Ranking All 25 The Simpsons Season Finales

25. Lisa Goes Gaga

Season: 23

Guest starring spots are best when they're short cameos or famous celebrities playing actual characters; when a celebrity actually plays themselves and is involved in a key point in the plot, it seems to go badly. There are some exceptions, as with Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, but outside of a select few, it rarely works.

Case in point: Lady Gaga. Though the obvious meat-dress reference got a chuckle, the episode was painful to watch otherwise. It features the pop star making a stop in Springfield, the most depressed city around, and trying to teach Lisa the meaning of happiness. 

Interestingly enough, many critics praised the show for not just relegating Gaga to a small cameo as they have with so many other celebrities, but in this case, it would have been a better call. Compare this episode to Dustin Hoffman's appearance as Mr. Bergstrom - which imparted a similar message - and it's not even a close fight.