The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (2024)

Having recently released its 35th season, The Simpsons continues to prove that it isn’t just the greatest animated series of all time — it’s a pop culture encyclopedia that has changed the way that audiences view television, animation, comedy, and what a “long-running” show actually looks like. The Simpsons has broken so many cultural barriers throughout its run that it would be almost impossible to name them all and has given perhaps one of the most satirical and humorous takes on American life in media.

While the early episodes are considered to be the show’s peak, there have been many strong recent installments as well. Some of the most memorable segments and moments in the show include the yearly Treehouse of Horror, which is an iconic tradition that incorporates horror elements into the show, as well as its opening couch gags. Ranking the best seasons of The Simpsons is an overwhelming task, but there are just some seasons of the show that stand out due to its writing, humor, and heartfelt arcs.

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (1)
The Simpsons

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Release Date
December 17, 1989
Cast
Dan Castellaneta , Julie Kavner , Nancy Cartwright , Yeardley Smith , Hank Azaria , Harry Shearer

Seasons
36

Main Genre
Comedy

Studio
Fox

15 Season 25

No. of Episodes: 22

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (6)

Celebrity cameos have always been a core part of The Simpsons, and later seasons managed to overuse the trend to the point that it was used as a crutch. However, The Simpsons succeeded in Season 25 by featuring creative storylines involving its guest cast. Adding Judd Apatow as a morally dubious film producer, Daniel Radcliffe as Lisa’s enigmatic new friend, Kevin Michael Richardson as one of Krusty’s rivals, and Anderson Cooper as a fictionalized version of himself felt like the sort of boundary-pushing comedy that The Simpsons was always capable of.

Season 25 also saw The Simpsons experimenting with new gimmicks, many of which actually paid off in showing audiences something completely new. “Brick Like Me,” which introduced LEGO-style animation that was similar to the recent hit animated Lego films from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, was one of its most risks that paid off in a significant way. – Liam Gaughan

14 Season 18

No. of Episodes: 22

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (7)

Season 18 featured The Simpsons airing its 400th episode, but the solid run of episodes indicated that the show still had a bright future ahead of it. Unlike other animated comedies aimed at adults, The Simpsons was content to push the boundaries of animation moving forward by including references to ongoing events in popular culture.

This season featured “The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer,” an episode dedicated to The Sopranos and Goodfellas that featured cameos by Michael Imperioli, Joe Pantoliano, and Joe Mantegna; Kiefer Sutherland even popped up as Jack Bauer in the episode “24 minutes,” and extended parody of 24. Nonetheless, the season also included many classically heartfelt The Simpsons that felt like a throwback to earlier installments. “Stop Or My Dog Will Shoot!” focused on Bart’s affection for Santa’s Little Helper, bringing the storyline set up in the show’s pilot full circle. – Liam Gaughan

13 Season 13

No. of Episodes: 22

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (8)

After the disappointing decline in Seasons 12 and 13, The Simpsons returned with a vengeance in its thirteenth installment. While the show had indicated that it was losing sight of what made it great in the first place, season 13 succeeded by helping to flesh out some of the most prominent supporting characters.

Mr. Burns was never more evil than he was in “She of Little Faith,” in which he offers to purchase the failing Springfield church and turn it into a for-profit business. Similarly, Grandpa Simpson has an unexpected love story in “The Old Man and the Key,” a rare moment where he isn’t completely taken for granted by Homer. The relationship between Homer and Bart becomes far more emotional in Season 13, as when they are not constantly at each other's throats, the pair seems to genuinely enjoy spending time with each other. – Liam Gaughan

12 Season 14

No. of Episodes: 22

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (9)

Although it was always nice to see the series give its side characters a chance to temporarily steal the spotlight, Season 14 of The Simpsons put a greater emphasis on the perils that Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie faced as a family unit. Between escaping from Sideshow Bob in “The Great Louse Detective,” dealing with educational reform in “Bar & Lisa vs. Third Grade,” and going to rock camp in “How I Spend My Summer Vacation,” the Simpson family goes on a series of wildly wacky adventures that only make them feel closer together.

