The Simpsons. Worst. Episodes. Ever.
The 10 “Crap-tastic” episodes of your favorite animated family. Unless the Family Guy is your favorite animated family. We’ll do that list in a year or two.
10. Bonfire of the Manatees (September 11, 2005)
Talk about a retread. Marge feels taken for granted…again, and finds a new guy…again. Then remembers that she loves Homer…again. Throw in a few humorless porn jokes, a visit to the Simpson’s country relatives and manatees, and you have a strange, moronic episode that showcases just why latter-day Simpson’s episodes don’t compare with the classics.
9. All Singing, All Dancing (January 4, 1998)
Clip shows are never fun. Clip shows that only included the musical moments of past episodes are even worse. Did the fans do something wrong in 1997 that we needed to be punished like this? We hope the writers enjoyed their time off.
8. The Great Louse Detective (December 15, 2002)
Sideshow Bob is a great character, but we’re glad Bob-centric episodes are becoming less and less frequent. In this, his worst episode to date, Bob is released from prison to try and catch someone who is trying to kill Homer. Then it turns out to be the son of Frank Grimes. Then Bob sings a song to Bart. Then you’ll wish you just watched the original and brilliant Frank Grimes episode instead.
7. Bart the Genius (January 14, 1990)
Before you start writing hate-mail, let us explain why the second episode of the entire series is also one of the worst. It’s ugly, boring and the jokes are so obvious that they would fit in nicely on an episode of According to Jim (Science Teacher: “Bart, you do know what happens when you mix an acid and a base, right?” Bart: “Yes.” Cue explosion.) Truth be told, we could say that about any episode in the awful first season. The Simpson’s have come a long way, and we are so glad that we don’t have to watch stale episodes like this anymore.
6. Bart Mangled Banner (May 16, 2004)
A donkey accidentally eats Bart’s shorts. A photo is then taken of Bart bent over with a US Flag behind him and the Springfield Shopper does a story claiming that Bart is unpatriotic and then the family is ostracized by the entire nation and Springfield changes its name to Libertyville and then the whole family is forced to…yeah, I’m not laughing either.
5. Bart to the Future (March 19, 2000)
In this episode, we see into Lisa’s future, where she becomes president. Bart, on the other hand, becomes a loser who hangs out with Ralph. It’s like learning that Han Solo becomes a shoe salesman. We prefer Bart’s future from the episode “Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie”, where he becomes Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Or even his outcome in Lisa’s Wedding, where he’s a demolition expert. Anything would be better than this cold, harsh and all too real prediction.
4. Saddlesore Galactica (February 6, 2000)
In this forgettable episode, Bart and Homer own a race horse and discover an underground fantasy land where horse jockeys live. Comic Book Guy pops up to point out how stupid the episode is, and simultaneously provides the show with its only laughs. Perhaps this was some meta-episode of the Simpson’s in which the writers purposefully made the show as outlandish, stupid and repetitive as possible. If that’s the case, bravo assholes.
3. The Principal and the Pauper (September 28, 1997)
Wait? What? Principal Skinner isn’t really Principal Skinner? He’s some guy named Armin Tamzarian? Are we going to find out Bart is actually Superintendent Chalmers in the next episode? The way the Simpsons staff toyed with the characters you’d almost think they weren’t real.
2. The Simpson’s Spin-Off Showcase (May 11, 1997)
The premise of an entire show of Simpson’s spin-offs is a bit amusing, but the episode seems about 170-minutes too long. On the plus side, it’s fun to argue about which segment was worse: Chief Wiggum PI or The Love-Matic Grandpa. (We actually liked The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour segment.)
1. Stark Raving Dad (September 19, 1991)
In the very worst episode, a crazy white guy, who thinks he’s Michael Jackson, befriends Homer in a mental institution. Jackson wasn’t credited for his voice acting, but there’s no doubt it’s the real deal. Rumor has it, while recording his lines, Wacko Jacko asked for a Bart Simpson doll to hold. But the real reason this is the worst episode ever is that the song “Happy Birthday Lisa” gets stuck in your head like a rusty saw blade.
Tags: simpsons, Video, worst episodes ever
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:29 pm
You have got to be fucking kidding me. Stark Raving Dad is a classic, with a strange but great storyline, and it’s definitely one of the most feel-good episodes ever. Have you guys even seen the last 3 seasons? Any one of those episodes could and should take the #1 spot. #7 too. Shame on you.
