The Simpsons: Every Crossover Episode Ranked - From Worst To Best

8. American Idol

Perhaps the most lackluster crossover effort in Simpsons' history (and that includes several cameos), the cast of American Idol appearing on the show in 2010's Judge Me Tender, the season finale of season twenty-one, can best be described in two words: ratings grab. Of course, that's generally true of almost any crossover, but in the case of American Idol's go at it, it was particularly blatant.

How so? Well, American Idol was still - sort of, we suppose - a big deal at the time. Simon Cowell was still enough of a TV villain to come in as the "bad guy." However, the two shows appealed to vastly different audiences, and American Idol is the type of show The Simpsons would generally be a little more critical of. However, being on the same network was something the producers couldn't/wouldn't ignore, and a straight-forward crossover where all the judges showed up on The Simpsons - and Moe became a new judge on the show - was filmed.

While Moe being a mean judge was good for a laugh, and Cowell's ploy to trick him into toning down his criticism (in order to save his own spot) works, the episode overall was just a celebrity filled letdown, more William Hung than Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.