35 Years Ago Today, The Simpsons Aired an Episode So Good That Matt Groening Called It His Favorite Ever

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35 years ago today, on December 6, 1990, The Simpsons aired “Bart the Daredevil” on FOX. The Season 2 episode is one of the most monumental in the entire series for Homer failing to jump over the Springfield Gorge, but also has the distinct honor of being Matt Groening’s favorite episode of the series. Detailing his favorites ten years after the series first began with Entertainment Weekly, Groening actually revealed this was his favorite of all time because of that iconic Homer moment.

Why Bart the Devil is Matt Groening’s Favorite

“The scene in which Homer accidentally attempts to skateboard across Springfield Gorge and doesn’t make it is pretty funny,” Groening once explained about why “Bart the Daredevil” was his favorite of all time. “[B]ut even funnier—for me, the funniest moment in the series—is when he’s loaded into an ambulance, which then hits a tree, sending Homer back over the cliff while strapped to a gurney. Truly inspired mayhem.” And it’s hard to argue as Homer failing to jump the gorge has made its mark as one of the most iconic scenes in the series’ history.

It was so early on in the series’ run that The Simpsons really helped to make its mark on the world with this moment. The Simpsons was largely a more grounded series before this point. While it would have wackier elements and stories fitting for an animated series, this full-on Looney Tunes like moment is what helped usher in a whole new style for the show. It opened up Homer and the other characters to much more flexibility, and allowed for the kind of experimentation that we’d come to see during later seasons of the Golden Age.

Why Bart the Daredevil Is So Special

“Bart the Daredevil” was also a special episode for Bart and Homer. Their dynamic rests at the core of many of the series’ episodes, and this episode saw Bart taking on dangerous stunts after being inspired to do so. But Homer had wanted to step in to stop in, and ultimately ends up trying to jump over the gorge. It’s become such a notable image over the course of the franchise that it was revisited years later with all sorts of Easter Eggs and wild shout outs.

The Simpsons has put Homer through the wringer in all sorts of ways in the decades since this Season 2 episode, but this is that one moment of physicality that really hasn’t been topped in the decades since. It’s why this is such a big scene even after being all the way back in Season 2, and why we still remember it 35 years later. And why it’s Groening’s favorite.

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