Ranking All 25 The Simpsons Season Finales
21. Some Enchanted Evening
Season: 1
Given that this was the first ever finale, why, is it so low on the list, given it came in the season the laid the groundwork for decades worth of episodes to come?
Well, Some Enchanted Evening is really just another early Simpsons episode, and not exactly befitting of the season finale moniker, because it was never intended to be one. The episode was actually the first produced, and was intended to be the series full-length premiere.
Unfortunately, it was pulled for additional work when it screened. Producer James L. Brooks actually engaged in a fiery beef with Klasky-Csupo Animation Studio's Gabor Csupo, who claimed the animation was fine, and poor writing was the issue.
The main issue? The animation did not follow real-world logic, and was instead too cartoonish (rubbery characters and objects, for example). The producers convinced FOX to postpone the show's debut and run with Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire, which, being a Christmas episode, meant debuting over the holidays.
The animation was eventually fixed, the Christmas special became the debut, and the rest, of course, is history - but this season finale is still generally forgotten.