Key figures from the chart
- The chart gives the average IMDb rating of every season of The Simpsons from season 1 to season 31, and the rating of each of 683 episodes.
- Season averages rise from 7.8 in season 1 to a peak of 8.4 in seasons 5, 6 and 7.
- From season 9 the averages fall: 7.0 by season 13, 6.8 by season 17 and a low of 6.1 in season 30.
- The highest rated episode is season 8, episode 23 at 9.3. The lowest is season 23, episode 22 at 3.9.
All figures are from the graphic, whose creator says the ratings were scraped from IMDb using Python.
Simpsons ratings by season and episode
Title: The Decline of The Simpsons. Text on the graphic: “The Simpsons is one of the most iconic TV shows ever created. It first aired in 1989 and continues to do so to this day, spanning over 31 seasons. It soon became one of the most comedically successful shows in television history. However, over time, the comedic material and overall appeal of the show began to decline. I created a heat chart to show the audience ratings for every episode of every season. I also showed the average rating of each season. The data for this visualization was scraped from IMDb using Python.” Credit: “Visualized by Roshaan Khan.” An illustration shows the Simpson family with their dog and cat.
The top panel, “Average IMDb Rating Per Season”, is a lollipop chart coloured green, yellow or red. The main panel is a heat map of every episode, coloured from dark green (about 9) through yellow to dark red. The graphic prints decimals with commas (8,4); they are shown with points below.
| Season | Average IMDb rating | Colour | Episodes | Episode ratings, from episode 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7.8 | green | 13 | 8.2, 7.7, 7.4, 7.7, 8.0, 7.6, 7.8, 7.7, 7.5, 7.4, 7.8, 8.4, 7.8 |
| 2 | 8.0 | green | 22 | 8.2, 8.2, 8.3, 8.1, 7.4, 8.0, 7.8, 8.4, 8.1, 7.8, 8.8, 8.3, 8.0, 7.5, 8.3, 7.5, 7.6, 8.0, 8.6, 7.9, 8.3, 7.9 |
| 3 | 8.2 | green | 24 | 8.6, 7.8, 8.2, 8.6, 8.5, 7.7, 8.3, 7.9, 7.9, 8.8, 8.3, 8.3, 8.5, 8.0, 8.1, 8.3, 8.7, 8.2, 7.8, 8.1, 8.3, 7.7, 7.8, 8.3 |
| 4 | 8.3 | green | 22 | 8.5, 8.2, 9.0, 7.8, 8.5, 8.2, 7.8, 8.2, 8.9, 8.7, 8.7, 9.1, 8.0, 8.2, 8.4, 8.4, 9.1, 7.1, 8.1, 8.1, 7.8, 8.2 |
| 5 | 8.4 | green | 22 | 8.5, 9.2, 8.6, 8.9, 8.8, 8.1, 7.7, 8.7, 8.5, 8.6, 8.3, 8.2, 8.3, 8.2, 8.9, 8.5, 7.9, 8.3, 8.4, 8.3, 7.5, 8.1 |
| 6 | 8.4 | green | 25 | 8.7, 8.1, 5.9, 8.6, 8.3, 9.2, 8.1, 8.6, 9.0, 8.1, 7.8, 9.0, 8.8, 8.7, 8.6, 8.5, 7.9, 8.6, 8.3, 8.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.2, 8.7, 9.2 |
| 7 | 8.4 | green | 25 | 9.0, 8.3, 8.4, 8.8, 8.5, 8.6, 9.0, 8.6, 8.0, 7.5, 8.4, 8.3, 8.6, 7.7, 7.7, 8.2, 8.9, 8.1, 8.2, 8.6, 8.9, 8.4, 8.1, 8.0, 8.4 |
| 8 | 8.3 | green | 25 | 8.5, 9.2, 8.1, 7.7, 8.3, 8.1, 7.8, 8.8, 8.6, 9.1, 7.8, 8.6, 7.7, 8.0, 8.8, 8.2, 8.0, 8.9, 8.3, 7.6, 7.9, 8.1, 9.3, 7.2, 7.9 |
| 9 | 7.8 | green | 25 | 9.1, 6.9, 8.1, 8.2, 8.2, 7.7, 7.7, 8.1, 7.6, 7.6, 5.0, 7.7, 8.3, 8.2, 7.5, 7.6, 8.0, 7.9, 8.2, 7.8, 7.9, 8.4, 8.2, 7.8, 8.0 |
| 10 | 7.6 | yellow | 23 | 7.6, 8.1, 7.5, 8.0, 7.2, 7.6, 8.1, 7.3, 8.2, 7.8, 7.8, 7.0, 7.8, 7.3, 7.3, 7.5, 7.7, 7.4, 7.6, 7.3, 7.1, 7.3, 8.0 |
