To say that The Simpsons has had an eventful year ahead of The Simpsons season 30 premiere would be an understatement. Following the release of comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary The Problem with Apu, show creator Matt Groening and many others at the FOX flagship have done little to assuage critics’ concerns.
Speaking with USA Today in April, Groening dismissed the Apu criticism, saying “I’m proud of what we do on the show” and claiming “people love to pretend they’re offended.” When the New York Times followed up a few months later, however, the creator’s tone had changed somewhat.
“I love the character, and it makes me feel bad that it makes other people feel bad,” he said. “But on the other hand, it’s tainted now — the conversation, there’s no nuance to the conversation now. It seems very, very clunky.”
Whether you agree with the criticisms raised by Kondabolu or Groening’s various responses, one thing is clear: The Simpsons is an important pop cultural milestone that, over 30 years after its earliest iteration first appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show, is still going strong. That’s why, ahead of Sunday’s The Simpsons season 30 premiere featuring guest appearances by Gal Gadot and Emily Deschanel, we’ve collected five of the show’s best episodes ever below.
Celebrating The Simpsons season 30
5. “Flaming Moe’s,” season 3
A good television show will entertain you, but a great one will always provide some sort of moral or teachable moment, even if it’s utterly ridiculous. Such is the case for “Flaming Moe’s,” in which Moe, the titular owner of Homer’s favorite Springfield establishment, steals the ingredients for the “Flaming Homer” from his friend and favorite customer. The result? A goofy foray into the world over overnight celebrity that predates social media by almost two decades. Aerosmith makes a cameo and Homer gets his revenge on Moe by revealing the popular drink’s secret ingredients. Thankfully, the pair makes up in the end.
4. “Rosebud,” season 4
One of the primary reasons The Simpsons has become such an integral part of American pop culture is its uncanny ability to reference (and satirize) just about everything, no matter how popular or minute. Hence “Rosebud,” the series’ own version of Orson Welles’ classic film Citizen Kane. In this version of that story, however, Welles’ Kane is replaced by Mr. Burns, and the sled bearing the episode’s title is actually a stuffed bear named Bobo. “Rosebud” is as funny as it is endearing, but the final Planet of the Apes-esque moments are some of the show’s most surreal ever.
3. “Last Exit to Springfield,” season 4
The Simpsons is rife with quotable lines and memorable visual gags that, especially when it comes to its earliest (and best) seasons, are seared into the brains of everyone who grew up watching the show. This includes the annoyingly hilarious line “dental plan… Lisa needs braces!” In “Last Exit to Springfield,” Homer inadvertently becomes the president for the “International Brotherhood of Jazz Dancers, Pastry Chefs and Nuclear Technicians” union in order to save their dental plan from annihilation by Mr. Burns. Why? Because “Lisa needs braces!”
2. “Cape Feare,” season 5
Riffing off of the Martin Scorsese-directed remake of Cape Fear, “Cape Feare” sees Bart’s nemesis, Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) taunting him while he cons his way out of prison. Once out, Bob does everything in his power to increase Bart’s paranoia and associated delusions, all while plotting to finally kill him for good. The episode culminates in a final stand-off between the two aboard a house boat that Bart has convinced his family to escape to. It also features one of the greatest gags “The Simpsons” has ever produced: a 30-second scene of Bob continuously smashing himself in the face while stepping on rakes.
1. “Marge vs. the Monorail,” season 4
Written by Conan O’Brien, who would later go on to host Late Night, The Tonight Show and Conan, this particular gem from the fourth season stands out for many, many reasons. Firstly, it is one of the funniest Simpsons episodes ever contrived, and its humor is unceasing in its assault on viewers’ eyeballs, ears and brains. When Mr. Burns pays a $3 million fine to Springfield over improperly disposed nuclear waste, the city tries to decide what to do with it. Marge thinks they should repair Main Street, but the slippery conman Lyle Lanley (Phil Hartman) convinces them to buy a faulty monorail instead.
The Simpsons season 30 premieres Sunday, Sept. 29, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
