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"The Simpsons" (1989) More at IMDbPro »

The Simpsons Political Party, Boxed Set (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Two of the best politically themed Simpsons episodes, "Lisa's Substitute" and "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington," have already been released on video. But that still leaves this formidable slate of six episodes. Topping the ticket are "Sideshow Bob Roberts," in which Bart's "mortal enemy," Sideshow Bob, becomes mayor of Springfield; "Trash of the Titans," in which Homer, "the last angry man," is elected Springfield's Sanitation Commissioner on the platform of "Can't someone else do it?"; and "Two Bad Neighbors," in which "local oaf" Homer squares off against his new neighbor, former President George Bush ("Then we're agreed; there'll be trouble"). This three-volume set also brings to the party "Duffless," in which Homer agrees to go one month without his precious beer ("I never realized how boring this game is," a sober Homer remarks during a baseball game), and "I Love Lisa," in which a valentine from goodhearted Lisa is misinterpreted by Chief Wiggum's pitiable son, Ralph. By a strictly conservative interpretation, neither has much to do with politics, but why quibble? "The Trouble with Trillions," in which the IRS leans on Homer to squeal on his friends, is a rare clunker, but only by the peerless high standards of The Simpsons. Each volume can also be purchased separately. --Donald Liebenson

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 4 - Tree House Horror (The Simpsons Halloween Special)/ Bart Gets an F (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In "Treehouse of Horror," the first Halloween special, the Simpsons spoof The Amityville Horror when they find the house of their dreams, which turns out to be desperately haunted. Then the Simpsons are abducted by aliens, who seem to be fattening them up to eat them. A deliriously funny episode. In "Bart Gets an F," Bart is threatened with being held back if he doesn't pass history, which he is in danger of failing. So he makes a deal with smart-kid Martin, who will tutor him in exchange for Bart teaching him to be a normal kid. But Martin is too good a student and Bart winds up studying by himself. --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 5 - Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes On Every Fish/ Bart Vs. Thanksgiving (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: One of the funniest episodes in the series' history, "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" features Mr. Burns's corrupt run for governor in order to alleviate the nuclear regulations that hamper his business. It's a dizzying send-up of political cynicism. In "Bart Vs. Thanksgiving," Bart gets sent to his room without dinner for torching Lisa's Thanksgiving centerpiece, then runs away from home to the wrong side of the tracks. There, he gives blood to get money, then enjoys a Thanksgiving meal at the local soup kitchen and even winds up on TV being interviewed by ever-smarmy Kent Brockman. Another delightful send-up. --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 6 - Bart the Daredevil /Itchy, Scratchy and Marge (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In "Bart the Daredevil," Bart takes his career cues from daredevil Captain Lance Murdock--who nearly dies in a hilarious stunt involving a motorcycle jump over a tank filled with sharks, piranhas, electric eels, alligators, and a lion--and starts making leaps on his skateboard to impress friends. But when he threatens to jump Springfield Gorge, Homer steps in (and does a great Lance Murdock imitation). In "Itchy, Scratchy & Marge," Marge becomes alarmed at baby Maggie being influenced by the hyperviolent Itchy & Scratchy cartoons and launches a boycott. She tangles with cartoon boss Roger Myers (a wonderful Alex Rocco) and actually gets the cartoons toned down. --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 1 - No Disgrace Like Home/ Life On The Fast Lane (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: This tape contains two solid, uncut Simpsons episodes. In "There's No Disgrace Like Home," Homer gets upset that his family isn't as happy and contented as the other families he sees at the company picnic. So he takes the advice of a TV commercial and brings the family to see media psychotherapist Dr. Marvin Monroe, who winds up wiring