We are as excited as Homer Simpson spotting a trampoline for sale, because Disney+ is here and that means we have on-demand access to more than 600 episodes of The Simpsons for the first time.

The yellow family have been a regular sight on British screens for decades, of course, but this is the first time viewers in this country will be able to (legally) chose exactly which episodes they want to watch without the risk of being exposed to some of the newer ones, which have taken the shine off the series somewhat.

To celebrate this new arrangement, we’ve picked out 16 of the best Simpsons episodes that you can stream right now – our selection skews towards the first decade of the show, for obvious reasons.

Cape Feare

Season 5, episode 2

Sideshow Bob episodes rarely disappoint, but it's hard to beat Cape Feare. When Sideshow Bob is released from prison on parole, Bart begins to receive death threats. He's freaked out and the family is sent to live on a houseboat as part of the witness protection program. Like any good Simpsons episode it's packed full of gags and references – "no one who speaks German could be an evil man" – but it's best remembered for the iconic rakes gag, a piece of pitch perfect slapstick in an episode crammed with it. Bob's (Kelsey Grammer) performance of HMS Pinafore at Bart's request is the icing on the cake. AV

Best joke: It has to be the rakes

Marge vs the Monorail

Season 4, episode 12

Packed with throwaway gags (Batman’s a scientist!) and pop-culture references from the opening scene (a Flintstones parody culminating in Homer driving his car into a chestnut tree), season four’s Marge vs the Monorail is a timeless tale of a small town getting swindled by a slick con man. Written by Conan O’Brien, who penned many of the series’ best episodes, it has a guest appearance from Leonard Nimoy and one of the show’s better musical numbers – Homer’s turn as a monorail conductor is one of his more memorable wacky jobs. AK

Best joke: “I shouldn’t have stopped for that haircut”

Rosebud

Season 5, episode 4

Bobo! This vintage Charles Montgomery Burns ep sees Homer's boss longing for the symbol of his innocent childhood, his long lost teddy Bobo. Bobo – a stand-in for the Citizen Kane sled – has travelled by montage to reach the hands of one Maggie Simpson and Burns' and Smithers' attempts to retrieve it – by bribe, zipwire, lynch mob and taking over the TV – are matched only by the meticulous cinephile nods throughout. But this is no mere high-brow homage. Homer chooses family over a million dollars and three Hawaiian islands but he also vows to stop wiggling his bare butt in public and gets extremely distracted by a cardboard box. SC

Best joke: Have the Rolling Stones killed

Last Exit to Springfield

Season 4, episode 17

Lisa needs braces, but the company dental plan is on the chopping block in the latest round of union negotiations at the nuclear power plant. Homer steps up to the plate as union president, going head-to-head with plant owner Mr Burns in a series of negotiations – the nuances of which Homer is largely oblivious too. There’s lot to love in this fan favourite – from the sadistic dentist with his Big Book of British Smiles (this role was offered to both Anthony Hopkins and Clint Eastwood, but both turned it down), to the way Burns reads Homer’s every blunder as a masterstroke of tactical genius. AK

Best joke: “It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times”

22 Short Films About Springfield

Season 7, episode 21

Loosely based on the overlapping storylines of Pulp Fiction, this episode jumps between a variety of different characters in, you guessed it, 22 short sketches which add a bit more depth to some of Springfield’s other residents. The best bits are the ones where the Simpson family are nowhere to be seen – Dr Nick Rivieria’s malpractice hearing, Nelson’s comeuppance, and the ‘Steamed Hams’ sketch featuring the town’s premier educators – which has become a cultural phenomenon in its own right. This is the best remix. AK

Best joke: “Aurora Borealis?”

You Only Move Twice

Season 8, episode 2

This James Bond ripoff has it all: Mr. Bont, a charming and maniacal super-villain who organises fun runs for his staff, a hammock district and some of the best one-line gags to ever make it into The Simpsons. The plot focuses on the Simpson family relocating to Cypress Creek, a planned community owned by the Globex corporation. Homer, oblivious to the fact that his boss is building a doomsday device, loves his new life. The rest of the family, less so. It’s stupid and, thanks to the setting, the animators clearly had a lot of fun putting the episode together. Oh, and Hank Scorpio is one of the best one-episode characters in the history of the show. JT

Best joke: “I didn’t even give you my coat!”

Deep Space Homer

Season 5, episode 15

When Nasa realises no one is watching its space launches, it turns to the average man. Enter Homer Simpson and Barney Gumble, who face a gruelling series of tests to determine which one of them is least poorly suited to the life of an astronaut. For Homer, who has just lost out on employee of the month to an inanimate carbon rod, it offers a chance to restore some pride and make his children feel, if not pride, at least the opposite of shame. Tonnes of great sight gags, including a couple of nods to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Barney crashing into the unyielding roof of a pillow factory. AK

Best joke: “I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.”

