The Simpsons: 15 Most Underrated Golden Age Episodes
4. Mr Lisa Goes To Washington
The Simpsons was initially supposed to be a sitcom that broke down barriers rather than a cavalcade of simple comedy, which it later became shortly after its inception. While that did inevitably take over after the first three seasons, those aforementioned seasons were all incredibly direct. Sometimes they were also mildly satirical, occasionally sentimental, but never too political.
That is until season 3's opener (if your first experience is through DisneyPlus), takes a very visceral jab at seemingly impenetrable US corruption.
Taking on such high-minded addressees as the US government, and focusing on subjects like rhetoric, congressional turmoil and freedom of speech, it wasn't just something that shaped The Simpsons, nor was it something that shaped TV in general. It masterfully shaped one of the defining aspects of the series to come. It was the first time we saw the full characterisation of the titular Lisa, solidifying her as a thoughtful, independent thinking little girl.
Everybody else takes a back seat here and for the first time we actually get to see her personality shine through, and the tenacity of her character is something that has stayed canonical ever since this point.