← Season 28
THE SIMPSONS · SEASON 28 · EPISODE 2

The Simpsons S28E02 Friends and Family

★ 7.4 · GREAT Oct 2, 2016 30 MIN FOX
Still from The Simpsons S28E02: Friends and Family

The episode in brief

Mr. Burns hires the Simpsons to play his live-in virtual reality family, but excludes Homer so that he may play dad. Now alone, Homer finds a new best friend in girl-next-door Julia, who eats, drinks and thinks like him. Blackboard: 'I will stop losing 50% of my NFL lead-in'.

FAN DESK VERDICT A top-shelf entry. Not quite canon, but you’ll be quoting it all week — the fan desk says don’t skip.

Who’s in it

SERIES REGULARS

Where it sits in the season

TAP A BAR TO JUMP

Where to watch S28E02

US · NOVEMBER 2026
AVAILABILITY IS FOR THE SHOW; NOT EVERY SERVICE CARRIES EVERY EPISODE · LINKS MAY EARN US POPCORN MONEY
7.4
THE FAN VERDICT
Keeper. Goes straight in the rewatch rotation.

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S28E02 FAQ

When did The Simpsons S28E02 air?

The Simpsons S28E02 (“Friends and Family”) first aired on October 2, 2016.

Where can I watch The Simpsons S28E02?

In the US, The Simpsons season 28 — including this episode — is available on FX, Hulu, Disney+, fuboTV, DirecTV On Demand, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube TV, FOX One Amazon Channel, Hulu on Disney+, Amazon, Fandango at Home, and AppleTV.

Is The Simpsons S28E02 a good episode?

Fans rate The Simpsons S28E02 (“Friends and Family”) 7.4/10, which puts it in the great tier for The Simpsons.