the family to devices that allow them to shock each other, only to see them zap each other at will--hilariously so--and take down the entire Springfield power grid. In "Life on the Fast Lane," Marge gets upset when Homer gives her a bowling ball for her birthday (something he wanted), but then she takes bowling lessons. Before she knows what's happening, she's been swept off her feet by French bowling pro Jacques (voiced by Albert Brooks). --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 2 - Bart the General/ Moaning Lisa (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In "Bart the General," Bart finds himself the constant victim of playground bully Nelson Muntz and seeks advice from his parents. When that fails, he turns to Grandpa Simpson, who hooks Bart up with crazy Herman, who runs the army surplus store and outfits Bart and his pals in enough gear to take over the whole school. In "Moaning Lisa," Lisa has a case of the glums, which turn out to be the blues--which are cured when she discovers the music of her new idol, jazzman Bleeding Gums Murphy. Homer, meanwhile, gets himself tutored in video games so he will be able to beat the undefeated Bart in a boxing game in which Bart regularly knocks Homer's man's head off. These are not two of the better episodes in this series. --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 3 - The Crepes of Wrath/ Krusty Gets Busted (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In "The Crepes of Wrath," Bart gets in so much trouble for flushing a cherry bomb down a school toilet while Principal Skinner's mother is on the commode that Homer and Marge agree to send him to France as part of a foreign exchange. Bart, expecting the good life, instead winds up as a slave to a pair of vintners. The Simpsons, meanwhile, wind up with a perfect child from Albania, who happens to be a Soviet spy. In "Krusty Gets Busted," Kelsey Grammar appears as the voice of Sideshow Bob, Bart's continuing nemesis, who frames Krusty for robbing the Kwik-E-Mart (Homer is a witness) then takes his place on the TV show. It's up to Bart to prove his hero is innocent. The first of a long line of annual Bart vs. Sideshow Bob episodes. --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Boxed Set 1 (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: This boxed set contains six episodes of The Simpsons: "There's No Disgrace Like Home" (the Simpsons shock each other at a shrink's office); "Life on the Fast Lane" (Marge takes bowling lessons from--and nearly is seduced by--Albert Brooks as a French bowling pro); "Bart the General" (Bart plays Patton in his effort to beat bully Nelson Muntz); "Moaning Lisa" (Lisa's jazz hero, Bleeding Gums Murphy, is introduced); "The Crepes of Wrath" (Bart is a foreign-exchange student and winds up as a slave in France); and "Krusty Gets Busted" (Sideshow Bob frames Krusty the Clown for robbery in order to take over his show). --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 12 - Treehouse of Horror 2/ Lisa's Pony (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: "This year's episode is even worse," Marge Simpson warns of "Treehouse of Horror II," a sequel to the Simpsons' first Halloween special. "It's scarier and more violent and I think they snuck in some bad language, too." Thus the stage is set for a night of candy-binge-induced nightmares that haunt Lisa, Bart, and Homer. In Lisa's dream, a wish-granting Moroccan monkey paw brings "grave misfortune" to the Simpsons, whose wishes inadvertently lead to an alien takeover of the Earth. Bart's dream, a takeoff on the Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life," imagines Bart as the monster who wreaks havoc with his thoughts, from changing the name of America to "Bonerland" to turning Homer into a jack-in-the-box. Finally, Homer dreams that Mr. Burns's Frankensteinian experiments backfire, resulting in Burns's head being grafted onto Homer's body. It's all a dream. . . or is it? In another gem from the third season of The Simpsons, "Lisa's Pony," Homer goes for the "quick fix" to win back his daughter's love by buying her a pony. Rewind alert: Two classmates admire Lisa as she gallops past. "She certainly tamed that horse," one remarks. The other responds, "Yes, but what man can tame her?" This video also contains an original Simpsons short from The Tracey Ullman Show. The Best of the Simpsons, volumes 10, 11, and 12, are also available in a boxed set. --Donald Liebenson

