TiVo’s Top 40 Simpsons Ever!

With the upcoming FXX marathon, starting on August 21st, of every episode of “The Simpsons” in order, we asked ourselves what seems like a fairly simple question: What’s the best episode of “The Simpsons” ever? But when you sit down to try to sift through the last 25 years of couch gags, guest stars, donuts and d’ohs, it’s actually pretty difficult to choose just one. So we didn’t.

Instead, we put together a list of our 40 favorite episodes of the iconic show, including these all-time classics:

• “Colonel Homer” (Season 3, Episode 20): Taking a page from Elvis Presley history, Homer becomes the manager of waitress-turned-singer Lurleen, who falls in love with him. Why we love it: Not only is this an examination of Homer’s love for Marge, it’s also a send-up of the classic TV show “Hee Haw”, including (in alphabetical order) Yodelin’ Zeke and Big Shirtless Ron.

• “El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)” (Season 8, Episode 9): While attending the Springfield Chili Cook-Off, Homer eats an exotic hot pepper, triggering an hallucination that features Johnny Cash as a wise coyote spirit guide. Why we love it: Do you really need more of a reason than a coyote spirit guide voiced by legendary musician Johnny Cash? If so, you’ve also got Homer’s Salvador Dali-esque trip through the desert in his search for his soul mate.
• “King-Size Homer” (Season 7, Episode 7): In an effort to get on disability and avoid having to commute to work anymore, Homer decides to gain enough weight to get himself declared morbidly obese. In succeeding, he almost destroys the entire town in a nuclear catastrophe. Why we love it: In his quest to pack on the pounds, Homer meets with respected physician Dr. Nick Riviera, who provides excellent tips for gaining weight fast — including rubbing food on a piece of paper to see if it becomes clear from the grease. Also in this episode, Homer hilariously can’t find the “Any” key on his computer.
• “Cape Feare” (Season 5, Episode 2): Sideshow Bob is released from jail and returns to exact his revenge on Bart. Why we love it: This episode includes three classic Simpsons gags: Sideshow Bob steps on a series of rakes, Homer wants to show Bart his new chainsaw and hockey mask, and Sideshow Bob is undone by the entire score of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore.
• Marge vs. the Monorail (Season 4, Episode 20): After a $3 Million windfall settlement from Mr. Burns, Springfield debates how to spend its newfound wealth, only to be bamboozled into building a monorail by Lyle Lanley. Why we love it: The late, great Phil Hartman’s portrayal of Lyle Lanley has had us singing “Monorail!” since 1993. Written by some guy named Conan O’Brien, and with a guest appearance by Mr. Spock himself, this is a classic Simpsons episode through and through.

But those are just five of our favorites! Check out our full list of the “TiVo’s Top 40 Simpsons Ever!” in our Collections. From TiVo Central, just select “Find TV, Movies, & Videos” and choose “Browse TV & Movies” to jump to our “Collections” section. There you’ll see our full list of Simpsons favorites, along with other collections we’re talking about this week.

Did we forget your favorite? Tell us which episodes of “The Simpsons” would be on your list of the all-time best in the comments below!