Other than that, I mostly agree. The Principal and the Pauper is soooo fucking bad. It always makes me cringe and I try not to think of it as a ‘real’ episode.
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:29 pm
You forgot the Movie.
The most tragic Simpson ‘episode’ ever made.
Unfunny, messy, confusing and so not worth the wait.
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:15 am
The movie was not so bad, but I would really have named the spin off show the worst one ever instead
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 am
The movie was great, a throwback to the days when Simpsons was hilarious. Good list, but I’d replace Stark Raving Dad with the one where Homer won’t give Abe his kidney, it turns Homer into a despicable, Peter Griffin-esque character.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 am
I really agree that Stark Raving Dad was a great episode, rather than the #1 worst. It had a decent plot, all things considered, a catchy song, and some of the best Bart/Lisa moments until the Peewee Hockey episode. It’s really rare that this show emphasized their relationship and the strain that Bart’s narcissicism and selfishneed put onto it, and this episode did it really well.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 am
I have to add along with everyone that Stark Raving Dad is not possibly the worst episode. It is in fact a great episode and one of the most memorable, made the simpson’s as a family believable.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:20 am
i think the movie was the best, it was funny all the way, here is how the simpons actually originated, http://www.opentopix.com/topic/comedy/how-the-simpons-originated
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Bart to the future sucked ass and also the one with the Manatees (the ending was kinda funny though).
Bah I felt like the movie was a long simpsons episode… didn’t seem like anything special or the “oh so great 4 years in the making” thing that was marketed so much.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 am
I also think Stark Raving Dad is a great episode. Have you never seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which this episode is clearly spoofing?
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 am
… and you leave off the episode where the Springfield boys become a BOY BAND?
That was the first episode that made me turn off the TV entirely.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 am
THe worst episode has to be the Thanksgiving one where Bart throws Lisa’s centerpiece into the fire.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 am
I disagree, the worst one is definately the Ricky Gervas one. its boring beyond belief. Ricky is an english guy thats found an easy maker, using american humour, but him writing american humour dosnt work!
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 am
I agree with the other comments, somewhere around 2000 all of the episodes started going downhill, homer is hardly even funny in the new episodes — i dont know why they changed his character around..
the #7 is just an old episode, better than anything from the current seasons, and #3-#1 can hardly be considered the worst episodes ever…
just my 2c
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 am
Funny enough, I think “Worst Episode Ever” is one of their best.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 am
The line in the second episode, if accurately stated, is
TEACH: You know what happens when you mix acids and bases, don’t you Bart?
BART: ‘Course I do….
Bart clearly has no idea what happens when you mix acids and bases, does any ten year old?? This episode does not belong on your list….Plus, it features one of the first (rare) moments that we see Homer as a proud and concerned parent.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 am
why do i always read these when the people writing them are biased idiots and i never agree with what they write….. meh what else i got to do
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 am
I nominate any episode in which anyone sings. And any episode that’s about Marge going crazy because she feels unloved. And any episode that centers around Lisa’s need for attention and validation, due to her preachy self-centered, Hillary-like personality.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:39 am
Stark Raving Dad is a classic!
Worst.List.Ever.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:41 am
I actually like the spin-off episode. It addressed the issue of the series getting tired and the episodes becoming mere echoes of each other by totally breaking the formula. (And doing so in 1997 mind you. Will someone pull the plug already? Just because you can keep the show on the air doesn’t mean you should.) Another personal favorite is 22 Short Films about Springfield (Or something to that effect.) Would I want every episode to have a gimmick? Of course not. Do I need another “Homer has wacky scheme X that involves new profession Y and has-been actor cameo Z” episode? No, which is why I gave up on the Simpsons years ago. I also thought the Simpson movie was a lot better than I expected. Not “prime” Simpsons, but at least middle Simpsons, shortly before the horse was totally pulped. Finally, in defense of the first season, early Simpsons had a certain melancholy reminiscent of Peanuts in it’s heyday. There were a lot of genuine bittersweet moment. (Also see Futurama) Finally, early Simpsons episodes are now of a different era. Pre-internet, pre-primetime cartoons as a norm, probably pre-most people reading this blog. It’s not necessarily fair to hold an almost twenty-year old television episode to today’s tastes. A lot of time has passed.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:51 am
The worst Simpsons episode is easily better than 95% of the rest of TV.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 am
I always hated that second episode with bart as the genius.