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 10 - Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington/ When Flanders Failed (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: This video contains two complete and uncut must-own episodes from this Peabody- and Emmy-Award-winning animated series' third season (1991-92), when The Simpsons was really on a creative roll (Mmmm. . . rolls). In "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington," a free copy of Reader's Digest enriches the Simpsons' lives. Homer is transformed into a bookworm (at one point, he actually turns off the television!), Marge cooks up a recipe for "meatloaf men," and Lisa enters and wins a "Patriots for Tomorrow" essay contest. First prize: an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. Once there, though, she spies a congressman accepting a bribe, and she angrily tears up her entry and writes a more inflammatory essay entitled "Cesspool on the Potomac." The uproar rouses the government into action, and Lisa's faith in democracy is restored. Rewind alert: Marge and Homer visit the Washington Monument, the sight of which makes Marge giggle like a naughty schoolgirl. When she whispers to Homer what is so funny, he rebukes her with, "Oh Marge, grow up." In "When Flanders Failed," Ned Flanders, Homer's next-door nemesis ("I don't care if he is the nicest guy in the world. He's a jerk--end of story"), announces his plans to open the Leftorium, a one-stop shop for southpaws. Over a chicken wishbone, Homer places a curse on Ned's "stupid left-handed store." This video also contains an original Simpsons short from The Tracey Ullman Show. The Best of the Simpsons, volumes 10, 11, and 12, are also available in a boxed set. --Donald Liebenson

The Best of The Simpsons, Boxed Set 2 (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: There are a number of solid episodes in this collection, which includes "Treehouse of Horror," the first Simpsons' Halloween special and one of the best; "Bart Gets an F," in which Bart gets Martin to tutor him and winds up corrupting him instead; "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish," in which Mr. Burns runs for governor and has a hilarious dinner at the Simpson household on live TV; "Bart vs. Thanksgiving," in which Bart runs away from home after getting in trouble and eats turkey at a soup kitchen; "Bart the Daredevil," featuring a hysterically gruesome appearance by Captain Lance Murdock; and "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge," wherein Marge takes on violence in cartoons--and wins. --Marshall Fine

The Simpsons Trick Or Treehouse: Vol. 1 Halloween (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: "Crybabies--religious types mostly," consider yourselves warned. "Treehouse of Horror III" is guaranteed to offend. It's not the best of The Simpsons' annual Halloween specials, but it does manage to scare up some classic moments. This episode is really in the Zone--as in Twilight--with "Clown Without Pity," in which a Krusty the Clown doll tries to kill Homer. "King Homer" recasts King Kong with Marge as the beauty and Homer as the apelike beast. Last, but certainly best, is "Dial 'Z' for Zombie," in which Bart unwittingly unleashes a reign of brain-eating zombie ("They prefer 'living impaired'") terror. "I thought dabbling in the black arts would be good for a chuckle," Bart repents. "How wrong I was." This video also contains "Treehouse of Horror V," a real keeper that, Marge warns us, "is so scary, Congress won't even let us show it." In the first segment, no TV and no beer make Homer go crazy in "The Shinning" ("You mean 'The Shining,'" Bart corrects. "Shh, you want to get sued?" he is reprimanded). The second segment, "Time and Punishment," takes its inspiration from a Ray Bradbury story, as Homer enters a time vortex and "alters the future in ways you can't even imagine" (Ned Flanders as "the unquestioned lord and master of the world"?). The tastiest item on the menu is "Nightmare Cafeteria," in which Principal Skinner and Lunchlady Doris cook up an unsavory solution to the school's overcrowding problem. --Donald Liebenson

The Simpsons Trick Or Treehouse: Vol. 2 Springfield Murder (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Even more thrilling than The Simpsons' annual "Treehouse of Horror" episodes are those in which Bart is pitted against his mortal enemy, Sideshow Bob. The two classic episodes on this video, "Black Widower" and "Cape Feare," are killer. Kelsey Grammer is in fine voice as Krusty the Clown's maniacal former sidekick, whose evil plans are invariably foiled by Bart, a "little boy who never lost his mistrust." Beware, Aunt Selma. The next episode you watch of your beloved MacGyver may be your last! In "Black Widower," Bart must convince clueless Chief Wiggum and his family that Selma's new husband, Sideshow Bob, intends to murder her. Classic moment: Homer's ode to cocktail weenies: "They taste as good as they look. And they come in this delicious red sauce. It looks like ketchup--it tastes like ketchup. But brother, it ain't ketchup!" In "Cape Feare," someone is sending Bart anonymous death threats. "But who'd want to hurt me?" Bart protests. "I'm this century's Dennis the Menace." Sideshow Bob, that's who. He's been paroled and vows revenge on "the spirited little scamp who ... sent me to this dank, urine-soaked hellhole." A new identity and a new houseboat cannot keep Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons--make that the Thompsons, thanks to the Witness Protection Program--door. Bart again prevails with, as Homer describes it, "a plan fiendishly clever in its in-trick-asies." --Donald Liebenson

