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IMDb does not publish a permanent, expert-selected canon of the 50 best Simpsons episodes. Its community list reflects IMDb users’ ratings, which can change over time. The exact Forbes Canada ranking named in the original headline could not be verified, so the list below is not presented as its ordering or as a current IMDb top 50. Instead, it explains what the available ranking evidence establishes and gives a dated, independently published comparison.
What “ranked according to IMDb” means
The IMDb community list calls its selections the 50 best episodes as rated by IMDb users. That is a user-rating ranking, not a professional critics’ verdict. Ratings and positions may shift as people rate episodes, so any score or ordering needs a snapshot date.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
The Simpsons Complete Series Ultimate Collection Seasons 1-17 & Season 20 | $699.90 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
The Simpsons: Season 1 | $48.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
The Simpsons - The Complete Third Season | $63.40 | Buy on Amazon |
Search crawls of IMDb’s rating-sorted list captured different orderings. One showed “Homer’s Enemy” (Season 8, episode 23) at 9.3, “Cape Feare” (Season 5, episode 2) at 9.2, and “Treehouse of Horror V” (Season 6, episode 6) at 9.2; another placed “You Only Move Twice” second. Those crawl-time examples do not establish a stable top 50. View IMDb’s community episode list.
A dated ranking you can compare
Stacker published a separate ranking using IMDb user ratings available on September 30, 2024. It says that when episodes had equal ratings, the higher vote count determined their order. This is a dated comparison, not the Forbes Canada list and not a claim about today’s standings. Read Stacker’s ranking and methodology.
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| Stacker rank | Episode | Season and episode | IMDb user rating in Stacker’s September 30, 2024 snapshot | Story hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Homer’s Enemy” | Season 8, episode 23 | 9.3 | Industrious new co-worker Frank Grimes grows increasingly resentful of Homer. |
| 2 | “Cape Feare” | Season 5, episode 2 | 9.2 | Sideshow Bob pursues Bart. |
| 3 | “Treehouse of Horror V” | Season 6, episode 6 | 9.2 | A Halloween anthology made up of three parody segments. |
The episodes, season and episode identifiers, ratings, and story descriptions above are reported by Stacker’s September 2024 list. IMDb scores are not fixed, and the figures should be read as that article’s dated snapshot rather than live ratings.
Why the top entries stand out
“Homer’s Enemy” (S8E23)
Stacker’s dated ranking puts this episode first at 9.3. Its central contrast is Frank Grimes’s diligence against Homer’s careless success; Grimes’s growing frustration supplies the conflict. The score is user-rating data, while the explanation of the episode’s appeal is an interpretation, not a separate IMDb measure.
Rank #2
- Factory sealed DVD
“Cape Feare” (S5E2)
At 9.2 in the same snapshot, “Cape Feare” builds its premise around Sideshow Bob’s pursuit of Bart. Its placement is second in Stacker’s ranking; the tied 9.2 score is ordered behind “Homer’s Enemy” under Stacker’s stated vote-count tie-break.
“Treehouse of Horror V” (S6E6)
Also rated 9.2 in the snapshot, this episode’s three-part Halloween format makes it distinct from the two single-story entries above. Stacker places it third, again using vote count to order episodes with equal scores.
Rank #3
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Animated; Box set; Closed-captioned; Color; DVD; Full Screen; NTSC
How to read an IMDb episode ranking
- Check the date. A rating and its rank describe a snapshot, not a permanent result.
- Separate score from position. Episodes can share a displayed score while appearing in different positions; Stacker explicitly uses vote count to break ties, but that method should not be assumed for other lists.
- Use the season and episode number. Titles alone can be less convenient for locating an installment; identifiers such as S8E23 and S5E2 make the reference clear.
- Keep opinion distinct from ranking data. A plot hook or critical explanation can help readers understand an entry, but it is not evidence of why all voters rated it highly.
What can—and cannot—be confirmed about the Forbes Canada list
The Forbes Canada page associated with the headline “50 Best ‘Simpsons’ Episodes of All Time, Ranked According to IMDb” could not be retrieved, so its precise ordering and method are not established here. The available IMDb crawls are inconsistent, and Stacker’s ranking is a separate publication with an explicit September 30, 2024 cutoff. Without the Forbes Canada list itself, reproducing a purported 50-place order would risk attributing another ranking to it.
Episode identifiers and air dates can also be checked against TV Guide’s Season 8 episode guide; Stacker lists “Homer’s Enemy” as airing May 4, 1997, “Cape Feare” as airing October 7, 1993, and “Treehouse of Horror V” as airing October 30, 1994.
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