The Simpsons: 10 Golden Age Episodes That Foreshadowed Its Decline

Now we’re into the ones that are more indicative of the holes beginning to appear in The Simpsons’ veneer. Burns, Baby Burns stars Rodney Dangerfield as Larry Burns, C. Montgomery’s long lost son.

A sitcom staple himself, Dangerfield plays a good part, although he and a few others in Season 8 perhaps set the precedent of disposable episodes built around one off stars. In the weaker years, the decline in writing quality can’t sustain constant guests the way Season 8 juggles Larry, Hank Scorpio, Shary Bobbins and Frank Grimes.

That’s not the sole reason Burns, Baby Burns is here though. Many shows pad their lineups with guest stars, and this is an example of it being used well. This episode foreshadows the decline because of the truly terrible ending. For one, the phony kidnapping is one of the early glimmers at the whacky steps Homer will begin to take for no apparent reason.

But more insulting is the party Springfield has at the end. Just because, really. Because they couldn’t write an ending, so why bother? They do something similarly cheap at the end of The Great Money Caper and Das Bus too. Boo! Not boo-urns, just boo!