The Simpsons has been on the air for over thirty years, churning out some of the most iconic pieces of American television comedy ever. Like any show that's gone on for decades, though, it's understandable if someone fell off the show after a point. But the most recent seasons have still featured some fantastic episodes that are just as good as anything from the show's classic era.

Here are the best episodes of The Simpsons from the last few seasons that you may have missed.

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THE WAR OF THE ART

After spending the first act on Lisa's childish (and overbearing) attempts to get a guinea pig, season 25's fifteenth episode "The War of the Art" shifts into the actual narrative after the new pet accidentally chews through the painting of a sailboat that has always hung over the Simpsons' couch. After purchasing a replacement painting from the Van Houten's during a garage sale, the family is shocked to discover that the painting is actually a rare piece of art that might be worth a small fortune. But instead of telling the Van Houten's about the discovery, they decide to keep the money for themselves.

The Van Houten's naturally end up finding out the truth, leading to the entirety of Springfield to take different sides in the debate. It's a surprisingly depressing story-beat, with Homer at one point saying they're not actually friends with the Van Houtens and just know them because "our kids hang out with their kid." The story ends up being about integrity in numerous forms, not just between each other but in art as well. It's a nuanced episode with layers to the narrative about both families and what it takes to make them happy and possesses a keen sense of character throughout.

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SUPER FRANCHISE ME

A sweetheart inversion of the classic "Homer gets a new job" trope, the third episode of season 26 titled "Super Franchise Me" is one of the latest attempts by Marge to try and find a new place for herself in the world. After blowing everyone away with her sandwiches, Marge decides to take a stab at running a sandwich shop for a Subway-esque company. But it proves to be more difficult than she expected, especially when Cletus and his family open a rival shop across the street from them.

It's a markedly serious episode, even when leaning into the top comedy beats. Marge's sense of anxiety, accomplishment, and disappointment are all palpable and give her a fuller edge than many episodes centering around the matriarch of the family. There's a genuine sense of bittersweet optimism to the episode, even when Homer has to pretend to be an injured "groin model" to ultimately get the franchise to return Marge's investment and cancel the contract. Like the episode that follows it, it also features a strangely innocent and moving couch gag set to Cat Stevens' "Tea for the Tillerman" that is one of the sweetest couch gags.

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HALLOWEEN OF HORROR

Animation The Simpsons Halloween of Horror

Despite the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episodes being a staple of the series, it took them twenty-seven seasons to do a proper full episode set during the holiday. "Halloween of Horror," the fourth episode of the 27th season changed that, while also being both heartfelt and genuinely tense. Lisa is traumatized while going to the Krustyland Halloween Celebration, and the family (revealed to be very big fans of Halloween) are forced to put everything away so Lisa can skip Halloween this year. But while Bart and Marge get a minor but silly subplot about trying to sneak into a fancy neighborhood for Bart, Homer and Lisa are confronted by three drifters Homer accidentally enraged earlier in the episode.

While the show never loses sight of the comedy with the home invaders, they are treated with a certain edge of malice that just usually isn't in The Simpsons. It makes Homer and Lisa's conversation in the attic together as they hide all the more potent, as there are real stakes for the characters who usually walk off falling out of buildings: Homer has never been established as a good father, but he has flashes of awareness that lead him to tell his family what they need to hear. Getting Lisa to confront the reality of the situation because "you can't let fear shut down your brain - because, between the two of us, you've got the only good one," is an incredibly effective moment for the character. It works really well as a Homer/Lisa story, one of the most emotional and palpable subplots of the series. Plus, Bart and Marge's subplot features the song "Grown-Up Halloween," a goofy tribute to Rocky Horror Picture Show and just how bizarre Halloween can get.

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BARTHOOD

Bart art

Season 27's ninth episode "Barthood" is a riff on Boyhood. The Academy Award-winning film followed the adolescence and growth of a young boy in America. But here's the thing: "Barthood" is way stronger than the movie it's based around. The episode traces the growth of Bart Simpson, even beyond the period of the series and into young adulthood. It explores Bart's changing relationship with Homer, Lisa, and Grandpa Simpson as he gets older, and how his views on them change over time.

Unlike Boyhood (which was more bolstered by the actual real-time development of the cast than the actual story), there'a throughline to the events of the episode that tie everything together. It touches on many of the overarching relationships of the entire series. It doesn't give closure to the relationships but it shows how they morph over time to reflect the changing world around them - Homer talks to Bart about his own vulnerabilities, and Lisa angrily reveals the one thing she was always purely jealous of Bart for - his natural artistic talent. Many of the "future" gags that usually distract in timeline jumping episodes are absent here, with the episode playing out as a much more straightforward and dramatic story. It's one of the most emotionally charged episodes of the entire series.

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22 FOR 30

"22 For 30" is the 17th episode of the 28th season. Structured as a sports mockumentary riffing on the ESPN docu-series 30 For 30, the episode tracks the peewee-basketball career of Bart. Proving to be something of a prodigy at the game, Bart quickly becomes one of the most famous people in the town. But after he starts point-shaving for Fat Tony as a way of getting back at Homer (who is forced to become the coach of the team), he's ordered to throw the big championship game.

One of the most consistently funny episodes of the recent seasons, the entire episode is jam-packed with gags. This ranges from specific character beats (like Homer not knowing what a basketball hoop is), goofy physical comedy (a very well animated moment finds Homer and Bart having a giant fight during the post-game celebration of a victory) and clever pieces of visual comedy (the mockumentary style gives plenty of room for editing jokes). Fat Tony and his cronies are given plenty of fun material to play with, and the creators have a blast with the jokes regarding the medium. It's a nice reminder that the series, even in later years, can find the sweet spot of absurdist comedy that made it so legendary in the first place.

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GONE BOY

Sideshow Bob has been one of the biggest recurring characters in the series, appearing at the center of thirteen different episodes across three decades. His most recent appearance is in the 29th season's ninth episode, "Gone Boy" finds another new way to explore his psyche. After Bart is lost in the woods (having fallen down a forgotten bunker), the search is eventually called off and Bart is believed to be dead. But Bob, refusing to believe that anything could kill Bart except him, escapes and tries to hunt him down.

The episode has plenty of fun with the history between the characters. It even finds a lot of humor in the surprising first interaction between Bob and Milhouse. But while the episode's stakes reach a ridiculous degree, the narrative also finds the sweet spot of reflection. Bob has to confront his own deterring mental state and has the realization that no matter his justifications, killing Bart is the wrong thing to do. It even ends on a sweet coda for the character who, in his old age, can be found living in a lighthouse and regretting his lifelong commitment to revenge.

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WOO-HOO DUNNIT?

Framed as a mockumentary like "22 For 30," this episode instead takes aim at the various true crime documentaries of the last few years. "Woo-Hoo Dunnit" is the twenty-second episode of the series' thirtieth season. After Lisa's secret college fund of $670 is stolen by a member of the family, a documentary crew comes to try and uncover the mystery. It plays out like a solid "who done it", leading to the revelation that was Marge who took the money, all so she could invest in one of her ideas. But when Homer has the chance to gloat, he covers up the secret from the rest of the family.

One of the best episodes the show has done in ages, and arguably as good as anything from the Golden Era, "Woo-Hoo Dunnit" is proof that with the right script, The Simpsons can be as affecting, hilarious and relevant as it ever was. It finds great comic beats with the other citizens of Springfield (who slip in and out of the episode for quick jokes) while never losing sight of the main throughline of the episode.

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