When you poll Simpsons fans for their favorite character, it's usually Bart or Homer at the top of the list. After all, those are the show's two main troublemakers—the ones whose hijinks usually drive the plot and garner the most attention. For series creator Matt Groening, however, his favorite is precocious eight-year-old Lisa (Yardley Smith). As explained in a 2018 interview"I love Lisa Simpson the most because she seems like the only character who will develop and eventually escape from Springfield."

Groening also offered a list of his favorite supporting characters: "Ralph Wiggum, Milhouse van Houten, Principal Skinner and Apu (...) I forgot Principal Skinner's mother, Agnes. Tres McNeil listens to the voice, and every time she speaks, I laugh."

He also talked about some of his favorite episodes in the show's history: "Over the years, (there was) the atypical episode with Frank Grimes (aka Grimmie)the guy who (is hired at) the nuclear plant and is driven crazy by Homer. Here is the episode where Homer skateboards over the Springfield Gorge - almost (...) Our motto is: More pain, more funny."

Groening's choice may come as a surprise to some "Simpsons" fans, many of whom consider Lisa to be a bit sullen or know-it-all. It's common to scroll through the comments section of a random "Simpsons" clip and see people trashing Lisa for one reason or another. Part of it is just a common internet trend, where the most prominent female character on any given show is almost always the most hated. But it certainly doesn't help that Lisa is sometimes relegated to the thankless role of voice of reason character. In the show's laziest moment, she's there to sanctimoniously drive home whatever the writers' point is, a role that will almost always rub some viewers the wrong way.

However, Lisa still reigned during the classical era, which I would consider to be those first eight seasons. Her dynamic with Homer is one of the funniest (and often sweetest) relationships in the entire series; the two repel each other perfectly, even if it seemingly took the writers until Season 3's "Lisa the Greek" to fully reveal this. She also makes a great partner in crime with Bart when the episodes allow her, and her love of social justice makes her fight the good fight against villains like Mr. Burns and that wily politician Bob Arnold. Perhaps the best gag of all with Lisa is the way she's simultaneously the wisest person on the show and a quintessential eight-year-old. She can give a presentation about the pollution of the lakes in the town hall, but she will also get into a childish argument with her brother:

But Lisa's main appeal is that, in addition to being the only Simpsons character with a bright future ahead of her, she is also the loneliest character and probably went through the biggest turmoil of the show. "Moaning Lisa," "Lisa's Replacement," "Round Springfield," and "Summer 4'2" are some of the most emotional episodes in the series, largely because Lisa's sensitivity allows the show to go places it can't go at all. other characters. Lisa isn't just the brains of the show; she is also her heart.