| 11 | 7.3 | yellow | 22 | 7.3, 7.5, 7.5, 7.7, 7.8, 7.3, 7.0, 7.1, 7.3, 7.3, 6.8, 7.3, 6.4, 7.7, 7.3, 7.3, 7.1, 7.3, 6.5, 7.1, 7.1, 7.9 |
| 12 | 7.3 | yellow | 21 | 7.6, 7.4, 7.0, 7.2, 7.0, 7.7, 7.2, 7.9, 8.1, 7.1, 7.4, 6.8, 7.1, 7.2, 7.5, 6.6, 6.8, 8.6, 7.2, 7.2, 7.0 |
| 13 | 7.0 | yellow | 22 | 7.5, 7.0, 7.1, 7.0, 7.6, 7.1, 6.8, 6.9, 7.2, 7.3, 7.0, 6.4, 6.4, 7.1, 7.0, 7.7, 5.4, 7.7, 6.7, 7.1, 7.0, 7.8 |
| 14 | 7.0 | yellow | 22 | 7.6, 7.3, 7.1, 7.0, 6.7, 7.2, 7.0, 7.2, 6.7, 6.7, 6.6, 7.2, 6.9, 6.7, 7.1, 7.1, 7.1, 6.9, 6.6, 6.7, 6.6, 7.7 |
| 15 | 7.0 | yellow | 22 | 7.5, 7.3, 6.8, 7.0, 7.0, 6.4, 7.0, 6.6, 7.3, 7.1, 7.0, 7.2, 7.1, 6.7, 6.6, 7.0, 6.5, 7.0, 7.3, 7.2, 6.2, 7.2 |
| 16 | 6.9 | yellow | 21 | 7.4, 6.8, 7.1, 6.4, 7.0, 7.1, 6.8, 6.1, 6.5, 6.8, 6.6, 6.9, 6.7, 6.7, 7.2, 7.4, 7.1, 6.6, 7.2, 7.0, 7.2 |
| 17 | 6.8 | yellow | 22 | 6.1, 6.8, 6.9, 7.3, 6.9, 6.8, 6.6, 7.0, 6.8, 6.6, 6.9, 6.4, 7.6, 6.9, 6.4, 6.3, 7.1, 6.7, 7.1, 6.6, 7.0, 6.3 |
| 18 | 6.8 | yellow | 22 | 7.5, 6.6, 6.6, 6.8, 6.6, 6.6, 6.9, 7.1, 6.1, 6.5, 6.9, 6.7, 7.2, 6.8, 6.1, 7.0, 7.2, 5.8, 6.9, 6.7, 8.1, 7.1 |
| 19 | 6.8 | yellow | 20 | 6.6, 6.5, 7.1, 6.7, 6.9, 6.5, 6.9, 7.1, 8.2, 6.8, 6.1, 6.5, 7.6, 7.3, 6.6, 5.9, 6.7, 7.0, 7.0, 6.3 |
| 20 | 6.8 | yellow | 21 | 7.2, 6.8, 6.8, 7.1, 6.5, 7.0, 7.0, 6.5, 5.9, 6.9, 6.9, 6.7, 7.1, 6.3, 6.6, 7.1, 7.1, 6.9, 7.1, 6.3, 7.2 |
| 21 | 6.7 | yellow | 23 | 7.0, 6.6, 6.1, 7.3, 6.6, 6.5, 6.7, 7.1, 6.6, 6.5, 7.0, 6.7, 6.4, 6.9, 6.9, 5.6, 6.5, 6.8, 6.8, 7.1, 6.9, 7.2, 6.4 |
| 22 | 6.6 | yellow | 22 | 6.0, 6.7, 6.7, 7.0, 7.1, 6.3, 6.2, 6.7, 6.9, 6.1, 6.6, 6.9, 6.7, 7.1, 6.6, 5.9, 6.1, 6.8, 6.4, 7.0, 7.1, 6.8 |
| 23 | 6.7 | yellow | 22 | 7.0, 7.0, 6.4, 6.4, 7.0, 7.9, 6.6, 6.0, 8.2, 5.9, 6.9, 5.6, 6.2, 6.9, 6.8, 7.2, 6.9, 7.0, 7.5, 6.7, 6.5, 3.9 |
| 24 | 6.6 | yellow | 22 | 6.3, 7.2, 6.8, 6.6, 6.2, 6.2, 6.9, 7.1, 6.6, 6.9, 6.4, 6.1, 6.9, 6.1, 6.8, 7.0, 6.3, 6.3, 6.7, 6.1, 7.0, 6.8 |
| 25 | 6.7 | yellow | 22 | 6.8, 6.9, 6.3, 6.4, 6.8, 6.3, 6.7, 6.3, 7.6, 6.9, 7.1, 6.2, 6.6, 6.6, 6.8, 6.7, 6.3, 6.8, 5.7, 7.9, 6.5, 6.5 |
| 26 | 6.5 | red | 22 | 5.6, 6.8, 6.4, 7.4, 6.1, 7.9, 6.7, 6.3, 6.7, 6.6, 7.1, 5.6, 6.1, 6.5, 6.4, 6.6, 6.5, 6.5, 6.7, 5.9, 6.5, 6.7 |
| 27 | 6.6 | yellow | 22 | 5.5, 6.6, 6.9, 7.6, 6.5, 6.6, 5.8, 6.8, 8.4, 6.5, 6.5, 6.5, 6.3, 6.5, 6.3, 7.1, 6.3, 6.2, 7.1, 6.7, 6.3, 6.7 |
| 28 | 6.4 | red | 21 | 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 6.8, 6.3, 6.7, 6.1, 6.6, 6.3, 5.8, 6.8, 6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.5, 6.8, 6.1, 6.8, 6.1, 6.4 |
| 29 | 6.6 | red | 21 | 6.7, 6.5, 6.1, 7.1, 6.3, 6.3, 6.3, 6.8, 7.2, 6.5, 6.2, 6.6, 6.6, 6.0, 6.3, 6.3, 6.7, 7.0, 6.6, 6.7, 7.6 |
| 30 | 6.1 | red | 23 | 6.2, 6.0, 6.1, 5.8, 7.0, 6.5, 5.6, 6.4, 6.7, 6.7, 5.5, 6.3, 6.9, 6.1, 6.4, 5.7, 6.3, 4.5, 6.2, 5.3, 5.3, 5.9, 5.9 |
| 31 | 6.4 | red | 22 | 5.7, 5.9, 6.5, 6.9, 6.2, 5.4, 6.3, 7.3, 6.5, 6.6, 6.0, 6.6, 5.9, 7.3, 6.5, 6.5, 7.0, 6.3, 6.0, 5.8, 6.7, 7.4 |
When The Simpsons ratings started to fall
