The first classic episode of The Simpsons is a satire on political spin, as C Montgomery Burns decides to run for office after his nuclear plant's egregious environmental record is revealed. Special mention for Burns' campaign advert, in which he tries to rebrand a mutant, three-eyed fish as an example of natural selection – with the support of Charles Darwin himself – and which ends with the jingle "Only a moron wouldn't cast his vote for Monty Burns!"

Best line: Burns: "Ironic, isn't it, Smithers. This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you."

In which Homer comes face to face with God (“Perfect teeth. A nice smell. A class act all the way”). Homer skips church one Sunday and, on the back of an enjoyably lazy morning, decides never to go back again. When he's ultimately undone, neighbours of all religious denominations ("Christian, Jew, or miscellaneous," as Reverend Lovejoy puts it) come to his rescue. So despite Homer's appealing-looking heresy, ultimately the message about faith is positive (and even profound).

Best line:

Bart: "Hey, where's Homer?"

Marge: "Your father is ... resting."

Bart: "'Resting' hung over? 'Resting' got fired? Help me out here."

ROSEBUD

Season 4, Episode 5

This pitch-perfect homage to Citizen Kane sees evil billionaire Mr Burns imbued with a never-before-seen sense of humanity and innocence as he searches for his lost childhood bear, Bobo. Bobo, it transpires, has fallen into the hands of Maggie, and Mr Burns tries to win the bear back by denying the people of Springfield the two things they really value: beer and television.

Best line: Smithers: "Look at all the wonderful things you have, Mr. Burns: King Arthur's Excalibur, the only existing nude photo of Mark Twain, and that rare first draft of the constitution with the word 'suckers' in it."

MARGE VS THE MONORAIL

Season 4, Episode 12

Conan O'Brien is behind the script for this episode. After Springfield wins $3 billion in fines from Mr Burns, they are persuaded by a charismatic con artist to spend the lot on a monorail, which ends in inevitable disaster. A terrific, zany episode that has some great musical moments, from the monorail song itself, to Homer's homage to The Flintstones.

Best line: Homer (singing): "Simpson! Homer Simpson. He's the greatest guy in history. From the town of Springfield! He's about to hit a chestnut tree. AARGH!"

LAST EXIT TO SPRINGFIELD

Season 4, Episode 17

Dentistry and industrial relations: a characteristically quixotic combination of themes tie this episode together. When Mr Burns tries to swap his workers' dental benefits for a keg of beer, Homer inadvertently becomes a union leader, his buffoonery interpreted as tough business acumen by Mr Burns.

Best line: Mr. Burns: "This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon, they'll have finished the greatest novel known to man. [reads a page] All right, let's see ... 'It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times?' You stupid monkey!"

HOMER'S BARBERSHOP QUARTET

Season 5, Episode 1

The story of the Beatles-esque rise and fall of Homer’s barbershop quartet is sweetly told, features great songs (most notably Baby on Board), countless cultural references and a perfect ending. Even by Simpsons' standards, it's ridiculously layered and on the 15th watch you can still spot things you'd missed. A classic.

Best line:

Lisa: "I can’t believe you’re not still popular."

Bart: "What’d you do? Screw up like The Beatles and say you were bigger than Jesus?"

Homer: "All the time. It was the title of our second album."

CAPE FEARE

Season 5, episode 2

This parody of Cape Fear might just be Sideshow Bob’s finest hour: writing in blood both death threats and letters to the Readers Digest; convincing his parole hearing that his “Die, Bart, Die” tattoo is simply the German for “The, Bart, The”; being hit in the face by rake after rake after rake before eventually performing Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore with a mop on his head.

Best line: Juror: “No one who speaks German could be an evil man.”

• Sideshow Bob will finally kill his nemesis Bart Simpson

THE LAST TEMPTATION OF HOMER

Season 5, Episode 9

Throughout The Simpsons, Homer’s adoration for Marge is unwavering. But with the arrival of Mindy, an attractive new colleague who shares all of his interests, Homer is swayed away from his flu-ridden wife. It’s a mark of the writers’ success that Homer remains the good guy throughout this episode. That it also involves flying monkeys, Bart’s temporary transformation into a geek and a cover of Barry Manilow’s Mandy is a bonus.

Best line:

Mindy: "What's wrong?"

Homer: "Oh yeah, like you don't know! We're gonna have sex."

Mindy: "Oh ... well, we don't have to."

Homer: "Yes, we do. The cookie told me so."

Mindy: "Well, desserts aren't always right."

Homer: "But they're so sweet."

HOMER BADMAN

Season 6, Episode 9

Homer is accused of sexual harassment when he attempts to retrieve a gummy bear in the shape of the Venus de Milo from his feminist babysitter's bottom. It's a sharp satire on media-led witch-hunts, with protesters gathering outside the Simpson home – “2-4-6-8, Homer's crime was very great! Great meaning large or immense! We use it in the pejorative sense!” The made-for-TV movie of Homer's crime ("Homer S: Portrait Of An Ass-Grabber") is a particular treat.

