Season 5 - Episode 3 This is the only "classic era" episode that we're including on the list, but it's getting the top spot. Why? The episode was ranked 8th on Rolling Stone's "Springfield of Dreams: 150 Best 'Simpsons' Episodes" list from August 2014 (which was horribly unbalanced and ignored most of the last decade almost entirely - but was still a solid effort given it actually listed 150 episodes), but it's nowhere to be found on the IGN Top 25 list from roughly the same time. It's absent from a lot of other "top" lists as well - yet it's really one of the show's classics, and should easily make the top twenty-five. From Homer repeatedly causing meltdowns in equipment with no nuclear material, to constantly trying to pull off zany pranks, to his nerdy college friends unintentionally but obnoxiously sabotaging the viewing of the most important Itchy and Scratchy episode of the Simpsons children's lives, the episode is full of classic moments. "Plug it in! Plug it in!" "The TV! The TV" was actually used in promoting the show on some local television stations for a while, and the episode as a whole has aged better than some of its contemporaries - in fact, while the humour holds up, it comes off like a newer episode. Plus it has the whole "Homer burning his high school diploma" gag. Why is it overlooked? Perhaps because it does feel like a newer episode. Perhaps because it came in a season full of classics, and you can only quote so many. There are not doubt dozens of episodes that are overlooked - add yours below!
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
