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Here Are the 20 Words Conan O’Brien Used to Pitch the Greatest ‘Simpsons’ Episode Ever

One word, one track, one endlessly re-watchable episode: “monorail.”

When the Season Four The Simpsons episode “Marge vs. The Monorail” aired on January 14, 1993, it wasn’t exactly an instant classic. In fact, the abstract, high-concept and heavily musical storyline was divisive even among the Simpsons family. Two years after its premiere, Yeardley Smith called the episode “truly one of our worst — we (the entire cast) all agree.” However, in the 31 years since writer Conan O’Brien ensured that the word “monorail” would forever be spoken rhythmically and repetitively by millions of Simpsons fans across the world, “Marge vs. The Monorail” has become an absolute tentpole plot line in the history of television and is widely regarded as one of the best-ever episodes, not just of The Simpsons, but of TV itself.

Steven Spielberg’s ‘Seinfeld’ Fandom Inspired the Inappropriate ‘Schindler’s List’ Storyline

Baffling allusions to the January 6th riots aside, Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy these days is about as edgy as a Nerf body pillow. But back in the ‘90s, Seinfeld wasn’t without its button-pushing moments. In addition to the masturbation contest and the abortion debate/couch-defiling episode, Seinfeld risked stirring controversy with “The Raincoats,” in which Jerry is caught making out with his girlfriend during a screening of Schindler’s List.

Even Jerry Stiller, who, of course, played Frank Costanza, was worried that this storyline went too far. “I almost wanted to say to everybody, ‘You can’t have them necking in the balcony while they’re watching Schindler’s List,’” Stiller once admitted. “I just felt they had gone over the line with that one.”

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