El Viaje Misterioseso de Nuestro Jomer

Season 8, episode 9

The Simpsons gets trippy in the one with the chilli coyote. Homer makes a fool out of himself at the Chilli Cook-Off then, thanks to some super hot chillis, descends into all manner of wild animations, guided by a coyote with the voice of Johnny Cash. He gets preoccupied with whether or not Marge is his true soulmate – everyone at Moe's is no help – and it all ends with the kind of dramatic, romantic, silly reunion that always made us root for these crazy cartoon kids. The hallucination sequences really let Simpsons animator David Silverman – who was with the show since its shorts days – fly. SC

Best joke: Ma'am I wouldn't honk the honk if I couldn't tonk the tonk

A Streetcar Named Marge

Season 4, episode 2

Marge, desperate for something to do outside of mothering her needy family, signs up for a musical production of Streetcar Named Desire – “Oh, Streetcar!” It turns out that Stanley Kolwalski’s relationship with Blanche Dubois – "a delicate flower being trampled by an uncouth lout" – parallels Marge’s relationship with Homer. Features one of the great one-off characters, the theatre director Llewelyn Sinclair. (“I’ve directed three plays and had three heart attacks – that’s how much I care!”) It’s also an episode that culminates with a joyous musical number, featuring songs that really wring as many rhymes as possible out of the name “Stella”. (“You’re a dame and I’m a fella! Stanley stop or I’ll tell Stella” and “STELLA! You're putting me through HELLA, can’t you hear me YELLA!”) WB

Best joke: The Ayn Rand School for Tots

Mr Plow

Season 4, episode 9

"Call Mr. Plow. That's my name. That name again is Mr. Plow." When snow hits Springfield, Homer crashes his car and replaces it with a truck with a snow plow attached. When his plowing business booms, earning him a key to the city, best friend Barney decides to cash in himself by launching his rival service, The Plow King. Their bitter rivalry almost ends in disaster until Homer comes to Barney's rescue, but the episode is best remembered for the hilarious cameos from original on-screen Batman, Adam West. AV

Best joke: "I didn't need moulded plastic to improve my physique. Pure West."

One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Bluefish

Season 2, episode 11

When The Simpsons gets sentimentality right it really nails it. This episode deals with one of the heaviest issues around (death) in a beautifully tragicomic way that pulls on your heartstrings and hits your funny bone. There’s dark humour and in abundance, but also some truly heartwarming moments, as Homer skirts the boundary between life and death. When The Simpsons is all jokes and shenanigans, it’s easy to lose sight of why this family unit is so appealing and relatable. Ultimately, they all love one another in a flawed and human way. This episode, perhaps above all others, shows exactly how important that love is. JT

Best joke: “No need to panic. There is a map to the hospital on the back of the menu”

Homer at Bat

Season 3, episode 17

The Simpsons was so good back in the day that even an episode focused entirely on the most boring sport in the world – baseball – was still a legendary home run. Homer has led the nuclear power plant softball team to the grand finals against Shelbyville, after smashing a ton of homers with his lightning-crafted “Wonder Bat”. Mister Burns, determined to win, prepares a team of ringers, with greats like Honus Wagner, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown. Smithers informs Burns that his team have all “retired and passed on” – including a right fielder who has been dead for 130 years – and procures his own group of nineties stars, much to Homer’s chagrin. Contains the second greatest of all Simpsons’s songs, after the Planet of the Apes musical. You know the one: “Well Mr. Burns had done it/the power plant had won it…” WB

Best joke: “Lord Palmerston!” “PITT THE ELDER!”

Lisa’s Substitute

Season 2, episode 19

Yes, a Lisa episode. And a sentimental one, too. The plot centres on the relationship between Lisa and her new substitute teacher, Mr. Bergstrom, voiced by Dustin Hoffman. Bergstrom quickly becomes an amazing role model for Lisa, who begins to embrace her geeky love of learning. When the substitute teacher moves on to another school, a heartbroken Lisa takes her anger out on Homer. At this point, the writers skilfully nudge the baboonish Homer into a caring, albeit flawed father. Lisa’s grief is eased by Homer’s silliness and the bond between father and daughter is strengthened. It’s a heartwarming, skilfully-crafted tale. JT

Best joke: That’s not enough! We demand more asbestos! More asbestos! More asbestos!

Itchy & Scratchy Land

Season 6, episode 4

The Simpsons does a very good line in theme parks – ironic given their new home – and it was a toss up between this and Bart, Lisa and Selma’s trip to Duff Gardens (featuring the infamous sandwich scene). Season six’s Itchy and Scratchy Land just edges it though – the Jurassic Park-inspired plot (involving robots run amok at the “violentest place on Earth”) is a little more out there, but it’s full of great moments including Homer inexplicably trying to smuggle a trunk-full of fruit and veg across state lines, and Marge’s mounting exasperation at the family’s antics. AK

Best joke: “Come along, Bort.”

Lemon of Troy

Season 6, episode 24

This tale of town rivalry sees Bart, Milhouse, Martin and Nelson take on the kids of Shelbyville with half the fun of the episode seeing the Springfield bunch interacting with their doppelgangers. During the pursuit of the stolen lemon tree, we're treated to riffs on everything from the educational benefit of Rocky's roman numerals to Greek myth and Marge gets some real zingers, always a pleasure to see. Most of the picks on this list have near-mythic status themselves; 'Lemon of Troy' is a reminder that even when this show is low stakes and not particularly bothered about tearing up the rulebook, it can still shine. And as for Ned Flanders' take on Bart's iconic 'eat my shorts' line - that one will stay with you. SC

Best joke: "So this is what it feels like when doves cry"

The Springfield Files

Season 8, episode 10

Let's just crawl back to the nineties, shall we? This X-Files episode of The Simpsons, with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson playing agents Mulder and Scully, is packed with clever takes on the aliens and monsters show – it's not just the theme tune, even the spooky angles are spot on. But it works just as well even if you haven't seen either in 20-odd years too. The mystery of the week is a glowing alien in the woods that just wants to bring them love, Leonard Nimoy joins in as a guest star and the town of Springfield gets to go full conspiracy on us. A masterclass cross-over. SC

Best joke: Yahh!

😓 How did coronavirus start and what happens next?

❓ Does alcohol kill coronavirus? The biggest myths, busted

🎮 World of Warcraft perfectly predicted our coronavirus panic

✈️ Flight data shows the huge scale of Covid-19

👉 Follow WIRED on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn

This article was originally published by WIRED UK