The Best Episodes Written By Don Payne

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   7.1/10(33 votes)

   #1 - Treehouse of Horror XI

   S12:E111/1/2000

   This year's Halloween story sees The Simpsons as "The Munsters" (with everyone except Lisa getting killed), Homer as a wandering spirit on the hunt for a good deed in "G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad," Bart and Lisa as peasants in a fairy tale forest in "Scary Tales Can Come True," and Lisa inadvertently dooming mankind by rescuing a dolphin in "Night of the Dolphin."

   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne
2. 

   7.1/10(27 votes)

   #2 - Fraudcast News

   S15:E225/23/2004

   Mr. Burns buys out Springfield's media outlets after a newspaper mistakenly reports his death, and Lisa's homemade newspaper is next on his list.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne
3. 

   7.0/10(33 votes)

   #3 - The Great Louse Detective

   S14:E612/15/2002

   The Simpson family win a free spa weekend, and Homer is nearly killed when a mysterious figure locks him in a sauna. Chief Wiggum decides to hire someone who can think like a murderer in order to find one. Bart's mortal enemy Sideshow Bob is sent to live with the Simpsons so he can help find Homer's attempted killer. Bob and Homer track down the attempted murderer and discover that it is Frank Grimes, Jr., the son of a man that Homer drove to insanity (in the season eight episode "Homer's Enemy"). After Grimes is arrested, Bob tries to kill Bart, but he finds that he has "grown accustomed to [his] face" and cannot harm him.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne

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   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne
4. 

   7.0/10(24 votes)

   #4 - Thank God It's Doomsday

   S16:E195/8/2005

   Homer sees a movie about the end of the world and fears the same thing will happen in real life after seeing a chain of random occurrences and doing a complicated math equation that predicts the end will come on May 18th.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne

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   Writer:Don Payne
5. 

   7.0/10(25 votes)

   #5 - Simpsons Christmas Stories

   S17:E912/18/2005

   The Simpsons re-enact the Nativity; a World War II tale stars Grampa, Mr. Burns and Santa; a musical features "The Nutcracker Suite."

   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne

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   Writer:Don Payne
6. 

   7.0/10(31 votes)

   #6 - Labor Pains

   S25:E511/17/2013

   When Homer helps a woman give birth in an elevator, he forms an emotional attachment to the baby; cheerleaders for the local professional football team recruit Lisa.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne

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   Writer:Don Payne
7. 

   6.8/10(24 votes)

   #7 - Love, Springfieldian Style

   S19:E122/17/2008

   Homer and Marge celebrate Valentine's Day by going on the Tunnel of Love ride at a carnival, but they end up stranded when Bart pulls a prank involving gelatin. To pass the time, Homer tells the love story of Bonnie and Clyde, Marge tells her version of "Lady and the Tramp," and Bart tells the love story of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne

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   Writer:Don Payne
8. 

   6.8/10(29 votes)

   #8 - Take My Life, Please

   S20:E102/15/2009

   Homer is jealous when old classmate Vance Connor is inducted into the Springfield Walk of Fame. Lenny and Carl confess they fixed the result in favor of Principal Dondelinger - leading the hapless father to speculate on how his life would have changed had he won the ballot.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne

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   Writer:Don Payne
9. 

   6.6/10(32 votes)

   #9 - Insane Clown Poppy

   S12:E311/12/2000

   Krusty takes parenting lessons from Homer when, during an outdoor book fair, a girl tells Krusty that she is his long-lost daughter from a one-night stand with a female soldier who fought during the first Gulf War.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:Don Payne

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   Writer:Don Payne
10. 

    6.6/10(28 votes)

    #10 - The Bart Wants What It Wants

    S13:E112/17/2002

    Bart befriends Rainer Wolfcastle's daughter Greta. She has a crush on Bart, but he does not seem to realize it and eventually stops seeing her. Seeking revenge, Greta begins dating Bart's best friend Milhouse, which causes Bart to start missing her. She leaves for Toronto with her father, and Bart convinces his family to follow them there.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne

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    Writer:Don Payne
11. 

    6.5/10(31 votes)

    #11 - Bye Bye Nerdie

    S12:E163/11/2001

    When Lisa becomes the target of a female bully, Lisa discovers a scientific reason as to why bullies pick on nerds. Meanwhile, Homer goes into the baby-proofing business, which is threatening the businesses of pediatricians and greeting card salesmen.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne

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    Writer:Don Payne
12. 

    6.5/10(35 votes)

    #12 - Treehouse of Horror XII

    S13:E111/6/2001

    In the twelfth Treehouse of Horror episode: Hex and the City – While on a day trip through Ethnictown, Homer's bumbling catches the ire of a gypsy, who curses Homer's family and friends into receiving nothing but bad luck. House of Whacks – in this mixed parody of Demon Seed and 2001: A Space Odyssey, Marge buys an automated house and customizes it with the Pierce Brosnan personality, who falls for Marge and attempts to murder Homer. Wiz Kids – In this Harry Potter parody, Bart and Lisa go to a school for wizards, and Lord Montemort (Mr. Burns) uses Bart to capture Lisa's magic. Guest star: Pierce Brosnan and Matthew Perry.[20]

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne

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    Writer:Don Payne
13. 

    6.5/10(30 votes)

    #13 - Old Yeller-Belly

    S14:E195/4/2003

    Homer throws out Santa's Little Helper for not saving him from a fire, but soon the dog becomes Duff's new mascot.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne

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    Writer:Don Payne
14. 

    6.5/10(29 votes)

    #14 - The Wandering Juvie

    S15:E163/28/2004

    Bart gets sent to juvenile hall after fooling everyone that there was a marriage concerning him. He encounters a dangerous girl there... He flees with Gina, but then the two are caught by Wiggum.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne

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    Writer:Don Payne
15. 

    6.5/10(32 votes)

    #15 - White Christmas Blues

    S25:E812/15/2013

    Springfield is inundated with holiday revelers after the nuclear power plant springs a radiation leak, causing snow to fall all over town. When the tourists drive up Christmas shopping prices, Marge opens up the Simpsons' house to boarders.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne

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    Writer:Don Payne
16. 

    6.4/10(21 votes)

    #16 - Little Big Girl

    S18:E122/11/2007

    Lisa pretends to be Native American for multicultural day at school. Meanwhile, Bart finds love with an older woman.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne

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    Writer:Don Payne
17. 

    6.2/10(26 votes)

    #17 - Thursdays with Abie

    S21:E91/3/2010

    Grampa is sitting on a bench waiting for his family when a thoughtful-looking man named Marshall Goldman approaches him and asks to hear about his life. Grampa tells Goldman about the time he was on a World War II battleship, which was hit by an enemy torpedo, and Goldman, a human-interest columnist, publishes it in The Springfield Shopper. Later, Grampa meets Mitch Albom and shares another story with Goldman for a follow-up article. Homer becomes jealous of Grampa's newfound fame and seeks a surrogate father. But when Homer discovers a draft of Goldman's third story, he must race to find Grampa before it is published and his life is changed forever.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne

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    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne
18. 

    6.0/10(32 votes)

    #18 - Simpsons Tall Tales

    S12:E215/20/2001

    When Homer refuses to pay a five dollar airport tax to fly to Delaware, the family is forced to ride in a livestock car of a train instead. There they meet a singing hobo who tells three tall tales: Homer as Paul Bunyan. Lisa as Connie Appleseed, a parody of Johnny Appleseed. Bart as Tom Sawyer with Nelson as Huckleberry Finn.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne

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    Director:N/A

    Writer:Don Payne