Poll of the Day > According to IMDb what is your fav of the top 10 Simpsons episodes

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?count=250&series=tt0096697&sort=user_rating,desc

Tough to choose between #1 and #5. Interesting to note that the best thing about those two episodes is an original character.

which one was Treehouse 5?

I went with Cape Feare since like a toddler the infinite rake gag made me die as a kid

Lokarin posted...

which one was Treehouse 5?

The one with The Shining parody.

I went with Marge vs the Monorail, mostly because it was the first one I recognized out of that list.

coyot posted...

I was not allowed to watch simpsons. Family Guy was fine post 9/11. I watched simpsons at others houses under supervision. Maybe one treehouse special live.

I had Simpsons comics and ROMs even a plush toy. I might have gone to theaters to watch the film.

Family guy was fine, but not Simpsons? Family Guy is way more "bad" in the sense for kids.

Which is the name of the episode when Homer is the union leader? Thats my favorite episode

Godshammer666 posted...

Which is the name of the episode when Homer is the union leader? Thats my favorite episode

that's number 11 on the list; Last Exit to Springfield

Lokarin posted...

that's number 11 on the list; Last Exit to Springfield

Thank you!!

Out of those, Cape Feare, but Lemon of Troy is the best episode.

Kind of telling that the entire list is basically episodes that happened prior to 1997.

Three on that list are from Season 8. Which kind of surprises me, because I personally think the rot set in even before that (my personal Jump the Shark moment was Season 7's Treehouse of Horror). But I'll forgive it because one of those is the one with Hank Scorpio, which was great. And because some parts of the X-Files parody still amuse me.

I'd have to vote for Treehouse 5 out of those specific choices though. I think the Treehouse episodes were some of the best from that era, and 5 is probably my favorite of all of them (while I really enjoyed most of the previous ones as well, 5 might be the only one where I loved all three segments).

Suprised that Who Shot Mr. Burns Part One is here. I always considered it a bit of a weak standalone episode held together by the gimmick. The rest of the picks are about what I'd expect even if not what I'd have chosen

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Kind of telling that the entire list is basically episodes that happened prior to 1997.

Three on that list are from Season 8. Which kind of surprises me, because I personally think the rot set in even before that (my personal Jump the Shark moment was Season 7's Treehouse of Horror). But I'll forgive it because one of those is the one with Hank Scorpio, which was great. And because some parts of the X-Files parody still amuse me.

I'd have to vote for Treehouse 5 out of those specific choices though. I think the Treehouse episodes were some of the best from that era, and 5 is probably my favorite of all of them (while I really enjoyed most of the previous ones as well, 5 might be the only one where I loved all three segments).

The first episode on the list made after 1998 is in 44th place with Trilogy of Error (homer loses his thumb)

Next is Trash of the Titans in 64th place (sanitation commissioner)

Then, unexpectedly, Treehouse of Horror 33 in 67th

Also, only ONE Season 1 episode is in the top 500; that being Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
in 110th

GINTegg64 posted...

Suprised that Who Shot Mr. Burns Part One is here. I always considered it a bit of a weak standalone episode held together by the gimmick. The rest of the picks are about what I'd expect even if not what I'd have chosen

Presumably people are rating it that highly not necessarily based on the actual episode but on their memory of how much of a cultural moment it was. It was definitely pretty huge.

Though some people might rate it more highly because there was evidence in the episode that would help you point to the culprit, so it was solvable. Which makes it more interesting in some ways on a rewatch once you know the solution.



Lokarin posted...

Also, only ONE Season 1 episode is in the top 500; that being Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire in 110th

That kind of makes sense. The show was pretty rough in the first season, it took a little while to kind of hit its stride (and if the first season was bad, the Tracy Ullman era shorts were even worse).

That's true of a lot of TV shows. If you pick about any TV show you tend to think about as being fantastic or iconic or a huge pop culture landmark, odds are pretty high the first season was one of the weakest ones (unless the last few seasons really bottom out, which is also pretty common).

It's kind of an old meme that the best seasons of any given show are usually somewhere around 3-5. Because that's after the show has sort of figured out what it wants to be and has gotten good at its own formula, but before the writers have run out of ideas and energy and the show just sort of starts to decay into weak stories and repetitive BS.

As an example, people have drawn a lot of charts like this one over the years:

https://pleated-jeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ddc954857592be9943c878c5d73e9cd9.jpeg



EDIT: And I managed to track this one down, which I remembered from like forever ago:

https://www.cracked.com/article_18696_the-lifespan-every-tv-show-ever-5Bcomic5D.html

Very weird list. However, "You Only Move Twice" is among my favorite episodes, so that. Although when I think of the ten best episodes, even that feels a bit surprising (despite being hilarious)

"Homer's Enemy" was a classic, though. "Marge vs the Monorail" was a good episode but, honestly, it was really just a few skits, a song, etc, that made it memorable. There are so many funnier episodes. "Cape Feare" is a relatively good pick. "Treehouse V" is obviously good.