Although it's arguably one of the more heartwarming seasons, Season 14 of The Simpsons contains just enough edgy humor to ensure that it doesn’t get too saccharine. The episode “Helter Skelter,” which featured the family trying to avoid dangerous termite infestations, was surprisingly scary, briefly turning The Simpsons into a straightforward psychological thriller. – Liam Gaughan

11 Season 15

No. of Episodes: 22

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (10)

The Simpsons became such a dominant force in popular culture that its only option moving forward was to lampoon other shows. While later seasons would be criticized for introducing guests like Lady Gaga and Elon Musk who only appeared as semi-fictionalized versions of themselves, The Simpsons was able to find creative ways to introduce its celebrities in the fifteenth season.

An extended episode of the Simpsons clan wreaking havoc in London included a series of cameos from Tony Blair, Sir Ian McKellen, J.K. Rowling, and Jane Leeves. Season 15 of The Simpsons also succeeded by putting an emphasis on Homer and Marges’ romantic relationship. “The Way We Weren’t” served as a great flashback episode that tied together moments from early on in their relationship to great effect, showing just how much the two characters had changed over the course of the series. – Liam Gaughan

10 Season 22

No. of Episodes: 22

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (11)

The Simpsons is largely believed to have declined in quality over time, even though fans of the series seem to disagree on when exactly the “Golden Age” was. It’s evident that Season 11 marked a serious creative downhill point that took the series a long time to recover from, but some of the more recent seasons have shown signs of life that harken back to the first few seasons.

Season 22 showed an ambition that the series had not had in a while thanks to experimental episodes like the music-heavy “Elementary School Musical.” It also has its tender moments such as in The Simpsons episode "Homer is the Father," where Homer finds out that he has a daughter after a one-night stand and does his best to make up for lost time. The season has not achieved the same cult status as some of the seasons in The Simpsons, but it has its fair share of magical moments that make it a must-watch season.

9 Season 1

No. of Episodes: 13

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (12)

The first seasons of comedy shows often don’t always take off and establish themselves as future classics. Shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation didn’t quite find the right tone that they would ultimately settle on, but the first season of The Simpsons firmly established why the series was so special.

The Simpsons resembled the traditional sitcoms of the 1980s, but its unique animation style served as a parody of small-town life and suburban America. Most importantly, the show wasn’t afraid to be sincere, as was evident in the debut episode “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire.” The season also had plenty of incredible episodes including "Krusty Gets Busted," where Krusty the Clown gets framed for a crime, and "Life on the Fast Lane," where Marge thinks about having an affair. The first season is rough around the edges but it certainly has set the tone for the rest of the show's history.

8 Season 10

No. of Episodes: 23

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (13)

Season 10 is perhaps the last truly great season of the show — while Season 9 showed some signs of problems emerging with the controversial episode “The Principal and the Pauper,” which rewrote the backstory of Principal Skinner, Season 10 still retained the same quality as the earlier seasons.

There also was the episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo," where the family takes a cultural trip to Japan, resulting in a funny depiction of an American family learning about a new culture. Although it ended with the controversial episode “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo,” Season 10 featured one of the show’s all-time greatest guest appearances when Mark Hamill appeared as himself (as well as a bodyguard instructor) in the hilarious episode “Mayored to the Mob.”

7 Season 2

No. of Episodes: 22

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (14)

Season 2 was where The Simpsons sharpened up its animation style and let the writers truly run wild with their ideas. Still, the show retained its sense of hopefulness by showing the genuine love within the family. “Bart vs. Thanksgiving” is a great example, as after accidentally destroying one of Lisa’s creations, Bart realizes that he needs to remind his sister of his affection.

The show definitely started to find its groove in the second season, as its episodes feature the family's tenderness and humor. Season 2 also made a breakthrough with the first flashback episode in “The Way We Was,” the show went back in time to show Homer and Marge's first date and establish why they’ve been an enduring couple for 30 years. Another classic episode from the season is "Lisa's Substitute," where Lisa begins to develop feelings for her substitute teacher, Mr. Bergstrom.

6 Season 3

No. of Episodes: 24

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (15)

Season 3 is the only season of The Simpsons that was censored when the entire catalog was added to Disney+. The series premiere episode, “Stark Raving Dad,” featured an extended guest appearance from Michael Jackson, which the creators chose to remove due to the sexual abuse allegations that have been leveled at the pop star.