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 am
Seems to me that “Saddlesore Galactica” contains the Bachman Turner Overdrive cameo in which Homer yells, “Get to the ‘working overtime’ part!” Which ought to be enough to get it off this list.
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:48 am
for me, worst episode ever is 1×13 Some Enchanted Evening. I can’t stand it
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I think the Hulabaloosa episode belongs on the list somewhere…nothing but cameos and making fun of old music.
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:28 pm
lol, so much spin-off showcase bashing. I know I enjoyed that episode. It certainly wasn’t great, but if it’s on i’ll sit through it and enjoy myself.
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Spin Off Showcase is awful. You might remember enjoying it, but try watching it again. And please stop telling me that it was suppose to be awful and goofy.
Also, the Jackson episode isn’t THAT bad. But still not great.
And if you don’t like the list, why not list your own worst ten episodes.
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
My two cents…
10. Agree.
9. Agree, along with all the other waste-of-time clip show episodes.
8. Disagree. Every Bob episode has at least a few good moments, but if I had to put one of his on this list, I’d go with the one set in Italy.
7. Kinda agree. All of the first season episodes are weak, but I don’t think this was the worst one.
6. Agree, though there are many other recent episodes that are equally lame.
5. Agree. Worst… Future Episode… Ever. Nothing could ever top “Lisa’s Wedding” anyway.
4. Kinda disagree. This was a ‘meh’ episode at the very least. It had a few funny lines.
3. Disagree. I know the plot was ludicrous and has been conveniently forgotten about ever since, but am I the only one who thought it was still kinda funny?
2. Disagree, though I admit this one can only be appreciated ironically. It was intentionally bad to poke fun at other types of TV shows that pale in comparison to the Simpsons.
1. Totally disagree. This one had dozens of classic moments and is easily the only worthwhile thing Michael Jackson has done in the last twenty years.
January 23rd, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I haven’t seen some of the episodes on this list and can’t attest to their craptasticness, however based on what I have seen these guys seemed to have slacked on their research. Hands down, the worst episode EVER starts with Homer renting Paint Your Wagon Red. He thinks it’s going to be a violent western when, much to his chagrin, it turns into a musical and the episode itself quickly follows suit. I made it half way through that episode the first time I watched it and since then have never made it through the opening scene.
Also, if I remember right, Saddlesore Galactica opens up with one of the best Wiggum lines ever…”I’d rather let a thousand guilty men go free…than chase after them.” That quote by itself should be enough to take it off this list. Not to mention Homer’s classic response to Comic Book Man’s first quip about the episode…”Does anybody care what this guy thinks?!” And the list goes on…”and now for the horse wispering…when the race starts, run really fast.”
January 27th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
RDRR
January 28th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Got to agree on some but disagree about No. 1. The Michael Jackson episode was brilliant. There’s never been a more original guest star episode in the history of TV comedy. You have one of the most recognizable people in the — and then make him totally unrecognizable visually. Kept you guessing till the end — how can this guy be Michael Jackson? As for the Lisa song, yeah, it’s treacle, but you can’t get it out of your head because this is the King of Pop, ya know? Don’t forget that the whole chain of events that results in Homer being labeled insane results from his wearing a pink shirt to work!
January 29th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Stark Raving Dad is a fucking classic and your a fuck wit
February 1st, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I have to disagree for any older episode, and agree for every new episode. I’m a huge Simpsons fan and if you ask me the show should have been canceled 10 years ago.
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
strasni bea
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
josh is very stuped and anthonii is very stuped……………………godbye od mene
4ever
February 20th, 2008 at 3:59 am
The worst episode ever just aired: Love Springfieldian Style!
3 terrible short stories, lousy writing, absolutely no funny moments!
The last part with the Sex Pistols is clearly the worst and makes you wanna stick your fingers into your eyeballs!
July 30th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
The ones I hate are the historical ones. I HATE those episodes.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:14 am
stark raving dad is awesome…
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:27 am
the simpsons pown so there