/1997

    When Bart can't pay the credit card bill for his expensive new purebred dog, the repo men unwittingly take Santa's Little Helper.

    Director: Dominic Polcino

    Writer: Ron Hauge

  • The Old Man and the Lisa
    7.8/102,869 votes

    #21 - The Old Man and the Lisa

    Season 8 Episode 21 - Aired 4/20/1997

    Financially ruined, Mr. Burns turns to Lisa for help in building a recycling business. Lisa believes he's changed, but his new business venture takes a shocking new direction.

    Director: Mark Kirkland

    Writer: John Swartzwelder

  • In Marge We Trust
    8.1/102,962 votes

    #22 - In Marge We Trust

    Season 8 Episode 22 - Aired 4/27/1997

    Disturbed that Reverend Lovejoy has lost interest in counseling parishioners, Marge volunteers as the "Listen Lady." Meanwhile, Homer sees his likeness on a box of Japanese detergent.

    Director: Steven Dean Moore

    Writer: Donick Cary

  • Homer's Enemy
    9.3/107,185 votes

    #23 - 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

  • The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase
    7.1/102,857 votes

    #24 - The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase

    Season 8 Episode 24 - Aired 5/11/1997

    Troy McClure presents three Simpsons spinoff spoofs: In "Chief Wiggum, P.I.," Chief Wiggum becomes a New Orleans detective. Next, Grampa Simpson's soul is trapped inside Moe's Love tester machine in "The Love-Matic Grampa." Finally, the Simpson family hosts a '70s-style variety show.

    Director: Neil Affleck

    Writer: Dan Greaney, David X. Cohen, Ken Keeler, Steve Tompkins

  • The Secret War of Lisa Simpson
    7.8/102,828 votes

    #25 - The Secret War of Lisa Simpson

    Season 8 Episode 25 - Aired 5/18/1997

    Lisa joins the all-male military school where Bart is sent for discipline. Then comes the hazing.

    Director: Mike B. Anderson

    Writer: Richard Appel