Season 3

First broadcast in 1991 the third series of The Simpsons contains a clutch of candidates for "Best Simpsons Episode Ever". Homer is on such appallingly good form throughout this series that a reasonable case can be made for asserting that he has superseded the importance of his Greek namesake in the annals of culture and civilisation.

The opening "Stark Raving Dad", for instance, features a guest appearance by an un-credited Michael Jackson, who plays an obese white inmate whom Homer meets while confined to a mental institution. Other standout episodes include "Like Father, Like Clown", in which Krusty reveals he is estranged from his Rabbi father; this is The Simpsons at the height of its powers, mature, ironic, erudite and touching while bristling with slapstick and Bart-inspired cheek. "Flaming Moe's" features Aerosmith and sees Homer invent a cocktail which desperate, sleazy bartender Moe steals from him. "Radio Bart" is another demonstration of the series' knack for cultural references, parodying the Billy Wilder movie Ace in the Hole. Finally, there's "Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes", in which Danny DeVito reprises his role as Homer's brother, regaining the fortune Homer lost him by inventing a Baby Translator.

Episodes:

Stark Raving Dad
Mr Lisa Goes to Washington
When Flanders Failed
Bart the Murderer
Homer Defined
Like Father Like Clown
Treehouse of Horror II
Lisa's Pony
Saturdays of Thunder
Flaming Moe's
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk
I Married Marge
Radio Bart
Lisa the Greek
Homer Alone
Bart the Lover
Homer at the Bat
Separate Vocations
Dog of Death
Colonel Homer
Black Widower
The Otto Show
Bart's Friend Falls in Love
Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes