For more than three decades, Matt Groening’s The Simpsons has been one of the funniest, most beloved, and most groundbreaking TV shows on the air. The success of the series can be attributed to a number of things, but ultimately what made it resonate with so many viewers across the world is that the Simpsons feel like a real family.
While there are Simpsons episodes that revolve around the entire family and episodes driven by satire and social commentary, the majority of the show’s installments focus on one character. Homer is undoubtedly the series’ main protagonist, but Marge has been at the center of some of The Simpsons’ funniest storylines.
The Twisted World Of Marge Simpson (Season 8, Episode 11)
When she gets kicked out of her investor group, Marge decides to invest in a business of her own in season 8’s “The Twisted World of Marge Simpson” and ends up starting a pretzel business.
As Marge’s new venture struggles, Homer attempts to help her out by recruiting Fat Tony’s crime syndicate to intimidate all the other food vendors out of Springfield and get the pretzel numbers up.
Marge In Chains (Season 4, Episode 21)
In the midst of taking care of Homer and the kids when they’re all sick, Marge gets so flustered at the Kwik-E-Mart that she accidentally shoplifts. The town paints her as a common crook and she quickly becomes public enemy number one.
This is the episode that supposedly “predicted” the coronavirus outbreak, as an assembly line worker coughs into a package that gets sent to Homer, bringing an unfamiliar strain of flu to Springfield.
Itchy & Scratchy & Marge (Season 2, Episode 9)
After Maggie hits Homer on the head with a mallet in a hysterical homage to Psycho in season 2’s “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge,” Marge blames the excessive violence found in Bart and Lisa’s favorite cartoon and protests the studio to have it taken off the air.
The episode has a lot to say about the pros and cons of politically motivated censorship without ever feeling too preachy.
Scenes From The Class Struggle In Springfield (Season 7, Episode 14)
After buying a Chanel suit in a clearance sale, Marge bumps into an old classmate who’s since become rich and affluent and, because of the Chanel suit, she thinks the same of Marge. In a bid to fit in with the social elite, Marge alters the Chanel suit into a new outfit every time she sees her new friends.
Interestingly, “Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield” marked the first time that a female director and a female writer were credited on the same Simpsons episode.
In Marge We Trust (Season 8, Episode 22)
Reverend Lovejoy brings on Marge to answer the town’s calls in season 8’s “In Marge We Trust,” until some bad advice gets Ned Flanders terrorized and chased across the state by preteen bullies.
The episode also has a terrific Homer-centric B-plot as the Simpson patriarch is shocked to discover his own face on a box of Japanese dishwasher detergent called Mr. Sparkle.
Marge On The Lam (Season 5, Episode 6)
When a divorcee named Ruth Powers moves into the neighborhood, she invites Marge to the ballet and they end up going on the run, Thelma & Louise-style.
There are a ton of hilarious moments in this episode, like the spoof of Thelma & Louise’s ending in which Homer and Chief Wiggum go soaring into a canyon in a police cruiser, or when Homer says, “Stupid TV! Be more funny!”
A Streetcar Named Marge (Season 4, Episode 2)
Marge auditions to play Blanche in a musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire in season 4’s “A Streetcar Named Marge,” and after seeing that she has to deal with an inconsiderate brute husband of her own, the director gives her the part opposite Ned Flanders as Stanley.
By picturing Homer in Stanley’s place, Marge gets so wrapped up in the role that she nearly hurts Ned for real. Homer sees the error of his ways after seeing Marge’s performance in the show in one of The Simpsons’ sweetest endings.
Marge Vs. The Monorail (Season 4, Episode 12)
Widely regarded to be a perfect episode of The Simpsons and possibly the greatest in the show’s history, season 4’s “Marge vs. the Monorail” sees the town coming into some money and being conned into spending it on a cheap monorail system.
Marge investigates the snake oil salesman who sold Springfield on the idea and finds out he’s pulled the same swindle on various other towns. However, she’s too late to stop the maiden voyage, so it’s up to the conductor, who happens to be Homer.
The Springfield Connection (Season 6, Episode 23)
After thwarting a grifter in a sketchy neighborhood, Marge decides to join the police academy in season 6’s “The Springfield Connection.” Chief Wiggum’s ineffectual police training is the source of a lot of great gags in the episode’s first half, then the second half explores Marge’s new life on the beat.
She initially enjoys her job and finds that she’s great at enforcing the law, but being a cop ends up alienating her friends as they’re all intimidated by her.
Fear Of Flying (Season 6, Episode 11)
When Homer is mistaken for a pilot and put in the cockpit of a plane, the airline repays him for the misunderstanding with free air miles. However, when the family gets on the plane to go on vacation, Marge freaks out and gets them kicked off.
She goes to therapy and uncovers a deep-seated fear of flying going back to her childhood. “Fear of Flying” is, without a doubt, The Simpsons’ best Marge-centric episode.