The Simpsons Trick Or Treehouse: Vol. 3 Heaven & Hell (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The trick is on anyone expecting one of The Simpsons' infamous "Treehouse of Horror" episodes. "Bart Sells His Soul" and "Lisa the Skeptic" do not rank among this series' very best episodes, but true believers won't lose their religion. In "Bart Sells His Soul," Bart is convinced that the soul is "just something they made up to scare kids, like the Boogie Man or Michael Jackson." He sells his to best friend Milhouse for $5. When Bart no longer finds Itchy and Scratchy cartoons funny, he desperately tries to get his soul back. But Milhouse has already traded it for Alf pogs. "Remember Alf?" he asks. Bart's dilemma is overshadowed by a subplot involving Moe's transformation of his tavern into "Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag." In "Lisa the Skeptic," only "science girl" Lisa refuses to make a leap of faith when an archaeological dig turns up a skeleton that looks like an angel. Homer promptly erects the skeleton as a statue and exploits it as a tourist attraction. Without being preachy (or particularly funny), this episode is pretty potent stuff, as the townspeople form a mob to lay waste to Springfield's scientific institutions, and nervously await the prophecy scrawled across the statue: "The end will come at sundown." Sayeth Homer, "I don't like the sound of that." --Donald Liebenson.

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 11 - Bart the Murder/ Like Father, Like Clown (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Joe Mantegna and Jackie Mason are the featured guest voices in two indispensable episodes, presented here complete and uncut, from the third season of The Simpsons. This video also contains an original Simpsons short from The Tracey Ullman Show. "Bart the Murderer" introduces Mantegna's signature Simpsons character, gangster Fat Tony, who gives Bart a job at the Legitimate Businessman's Social Club. Bart's job description ("mixing drinks, picking horses, cutting cigars") worries Marge, and Homer's worst fears are realized when Bart--a.k.a. "the Dinky Don"--is put on trial as "the head of a murderous criminal syndicate." Rewind alert: "Blood on the Blackboard," the inevitable TV movie based on "the Bart Simpson story," starring "Doogie Howser's Neil Patrick Harris" as Bart. Jackie Mason was born to play Rabbi Krustofsky in the surprisingly poignant "Like Father, Like Clown," which echoes Field of Dreams and The Jazz Singer with its story of father-son reconciliation. Over dinner at the Simpsons, Krusty reveals that he is Jewish ("A Jewish entertainer?" a skeptical Homer responds. "Get outta here!") and estranged from his father, a rabbi who disowned him for becoming a clown ("A jazz singer, this I could forgive," his father states). Bart and Lisa are determined to reunite them, but the rabbi is unyielding. "I have no son," he thunders. "Great," Bart complains. "We come all this way and it's the wrong guy." "I didn't mean that literally," the rabbi amends. The Best of the Simpsons, volumes 10, 11, and 12, are also available in a boxed set. --Donald Liebenson

The Best of the Simpsons, Boxed Set 4 (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: "It is not simply the best comedy on television, but almost certainly the best thing on television," proclaimed CNN's Jeff Greenfield about The Simpsons, prime-time TV's longest-running animated series. This is the fourth and best boxed set of Simpsons episodes. Each of these gems, presented complete and uncut, hails from the Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning series' third season (1991-92). Included is "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington," in which Lisa's shattered faith in democracy is restored. "When Flanders Failed" has Homer cursing the new business enterprise (the Leftorium) of his next-door nemesis. Bart is a jolly goodfella in "Bart the Murderer," which features the voice of Joe Mantegna as the gangster Fat Tony. "Like Father, Like Clown" has guest voice Jackie Mason as Rabbi Krustofsky, the estranged father of Krusty the Clown; Bart and Lisa are determined to reconcile father and son with words of wisdom from the Old Testament and "Yes, I Can" by Sammy Davis Jr. The Simpsons scare up more laughs in "Treehouse of Horror II," one of the series' vaunted Halloween shows that features a parody of the Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life." Finally, to pay for "Lisa's Pony," Homer must moonlight at the Kwik-E-Mart. Each of the three volumes also contains an original Simpsons short from The Tracey Ullman Show. --Donald Liebenson

