Simpsons Top 100 Countdown

#60 Burns’s Heir
Season 5, Episode 18 (Guide from the Simpsons Archive)

After a near-death experience, Mr. Burns decides that he wants to name an heir. He holds tryouts for all the young boys of Springfield. After a poor showing at the tryouts (thanks mostly to Homer) and humiliation at the hands of Mr. Burns, Bart decides to strike back by vandalizing his property. This stunt goes straight to Burns’s evil heart and he makes Bart his heir. Marge, taking pity on the lonely Mr. Burns, sends Bart to visit with him, but he grows a little too attached and leaves his family in favor of living with Mr. Burns. Burns pushes too far, though, and tries to get Bart to fire Homer; Bart refuses and loses his place as heir. Memorable moments include Homer winning the industrial chimney sweep job, the auditions, the robotic Richard Simmons (yeah, it was a deleted scene, but I’ll count it), Burns’s various extravagancies (spying on everyone, the fake Simpson family, etc.), the Falklands bit, Burns’s initial reaction to a rock coming through his window, and the “let’s all go to the lobby” number.