Nonetheless, the rest of the season is filled with classics, including the one successful moment in Moe’s career in “Flaming Moe’s” where the lonely bartender temporarily has a solid business going. Sadly, it doesn’t last too long. There's also a fan-favorite episode titled "Homer at the Bat," where Homer plays in a softball team and helps them win the championship game. Because of the many guest appearances of several Major League Baseball players, as well as its touching story on teamwork, the episode was well-loved by fans.

5 Season 6

No. of Episodes: 25

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (16)

Season 6 provided The Simpsons with another game-changing moment in its finale “Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One.” It was a parody of the drama series Dallas, which had ended one of its pivotal seasons with a cliffhanger episode where a character was shot. In The Simpsons' version, Springfield is sent into a crisis when Mr. Burns is shot, and all of the residents become suspects in an interlocking narrative.

The catch is that the show wouldn’t resolve the crisis until the premiere of the next season. Another standout episode in the season is "Homer Badman," where Homer is mistakenly accused of sexually harassing a babysitter and becoming the town outcast. It was an interesting and sharp approach to media sensationalism and pack mentality.

4 Season 7

No. of Episodes: 25

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (17)

Season 7 was given the perfect opportunity to resolve the crisis from its predecessor with its premiere episode “Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two,” in which the actual culprit was revealed. There's also the memorable episode "Homer the Smithers," where Homer becomes Mr. Burns' assistant and is too incompetent to keep up with the job.

The rest of the season included a ton of great character spotlight episodes that honed in on background players, but it was the episode “22 Short Films About Springfield” that is remembered best. In the style of Pulp Fiction, the anthology episode tied together various events in Springfield into one of the most exhilarating episodes of the entire series. It also provided a deeper look into the residents of Springfield.

3 Season 5

No. of Episodes: 22

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (18)

No character in The Simpsons is more fearsome than Sideshow Bob, the spurned former sidekick to Krusty the Clown who became a serial killer after years of being embarrassed. Sideshow Bob’s number one goal is to kill Bart, and he nearly gets to complete his mission in the episode “Cape Feare,” which parodied Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear.

“Cape Feare” was one of many extraordinary episodes in Season 5 that showed that the series was able to take risks with more ambitious storylines that put the characters in legitimate danger. The beloved patriarch of the family, Homer literally leaves the planet in the classic “Deep Space Homer,” and forms a barbershop quartet in "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" — two episodes that were memorable to viewers due to its creative and musical scenes, as well as thrilling plots.

2 Season 8

No. of Episodes: 25

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (19)

The Simpsons has done crossover episodes with many shows over the years, including Bob’s Burgers, The Critic, Family Guy, and American Dad. However, none were better than Season 8’s “The Springfield Files,” in which both Gillian Anderson and David Muchovny appeared as their respective characters from The X-Files for an episode that featured Homer getting caught in the midst of an alien invasion.

The season also parodied other pop culture franchises — the episode “You Only Move Twice” was perfectly timed as a parody of the James Bond series that made fun of the spy saga’s hallmarks and cliches. The fan-favorite episode sees the family moving to a new town called Cypress Creek and Homer gets employed under a supervillain — which in retrospect, is not that different from his life in Springfield.

1 Season 4

No. of Episodes: 22

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (20)

Season 4 is simply a perfect season of television — there aren’t a lot of shows within any genre that have managed to deliver 22 excellent installments in a row, and it’s a testament to The Simpsons’ incredible writing staff that the quality was so consistent throughout the early run.

Among the young writers working on the series was Conan O’Brien, who penned the all-time classic “Marge vs. The Monorail” in which the charismatic salesman Lyle Lanley (voiced by guest star Phil Hartman) convinces the citizens of Springfield to invest in a dangerous train system. The season also has the classic and beloved episode "Last Exit to Springfield," which was lauded by critics due to its genius writing and sharp satire of corporate greed, as Homer unwittingly becomes a union leader in the power plant and helps the employees get back their dental plan.