The season averages tell a clear story. Seasons 1 to 9 all average 7.8 or more and are coloured green. Season 10 drops to 7.6, seasons 11 and 12 to 7.3 and seasons 13 to 15 to 7.0. From season 16 no season averages more than 6.9. That fits the usual view of the show: Wikipedia notes that its early seasons in the 1990s received wide critical acclaim and are generally considered its “golden age” [1].
Single episodes break the pattern. Season 9 contains both a 9.1 (episode 1) and a 5.0 (episode 11). Episode 11 is “All Singing, All Dancing”, a clip show that a reviewer called a “low moment” of the season because it recycles earlier episodes [4]. Late seasons also have outliers: season 27, episode 9 scores 8.4 and season 19, episode 9 scores 8.2.
The best and worst rated episodes on the chart
The top cell, season 8 episode 23, is “Homer’s Enemy”, the episode that introduces Frank Grimes. Wikipedia says it holds an average IMDb user rating of 9.3, the highest for the series, and that it split critical opinion when it aired [2]. Other episodes rated 9.2 on the chart are season 5 episode 2, season 6 episodes 6 and 25, and season 8 episode 2.
The lowest cell, season 23 episode 22, is “Lisa Goes Gaga”, the season 23 finale with Lady Gaga. Wikipedia says fan response was overwhelmingly negative and that it is now seen as one of the series’ worst episodes [3]. The next lowest on the chart are season 30 episode 18 (4.5) and season 9 episode 11 (5.0).
Notes on this infographic
- IMDb ratings, not viewers. The chart measures how IMDb users rate episodes. It does not show TV ratings or viewing figures, so it cannot say how many people watched.
- Data date. The data stops at season 31 (episode count 22). The show has continued since: Wikipedia lists 813 episodes broadcast and a renewal for four more seasons in April 2025 [1]. IMDb ratings also change over time, so current figures may differ slightly.
- Colour bands. Season 29 (6.6) is coloured red while seasons 22 and 27 (also 6.6) are yellow, so the colours were probably set on unrounded averages.
- Original post. The graphic is credited to Roshaan Khan, but we could not find where it was first published. If you made it, contact us and we will link to your original.
- Season averages. We recalculated each season’s average from the episode values; all match the printed averages to one decimal place (our arithmetic).
Questions about Simpsons ratings
What is the lowest rated Simpsons season?
On this chart, season 30, with an average IMDb rating of 6.1. Seasons 28 and 31 follow at 6.4.
When did The Simpsons start to decline?
The chart’s season averages peak at 8.4 in seasons 5 to 7 and start falling after season 8 (8.3). Season 10 is the first to fall below 7.8, and no season after 15 averages 7.0 or more.
How long has The Simpsons been on TV?
Since 17 December 1989, when the half-hour series premiered with “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” [1].
Sources
- Wikipedia, The Simpsons.
- Wikipedia, Homer’s Enemy.
- Wikipedia, Lisa Goes Gaga.
- Wikipedia, All Singing, All Dancing.
Last reviewed 29 October 2026
