As one of the longest-running shows, The Simpsons has had hundreds of episodes, and new ones are still airing. It's a challenge to pick the favorites. Depending on personal taste, everybody can enjoy different episodes. Nevertheless, there are those that are simply better than others. Or at least have better ratings.An important thing to do for any show is to draw the audience in. That's why the first episode of each season should be of high quality. The audience needs a reason to keep watching. The Simpsons have done the best first episodes in its initial seasons, corresponding with the opinions of some fans who believe the show is no longer as great as it used to be.Updated November 15, 2021, by Kat Leroy: The show has premiered its 33rd season in September 2021, proving once again that it's here to stay. The season is currently airing on TV and should have 22 episodes in total. The 34th season is then planned for the next year. The current season started with an episode titled The Star of the Backstage but the episode got a very low rating on IMDb – only 4.4 out of 10 at the moment. So far it seems that the highest ratings of the first episodes of each season will therefore continue to belong to older episodes and the new season won't change this trend.
15 Season 16: Treehouse Of Horror XV - 7.4
In The Simpsons' Halloween specials, the characters don't do so well. In this entry, Ned Flanders can predict the future this time, more specifically, when people will die, Maggie is shrunk inside a vitamin capsule and her family tries to save her, and in the final crime story, Eliza Simpsons pursues a dangerous murderer.
All horror fans will be happy that the episode pays homage to famous works, such as Stephen King's The Dead Zone. Its clever ideas and plots make sure the episode will keep the audience invested from the start to the finish.
14 Season 18: The Mook, The Chef, The Wife, And Her Homer - 7.5
Homer has done his fair share of jobs during the show's run but most of the time, his attempts to leave the nuclear plant behind and start somewhere else don't pan out. This story is no exception. Homer takes over Fat Tony's business temporarily and brings Bart along as well. While Homer means well, he only makes things worse.
The episode has a deeper undertone to it since it suggests people shouldn't judge others because of what their parents are doing. One of the main characters in this episode is Fat Tony's son Michael whom Lisa befriends but most people fear. Unfortunately, the episode closely mirrors the movie Godfather, and in the end, Michael becomes just like his father, if not worse.
13 Season 15: Treehouse Of Horror XIV - 7.6
The average ratings of the Treehouse of Horror episodes prove that the horror genre is far from dead! The episode offers three original stories. Homer gets an unexpected job as a grim reaper but what will he do when he needs to kill someone close to him? When professor Frink revives his father, things don't go according to plan. And finally, Bart and Milhouse decide it's a good idea to use a time-stopping stopwatch on the world.
The episode draws inspiration from classic horror stories but its own spin on the topics attributed to its success.
12 Season 10: Lard Of The Dance - 7.6
Being a kid in a school full of more popular kids is tough. Lisa feels jealous of a new beautiful and worldly classmate Alex Whitney. She decides to organize a school dance, but it won't be a spoiler to reveal that things don't go the way Lisa's planning.
At the same time, Homer and Bart attempt to kickstart their grease business, even if it means Bart will never go to school again. The two storylines connect in the end and form a hilarious finale of an overall funny episode.
11 Season 14: Treehouse Of Horror XIII - 7.7
Some of the best episodes of the show have the power to scare the audience. Once again, this Halloween special introduces three short stories. In the first one, Homes makes a clone of himself thanks to a magical hammock. The second story sees Springfield fight zombie cowboys after they had gotten rid of all their weapons.
And in the final story, the Simpsons go on a mysterious island where animal-human hybrids live. The audience appreciated the fact that neither of these stories has a traditional happy ending and it helped that the episode also used popular horror creatures, such as zombies.
10 Season 12: Treehouse Of Horror XI - 7.7
Another scary episode that scored with the audience features three different stories. In the first one, Homer is trying to do a good deed to get into Heaven. In the second one, Bart and Lisa face a witch in a gingerbread house. And the third story has extremely intelligent dolphins attack humans after everything they've been through.
The episode both manages to draw inspiration from classical fairytales (the second story) as well as be unexpectedly brutal and bloody (third story), making it a good Halloween watch.
