Daniel's TV Blog

A while back a friend of mine who hasn't watch The Simpsons since the 90s asked me for a list of the best recent episodes.  We are two episodes into Season 26.  Here's the best ones over the previous 10 seasons.  Only one is airing on FXX any time soon.  The will be running lots of Treehouse of Horrors in the next three weeks.

Season 16
All's Fair In Oven War
What's it about: Marge enters cooking competition
Why I love it:  Well the title alone is genius.  The other competitors are so completely over the top mean to Marge you want to see them all fail.  Then there is the fact that the kids don't age during the two year kitchen renovation.
This episode is on FXX on Friday 10/24

Season 17
The Seemingly Never-Ending Story
What's it about: Homer gets wedged in a cave and the family tells stories.
Why I love it: The story is very well integrated and incredibly well written.  Also the cave they visit is called Carl's Dad's Cavern.  That joke alone is worth watching the entire episode.

Season 18
The Haw-Hawed Couple
What's it about: Bart becomes friends with Nelson
Why I love it: The final joke alone is worth it.  But also it is the introduction of the Harry Potter spoof book series Angelica Button.

Springfield Up
What's it about: A documentarian returns to Springfield every seven years.
Why I love it: Burn's lake house and the back story of Crazy Cat Lady

Any Given Sundance
What's it about: Lisa makes a film about the family and submits it to Sundance
Why I love it: Homer's Shia LaBeouf wig, Skinner's other films, and the joke that there should only be one Simpsons film.

Season 19
Smoke on the Daughter
What's it about: Lisa becomes a ballerina and a second-hand smoker
Why I love it: The final Angelica Button book has the best title ever: Angelica Button and the Deadly Denouement.  Also Chazz Busby.

Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind
What's it about: Homer forgets what he did the night before and get suicidal
Why I love it: It's a very complicated story with great writing.

That 90's Show
What's it about: When Marge and Homer were dating, Homer was in a grunge band called Sadgasm
Why I love it: The constantly changing history of the family always amuses me.

Season 20
Gone Maggie Gone
What's it about: Homer needs to find Maggie before Marge knows she missing
Why I love it: It's a bizarre spoof of puzzle movies like The Da Vinci Code.  I love things that are different.

Season 22
Angry Dad: The Movie
What's it about: Bart's short film about Homer gets nominated for an Oscar.
Why I love it: Lots and lots of movie and Oscar jokes.

500 Keys
What's it about: The family finds keys to every door in the city
Why I love it: Everyone has their own different adventure with the keys.

Flaming Moe
What's it about: Moe's Tavern transforms into a gay bar called Mo.
Why I love it: It's the third best gay episode.

Season 23
Holidays of Future Passed
What's it about: In the future, the kids and their future families return to Springfield for Christmas.
Why I love it: This is the best future episode and the best Christmas episode.  Homer is a much better grandfather than he is a father.

A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again
What's it about: The family goes on a cruise.
Why I love it: The cruise devolves into a post-apoc landscape.

Season 24
The Day The Earth Stood Cool
What's it about: Homer becomes a hipster
Why I love it: Homer becomes a hipster

Dark Knight Court
What's it about: Burns becomes a crime fighting super hero
Why I love it: He's Fruitbat Man and Smithers pays Homer to masquerade as a villain so Burns can catch him over and over again.

The Saga of Carl
What's it about: Carl goes home to Iceland
Why I love it: Wait what? Carl is from Iceland?

Season 25
Steal This Episode
What's it about: Homer shows pirated movies in the back yard.
Why I love it: Lots of guest stars and great jokes about piracy.

Brick Like Me
What's it about: Homer has a Lego fantasy dream
Why I love it: A great father daughter story with more than half the episode made from Lego bricks.