14/04/2026
There is no other show that got grandfathered into greatness quite like The Simpsons. Most TV shows have to earn their reputation every season, constantly proving they still have it.
The Simpsons dropped a run of episodes in the 90s so absurdly good that we all collectively agreed, “yeah, you’re set for life,” and never really took that deal back. It’s like if a band released three perfect albums in a row and then spent the next 25 years remixing them while we politely kept buying tickets.
And look, I’m not here to pretend the show has been bad the whole time. It hasn’t. There are still good episodes. Occasionally great ones. But when people say “classic Simpsons,” they’re not debating eras or hidden gems. They’re quoting the same handful of episodes like they’re sacred texts. And when those same people bring up the worst ones, it’s usually with the tone of someone who got personally betrayed by a cartoon.
So let’s do both. The absolute peak of what this show was capable of, and the moments where it very clearly forgot what made it work in the first place.
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