The Simpsons has been on for 30 seasons, which means that the series has certainly had its ups and downs when it comes to the quality of its episodes. All in all, most fans will agree that some of the best episodes of the more recent seasons don’t really equate to the series’ earlier years. However, every season still had its own highlights, which must be celebrated.
On this list, we are choosing the funniest, most interesting, and/or most memorable episode of each season. Then, we are ranking each of those best episodes against one another. Read below to find out how the highlight of each season stands against the other seasons!
SEASON 30 - “BABY YOU CAN’T DRIVE MY CAR”
On “Baby You Can’t Drive My Car,” the fifth episode of season 30, we see Homer getting a job at CarGo, which is a self-driving car company that moves to Springfield. During the episode, we see Homer – and Springfield as a whole – hilariously coming to grips with this new company and technological advancement.
SEASON 28 - “THE TOWN”
On season 28, The Simpsons did a parody of Ben Affleck’s second film as a director, 2010’s The Town.
During this “The Town” episode, Bart is found cheering for a football team based in Boston, which happens to be Springfield’s rival team. Consequently, an annoyed Homer takes the family to Boston in an attempt to show to Bart how terrible the city and its people are.
SEASON 24 - “TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XXIII”
Season 24’s “Treehouse of Horror XXIII” was a parody of both Back to the Future. During the episode’s “Unnormal Activity” segment, we see a collection of home videos from the Simpsons household being seemingly haunted. Then, Bart time-travels to 1974 and sees his parents as young people during the “Bart & Homer’s Excellent Adventure” segment.
SEASON 22 - “ANGRY DAD: THE MOVIE”
All the back on season 13, Bart created the character of Angry Dad, which was inspired by Homer, his often-irate father. Many years later, on season 22, The Simpsons aired the “Angry Dad: The Movie” episode, where Bart is able to turn this character into a movie.
It is hard to argue against the fact that “Angry Dad: The Movie” stood out from the other episodes on season 22. Not only was the episode hilarious, but it also felt like a huge payoff for a long-running storyline (Bart’s work on the Angry Dad character) in the series.
SEASON 20 - “SEX, PIES, AND IDIOT SCRAPES”
The St. Patrick’s Day-themed “Sex, Pies, And Idiots Scrapes” episode was certainly the highlight of The Simpsons season 20. In it, Homer and Flanders form a questionable duo of bounty hunters, and Marge finds a job at an erotic bakery.
This episode was not only a critical success, but it was also responsible for one of the show’s highest ratings during that 2008-2009 season.
SEASON 21 - “TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XX”
On “Treehouse of Horror XX,” we first see a Hitchcock-inspired segment where Lisa finds herself in a murder scene. Then, Springfield is overrun by zombies in the next segment. Lastly, the episode closes with a Sweeney Todd parody where Homer’s blood is used to brew beer.
SEASON 16 - “DON’T FEAR THE ROOFER”
The premise of the “Don’t Fear the Roofer” episode is simple: the roof is leaking at the Simpsons household, and Homer meets a roofer (at Knockers) who is voiced by Ray Romano. The twist? Well, it seems like nobody but Homer can actually see that roofer.
This very The Sixth Sense episode on The Simpsons is arguably season 16’s very best. At the end, Marge takes Homer to Dr. Hibbert, who declares him insane for seeing this mysterious roofer.
SEASON 15 - “TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XIV”
Season 15 started out with “Treehouse of Horror XIV,” which actually turned out to be the highlight of that season.
The segments on this The Simpsons Halloween special included Homer becoming the Grim Reaper, Millhouse getting a watch that can stop time itself, and Professor Frink bringing his father back to life. All in all, “Treehouse of Horror XIV” was watched by 16.22 million viewers, making it the most-watched Simpsons episode of that season.
SEASON 17 - “THE SEEMINGLY NEVER-ENDING STORY”
Based on The Neverending Story novel, this “The Seemingly Never-Ending Story” episode saw Homer and his family get stuck in a cage, where Lisa tells Homer a sequence of stories involving herself, Mr. Burns, Edna, and Moe.
There are many different stories in this episode, which is fitting for the title that it received. Season 17, which aired between 2005 and 2006, included a total of 7 holdover episodes that were originally slated to air on season 16.
SEASON 29 - “FLANDERS’ LADDER”
During this “Flanders’ Ladder” season finale, Bart is struck by lightning and then starts receiving visits from ghosts who are seeking closure. In the end, the episode even features a parody of the series finale of HBO’s Six Feet Under. All in all, “Flanders’ Ladder” brought an emotional arc to season 29 and the series as a whole.