The Simpsons: 8 Reasons Why Season 8 Was The Show's Best 

The Simpsons is one of if not the greatest show ever to grace our TV screens. Its influence on other cartoons, and the success of animation in general, is immeasurable. And while Season 29 saw it break Gunsmoke’s record for the longest running TV show of all time, it’s commonly recognised that the show is not what it once was.

In a way, that’s to be expected. Those 29, now 30, seasons have seen showrunners and writing teams change multiple times. Several influential writers, like Conan O’Brien, have moved on.

Back between seasons 3-9 though, The Simpsons was at its peak. Those wonder years were a golden age for series, and while all of those seasons were great, there are a lot of arguments to suggest Season 8 was the best of the lot. Everyone has their individual favourite episodes smattered around these most beloved seasons, so this list is not just about listing eight great episodes. Instead, it charts the many reasons Season 8 is the funniest, most iconic and most influential season the show’s ever put out.

GLAAD stands for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and are one of the most influential LGBT+ organisations in the world. In 1998, they added a new category to their yearly Media awards; Outstanding Individual Episode. The Simpsons took home the trophy in that inaugural year for Homer’s Phobia, and are still the only animated show to win. The same episode grabbed the Emmy that year too.

Homer’s Phobia featured the excellent John Walters as Homer’s gay friend John, and was massively ahead of its time. Homer likes John initially but is horrified to find out he’s homosexual, and that he “danced with a gay!”. Homer’s complaint that John should at least tell people he’s gay instead of sneaking around is brilliantly undercut by John’s car horn playing ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’.

It’s funny too; not preachy like the time Elon Musk showed up to talk about renewable energy. The plot is well paced with each character getting their chance to shine. There are gay jokes but they’re incredibly good natured, funny because of clever writing and not punching down on easy targets. Bart’s line about hunting seeming ‘kinda gay’ cuts through the treacle magnificently too.