I think just about everything has been said about The Simpsons. It's both funny and satirical, while still keeping that underlining sweetness that keeps the show grounded. Its influence on pop culture has been huge and the that the show has had over my generation is probably undeterminable. Just ask any Gen Xer what their favorite all time show is and 9 times out of 10 it will be The Simpsons. I don't think I could add too much about the quality of the TV show that hasn’t already been said. So, after reading a few others, I decided to compile my list of the Top 10 episodes...

10)$pringfield (Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Legalized Gambling)-The title itself is a hilarious parody of Dr. Strangelove. You know that if Springfield legalizes gambling, that havoc is sure to ensue. Sure enough, Mr. Burns evolves into a Howard Hughes type character, Marge develops a gambling problem and Bart manages to run his own casino. There is plenty of funny stuff and has a gambler much of it hits close to home. One of Homer's many life long goals also appears, "to be a blackjack dealer." Of course, he's not very good at it.

9)Duffless-Homer gives up alcohol. NOOOOOOOO! This episode is a classic in my book as well. Homer agrees to give up beer after a run in with the law after a Duff Brewery visit. Marge does point out that Homer drinks quite a bit and the episode has the great exchange between Marge and Homer and the signs that one may be an alcoholic. "Do you ever hide beer around the house? Do I ever!" The last scene is a touching ode to "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid."

8)Kamp Krusty-The Simpson kids go to Kamp Krusty and all hell breaks loose. Who would have guessed it? The children must live in substandard conditions and are forced to make wallets for export. Soon the kids begin to rise up. Sure enough, Bart takes over Kamp Krusty and renames it Camp Bart, instead of the proposed Camp Freedom. As Bart points out, “It has more zing.” Soon Krusty is notified about all of the issues and decides to take the kids head to the happiest place on earth, Tijuana.

7)Burns Verkaufen Der Kraftwerk-This is the episode when Mr. Burns sells the power plant to a German group of investors. They, of course, still have enough money left to buy the Cleveland Browns after the transaction is complete. Sadly, Homer doesn’t mesh well with the new owners and is the only employee to get fired. Along the way though, he visits the "Land Of Chocolate" which offers some of the funniest visuals in the history of the show. This is just a really funny episode from start to finish.

6)Cape Feare-I love all of the Sideshow Bob episodes, but this one is the best and easily my favorite. The scene when the family is forced into witness relocation and Homer doesn't realize he is going to have a new name and fails to respond to the special agent is so funny. Be sure to make a special note of Homer’s outfit (Witness Relocation Program shirt and hat) after the family arrives at their new houseboat. My limited knowledge of musicals comes from this episode as well.

5)Homer Goes To College-Who would have guessed that someone as smart as Homer didn’t graduate college? Well, he was a jock and he surely wouldn’t want to turn into his mortal enemy, the nerd. Just the idea of Homer returning to college makes me laugh. Luckily the episode managed to exceed my lofty expectations. There is great stuff with the dean and the three nerds. If only Homer and Sir Oinksalot hadn’t split that case of malt liquor, he might have made it.

4)Homer At The Bat-This probably isn't the funniest episode, but it's so cool how they got all of those famous baseball players together for a really classic episode. At the time, all of the players were huge stars and it was quite a coup by the producers. I think the funniest thing is that Darryl Strawberry (who was my favorite player at the time) plays the kissass and now he's turned into the biggest screw up of them all. Granted, this wasn’t the original intent of the show, but it sure ended up that way. There are plenty of great moments from Mr. Burns to keep you laughing throughout the episode.

3)Last Exit To Springfield-The nuclear power plant has lost its union representative and everyone hopes that he turns up alive, HA! So, the only possible replacement is Homer. Homer takes on Mr. Burns in negotiations to help end the power plant strike. Mr. Burns thinks Homer is a hard nosed negotiator and they battle to the end. Amazingly, the simple-minded Homer manages to outwit the evil Mr. Burns. Sure, Homer may have drunk too much beer and coffee and watermelon, but he still came out ahead. This episode has one of the best extended jokes in the series…"So long dental plan, Lisa needs braces..."

2)Last Temptation Of Homer-Michelle Pfeiffer guest stars as Mindy Simmons. She's the new attractive nuclear power plant employee that loves donuts, taking naps and drinking beer, just like Homer. He instantly develops a crush on her and does everything he can to avoid her. After successfully doing so, he accidentally runs into her in the elevator and sexual innuendo chaos results in a hilarious scene. Everything that takes place and the convention is pure comic gold as well. There’s nothing better than hearing Homer say, “The only thing I’m going to use this bed for is eating, sleeping and maybe building a little fort.”

1)Marge vs. The Monorail-This, to me, is the perfect Simpsons episode. There are so many funny scenes and jokes that it’s impossible to do the episode justice. Just, the way Lisa figures out Lyle Lanley’s plan and then he uses her intelligence to fool her is just great. Lanley’s monorail song is so funny and its influence on the town of Springfield is typical for the town. The opening song of Homer's that parodies The Flintstones is also great. My all time favorite quote from the television show comes from this episode as well, "Donuts, is there anything they can't do?"

Sure, your favorite episodes of The Simpsons may be different and there are about five or six that could easily find their way onto my list. However, I chose to stick with the top ten so I stand by my decisions. Even if you don’t agree with all my choices, I would be willing to wager that many of your favorites are going to be on this list as well. Well, thanks for checking out my thoughts on my favorite television show and remember what Homer says, “When it comes to sporting events, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how drunk you get.”


Recommended: Yes