Kinda surprised "Springfield Files" is so positively viewed. "King Size Homer" is also a bit of a dud. As for "Homer Bad Man"... actually, that had a lot going for it. The tent quote was fucking great and so was the doctored interview.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Three on that list are from Season 8. Which kind of surprises me, because I personally think the rot set in even before that (my personal Jump the Shark moment was Season 7's Treehouse of Horror). But I'll forgive it because one of those is the one with Hank Scorpio, which was great. And because some parts of the X-Files parody still amuse me.

Seasons 7 & 8 (and maybe also 9?) were kind of the show's renaissance, iirc. Offhand, I think the drop-off was around season 11.

I like the area code episode cuz it just opens and drops a fight with a badger

I still hate that I didn't win anything in the Who Shot Mr. Burns contest. I was convinced that it was Maggie, but I didn't actually enter the contest since I was just a kid at the time. Then surprise surprise, I'm right, and NOBODY actually won. That freaking prize would have been mine if I had just entered. I would have been ON the show.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/92853b42.jpg

captpackrat posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/92853b42.jpg

I mean, to be fair, working in a nuclear power plant probably pays pretty well. Even taking into account that Mr. Burns is a miser.

In today's money, he'd probably be making like $100k a year.



Zeus posted...

Seasons 7 & 8 (and maybe also 9?) were kind of the show's renaissance, iirc. Offhand, I think the drop-off was around season 11.

It's obviously an incredibly subjective question. For me, I'd say it definitely wasn't a renaissance, it was the point where the show went from having mostly must-watch episodes every season, to having a few great episodes here and there mostly surrounded by bleh.

It's the same arc that I'd argue South Park went through. There were the early seasons where every episode was generally great, then seasons where most episodes were good but there were a few stinkers, then seasons where most episodes were stinkers but there were still a few hidden gems that would pop up, usually with one or two great episodes in a season, and then finally you get to the point where pretty much everything is mediocre at best and terrible at worst so you just stop watching entirely.

I feel like pretty much every memory I have of The Simpsons today comes from the first 8 seasons or so. If you asked me to think of a line or a scene, I can almost guarantee whatever came out of my head would be from there (and probably from somewhere in season 4-7). And a lot of them would probably be from Treehouse of Horror episodes (which is ironic, because most of them were just Twilight Zone parodies in the first place).

ParanoidObsessive posted...

I mean, to be fair, working in a nuclear power plant probably pays pretty well. Even taking into account that Mr. Burns is a miser.

In today's money, he'd probably be making like $100k a year.

People also forget, Homer has had several successful bands, he would still be collecting royalties from.

people still simping for mulder and scully

Ogurisama posted...

Family guy was fine, but not Simpsons? Family Guy is way more "bad" in the sense for kids.

Back when it premiered The Simpsons were considered to be one of the worst things on TV. Remember, that's Season 1 and 2 of the show, which is incredibly tame. They didn't like how Bart would backtalk or misbehave and that he'd be a negative influence. Due to parents being parents, they would have kept that attitude for a while.

The poll is difficult.. I'm tied at You Only Move Twice and Marge vs the Monorail.

It's funny because out of all of them, Homer's Enemy becomes tainted by the "sequel" in a later season.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/de0ed708.jpg

Homers Enemy is some of the finest ~22 minutes ever to grace TV.

Im always stunned if I hear someone say they dont like it.

Zeus posted...

Very weird list.

?? Theyre all some of the best episodes of the show.

Homer's Enemy

I'm surprised (but not disappointed) that Last Exit to Springfield didn't make the cut.

KJ_StErOiDs posted...

Homer's Enemy

I'm surprised (but not disappointed) that Last Exit to Springfield didn't make the cut.

11th place is pretty dang close

ParanoidObsessive posted...

I mean, to be fair, working in a nuclear power plant probably pays pretty well. Even taking into account that Mr. Burns is a miser.

In today's money, he'd probably be making like $100k a year.

It's obviously an incredibly subjective question. For me, I'd say it definitely wasn't a renaissance, it was the point where the show went from having mostly must-watch episodes every season, to having a few great episodes here and there mostly surrounded by bleh.

It's the same arc that I'd argue South Park went through. There were the early seasons where every episode was generally great, then seasons where most episodes were good but there were a few stinkers, then seasons where most episodes were stinkers but there were still a few hidden gems that would pop up, usually with one or two great episodes in a season, and then finally you get to the point where pretty much everything is mediocre at best and terrible at worst so you just stop watching entirely.

