Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.
Writer: Bill Oakley
Air date: 1995-09-17
Runtime: 24 min
Overview: With Mr. Burns shot, Chief Wiggum investigates the crime, and nearly everyone in town has a motive. At the end, it all comes down to the Simpson DNA.
Writer: John Swartzwelder
Air date: 1995-09-24
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Bart auditions for the part of Fallout Boy in the movie "Radioactive Man," being filmed in Springfield.
Writer: Jon Vitti
Air date: 1995-10-01
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: When Homer and Marge are found to be unfit parents, the kids are placed with the Flanders family. Reluctant participants in the Flanderses' wholesome family activities, Bart and Lisa become the targets of an emergency baptism.
Writer: Greg Daniels
Air date: 1995-10-08
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Bart sells his soul to Milhouse for five dollars, but soon regrets his decision. Meanwhile, Moe turns the Tavern into a family-friendly restaurant.
Writer: David X. Cohen
Air date: 1995-10-15
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: After visiting a local petting zoo, Lisa becomes a vegetarian and faces ridicule from family and friends. When she lashes out and ruins Homer's barbecue, she learns a lesson in tolerance.
Writer: Steve Tompkins
Air date: 1995-10-29
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: In "Attack of the 50 Foot Eyesores," strange atmospheric conditions bring giant advertising statues to life. In "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace," Groundskeeper Willie is killed in a freak accident and seeks revenge in the childrens' dreams. In the final segment, Homer steps through a secret portal and becomes three-dimensional.
Writer: Dan Greaney
Air date: 1995-11-05
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Homer tries to gain sixty pounds so he can stay home on disability. When he nearly causes a catastrophe at the plant, Homer reconsiders his plan.
Writer: Richard Appel
Air date: 1995-11-19
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Homer discovers that his mother is still alive, a former radical who is a fugitive from the law. When her old nemesis Burns spots her and tips off the FBI, she is forced to return to the underground.
Writer: Spike Feresten
Air date: 1995-11-26
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: After Sideshow Bob escapes from prison, the Springfield Air Show is the setting for his ill-fated vendetta against television and Krusty the Clown.
Writer: Jon Vitti
Air date: 1995-12-03
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Troy McClure hosts a behind-the-scenes look at the show, including clips of the series' beginnings as shorts on "The Tracy Ullman Show," Simpsons trivia questions, and unaired scenes from popular episodes.
Writer: Mike Scully
Air date: 1995-12-17
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Nabbed for shoplifting, Bart manages to keep it a secret from the family... until it's time to have the family Christmas photo taken at the Try-N-Save.
Writer: Mike Scully
Air date: 1996-01-07
Runtime: 24 min
Overview: Homer catches Mr. Burns in an ether-induced haze and asks for $500 for his bowling team. When Burns' head clears, he demands to join the team. Meanwhile, Bart's inflammatory T-shirt provokes Principal Skinner to require school uniforms.
Writer: Ken Keeler
Air date: 1996-01-14
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Homer resents being upstaged when former president George Bush moves into the neighborhood. After Bush spanks Bart, an all-out prank war ensues.
Writer: Jennifer Crittenden
Air date: 1996-02-04
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: A chance encounter with a former classmate yields an invitation to the Springfield Country Club, where Marge tries to parlay a bargain basement Chanel suit into elevated social status for her family.
Writer: Bob Kushell
Air date: 1996-02-11
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: In a scheme to get Krusty's autograph, Bart sends him a check. When Krusty's offshore holding corporation endorses the check, his illegal tax shelter is exposed. In despair after the government auctions off his possessions, Krusty fakes his own death.
Writer: Jonathan Collier
Air date: 1996-02-18
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: While researching into Jebediah Springfield's past for an essay, Lisa discovers that the town founder wasn't the hero that everyone thinks he was.
Writer: John Swartzwelder
Air date: 1996-02-25
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Forced to take a vacation, Smithers needs to find a temporary replacement who won't outshine him. Homer seems the perfect choice until a sudden outburst forces Mr. Burns to assert his independence.
Writer: John Swartzwelder
Air date: 1996-03-17
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Bart meets the original animator who created Itchy, penniless some 70 years after the studio stole his idea. When Bart helps him sue for restitution, he unwittingly bankrupts Itchy & Scratchy.
Writer: Jack Barth
Air date: 1996-03-24
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Washed up and plagued by scandal, Troy McClure sees a marriage to Selma as his ticket back to success.
Writer: Richard Appel
Air date: 1996-03-31
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Bart creates a fake driver's license for himself and uses it to go on a spring break road trip with Milhouse, Nelson, and Martin. Meanwhile, Homer and Lisa bond after spending some quality time together at work.
Writer: Steve Tompkins
Air date: 1996-04-14
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: Bart and Milhouse wonder if anything interesting happens to the citizens of Springfield, which leads to a series of interconnected vignettes.
Writer: Jonathan Collier
Air date: 1996-04-28
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: When a fellow veteran dies, Grandpa Simpson and Mr. Burns fight for buried WWII treasure as the only surviving members of their battalion.
Writer: David X. Cohen
Air date: 1996-05-05
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: When Mayor Quimby uses immigrants as a political scapegoat, the Simpsons discover that Apu is an illegal immigrant.
Writer: Brent Forrester
Air date: 1996-05-19
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: To show his kids how hip he is, Homer takes Bart and Lisa to a music festival, where he earns himself a place in the sideshow by catching a cannonball with his belly.
Writer: Dan Greaney
Air date: 1996-05-19
Runtime: 23 min
Overview: On a family vacation, Lisa tries on a new identity to fit in with the other kids at the beach. Jealous, Bart reveals her true nerdiness to the group.
