As everyone knows, The Simpsons is a culturally iconic show. It first worked its way onto TV screens as a sloppily drawn short on The Tracey Ullman Show before its true potential was realised and Matt Groening was able to take it to series. Since then, it has endured thirty years and as many seasons. It didn’t take long for the show to pinnacle as the greatest animation in history, but since the late 90s has been on a slow downward trajectory as reviews and viewing figures slip.
Season 1 might have been a slow start, with the animation not quite there yet and the voice actors not knowing exactly where to take their characters, but there are still some absolute gems within. We’ve used IMDB to rank every episode from the first season of The Simpsons.
Homer’s Odyssey (7.4)
Only the third full-length episode of The Simpsons to hit screens, ‘Homer’s Odyssey’ took us to see the nuclear power plant, from which Homer had very recently lost his job. A distinctly darker version of the show is seen relatively early on, with Homer genuinely contemplating suicide for a while.
Homer’s Night Out (7.4)
Despite featuring that classic image of Homer dancing the night away, this episode is tied for the bottom place from season one. The fact that the lowest-rated episodes from early Simpsons are centred on Homer proves just how central Bart actually was in those early days.
Life On The Fast Lane (7.5)
Continuing the theme of early Simpsons episodes flirting with darker themes than we may be accustomed to, ‘Life In The Fast Lane’ sees Marge considering an affair with a handsome, charming bowling teacher. However, it does include the brilliant joke in which Homer buys Marge a bowling ball for ‘her’ birthday, despite it being measured for his fingers and having his name carved into the side.
Moaning Lisa (7.6)
Perhaps a little underrated, the first episode to introduce us to saxophone specialist Bleeding Gums Murphy only scores a 7.6. Maybe this comes down to the fact that Lisa wasn’t particularly well-rounded as a character at this point?
There’s No Disgrace Like Home (7.7)
Even though we get to see how much Monty Burns loves jelly, ‘There’s No Disgrace Like Home’ seems strangely underrated. After all, this is the episode that gave us the incredibly twisted, yet beautifully hilarious family electrocution scene.
The Telltale Head (7.7)
Another truly iconic episode of The Simpsons reduced to nothing more than a 7.7! We learn the history of Springfield founder Jebadiah Springfield, and then we see his stone effigy beheaded by Bart. It turns out that this wasn’t a good move on his part, and Bart has to face up the consequences of his particularly bold actions.
The Call Of The Simpsons (7.8)
Homer might be pretty fat and impressively ugly, but he’s no Bigfoot. Or so you’d think... This episode sees the family patriarch attempting to give the family a pleasant holiday camping, but soon ends up AWOL and mistaken for a bigfoot on the loose. We also get to see Maggie making remarkable progression as a human through living with a family of particularly caring bears.
The Crepes Of Wrath (7.8)
Now, having ‘The Telltale Head’ down on a 7.7 and ‘The Crepes Of Wrath’ above it on a 7.8 seems like sacrilege, but the IMDb scores have the casting vote. This episode is split into two storylines. The first follows Bart through a miserable life in France with some very over-acted French guys, while the second sees the family look after an Albanian guy who is very over-interested in the inner workings of the nuclear power plant.
Some Enchanted Evening (7.8)
This episode gets some bonus points by featuring one of the ugliest characters ever committed to animation. The aggressive blue-haired babysitter who comes to look after Bart and Lisa is harbouring a particularly nasty secret, but Bart and Lisa are able to overcome her in true Home Alone style.
Bart The Genius (7.8)
One of the persistent features of The Simpsons is the contrast between Bart and Lisa and their intelligence. Lisa is the brains of the family, despite being only eight years old, while Bart is the family disgrace and he owns it. However, this episode sees Bart cheating on an IQ test and ending up in a school for gifted children, a place he certainly doesn’t fit into.
Bart The General (8.0)
Now we reach the really juicy stuff. ‘Bart The General’ is frequently found towards the top of ‘Best Episodes Of The Simpsons Ever’ lists, not only because it's jam-packed with jokes, but built around a brilliantly entertaining storyline. Bart and Grandpa concoct a plan which ends up turning into some truly exciting suburban warfare, even if there are more water balloons than bullets.
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire (8.2)
The very first episode of The Simpsons is also one that does away with a lot of the things we most strongly associate with the show as a whole. In its ‘Christmas Special’ format, it doesn’t have the iconic opening titles, and that means no couch gag and no chalkboard gag. However, it does have oodles of brilliant Homer/Bart content, with the former having to work as a mall Santa Claus in order to pay for Christmas, and the latter trying to get a heart-shaped tattoo with the word ‘Mother’ in the middle.
Krusty Gets Busted (8.4)
According to IMDB, the greatest episode of The Simpsons season one, is the penultimate ‘Krusty Gets Busted,' storming ahead with a two-point lead. While trademark humour is at the centre, this is one of the more artistic episodes of The Simpsons, with a truly impressive crime-drama storyline revealing the first appearance of Sideshow Bob, one of the show’s most adored side characters. Despite becoming sick of being on the receiving end of Krusty’s visual gags, Bob goes down in Simpsons history as being hit in the face by the most rakes. By far.