Which episodes do you think have the best commentary?

Although I have all the DVD sets, I am way behind on the commentary for the post-classic seasons. I really should catch up on them, as I am interested to hear how they go, and what they have to say, especially about some of the more notorious episodes. I remember it feeling a bit weird when Season 5 came out, and a lot of the voices I was used to hearing on the commentaries were replaced by the new writers who joined the show at that time. Not that there weren't still some familiar voices, but you get very used to hearing Al Jean and Mike Reiss on a lot of episodes in the first four seasons, and obviously the third and fourth in particular. Perhaps that's why I've dragged my feet on listening to those commentaries, even though I've had the DVDs for years: the abrupt change of personnel leading the commentaries can feel a bit jarring. That, and I'm particularly partial to the first eight seasons.

One of my favourite lines from one of the earlier commentaries is a session where Matt Groening couldn't make it, and someone said a few words on his behalf, and joked that he "sends his love to almost everybody". Nothing spectacular about the joke of course, just a good little rib, an enjoyable bon mot.
 
Same, I've had the DVD's for ages and for some reason I've never really listened to the commentary until recently, I think I just wasn't interested in them or something, I'm not sure and I don't know why cause I love The Simpsons and obviously love hearing these but I guess it was just a case of me putting the DVD's on to watch the episodes all the time and not really going into the extra's that much.

I'm enjoying them so far though, I'm on to the third disc on season three now so will watch them soon, it's good cause I have them on while I'm doing stuff and I can listen to it at the same time and you do get to find out so many things such as the thing I mentioned earlier about Bea being an anagram of Abe, which I know isn't much but it's a good little fact I think :)

Edit: Just to add, listening to Radio Bart commentary now, Nancy Cartwright is also very enjoyable on the commentary too, love listening to her.
 
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I mentioned it in another thread, but after listening to the commentary on "The Otto Show", I felt they were a bit hard on themselves and the episode. They definitely got about as much mileage as they were ever going to get out of making Otto the focus of an episode, but the idea wasn't too bad. He was one of the few adults Bart openly respected which was worth exploring in some way, and it turned out to be a fun episode with amusing moments.

Just want to comment on this as I've seen it now, yeah they were a little hard on the Otto one, they mentioned about how he didn't even come in until later in the episode too but I feel it was great what they did with it, I mean, it's always nice to see an episode around a character that's not normally done so I usually welcome it, give and take it's flaws I think it's the effort they do with it etc.. that I admire and the creative chance they take.
 
It is a little unusually structured, but it works. It's a good spotlight episode for Otto - about the most you're going to get out of him, as I said - and keeping the focus on Bart and Homer the rest of the time helps carry the episode.
 
Yeah definitely, I would like to see more characters done like this though, as I say I think it add's a great contrast to the show and there are so many characters that have strong personality's too where it could be, I mean the Sideshow Bob episodes are really well received on a whole and I'm sure there are other characters that could be explored that haven't, so I do like it when they try with these things also :)
 
I see there's no Scully or Jean era commentaries here and I have to wonder if there really aren't any that stands out. One that I recall as standing out (maybe as I watched it late last year, I think) is 'They Saved Lisa's Brain' where they talk about the East St. Louis controversy among other things. I'm at loss for especially good Jean era commentaries at the moment.

My favorite moment from a Scully commentary might actually be right after the "panda rape" scene where there's this awkward pause and Groening goes "...that was a little gratuitous". Makes me laugh harder than just about anything in the episode.
 
This thread inspired me to go back and continue listening to the commentaries. I remember seeing the first two, Simpsons Roasting and Bart The Genius, last year so I started with Homer's Odyssey and went forth from there, currenty being in early season 2. I think the only complete seasons I've heard the commentaries to are 7 & 8.

Something that I noticed is that in a majority of the early episodes they just stop dead cold talking when the end credits begin and only a few times they do talk over it (and was the commentary for Treehouse Of Horror I recorded in three separate parts considering the participants introduce themselves at the start of each segment?).
 
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Yeah I've noticed that when the show ended, they probably feel like the last scene is where they needed to finish off, I know what you mean with the THOH commentary too, I think it was done together but wouldn't be surprised if it was separate as they do introduce it as a new section each time, although they don't go into the 'Al Jean, Matt Groening' introductions again, but maybe they knew they were being put together so wouldn't need to. I would think they did record them together though cause they'd have to get together again each time to do the little parts so my guess is it was recorded all at once like one episode, but I know what you mean :)
 
There hasn't been much mention of the Mirkin commentaries yet, so those are my picks (season 6 especially). Some people dislike him. Those people are wrong. Mirkin is hilarious. Especially if Conan is on there. I actually found the early seasons' commentary tracks pretty dull in comparison.
 
All of the Mirkin era commentaries are massively enjoyable, and the staff really sound like they're finally comfortable with the format. I can't remember any specific standout commentaries off the top of my head (though I probably put one pr two in my previous post here) but I can remember a lot of standout hilarious moments. A great one that immediately springs to mind is Matt's hilariously abhorred reaction to the Richard Nixon gag in "Deep Space Homer"...
 
(and was the commentary for Treehouse Of Horror I recorded in three separate parts considering the participants introduce themselves at the start of each segment?).
IIRC this is the only commentary through Season 14 where they do this. The only thing that comes close is in the deleted scenes commentaries for season which have multiple showrunners for episodes the showrunners will each talk about their own episodes
 
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