The Bart Scene That Went Too Far On The Simpsons

At this point, "The Simpsons" has aired for 33 seasons and more than 700 total episodes. To say that a lot has happened over those thousands of hours of TV is an understatement. As a sitcom, "The Simpsons" has always been known for pushing the envelope with its edgy sense of humor, with its casual depictions of serious subjects like alcoholism and parental abuse.

Bart Simpson is particularly in-your-face. The ten-year-old is known for his defiance of authority and his nihilistic attitude. While Bart's shenanigans are often presented in a lighthearted way, (and are often hilarious), it's also the kind of behavior that would get a real child sent to a juvenile detention center, or worse.

Picking just one moment as Bart's worst is a difficult task. Is it the time when his shaken-beer prank on April Fool's Day paralyzed Homer? Or the time when he sawed off the head of a statue of beloved town founder Jebediah Springfield? Or when he framed Jimbo Jones for his many prank calls to Moe's Tavern, and Moe went after Jimbo with a knife? Or how about the time when he single-handedly ruined Australia's ecosystem by introducing an American frog?

All are good candidates, but according to fans on Reddit, this moment from "The Simpsons" stands out from the rest.

On Reddit, Redditor u/nuparrc asked their fellow Reddit users to name the worst thing that Bart Simpson has ever done. While there were several popular answers, many of which are listed above, the one with the most upvotes was from the second episode of Season 6, "Lisa's Rival," which aired in 1994. "[Bart] tipped off the FBI to the whereabouts of his good friend Milhouse," wrote Redditor u/cgg419 in response to the query.

In the episode, while helping Lisa plot to take down her new rival Allison, Bart casually mentions the "prank" he played on Milhouse: somehow getting Milhouse on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list. As Bart tells Lisa this, FBI agents show up and chase Milhouse across the playground. "Not again," Milhouse says wearily. The sequence concludes with a memorable parody of the dam scene from "The Fugitive," with Milhouse jumping off a high waterfall to avoid capture, then losing his glasses.

It's obviously a ridiculous scenario, but it makes sense why this got the most votes. To get Milhouse on the FBI's list, Bart would have had to frame him for a pretty heinous crime. That's the kind of thing that stays with a person for years to come, even if they're eventually proven innocent. On top of that, Bart is subjecting his best friend to non-stop police harassment.

Luckily for us, "The Simpsons" isn't the sort of show to take itself too seriously–and luckily for Milhouse, his FBI problem just seem to go away by the next episode.