As of today, The Simpsons has been running for 25 seasons. With more than 500 episodes under its belt, it is enough evidence that the show has been able to fulfill its purpose to entertain for many years. The show has touched generations upon generations of viewers with its witty story lines and plots, the memorable quotes and jokes, and of course, the unforgettable characters who have come to be loved by millions. Can you guess where it ranked in our Top Ten TV Shows of All Time?
Homer at the Bat
Airing from the third season of this beloved animated show, Homer at the Bat is one of the most classic episodes that The Simpsons has to offer. With a number of famous professional baseball players coming in to play, this episode marks one of the best moments in The Simpsons and was actually the first episode of the series to overtake The Cosby Show in terms of ratings during its original airing.
In this episode, Mr. Burns bets a million dollars that his baseball team will win the league championships and therefore hires nine athletes from the big leagues. Roger Clemens, Ken Griffey, Jr., Wade Boggs, Steve Sax, Jose Canseco, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Scioscia, Ozzie Smith, and Don Mattingly all guest star to play themselves as the athletes hired by Mr. Burns. Of course, everything goes wrong in the classic Simpsons way, with eight out of the nine big league players falling into hilarious misfortunes that leave them unable to play. The game is tied at the bottom of the ninth inning, and Mr. Burns decides to let Homer play for the first time during the game to pitch the opponent’s left-handed pitcher with a right-handed hitter. Homer gets hit on the head with the first pitch and becomes unconscious, but this forces in the winning run. The team wins, and Homer is paraded even while still unconscious.
Who Shot Mr. Burns?
Everybody knows The Simpsons as one of the most lighthearted and easy-going shows that you can watch to relax, but in Who Shot Mr. Burns?, the show turns into a suspenseful mystery that even ends in a cliff-hanger and is continued on a second episode. What’s more, the first segment of this two-part episode was the last of the sixth season and was shown on May 21, 1995, and the sequel aired as the premiere of the seventh season on September 17 that same year. Talk about suspense!
The people at Springfield Elementary discover oil right beneath their school, but Mr. Burns steals it and brings misery to the citizens of Springfield. This first part ends with Mr. Burns being shot by an unidentified person, and leaving everyone suspect to the case. Even the guest star, Latin musician Tito Puente, is found to have a motive for shooting Mr. Burns. In the second episode, the Springfield Police try to bring light to the case, with the major suspects being Waylon Smithers and Homer Simpson. Meanwhile, Mr. Burns goes into a coma, and it is found that the only thing he could say is “Homer Simpson,” leaving everyone to think that Homer is the assailant.
In the end, however, nobody from the Simpsons could truly have shot Mr. Burns intentionally. It turns out that the whole incident was an accident, and that it happened because Mr. Burns literally tried to take candy from a baby when he saw Maggie with a lollipop. There was a struggle with the lollipop, and the gun that Mr. Burns had at that time accidentally fired and hit him. The reference to Homer was just due to brain damage, and because of the fact that earlier in the episode, Mr. Burns could not remember Homer’s name and Homer therefore did everything he could to make his name memorable for Mr. Burns. Mr. Burns demanded that the Maggie be arrested, but Chief Wiggum dismisses this, stating that no jury can convict a baby, except maybe in Texas.
There are so many more moments that make The Simpsons one of the best shows of all time, and each of them has a unique charm and appeal. It is true that not everyone is pleased by the same episodes, but with millions of viewers from all over the world, the Simpsons is sure to have some of the best moments in television history.