The show had also recently broken the record for the longest-running primetime scripted series (surpassing Gunsmoke in 2009). Season 22, therefore, carried an air of legacy maintenance. The writers — led by showrunner (now in his second long stint) — leaned into guest stars, Homer-and-Marge relationship episodes, and increasingly absurd yet strangely structured plots. Notable Episodes: The Highs, the Lows, and the Weird Season 22 is uneven, but its best episodes hold up surprisingly well.
Yet even mediocre Season 22 episodes have a certain craft. The show never feels lazy; it feels experienced . Like a veteran band playing their hits with slight variations, occasionally veering into a deep cut that reminds you why they mattered. Critically, Season 22 was met with a shrug. Metacritic aggregates weren’t common for individual seasons then, but fan reception on forums like No Homers Club was mixed: some called it a mild improvement over Season 21; others dismissed it as more of the same. The IMDb episode ratings hover mostly between 6.5 and 7.5 — respectable for a show in its third decade.
If Season 22 has a signature, it is not a grand creative renaissance but a d’oh-thrip — a quiet, shuffling, persistent forward motion. Not a triumphant return, but a steady heartbeat. This was the season where The Simpsons fully embraced its role as a comfort-food institution, while occasionally surprising audiences with meta-wit, experimental animation, and even genuine pathos. To understand Season 22, one must remember the TV landscape at the time. Family Guy was in its post-cancellation peak. South Park had just finished its 14th season. Adventure Time was redefining children’s animation. Streaming was nascent (Netflix was still a DVD-by-mail giant). The Simpsons was no longer the edgy upstart; it was the old guard, often parodied for its longevity.