I feel like pretty much every memory I have of The Simpsons today comes from the first 8 seasons or so. If you asked me to think of a line or a scene, I can almost guarantee whatever came out of my head would be from there (and probably from somewhere in season 4-7). And a lot of them would probably be from Treehouse of Horror episodes (which is ironic, because most of them were just Twilight Zone parodies in the first place).

Strong disagree on South Park. I feel like it didn't really start to get good until around season 6, and pretty much every season since then has been pretty great.

Offhand Simpsons sweet spot is probably 3-7ish maybe.

"Treehouse of Horror V".

keyblader1985 posted...

I still hate that I didn't win anything in the Who Shot Mr. Burns contest. I was convinced that it was Maggie, but I didn't actually enter the contest since I was just a kid at the time. Then surprise surprise, I'm right, and NOBODY actually won. That freaking prize would have been mine if I had just entered. I would have been ON the show.

The reason nobody won was because of how they handled the drawing. There were likely winning candidates, but they just pulled one batch of entries, couldn't find a winner among them, and picked at random.

rexcrk posted...

?? Theyre all some of the best episodes of the show.

Well, if you use "some of" subjectively and open the floor with the meaning of "best."

ultra_magnus13 posted...

Offhand Simpsons sweet spot is probably 3-7ish maybe.

The first two seasons could definitely be rough at times.

Every season even among the classic era has at least one or two episodes I usually skip. I think Season 6 is the overall best but Season 8 is more consistent which I really appreciate when rewatching the dvds

ultra_magnus13 posted...

Strong disagree on South Park. I feel like it didn't really start to get good until around season 6, and pretty much every season since then has been pretty great.

The first season was rough but great. It definitely got better over time, but I would absolutely say that it started bottoming out somewhere around 2005, give or take a few years.

Some of my favorite episodes ever came from later seasons (like "Good Times with Weapons" in Season 8 or "Make Love, Not Warcraft" in Season 10), but they were far, far better than anything around them at the time - they were the exception, not the rule. South Park absolutely started having weak episodes as early as Season 3, and the number of weak episodes compared to the number of good or great episodes in any given season has absolutely gotten worse over time.

The show is pretty much unwatchable for me at this point, and has been for a long time (probably close to a decade, if I really sat down and tried to figure out the exact point where I just gave up). It's part of why I enjoyed Stick of Truth far more than The Fractured But Whole, because the first game was mainly referencing tons of stuff I'd enjoyed and remembered, whereas the second game was dipping more into the newer stuff I didn't really care about as much.

The Simpsons has basically been a zombie show for 30 years, but South Park's been there for about 20. MAYBE, if I was being incredibly generous, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and say they've only been a zombie show for about 10-15 years instead.

Family Guy's in the same boat. I'm not sure exactly where I'd draw the line for them, but I do know I really enjoyed their original seasons and a few of the ones after they came back from cancellation, but there definitely came a time when the quality dropped off and it felt like "Why am I still watching this?"

Honestly, stepping back and looking at it, and with a bit of fudging, I'd say that you could easily say that all three of the major animated shows seem to start dropping off around Season 10 (give or take a season or two). Which kind of makes sense - if most live-action sitcoms and shows tend to peak around Season 5, an animated show which can stretch its concept further and get away with more because of the animation can squeeze a little more life out of itself, but eventually the writers run out of ideas and the show becomes stale and formulaic no matter what you do.

I respect modern South Park more than I actually want to watch it. The gallows humor is quite frankly too much for me to enjoy casually like I do other shows mentioned. I prefer the less topical more absurdist approach of the early seasons even if not all of it has aged well. That being said I have seen some of the more positively reviewed modern episodes and found them enjoyable on their own merit.

Homer's Enemy
- Frank Grimes /Bart buys a warehouse S8

Cape Feare
- Sideshow Bob / Rakes S5 (wow, thought it was much later)

Treehouse of Horror V
- The Shining/Homer time travels/Students become food S6

Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One
- Part 1 of 2 S6

You Only Move Twice
- Family moves/Homer works for Hank Scorpio S8

Marge vs. the Monorail
- Springfield Monorail S4

The Springfield Files
- X-Files crossover S8

Homer Badman
- Gummi Venus sexual harassment S6

Homer the Great
- Stonecuttters society S6

King Size Homer
- Homer reaches 300lb to claim disability and work from home S7

Season 6 - 4, Season 8 - 3, Season 5 - 1, Season 7 - 1, Season 4 - 1

The consensus on the series is that it went downhill after Who Shot Mr.Burns, but there are some bangers in Season 8