The Simpsons is the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, with 33 seasons and more than 700 episodes broadcast. While the animated sitcom is known primarily for its comedy, it has also managed to work heartwarming moments into many stories. Some episodes, though still containing laughs, are truly moving, even profound, focusing on the joys and sorrows of the Simpson family and their friends and neighbors in Springfield. Ahead of its 34th season premiere, here are our choices for the seven most heartwarming episodes of The Simpsons so far.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
20th Television
The Simpsons showed it could be heartwarming from the very first episode of the series. Airing in December 1989, “The Simpsons Christmas Special" (officially “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”) centers around Homer’s quest to provide a good Christmas for his family. To spare Marge’s feelings, he chooses not to tell her about not receiving a bonus, instead doing the holiday shopping himself, earnestly looking for low-cost gifts that each family member might like. To earn more money, Homer takes a job as Santa at the mall. Even when he discovers, Bart can’t help but be grateful for what his father is enduring. The two take Homer’s small paycheck to the racetrack, but when Santa’s Little Helper loses the race, they bring the dog home to a surprisingly overjoyed family. The episode was nominated for two Emmy Awards and launched a franchise that still endures, in no small part because it proved not only amusing but touching as well.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 The Wayz We Were
Jumping from the first season to the most recent, Season 33’s fourth episode “The Wayz We Were” finally gave tavern owner Moe Szyslak the happy ending he had been denied for decades. When his girlfriend Maya (from 13 seasons earlier) reappears, Moe struggles with feelings of inadequacy. Long shown to be depressed and even suicidal, Moe still truly cares for Maya and eventually works up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage. She accepts, proving that even after all these years, The Simpsons still knows how to provide a sweet and satisfying ending.
5 Alone Again, Natura-Diddily
From time to time, The Simpsons has proven willing to kill off characters, often resulting in heartfelt responses both on and off-screen. When voice actor Maggie Roswell left the show after 10 years, producers decided that her character Maude Flanders would die. The result is Season 11’s “Alone Again, Natura-Diddily,” an episode filled with dark humor as Ned struggles to come to terms with the loss. But what holds the story together is the Simpson family’s dedication to the remaining Flanders. From Bart playing video games with Rod and Todd to Homer’s unexpected devotion to Ned, it’s a surprisingly honest portrayal of one family helping another as best it can. And in the end, both Ned and the audience find hope for the future.
4 Lisa’s Substitute
The Simpsons quickly attracted many guest stars, though early on, some were reluctant to put their names on a cartoon. Dustin Hoffman appeared late in the show’s second season, credited under the humorous pseudonym “Sam Etic.” Hoffman voiced Mr. Bergstrom, a substitute teacher for Lisa’s second-grade class, who both recognizes her talent and rekindles her love for learning. When he must leave for another job, a grief-stricken Lisa runs along his train before opening a note Mr. Bergstrom has promised contains everything she needs to know. Opening it, she reads “You are Lisa Simpson.” And while this tender moment would have made a perfectly good ending, the true heart of “Lisa’s Substitute” is yet to come. Back at home, Lisa is still upset, as is Bart, who has just lost a class election. Marge admonishes Homer to help his hurting daughter, so he goes to her room and cheers her up. Passing by Bart’s room, Homer lifts his son’s spirits as well, before finally giving Maggie her pacifier, so she can sleep. Returning downstairs, he happily tells Marge that “I’m on the biggest roll of my life.”
3 And Maggie Makes Three
By the thirteenth episode of the sixth season, The Simpsons had already explored the origins of the rest of the family in flashbacks, so it made sense to give Maggie a turn in “And Maggie Makes Three.” It’s 1993 (the episode aired in early 1995) and Homer has earned enough money at the nuclear power plant to quit and take his dream job at a bowling alley. But then Marge becomes pregnant, and Homer must return to his higher-paying position. Mr. Burns puts a sign that says “Don’t Forget: You’re Here Forever” above Homer’s workstation. In one of the most poignant endings in the series, we see that Homer has arranged photos of Maggie on the sign, so it now reads “Do It For Her.”
2 Holidays of Future Passed
After 22 seasons, the future of The Simpsons was in doubt. In the fall of 2011, Fox publicly threatened to end the series unless the voice actors took a massive pay cut. The dispute was eventually resolved, but producer Al Jean later confessed that “Holidays of Future Passed” would have served as the series finale. Instead, it aired as Episode 9 of Season 23. The story (which some consider non-canon, like the Treehouse of Horror Halloween episodes) is a rare flash-forward 30 years into the future. While there are plenty of laughs to be found in the show’s predictions for air travel and healthcare in 2041, it is the family relationships that make the episode so sentimental. In particular, adult Bart and Lisa bond over parenting difficulties, later reconciling with their children. Homer and Grampa also make amends, just in time to see Maggie bring home her own baby girl. Even creator Matt Groening makes a minor uncredited voice cameo in the episode, which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, and remains one of the best critically-reviewed installments of more recent seasons.
1 Mother Simpson
Our choice for the most heartwarming episode of The Simpsons is Season 7’s Episode 8, “Mother Simpson.” When Homer fakes his own death, the resulting publicity attracts his mother Mona (played by Glenn Close in the first of 11 appearances) to Springfield, and the two have an emotional reunion after some 27 years apart. When she comes home to meet the family, it is Lisa who finds the strongest connection with her grandmother, and the two share a sweet scene. We learn that Mona is still on the run from Mr. Burns and the FBI for her part in a crime from the 1960s (inspired by the real-life story of Bernardine Dohrn). Eventually, she must leave her son Homer again, in a closing that is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. The staff knew they had something special, and the producers successfully lobbied for no commercials to air with the credits. Instead, we get a scene of quiet contemplation, Homer sitting on his car, looking up at the stars. It is The Simpsons at its best.
