The Simpsons: 8 Episodes From The Bad Seasons You Need To Watch
We all know the classics, but have you seen all of Springfield's hidden gems?
The Simpsons isn't as good now. It's something we all know, and yet people still feel the need to bring it up. There have been some Lady Gaga-sized trainwrecks since the Golden Age, including one episode that just seemed to be an advertisement for how great Elon Musk is.
If you love talking about The Simpsons online, you'll know that all too often someone will derail any conversation by moaning about the slump.
But whatever side of the argument you're on, this is the list for you. If you're sick of people moaning about how the quality has declined, point them towards these diamonds in the rough. And if you're one of those grumps who misses the monorail so much, these can show the last five seasons in a better light.
Since Season 30 has only just begun, Seasons 25-29 will be looked at here. They took some risks, as might be expected considering the show's long run. As a result, some episodes felt stale, some flopped, some got lost in the shuffle but some really shone, and these are the pick of the bunch.
8. The Town
The show has done 'Simpsons go to...' episodes for years; Brazil, Japan, even jolly old England with Tony Blair greeting them at the airport. In Season 28 episode The Town, however, they took that idea from macro to micro, as they were shipping off to Boston.
The move was a stroke of genius, freshening up the formula without needing wildly out of character behaviour. After watching Springfield get cheated by the Boston Americans (read: New England Patriots), Homer gets into an argument with guest star Bill Burr. He then decides to take the family on a hate-cation to show them how awful Boston really is. The premise to get them there is a little dumb, but the time spent there is golden.
Marge sees free sunscreen dispensers then asks a mother if she vaccinates her child, being relieved that the answer is yes. She then praises the town for being 'progressive, but not stupid progressive' in a rarely seen culturally relevant gag.
It also makes a point about labels, as Bart is disappointed to find it's not at all the Boston in movies like The Departed or The Town, while Lisa is pleasantly surprised and yearns to stay in their charter school.