The Simpsons: 8 Episodes From The Bad Seasons You Need To Watch

8. The Town

The show has done 'Simpsons go to...' episodes for years; Brazil, Japan, even jolly old England with Tony Blair greeting them at the airport. In Season 28 episode The Town, however, they took that idea from macro to micro, as they were shipping off to Boston.

The move was a stroke of genius, freshening up the formula without needing wildly out of character behaviour. After watching Springfield get cheated by the Boston Americans (read: New England Patriots), Homer gets into an argument with guest star Bill Burr. He then decides to take the family on a hate-cation to show them how awful Boston really is. The premise to get them there is a little dumb, but the time spent there is golden.

Marge sees free sunscreen dispensers then asks a mother if she vaccinates her child, being relieved that the answer is yes. She then praises the town for being 'progressive, but not stupid progressive' in a rarely seen culturally relevant gag.

It also makes a point about labels, as Bart is disappointed to find it's not at all the Boston in movies like The Departed or The Town, while Lisa is pleasantly surprised and yearns to stay in their charter school.