The Simpsons Trick or Treehouse Box Set (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: This three-volume set of six Simpsons episodes is more treat than trick, but a decidedly mixed bag. Anyone expecting a collection of just the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes will be disappointed. Volume 1, containing "Treehouse of Horror III" and "Treehouse of Horror V," delivers "the terror and foul horror" we've come to expect from these eagerly awaited annual Halloween broadcasts. "III" pays homage to the "Talky Tina" episode of The Twilight Zone (an evil Krusty doll tries to kill Homer), King Kong (Marge is the beauty who attracts giant beast Homer), and Night of the Living Dead (Bart unwittingly unleashes a reign of zombie terror). "V" is even more frightfully funny. No TV and no beer make Homer go crazy in "The Shinning" ("You mean 'The Shining,'" Bart corrects. "Shh, you want to get sued?" he is reprimanded). In a nod to Ray Bradbury, Homer is sucked into a time vortex and "alters the future in ways you can't even imagine" (Ned Flanders as "the unquestioned lord and master of the world"?). Last on the menu is "Nightmare Cafeteria," in which Principal Skinner and Lunchlady Doris cook up an unsavory solution to the school's overcrowding problem. Volume 2 strays from Halloween for two classic Sideshow Bob episodes, "Black Widower" and "Cape Feare." Kelsey Grammer is in fine voice as Sideshow Bob, whose evil plans are foiled by Bart. To be charitable, the episodes on volume 3, "Bart Sells His Soul" and "Lisa the Skeptic," would be more appropriate for a collection of The Simpsons' religious-themed shows. --Donald Liebenson

The Simpsons Christmas Special (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: It's Christmas at the Simpsons' household but no one is jolly. Homer doesn't have the heart to tell Marge that Scroogey boss Mr. Burns isn't giving out Christmas bonuses this year. Marge, on the other hand, is counting on the bonus because she's spent all the Christmas money getting a tattoo removed from Bart's arm. So Homer has to go to work as a department-store Santa. An early episode with less sophisticated humor and animation, it still offers a number of laughs, plus the story of where the Simpsons got their dog, Santa's Little Helper. --Marshall Fine

The Simpsons Go Hollywood, Boxed Set (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The brilliance of The Simpsons is in the way it draws a fine line between tribute and complete mockery. This three-volume set, The Simpsons Go Hollywood, collects some of the series' finest moments of homage and irreverence. Volume 1 contains two of the series' comedic highlights, "A Streetcar Named Marge" and "Marge vs. the Monorail." The former has the lovely blue-haired missus playing Blanche to Ned Flander's Stanley in the musical Oh Streetcar!. Director Llewelyn Sinclair (Jon Lovitz) is a flamboyant tyrant; Maggie is foisted off to day care, the Ayn Rand School for Tots; and Homer and Marge have domestic strife. The second episode features Phil Hartman as a shyster who sells Springfield on a monorail. Leonard Nimoy guest stars as himself.

The second volume has the infamous two-part "Who Shot Mr. Burns." Mimicking the famed shooting of J.R. in Dallas, Mr. Burns is shot at the end of the first episode, a season finale. Audiences had to wait an entire summer to learn who pulled the trigger. Tito Puente guest stars. "Bart Gets Famous" and "Krusty Gets Kancelled" grace volume 3. Bart takes an after-school job as Krusty the Klown's assistant in the tape's first episode. As a last-minute replacement on air, Bart becomes famous as the "I didn't do it" kid. The second episode is a star-studded event as celebrities come out to do an extravaganza to save Krusty after his program is cancelled. Johnny Carson, Hugh Hefner, Bette Midler, Luke Perry, Barry White, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are guest voices. --Jenny Brown

The Simpsons Go Hollywood, Vol. 1 (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The episodes gracing The Simpsons Go Hollywood are perhaps two of the most rewind-worthy shows of the series. With pokes at and tributes to everything from Hitchcock, Batman, and Ayn Rand to The Flinstones, The Great Escape, and The Music Man, this video will have you trying to guess exactly where you've seen that scene before.

