I have to work today. This is dangerous.Sonic Youth wrote
TVcharts is a pretty interesting website. Pick any long-running show, and you can almost see trends emerging. Simspons veterans, I assume this is a reliable chart?
https://tvcharts.co/show/the-simpsons-tt0096697
It's pretty reliable although I definitely see a trend towards over-rewarding episodes that are mainly triumphs of comedy like Cape Feare, The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson, and Homer the Great. No idea how The Springfield Files is in the collective top ten.
I think it's interesting that between seasons 19 and 29, there are only two episodes that reach 8.0 status (Holidays of Future Passed and Barthood) and they both trade heavily on the idea of the disappointing futures of these characters that we've spent so much of our lives with. Bart seems destined to be a disappointment while Lisa won't fulfill her potential. I doubt either episode would make a top 50 for me if only because season 3-6 are so stuffed with greatness but both episodes (imperfect as they are) have a very moving melancholy to them.