Best line: Kent Brockman: "Of course, there's no way to see into the Simpson home without some kind of infrared heat-sensitive camera. So let's turn it on!" [Cuts to an x-ray view of the Simpson home, with two heat sources visible: the whole family on the sofa and a turkey in the oven.] "Now, this technology is new to me, but I'm pretty sure that's Homer Simpson in the oven, rotating slowly." [Camera zooms in for a shot of the turkey] "His body temperature has risen to over 400 degrees – he's literally stewing in his own juices."

HOMER THE GREAT

Season 6, Episode 12

Homer briefly becomes the messiah of a Freemasons-type outfit called The Stonecutters, before driving the club into ruin and being expelled by the members of its replacement, The Ancient Mystic Society of No Homers (into which another Homer, Homer Glumplich, is admitted). The organisation’s original leader, Number One, is voiced with Shakespearean gravity by Patrick Stewart, although all he really wants to do is get drunk and play ping-pong.

Best line: The Stonecutters’ musical number: “Who holds back the electric car?/ Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star?/ We do, we do!”

LISA'S WEDDING

Season 6, Episode 19

A fortune teller offers Lisa a glimpse into the future (the year 2010). Twenty-three-year-old Lisa is engaged to her dream man: a Hugh Grant parody named Hugh Parkfield, who appears to be everything she wants. There’s just one catch – this cultured, sophisticated Brit can’t stand Lisa’s family. Part of the episode’s fun come from seeing the Simpsons all grown up: teenage Maggie gets interrupted every time she tries to speak, Bart is a demolition expert, and Homer is virtually unchanged apart from a missing single hair. But it also manages to be genuinely touching, with Lisa finally choosing her embarrassing family over Hugh.

Best line: Marge (on the phone to Lisa): “Lisa! Hello. How are you doing in England? Remember, an elevator is called a 'lift', a mile is called a 'kilometre', and botulism is called 'steak and kidney pie'".

TWO DOZEN AND ONE DALMATIONS

Season 6, Episode 20

A 101 Dalmatians parody that manages to squeeze in references to everything from Spartacus to Lady and the Tramp, Two Dozen and One Greyhounds sees Bart and Lisa attempt to rescue a litter of stolen puppies from Mr Burns. Its most enjoyable sequence comes when Mr Burns reveals his dastardly plan to skin the greyhounds and turn them into a fur coat – via the brilliantly inventive ditty See My Vest (sung to the tune of Be Our Guest). As Bart himself says: “You gotta admit, it's catchy.”

Best line: Mr Burns (singing): “Like my loafers? Former gophers/It was that or skin my chauffeurs/ But a greyhound fur tuxedo/Would be best …”

LEMON OF TROY

Season 6, Episode 24

Local pride bonds father and son in this episode as we find out about the turnip-juice-drinking ways of Springfield’s neighbouring and rival town, Shelbyville. A string of cultural references are hidden within Lemon of Troy, including nods to Prince’s When Doves Cry, Rocky Balboa and Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Best line: Flanders: “Look, I called the police captain in Shelbyville and he said he hadn't seen them. But if they show up in the morgue, he's gonna fax us.”

WHO SHOT MR BURNS, PART I

Season 6, Episode 25

A true televisual event – Fox ran a phone contest for people trying to guess the identity of Mr Burns’ assailant – as well as a sterling episode in its own right. When oil is discovered underneath Springfield Elementary School, Mr Burns sets up a slant-drilling operation to siphon it away, provoking the ire of his fellow townspeople. But who fired the shot that felled him?

Best line: Mr Burns: “Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to destroy the sun.”

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR VI

Season 7, Episode 6

An imaginative Treehouse of Horror episode, whose three separate stories take inspiration from Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman, Nightmare on Elm Street and The Twilight Zone. The last of those, Homer3, sees Homer enter a mysterious “third dimension”, where the creators get to play with 3D animation and indulge in some self-referential fun. Nineties gamers will also appreciate a rather nice nod to the library from Myst.

Best line: Marge [voice-over]: “It all started on the 13th hour, of the 13th day, of the 13th month. We were there to discuss the misprinted calendars the school had purchased.”

THE SUMMER OF 4 FT 2

Season 7, Episode 25

With just one 20 minute episode, The Simpsons packs in all the pathos and joy of a classic coming-of-age movie. After finishing the school year friendless, Lisa casts off her nerd image on a family holiday, befriending a group of cool kids headed by Erin (Christina Ricci). Bart, naturally, is furious that Lisa is trying to usurp his position as Cool Simpson, and wreaks revenge. One of those episodes where The Simpsons doesn't only crack wise, it just is wise.

Best line: Erin: "Who does he think he is, with that slingshot in his back pocket? Dennis the Menace?"

YOU ONLY MOVE TWICE

Season 8, Episode 2

This brilliant extended Bond parody features one of the great minor characters in Simpsons history: Hank Scorpio, the hip, touchy-feely owner of Globex Corporation who turns out to be a Blofeld-esque super-villain.

Best line:

Marge: "Mr. Scorpio, this house is almost too good for us. I keep expecting to get the bum's rush."

