Flaming Moe's - Reception

Reception

In its original airing on the Fox Network during November sweeps, the episode had a 14.4 Nielsen rating and was viewed in approximately 13.26 million homes. It finished the week ranked 29th, up from the season's average rank of 32nd. It finished second in its timeslot behind The Cosby Show, which finished 17th with a 15.9 rating. It was the highest rated show on Fox that week.

The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it "Possibly the best Simpsons episode, with a constant stream of gags, inspired animation (in particular the sequence when Homer begins to see and hear Moe everywhere, from Maggie's gurgles to the leaves on the trees), and a superb plot that twists about in every direction but the one you might expect." DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson wrote "From Lisa’s slumber party at the opening through the Cheers spoof at Moe’s, this episode’s another real winner. Homer gets some of his all-time best lines, including a great run where he mocks Marge’s attempts to have him accept his fate. We even find a great twist on Bart’s prank phone calls when he asks for “Hugh Jass”. All in all, “Flaming” provides a terrific show." Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed gave the episode 5/5, calling it "another great chapter in the history of The Simpsons, with tons of laughs throughout." Todd VanDerWerff of Slant Magazine called it "a very funny episode" and highlighted the plot's focus on Moe as "an example of the show gradually expanding its supporting townspeople into characters in their own right," as "Moe was just an angry bartender before this episode. After this one, he's the sad man who sometimes tastes success but always lets it slip away because of his inability to do the right thing until it's too late." VanDerWerff also interpreted the episode as a metaphor for Simon's relationship with fellow The Simpsons' developers Groening and James L. Brooks and Simon's belief that he was not receiving enough credit for The Simpsons.

In 2006, IGN named "Flaming Moe's" the best episode of the third season. They wrote, "This episode has tons of standout moments, from the appearance by Aerosmith (the first time a musical act of that caliber appeared as themselves on the series); a funny payoff for all of Bart's prank calls to Moe's, when a man named Hugh Jass actually does turn out to be a customer; a deftly done Cheers parody at the height of Moe's success; and Homer turning into a Phantom of the Opera type lunatic." In Entertainment Weekly's 2003 list of the top 25 The Simpsons episodes ever, it was placed sixteenth. In 2003, Rich Weir of AskMen.com placed the episode in second on his list of his ten favorite episodes of the show. He wrote, "As one of the early episodes that helped solidify the show's sharp wit and satirical ability, "Flaming Moe's" has everything a classic Simpsons episode should have: gut-busting humor, nifty parody, and some superstar cameos to seal the deal. highlights include a performance by Aerosmith (in a guest-starring role), Bart actually apologizing to Moe for one of his infamous prank calls, and a memorable spoof of Cheers' theme song." In 2003, executive producer Al Jean listed the episode as one of his favorites. Niel Harvey of The Roanoke Times called "Flaming Moe's" a "classic bit of Simpsonia." AOL placed the episode sixth on their list of the top 25 Simpsons episodes. In 2006, the members of Aerosmith were collectively named the 24th best Simpsons guest stars by IGN.

The song "Flaming Moe's", which parodies "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" from Cheers, was well received. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly named the song the "Best Theme Song Parody" of 1991. It was later included in the 1997 album Songs in the Key of Springfield, a compilation of songs from the first seven seasons of the show.