The Simpsons: 10 Most Heartfelt Episodes

10. Lisa’s Substitute – Season 2, Episode 19

When Lisa’s teacher Miss Hoover takes medical leave, substitute teacher Mr. Bergstrom takes over the class and inspires Lisa with his creative teaching methods, causing her to form a strong admiration for a positive adult role model.

Duston Hoffman guest stars as Mr. Bergstrom and brings a wonderful playfulness and grounded believability to the role, with even a cheeky reference to his big break in The Graduate snuck in.

This episode is great for not only exploring Lisa’s character, but also her complex relationship with her father, Homer. Lisa feels she lacks a strong male role model in her unintellectual father and it is sad to see how Homer begins to realise this throughout the episode.

The best scene takes place on a train station platform, where the departing Mr. Bergstrom reassures Lisa that whenever she feels alone, all she needs to know is in the contents of a note: “You are Lisa Simpson”. Homer and Lisa also finally share an endearing heart to heart after Lisa takes her grief out on him.