9 Season 1: Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire - 8.2
Every show has to start somewhere, and The Simpsons started with a bang! The episode takes place during Christmas. The problem is that Homer has no money to buy gifts for his family as a result of paying for Bart's tattoo removal.
Homer's despair is palpable in the episode which makes him sympathetic, unlike in some other episodes. Luckily, things work out in the end, and the Simpson family gets a new member. The animation isn't as good as in later episodes, but it's easy to ultimately get over it.
8 Season 2: Bart Gets An F - 8.3
Studying is hard, but it doesn't help when people don't take their studies seriously. When Bart learns from his teacher, Edna Krabappel, that he might fail the fourth grade, he does his best to make it, but it might not be enough. Bart may not be a saint. In fact, he actually causes a lot of problems.
Despite that, in this episode, the audience will be cheering for him to make it in the end, finding common ground if they struggled with something in their lives as well. As a result, the viewers are emotionally invested in the episode which makes it compelling to watch.
7 Season 4: Kamp Krusty - 8.5
As the old saying goes, people should never meet their heroes. Lisa and Bart learn the hard way that Krusty the Clown isn't as amazing as they have believed. They go to Kamp Krusty, but they discover it's absolutely awful, and Krusty, himself, is nowhere in sight.
Meanwhile, Marge and Homer are experiencing unusual calm and happiness, especially Homer. He loses weight and his hair grows back. Taking care of kids is never easy and this episode reflects it in a funny way.
6 Season 8: Treehouse Of Horror VII - 8.5
The Simpsons' tradition to air scary Halloween episodes makes it different from most current shows. As usual, this episode contains three shorter stories. In the first, Bart discovers he has a Siamese twin, but which one of them is good and which one is evil? In the second story, Lisa accidentally creates a new civilization and becomes God, but things don't go well.
The final story sees aliens, Kang and Kodos, making a plan to conquer planet Earth. Since the stories are short, even if the viewers don't like one story, they don't have to wait long for another one to start.
5 Season 5: Homer's Barbershop Quartet - 8.6
The show mostly focuses on present times, so it's always a nice surprise when it brings the audience into the future or into the past. After all, a great many things happened before Marge and Homer had their family.
In this episode, Homer forms a quartet with Barney, principal Skinner, and Apu. They publish a record, but as it happens, they part ways in the end. Their music is catchy, nonetheless, and music fans will have a strong chance to enjoy the episode.
4 Season 3: Stark Raving Dad - 8.6
The Simpsons isn't a musical TV show, but they do sometimes have episodes for which music is more important. This is one of them. Homer ends up in a mental hospital, but it's all a big misunderstanding. He meets his new roommate who acts and sings like Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson voiced the role of Homer's new friend, Leon, and he sang a brand new song on the show. It's one of the more emotional episodes of The Simpsons but contains funny moments as well.
3 Season 6: Bart Of Darkness - 8.7
Inspired by the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie Rear Window (1954), this episode is full of tension. After Bart breaks his leg, he's spending summer in his room. Since he's bored, he spies on his neighbors with his telescope.
When he believes Ned Flanders has murdered his wife, Bart and Lisa work together to learn the truth. It's possible to be afraid for the characters, especially once they investigate Flander's house. As far as nods to classic movies go, this is one of the best.
2 Season 7: Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two - 9.0
The mystery of who shot Mr. Burns drew the audience to the screen as moths fly to a flame. The seventh season couldn't have started in a better fashion, as it finally provided the answer to that question. Many people would never have guessed who the real culprit was.
The truth is that many people hated Mr. Burns and had plenty of reason to hurt him. In the end, the episode closes off with a clever moment that suggests things might be different than everybody in Springfield thinks.
1 Season 9: The City Of New York Vs. Homer Simpson - 9.1
Homer can cause a lot of trouble in Springfield, let alone in other cities. When he learns his car is parked near World Trade Center Plaza, he has to get the car away. Unfortunately, things don't go according to plan as Homer encounters a lot of problems along the way. Meanwhile, Marge and the kids are enjoying their trip to New York.
The episode offers a lot of jokes, and Homer's despair at his situation is very amusing. That becomes even more of the case once viewers compare it to the experiences of the rest of his family.