Ranking All 25 The Simpsons Season Finales

Season: 21

While bringing over the American Idol cast is a bit obvious given the two share a network, it just came off as a tacky ratings grab, and not at all what a season finale should be. Idol had already lost a lot of its shine at that point, and while everyone was talking about Simon Cowell showing up on the Simpsons, in the end, it was pretty much a let down. 

The plot focused on Moe joining the American Idol judging panel thanks to his unmatched ability to be offensively funny in judging others, which initially comes up during a dog show early in the episode. However, once on the Idol judge's panel, Cowell confesses to Moe that he regrets being the mean judge, as it has left him friendless and alone. 

This soon turns out to be a trick, however, as it's simply Cowell serving his best interest and trying to do away with potential competition.

While making Moe the focus of another season finale (he also anchored season fourteen's Moe Baby Blues) was an inspired choice, unless you're an American Idol fan, the only highlight of this episode is Moe's brutal commentary early on at the dog show.