The Simpsons: 10 Most Important Episodes Ever Made

7. The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show (14.9)

Given the subject matter, it's surprising that an episode like The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show ever wound up being made. That's to say, this classic installment of The Simpsons set out to target television's greatest evil: network interference. The fact that the network actually let this one air, especially since most of the jokes are at their expense, is either a credit to them for taking a joke or shows them up as entirely oblivious. For starters, then, the Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show marked The Simpsons' 167th episode, which made it the longest-running prime time animated TV show, overtaking The Flintstones. But there's even more to this episode, because it also existed as an excuse to poke fun at fans of the show - something that shows do all the time nowadays, but weren't quite as keen to do back in '97. Namely, the writers set out to ridicule the fan obsession with continuity and its nit-picking, deemed to be a side-effect of the new internet age. As a result, The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show started the still on-going conversation about the troubled relationship shared between shows, networks and their audiences.