The Simpsons: Every Golden Age Season Ranked

Best offerings: "Cape Feare", "Rosebud", "Homer Loves Flanders".

Now that the rough patches have been endured and the series had not only catapulted to the forefront of television excellence, it had developed an affinity for biting satire. Nowhere is this more prominent than in the show's fifth season.

The season really bears down on celebrity culture and just how scathing the criticism - disguised as jokes - in the most unapologetic way imaginable can truly be. This produced not only some stellar episodes, but timeless moments within them that are still referenced today.

The intense manifestation of parody is the subject of the three of the first four episodes alone, immediately setting a precedent. All being movie parodies, with some ironically more highly rated than the source material that inspired them. Allowing the creators to organically utilise a lot of the side characters in these entries (Sideshow Bob, Mr. Burns etc.) and even background characters that have only just been located by the spotlight. And even one of the writers (Conan) gets a self-insert down the line.

The sense you get from watching the fifth season is that the writers aren't just competent or comfortable - both of which they definitely are - they're indulging in their passion for writing for this show.

If only they would've all stuck around.