Hank Scorpio: "We don't have bums in our town, Marge, and if we did they wouldn't rush, they'd be allowed to go at their own pace."

EL VIAJE MISTERIOSO DE NUESTRO JOMER (THE MYSTERIOUS VOYAGE OF HOMER)

Season 8, Episode 9

After arguing with Marge and downing several “Guatemalan insanity peppers” at a chilli cook-off, Homer undergoes a hallucinogenic spiritual journey (partly inspired by the writings of Carlos Castaneda). He meets his spirit guide – a coyote – who urges him to find his true soulmate. Luckily, by the end of the episode, Homer realises that Marge was his soulmate all along. Exploring themes of marriage and alcohol abuse, the episode also manages to squeeze in a Springfield rendition of “Short Shorts” But the very best thing of all? Johnny Cash voices the coyote.

Best line:

Homer: “It's like you're from Venus ..."

Marge: "And you're from Mars."

Homer: "Oh, sure, give me the one with all the monsters."

THE ITCHY & SCRATCHY & POOCHIE SHOW

Season 8, Episode 14

In this delightfully self-referential episode, the producers of The Itchy and Scratchy Show attempt to revitalise its flagging ratings with the introduction of a new character (Krusty: “Whaddya got in mind? Sexy broad? Gangster octopus?”). In the end they settle on a streetwise dog named Poochie, voiced by Homer (meanwhile the Simpsons gain a Poochie-alike houseguest named Roy). The episode disgusts the show’s fans and Poochie is written out of the series when he is revealed to be an alien (a handwritten frame reads: “Note: Poochie died on the way back to his home planet”).

Best line: Comic Book Guy: “Worst episode ever.”

HOMER'S PHOBIA

Season 8, Episode 15

Not every guest appearance on The Simpsons has resulted in a cast-iron classic, but John Waters's episode, which explodes many myths about being gay, is one of the best. Waters plays a man named John, whose budding friendship with Marge and the rest of the family is threatened when Homer discovers that he's homosexual, and begins to worry that his influence might turn Bart gay.

Best line: Homer: "You know me, Marge. I like my beer cold, my TV loud, and my homosexuals f-laming!"

HOMER VS THE 18TH AMENDMENT

Season 8, Episode 18

Duff beer is certainly the life blood of Homer Simpson, if not the entire cartoon. So it makes sense that when someone is needed to pioneer Springfield’s bootlegging business, it would be Homer. His profitable career as the Beer Baron is short-lived; soon he must face punishment by means of an ancient catapult. Minor-character points go to the suave Rex Banner.

Best line: “To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems."

HOMER'S ENEMY

Season 8, Episode 23

One of the darkest entries in the Simpsons canon allows us to imagine what it truly would be like to live alongside someone like Homer J Simpson, with the help of a memorable supporting character. Frank Grimes (immediately nicknamed "Grimey" by Homer) is his conscientious new co-worker, driven increasingly insane by the laziness and ineptitude of his colleagues, finally electrocuting himself to death as he pantomimes Homer's idiocy.

Best line:

Grimes [talking about Homer]: "God, he eats like a pig!"

Lenny: "I dunno. Pigs tend to chew. I'd say he eats more like a duck."

THE SIMPSONS SPIN-OFF SHOWCASE

Season 8, Episode 24

Troy McClure hosts this compilation episode dedicated to a succession of (perfectly) badly written Simpsons spin-off shows: a buddy cop drama called Chief Wiggum, PI, Moe Szyslak’s laugh-tracked sitcom The Love-Matic Grampa, and a song-and-dance spectacular, The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour, in which Lisa is replaced with a beautiful, dim teenage girl.

Best line: Chief Wiggum: “It’s no cakewalk being a single parent, juggling a career and family like so many juggling balls … two I suppose.”

MR PLOW

Season 9, Episode 4

Challenge a Simpsons fan to sing the Mr Plow jingle and few would decline. Another of Homer’s surprisingly successful ventures (see the Beer Baron), his snowplowing business overcomes fallouts and rescue missions, only to be conquered by the elements.

Best line: Homer: "Now, we play the waiting game. [waits] Ahh, the waiting game sucks. Let’s play Hungry Hungry Hippos!"

ALONE AGAIN, NATURA-DIDDILY

Season 11, Episode 14

Homer is forced to overcome his irritation towards his God-fearing neighbour Ned Flanders when he causes the death of Flanders's wife, Maude. We watch Ned go through the grieving process and temporarily denounce God before finding a new woman. The entire process also allows us to witness Bart playing nice with the well-behaved, high-pitched Flanders boys, Rod and Todd.

Best line:

Lovejoy: "In many ways Maude Flanders was a supporting player in our lives. She didn't grab our attention with memorable catch phrases or comical accents."

Willie: "Aye!"

Sea Captain: "Yarr!"

Frink: "Oh Glaven!"

This is our list, but what do you think? Are we too heavy on the Nineties "golden age"? Should there be fewer Homer-centric episodes? Argue for your favourites in the comments section below.