NEXT:The Funniest Animated Series That Aren't 'The Simpsons' or 'South Park'

The 15 Best Seasons of 'The Simpsons', Ranked (2024)

FAQs

What is the highest rated Simpsons season? ›

Season 8 is hands down the best Simpsons season of all time. It's such a great season that there could be an entire article ranking all of its iconic, memorable, and downright fantastic episodes. First up, there was the epic X-Files spoof episode The Springfield Files.

Is Season 15 of The Simpsons good? ›

Another solid season that while delivering no particular classic makes a fun viewing throughout. Classic Simpsons for the most part. Content collapsed. Only a couple good ones, mixed in with a couple bad ones an a bunch of mediocre ones.

What is the lowest ranked episode of The Simpsons? ›

1 "Lisa Goes Gaga" (Season 23, Episode 22)

Overall, it stands as the all-time worst Simpsons episode.

Is Simpsons season 16 good? ›

The 16th season of The Simpsons has garnered generally positive reviews from critics, with many noting while the episodes are still good and funny they are of a lesser quality than those of the show's earlier seasons.

Is Simpsons season 14 good? ›

Season 14 received generally positive reviews.

Is Simpsons season 20 good? ›

Critics Reviews

It's a pleasant ride, but they've found a successful rhythm that's quality, but feels slightly assembly line. The Simpsons has become a shaggy, genial grab-bag of parodies. The incoherence is part of the fun. Content collapsed.

Why is The Simpsons season 17 rated 15? ›

This is the only season of The Simpsons to receive a 15 rating in the UK, but this is due to the additional material (the episodes are only a 12 rating). Let there be Music!

What age is The Simpsons aimed at? ›

Good show, kids should watch it.

It's animated, so violence is never that bad, especially when it's usually played for laughs. Cursing isn't unusual, but they never say anything that terrible. The few sex jokes will fly over kids heads. I would say 8+ is fine.

What is the darkest Simpsons episode? ›

In its original broadcast on the Fox network, "Homer's Enemy" acquired a 7.7 Nielsen rating. It was viewed in approximately 7.5 million homes, finishing the week ranked 56th. "Homer's Enemy" is considered to be one of the darkest episodes of The Simpsons, and it split critical opinion.

What season is The Simpsons 666 episode? ›

"Treehouse of Horror XXX" is the fourth episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 666th episode overall as well as the thirtieth Treehouse of Horror episode.

What season did The Simpsons go bad? ›

The tenth season has been cited by some critics and fans as the beginning of the series' decline in quality. By 2000, some long-term fans had become disillusioned with the show and pointed to its shift from character-driven plots to what they perceived as an overemphasis on zany antics and gags.

What is the saddest Simpsons episode? ›

There have been various angles on it over the years, but the episode Marge Be Not Proud is by far the best. After being caught shoplifting, ruining a family photo, Marge finally gives up on Bart, treating him with a heartbreaking sense of coldness, which makes Bart immediately regret his actions.

What is the most expensive Simpsons episode? ›

The minds behind The Simpsons have spent two years creating it's most expensive episode ever and it's first that places America's favorite family in a Springfield made of LEGOs. The episode dubbed Brick Like Me will be historic episode number 550 of what is now the longest running scripted series in television history.

What season did The Simpsons peak? ›

Some critics point to season 7, as the point at which a noticeable decline in quality is observed, while others name season 9, season 10, and still others say The Simpsons golden era lasted from season 1 to season 10.

What is the golden age of The Simpsons? ›

Some fans view the first six seasons as The Simpsons' Golden Age, ending with the two-part mystery episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns." Other fans point to The Simpsons season 9 as the end of the Golden Age, with the episode "The Principal and the Pauper" commonly cited as a turning point in the show's quality.

Is season 4 of The Simpsons the best? ›

Season 4 of The Simpsons is, for many, the best of them all, with many iconic episodes like "Mr. Plow" and "Marge vs. The Monorail." Season 4 of The Simpsons also marked the departure of several of the original writing staff, which some fans argue is the reason behind the slow decline in quality.

What are the highest viewed Simpsons episodes? ›

It remains the highest rated episode in the history of The Simpsons. "Bart Gets an 'F'" received positive reviews from television critics. Entertainment Weekly ranked it 31st on its 1999 list of "The 100 Greatest Moments in Television".

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