15 Worst Episodes Of The Simpsons (And What They Represent)

What It Represents: Ratings desperation.

Clown In The Dumps was the tepidly received Season 26 premiere, which probably wouldn’t have gotten such a bad press if not for the utterly desperate (and just straight up dishonest) marketing.

As the premiere, it was given a bit of an extra push. That’s to be expected; even though you can pick up an episodic show like The Simpsons anywhere along the line, season premieres get more press to try and nab viewers right from the start and establish their routines.

We were told initially that a major character was going to be killed off, and naturally fans were curious. Burns was old, but he played a major part in the dynamic. Abe, then? Almost as old and bit more superfluous? Moe, Lenny, Carl, Skinner, one of the Lovejoys or one of the Van Houtens were the early guesses from the fan base.

Then we were told it would be called Clown In The Dumps. Krusty, like Burns, Flanders and the core Simpsons, seemed too crucial to go. Sideshow Mel then? Or would Bob meet this end, once and for all?

Nope. Rabbi Krustofsky, that quote unquote ‘major’ character who’d made just 4 substantial appearances. What a pointless lie.