Top 10 Most Rewatchable Simpsons Episodes

#10: “22 Short Films About Springfield”

Why follow one story when Springfield has dozens waiting around every corner? After Bart wonders whether anything interesting ever happens to the town’s other residents, the episode becomes a rapid-fire collection of interconnected vignettes. Apu briefly abandons the Kwik-E-Mart, and Lisa gets gum stuck in her hair. Meanwhile, Chief Wiggum wanders into a “Pulp Fiction” parody, and Principal Skinner desperately tries to convince Superintendent Chalmers that fast-food hamburgers are a regional delicacy. “Steamed Hams” may have become the episode’s most famous segment, but almost every detour contains a gag worthy of its own spotlight. The short format also makes this exceptionally easy to revisit: if one story isn’t your favourite, another begins seconds later.

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#9: “A Fish Called Selma”

You may remember Troy McClure from such unforgettable episodes as this one. When the fading actor is photographed with Selma, his agent realizes that a public relationship could rehabilitate Troy’s career. Dating soon becomes marriage, although Troy admits that the entire romance is a publicity stunt. The arrangement gives Selma the glamorous life she wants, but it also forces her to decide how much unhappiness she’ll accept to avoid being alone. Phil Hartman makes Troy simultaneously charming and completely shameless, while Jeff Goldblum is perfectly slippery as his agent. Then there’s “Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off,” and the relentlessly catchy “Dr. Zaius.” Every rewatch confirms that Troy McClure deserved the starring treatment.

#8: “You Only Move Twice”

Cypress Creek appears to offer the Simpsons everything Springfield can’t: a beautiful home, modern conveniences, and a rewarding new job for Homer. Unfortunately, Bart is placed in a remedial class, Lisa is allergic to the local environment, and Marge has so little to do that she becomes miserable. Homer, meanwhile, is thriving under Globex Corporation’s unusually supportive owner, Hank Scorpio. He never notices, though, that his friendly new boss is also a maniacal supervillain hell-bent on world domination. Albert Brooks’ energetic, frequently improvised performance makes Scorpio one of the show’s greatest one-off characters. He may be evil, but admit it: he’d probably be the best boss you ever had.

#7: “Cape Feare”

Sideshow Bob’s latest campaign against Bart forces the Simpsons into witness protection, where they’re given the surname Thompson and relocated to a houseboat on Terror Lake. Bob naturally follows them, enduring speed bumps, a cactus patch, an elephant parade, and an almost hypnotically long series of rake-related injuries. The episode loosely parodies both cinematic versions of “Cape Fear,” but its jokes work even if you’ve never seen either film. Kelsey Grammer gives Bob enough theatrical gravitas to make his most ridiculous behaviour even funnier. The story maintains genuine suspense while constantly interrupting it with absurdity. We know exactly when every rake is coming, yet watching Bob step on the next one never loses its appeal.

#6: “Homer At The Bat”

Homer leads the nuclear plant’s softball team to an undefeated season with help from his homemade Wonder Bat. Once Mr. Burns wagers a million dollars on the championship, however, he recruits nine Major League Baseball stars to replace the regular players. That should make victory effortless, but Springfield has other plans. The ringers are gradually eliminated under increasingly bizarre circumstances, and Homer ultimately wins the game by taking a pitch to the head. The episode balances an enormous guest roster without allowing the celebrity appearances to overwhelm the story. Baseball fans can appreciate the deeper references, while everyone else can enjoy the escalating nonsense.

#5: “Treehouse Of Horror V”

Some “Treehouse of Horror” instalments contain one standout story. This one delivers three. “The Shinning” transforms “The Shining” into a perfectly compressed Simpsons parody, with Homer driven mad by the absence of television and beer. “Time and Punishment” gives him a time-travelling toaster and repeatedly rearranges reality whenever he disrupts the past. Finally, “Nightmare Cafeteria” finds Springfield Elementary’s faculty turning troublesome students into lunch. The recurring image of Groundskeeper Willie attempting a rescue before immediately taking an axe in the back links the segments with wonderfully brutal inevitability. There isn’t a weak segment to skip, which makes this the Halloween special that refuses to stay buried.

#4: “Who Shot Mr. Burns?”

“The Simpsons” rarely attempted a full-scale mystery, so naturally it turned one into a two-part television event. After Springfield Elementary discovers oil, Mr. Burns steals the resource and leaves much of the town furious. His increasingly monstrous behaviour culminates in a plan to block out the sun. When Burns is found shot, nearly everyone has a motive. Spoiler alert: the culprit is ultimately revealed to be Maggie, who fired Burns’ own weapon during a struggle over her lollipop. Part One was deliberately filled with clues intended to make the mystery solvable, so repeat viewings turn viewers into detectives searching for everything they missed. Few episodes improve after being spoiled, but this mystery was purpose-built for it.

#3: “Last Exit to Springfield”

When Mr. Burns eliminates the nuclear plant’s dental plan just as Lisa needs braces, Homer somehow becomes president of the workers’ union. Burns assumes he’s facing a brilliant, cunning, and incorruptible negotiator. In reality, Homer is completely clueless and only wants to avoid paying for Lisa’s dental work. That contrast drives an exceptionally sharp piece of workplace satire, culminating in a strike and one of the show’s finest demonstrations of Burns’ inability to understand ordinary people. Yet the plot is only part of the appeal, because every tangent produces another classic moment. It’s clever enough to reward close attention, silly enough to enjoy casually, and dense enough that no single viewing can exhaust it.

#2: “Marge vs. the Monorail”

After Mr. Burns pays Springfield a three-million-dollar fine, the town must decide how to spend it. Marge sensibly recommends repairing Main Street. Then travelling salesman Lyle Lanley performs one catchy song, and Springfield impulsively buys a dangerously defective monorail. Homer becomes its conductor after a deeply questionable training course, while Marge travels to North Haverbrook and discovers the wreckage left by Lanley’s previous scheme. Written by Conan O’Brien, the episode begins as a parody of “The Music Man” before turning into a full disaster movie. You could say that it glides as softly as a cloud.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“And Maggie Makes Three”

“Homer’s Phobia”

“$pringfield (Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying & Love Legalized Gambling)”

“Mr. Plow”

“The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show”

#1: “Homer’s Enemy”

Frank Grimes has struggled for everything he’s achieved. Then he arrives at the nuclear plant and meets Homer Simpson: an irresponsible safety inspector who sleeps at work, eats other people’s lunches, and has somehow enjoyed a life of extraordinary adventures. Grimes reacts as a normal person might, becoming increasingly furious that everyone else accepts Homer’s incompetence. Homer genuinely wants his new co-worker’s approval, but every attempt to win him over only makes the situation worse. Even the lighter subplot, in which Bart buys an abandoned factory for one dollar, reinforces how absurdly easy life can be in this universe. “Homer’s Enemy” is darker and more uncomfortable than the average episode, but that’s precisely what makes it so rewatchable.

Which “Simpsons” episode can you practically recite from memory? Be sure to let us know in the comments… and remember, there’s no shame in answering with the monorail song.