In that location are lots of animated series that become representative of their generation, only none take achieved the level of relevancy and staying power as The Simpsons. Matt Groening's foundational blithe comedy has gone on to inspire and human activity as the framework for many mod adult animated classics. Information technology's remarkable that The Simpsons has been on for over iii decades and produced more than 700 episodes and that in that location'southward still no stop in sight.

There isn't much of a disagreement over how The Simpsons' earlier seasons contain their best material and that these after years can ofttimes feel like a hollow shell of the biting series' old cocky. However, there are still a number of modern Simpsons episodes that recapture the magic of its golden years.

10 "Holidays Of Hereafter Passed" Is The Perfect Conclusion To Decades Of Laughter

Animation The Simpsons Holidays Of Future Passed

Initially conceived as a possible series finale for The Simpsons, season 23'south "Holidays of Futurity Passed" isn't simply the series' all-time futurity-set episode, but an all-around triumph that hands contends with their gilt years' offerings. The holiday installment jumps forward multiple decades to a betoken where Bart and Lisa are both parents and Maggie is pregnant.

It'due south a surprisingly poignant endeavor where Bart and Lisa speak earnestly on the difficulties of parenting and Homer gets to properly reflect on his family'south legacy. The worst thing virtually it is that now it can't be the actual series finale.

9 "Gone Boy" Digs Deep Into The Emotional Relationship Betwixt Bart & Sideshow Bob

Animation The Simpsons Gone Boy Bart Sideshow Bob Bunker

The Simpsons has a wide list of recurring guest characters, just Kelsey Grammar's Sideshow Bob is easily one of the virtually popular. Sideshow Bob has headlined over a dozen episodes in his many efforts to murder Bart.

The Simpsons has been able to dig deep into Bob's life and season 29's "Gone Boy" doesn't just give a fascinating look into his psychology, but also his relationship with Bart. When Bart disappears and is presumed expressionless, Sideshow Bob leads the charge to detect him and refuses to believe this considering he's the just i that can be responsible for Bart'south demise.

eight "Halloween of Horror" Breaks Tradition & Finds Spooky Success

Animation The Simpsons Halloween of Horror

Ane of the earliest traditions in The Simpsons is the yearly "Treehouse of Horror" anthology installments that punctuate each Halloween season. Information technology takes The Simpsons 27 seasons to finally exercise something different with the spooky holiday and "Halloween of Horror" is a fun modify of pace, but also just a by and large strong episode of the series.

Homer's unintentional negligence sets a agglomeration of Halloween store employees out to get him, which results in a tense home invasion that pits Homer and Lisa together. It'southward an episode that'southward scary, funny, but as well quite sweet.

seven "22 For 30" Experiments With Form & Scores A Slam Dunk

Animation The Simpsons 22 For 30 Bart Basketball

Sometimes the key to the perfect Simpsons episode is a solid framework that the series can hands transpose its characters into. Season 28'southward "22 For thirty" is prepare like a sports documentary that resembles ESPN's 30 For 30 series.

The episode beautifully lampoons the style of the docu-series, but "22 For thirty" is still a triumph even without whatsoever existing basketball or documentary knowledge. The episode's format allows the jokes to hit often and hard. It's merely a lot of fun and proof of life and passion in later seasons.

6 "24 Minutes" Is An Unexpected Real-Time Crossover With Another Trick Hit

Animation The Simpsons 24 Minutes Crossover Split Screen

Television loves a crossover and they're a solid way to bring in new viewers. The success and longevity of The Simpsons has led to crossover with series like The Critic, Futurama, and Family Guy. Still, the strangest instance of this is season 18's "24 Minutes," which is a crossover with Fox's juggernaut action serial, 24.

"24 Minutes" transforms Kiefer Sutherland'due south CTU alter ego, Jack Bauer, into an animated version of himself and tells a busy, tightly plotted episode that plays out in existent time. It's a decent example of the series' attempt to do something more ambitious with construction.

5 "Barthood" Is A Thorough Tribute To The Simpson Son

Animation The Simpsons Barthood Old Bart Homer Beet

Richard Linklater's wildly ambitious Boyhood is one of movie house's bigger risks and often The Simpsons will pay homage to some of the bigger pop culture events to come out of movie and television. Flavor 27's "Barthood" is a directly spoof of Linklater's movie that depicts decades of Bart's life with a surprising level of clarity.

This premise could be reduced to cheap laughs, just "Barthood" focuses on the character dynamics and how Bart's human relationship with the of import people in his family shifts throughout his life. Information technology turns into i of the series' more thoughtful and touching entries.

4 "Woo-Hoo Dunnit?" Is A Vivid Cocky-Aware Look At The Truthful Crime Doc Genre

Animation The Simpsons Woo-Hoo Dunnit Interview Marge Angry

One of the perks of The Simpsons' lengthy life is that information technology's able to explore the many different trends that consume audiences through the years. The public's recent fascination with true crime is nevertheless in swing and "Woo-Hoo Dunnit?" is The Simpsons' try to explore this territory.

Presented as a documentary to figure out which family member is responsible for the theft of Lisa's college fund money, the episode lifts from many of the most pop true-criminal offence docs. "Woo-Hoo Dunnit?" is an extremely funny episode out of season 30 and the truth behind the law-breaking is legitimately satisfying.

3 "Brick Like Me" Has Fun With Lego & Makes It Matter

Animation The Simpsons Brick Like Me Lego Kitchen

The Simpsons has played around with grade on a number of occasions and they're also no strangers to celebrating big episodes in memorable ways. "Brick Similar Me" commemorates 550 episodes of The Simpsons and the season 25 episode has Homer wake up in a very different version of Springfield where he and everything else is fabricated up of Lego.

"Brick Like Me" looks bully and is far from merely a gimmick. In that location's actually a really strong message at the cadre of this entry that'south only weakened past the fact that it steps on the toes of The Lego Movie's themes.

2 "Clown In The Dumps" Is A Somber Father & Son Story

Animation The Simpsons Rabbi Krustofsky Lectures Krusty

The Simpsons often uses Krusty the Clown as its conduit to satirize the entertainment industry and the graphic symbol has retired and reinvented himself many times over the class of the series. Flavor 26'south "Clown in the Dumps" is a much more somber and emotional version of this story where Krusty's father passes away before he ever shows whatsoever kind of approving of his son's career in amusement.

Krusty enters an existential crunch and struggles with never connecting with his begetter in this manner and what that exactly means to him. Information technology'due south a beautiful episode nearly art and acceptance.

1 "Eternal Moonshine Of The Simpson Listen" Is One Of The Prototypical Homer Episodes

Animation The Simpsons Eternal Moonshine Of The Simpson Mind Homer Memories

Homer'southward many faults and sloven nature are baked into his grapheme, but that doesn't mean that he's unrepentant and some of the bestThe Simpsons episodes are when Homer's behavior is put nether scrutiny.

Season xix's "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind" presents Homer with a minor example of amnesia that causes him to dig dorsum into his existence and examine his deportment with his family and how he'southward reached this point in life. Non only is this late Simpsons episode the winner of an Emmy, but it's also one of Al Jean'southward favorites and a fundamental Homer entry.

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