"A Streetcar Named Marge" has the lovely blue-haired missus playing Blanche to Ned Flander's Stanley in the musical Oh Streetcar!. Director Llewelyn Sinclair (Jon Lovitz) is a flamboyant tyrant; Maggie is foisted off to day care, the Ayn Rand School for Tots (where signs such as "Helping is futile" grace the walls); and Homer and Marge have domestic strife ("Why can't you be more supportive?" Marge demands. "Because I don't care," responds Homer). After this episode aired, the producers of the show had to issue a formal apology to the city of New Orleans for trashing it in one of the Oh Streetcar! musical numbers.

In "Marge vs. the Monorail," the town has $3 million, courtesy of Mr. Burns's illegal dumping of waste. The town is quickly taken in by a shyster (voiced by Phil Hartman) who convinces them Springfield needs a monorail. And who better to conduct this misguided train than Homer Simpson ("Are we going to die, son?" Homer asks Bart. "Yeah," he replies, "but at least we're going to take a lot of innocent people"). Leonard Nimoy guest stars on this episode as himself, when he acts as grand marshal for the first monorail run. These two classic Simpsons are hysterical to begin with, and they only improve on repeat viewings. --Jenny Brown

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 7 - Bart Gets Hit By a Car/ One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Two classic episodes: In "Bart Gets Hit by a Car," Bart gets hit by Mr. Burns and goes to both heaven and hell in a riotous out-of-body experience. But when Homer tries to milk the injury for a windfall lawsuit, he makes the mistake of employing Dr. Nick Riviera ("See that dark spot on the x-ray? That's whiplash!") and lawyer Lionel Hutz (voiced by Phil Hartman). In "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish," Marge talks Homer into trying a sushi restaurant and he eats blowfish cut by an inexperienced chef. Given 24 hours to live after eating the potentially poisonous fish, Homer has to make a list of things to do before his life is over. Then he settles down with his Walkman and a tape of Larry King reading the Bible to meet his maker. Wonderfully funny; the final shot is the topper. --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 8 - The Way We Was/ Homer Vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In "Homer Vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment," Homer gets an illegal cable hookup and makes a slew of instant friends by offering them a free viewing of a pay-per-view fight. But Lisa worries that her family is headed for hell for stealing and becomes Homer's annoying conscience. In the delightful "The Way We Was," Marge and Homer tell the kids the story of how they met, which is both touching and funny, as well as a hilarious satire of the mid-1970s, when Homer and Marge were both in high school. Highlight: Homer's yearbook picture, under which is his slogan: "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Vol. 9 - Three Men and a Comic Book/ Lisa's Substitute (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In "Three Men and a Comic Book," Bart, Milhouse, and Martin invest their joint savings in a rare copy of a Radioactive Man comic book then succumb to greed and paranoia as each vies for the chance to keep it in his possession overnight. In "Lisa's Substitute," Miss Hoover is out sick with Lyme disease, so Lisa's class gets a substitute teacher: the highly engaging Mr. Bergstrom, who not only actually makes learning interesting but recognizes Lisa for the special child she is. Voiced by Dustin Hoffman (who used the pseudonym Sam Etic), he's her dream come true. Meanwhile, Bart runs for class president and seems actually capable of winning by making a mockery of the process--a terrific political satire. --Marshall Fine

The Best of The Simpsons, Boxed Set 3 (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The series really hits its stride in this set of six episodes, which includes "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" ("Please allow me to introduce myself," the Devil says to Bart when he temporarily goes to hell); "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" (Homer eats poison sushi and tries to cram an entire life into the 24 hours he has left to live); "The Way We Was" (how Homer and Marge met in high school in the dazzling disco days of 1974); "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" (Homer gets an illegal cable box to watch a boxing match with a fighter that looks and sounds suspiciously like Mike Tyson); "Three Men and a Comic Book" (greed corrupts the friendship of Bart, Milhouse, and Martin when they jointly purchase a rare edition); and "Lisa's Substitute" (Dustin Hoffman does the voice of a teacher who finally appreciates Lisa for the little overachiever she is). --Marshall Fine

