The Simpsons: 11 Best Episodes From Season 11

Here we have a classic “Homer gets a new job doing X” episode. It’s a tried and true formula, and it’s usually successful because it’s hilarious to see Homer’s flight-of-fancy attitude clash with whatever new profession he’s found. In this case, he becomes a food critic for the Springfield Shopper, and initially, his ultra-positive reviews of every restaurant make him popular with the townsfolk.

However, when other critics from the paper encourage him to be more “critical” (i.e. crap on everything), he begins to hurt the businesses of those restaurants. In retaliation, the restaurateurs of Springfield conspire to kill Homer by making him a giant, poison eclair for him to eat.

Ridiculous, yes, but very amusing. Homer always thrives comedically in white-collar/artistic industries such as criticism, and this is no exception. In addition, this episode benefits greatly from a super-underrated performance from guest star Ed Asner. Definitely a must-see.