The Simpsons: 10 Best Episodes About Politics, Ranked

First and foremost, The Simpsons is a show about a family. Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie feel like a real family and, in the best episodes of the show, their situations and emotions feel tangible and authentic. But the series is also an incisive satire, tackling a wide array of subjects.

As with any satirical show, one of The Simpsons’ writers’ favorite topics to lampoon is politics. There’s a broad range of targets on the political spectrum, and across three decades on the air, the show has hit just about all of them. Some of The Simpsons’ best episodes are political.

10 Mr. Spritz Goes To Washington (Season 14, Episode 14)

When flightpaths are redirected over the Simpson household and the family has to deal with noise pollution, they decide to take political action. Unable to get their own elected officials to care, they talk Krusty the Clown into running for Congress.

Fox News threatened to sue Matt Groening and the show for a gag mocking the network that appeared in this episode, but eventually decided against what would essentially be suing themselves.

9 Politically Inept, With Homer Simpson (Season 23, Episode 10)

Homer gets his own political talk show in the season 23 episode “Politically Inept, with Homer Simpson.” He gains enough clout with the average American voter that the Republican Party lets him pick their next Presidential candidate, so he chooses Ted Nugent.

Nugent guest-starred as himself in the episode, which shows he’s a good sport, because the whole episode is about how a gun-toting rock star would make a terrible Presidential candidate.

8 Two Bad Neighbors (Season 7, Episode 13)

The writers of The Simpsons had a personal vendetta against former President George H.W. Bush, because he insulted the show as a poor example of American family life while he was in office.

So, at the end of his single Presidential term, the writers cooked up an episode called “Two Bad Neighbors” in which the Bushes move into the house across the street from the Simpsons and the ex-POTUS gets locked in an intense rivalry with the family.

7 The Old Man And The Lisa (Season 8, Episode 21)

When Mr. Burns loses all his money in the season 8 episode “The Old Man and the Lisa,” he enlists Lisa’s help getting rich again. She agrees to help him if he uses his power and wealth for good and changes his ways.

Despite agreeing to those terms, Mr. Burns, of course, can’t help being himself and returns to his evil ways as soon as he’s back on top, disregarding all the environmentalist protocols Lisa put in place.

6 Midnight Rx (Season 16, Episode 6)

The Simpsons’ writing team lambasted the American pharmaceutical industry in season 16’s “Midnight Rx,” in which prescription drugs become unaffordable and Springfieldians can’t get a hold of their meds.

Homer puts together a team to drive over the Canadian border, stock up on prescription drugs, and smuggle them back into the United States.

5 The Cartridge Family (Season 9, Episode 5)

Homer buys a gun to protect the family in season 9’s “The Cartridge Family,” and Marge and the kids become so terrified of his reckless gun use that they move out.

When Homer hosts a gun club at his house, the responsible gun owners of Springfield are horrified to see his cavalier use of a firearm as a TV remote.

4 Homer Vs. The Eighteenth Amendment (Season 8, Episode 18)

“To alcohol! The cause of – and solution to – all of life’s problems.” Homer’s drunken antics get Prohibition reinstated in Springfield in the season 8 episode “Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment,” and he promptly becomes a bootlegger, illegally selling beer out of Moe’s Tavern.

Meanwhile, Chief Wiggum brings in Rex Banner from the U.S. Treasury Department, a hilarious spoof of Eliot Ness, to get to the bottom of the local bootlegging ring.

3 Sideshow Bob Roberts (Season 6, Episode 5)

Season 6’s “Sideshow Bob Roberts” features one of the funniest appearances by Sideshow Bob, played by guest star Kelsey Grammer, as he uses electoral fraud to become the new Mayor of Springfield.

The episode hysterically lampoons the average voter’s lack of knowledge about the complicated process of a democratic election – and lack of attention when it’s explained to them.

2 Two Cars In Every Garage And Three Eyes On Every Fish (Season 2, Episode 4)

Mr. Burns’ nuclear plant is threatened with closure when his toxic waste dumping creates a three-eyed fish in season 2’s “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish,” so he decides to run for governor.

The episode was recognized for its environmentalist message with an Environmental Media Award, while its satire of the American political system is spot-on.

1 Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington (Season 3, Episode 2)

After getting to the finals of a contest with a patriotic essay about America, Lisa is invited to read the same essay in front of Congress. However, when she gets to D.C., she’s horrified to see a Congressman accepting a bribe.

She rewrites her essay to reflect the bitterness she feels about the blatant corruption within the government system. Unsurprisingly, this inconvenient truth loses her the essay contest.

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Ben Sherlock
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Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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