The Simpsons Political Party, Vol. 1 (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: "Two Bad Neighbors," a gem from the seventh season of The Simpsons, pits "King of the Neighborhood" Homer Simpson (a.k.a. "local oaf") against his new neighbor, former president George Bush. After bonding with Ned Flanders ("Howdily doodily yourself there, Ned"), Bush makes an instant enemy out of Homer, while Bart ("He's a bad, bad little boy," warns pious young Todd Flanders) becomes Dennis the Menace to Bush's Mr. Wilson, resulting in "something your dad should have done a long time ago": a spanking. The battle lines are drawn. "Then we're agreed," seethes Homer, "there'll be trouble." "Lots of trouble," counters Bush. This volume gets our vote for front-runner status in the "Political Party" collection. --Donald Liebenson

The Simpsons Political Party, Vol. 2 (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: As the election for mayor of Springfield draws near, right-wing radio talk show host Birch Barlow (any resemblance to Rush Limbaugh is not a coincidence) targets six-term "illiterate, tax-cheating, wife-swapping, pot-smoking spendocrat" Diamond Joe Quimby. Barlow orchestrates the pardon from prison of none other than Bart's mortal enemy. No, it's not Dr. Demento (who cameos, as, inexplicably, do classic comic book characters Archie, Jughead, Reggie, and Moose, who warn Homer to "stay out of Riverdale"); it's Sideshow Bob (voiced by Kelsey Grammer) whom the Republican Party runs against Quimby. When Bart interferes, Sideshow Bob warns, "No children have ever meddled with the Republican Party and lived to tell about it." This video also contains "Trash of the Titans," featuring the voice of Steve Martin as Ray Patterson, Springfield's Sanitation Commissioner, who is ousted from office after Homer runs on a platform of "Can't someone else do it?" For the youngsters, there's a musical appearance by Irish rockers U2. --Donald Liebenson

The Simpsons Political Party, Vol. 3 (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Homer, the recipient of "a severe audit" by the IRS, faces five years in prison unless he squeals on his friends and retrieves the rare trillion-dollar bill from Montgomery Burns in "The Trouble with Trillions," a rare Simpsons clunker. However, it does have its moments, such as the tax-day deadline melee at the Springfield post office ("The harder you push," a stern Chief Wiggum advises, "the faster we'll get out of here"). But worth the price of purchase is "I Love Lisa," one of the series's best episodes, in which a mortified Lisa becomes the object of pitiable Ralph Wiggum's affections. Highlights include Krusty the Klown's 29th anniversary special as well as a Presidents' Day school pageant featuring the song "We Are the Mediocre Presidents." (Sample lyric: "You won't find our faces on dollars or on cents.") The Simpsons is a brilliantly iconoclastic and subversively funny show, yes, but as this episode (and "Duffless" on Volume 1) illustrates, it also has a surprisingly sweet side. --Donald Liebenson

The Simpsons - The Complete First Season (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: America's first family of dysfunction, the Simpsons, appear in all their depraved glory in this wonderful DVD compilation of their show's premiere season. Fans accustomed to the slick appearance of the later episodes will be delighted by the rougher nature of these earlier episodes, when the characters weren't as well defined (Homer isn't quite as dumb as he is in later seasons) and the animation was still evolving. This only adds to the charm of these 13 episodes, which begin with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," the December 1989 Christmas special in which a down-and-out Simpson family adopt Santa's Little Helper. Throughout the season, familiar faces are introduced, as we catch first glimpses of Smithers, Mr. Burns, the Flanderses, and Patty and Selma. Highlights of the season include "The Crepes of Wrath," in which Bart is sent to France as an exchange student ("Don't mess up France the way you messed up your room"); "Bart the Genius," in which Bart ends up in a school for the gifted; and "Krusty Gets Busted," in which Bart's lifelong animosity with Sideshow Bob begins. --Jenny Brown