The Best Movie Of All Time Was Quietly Remade On TV

Image via MovieStillsDB Published Aug 5, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Adrienne Tyler is a movies & TV features writer, with a focus on horror. She has written for Netflix, FanSided, & more. She was a regular guest on the Netfreaks podcast and was a YouTuber at some point. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The movie widely regarded as the best of all time is Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, and while it hasn't been remade on the big screen, it was quietly remade on TV. When it comes to the best movies of all time, there are always three movies competing for the #1 spot, all of them with very valid and strong points in their favor. However, the one that often takes the crown, and with good reason, is Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles and written by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Welles. Citizen Kane stars Welles as Charles Foster Kane, a wealthy newspaper tycoon who goes from an impoverished kid who is taken under the wing of a banker to a successful businessman and politician who has a lonely death. After some controversies prior to its release, Citizen Kane saw the light of day in 1941 and was a critical success, and it’s now one of the most influential movies of all time. As such, Citizen Kane has been referenced and parodied in different media for decades. Among the many different titles and records that Citizen Kane holds is being the most parodied movie in the history of The Simpsons. Citizen Kane has been parodied and referenced in various episodes of The Simpsons, sometimes very subtly and other times in very clear and obvious ways, to the point where it has essentially remade the movie by now, at least according to one of the showrunners. Citizen Kane Is One Of The Most Parodied Movies In The Simpsons The Simpsons has had different showrunners throughout its 37-season run, and one of the most memorable ones is Al Jean. Jean has led the show on different occasions, first with Mike Reiss for two seasons, later by himself from seasons 13 to 32, and later with Matt Selman from season 33 to 37. If there’s someone who knows The Simpsons to perfection, then, is Al Jean. Now, The Simpsons has always been packed with pop culture references and parodies of movies and other TV shows, which has become a big part of its appeal. As mentioned above, Citizen Kane is the most parodied movie in The Simpsons' history, with Jean himself mentioning on audio commentary for the show that it has referenced and parodied Welles’ movie so many times that they could recreate the entire movie with those clips. Some of the most notable references to Citizen Kane in The Simpsons are the episode “Rosebud”, where Mr. Burns is holding a snowball while he’s supposedly dying, just like Kane does at the beginning of the movie, and it later shows a flashback to Burns’ childhood that parodies that of Kane. In “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”, Mr. Burns’ campaign is just like that of Kane, and in “Marge Gets a Job”, Smithers’ dance number is like the one done for Kane in the movie. There are many other subtle references and parodies of Citizen Kane in The Simpsons, as well as casual jokes like Lisa pointing out the “cane from Citizen Kane” in "Guess Who’s Coming to Criticize Dinner?” and a Tree House of Horror segment titled “Citizen Kang.” It’s possible that The Simpsons has remade most of Citizen Kane in parts throughout its run, and it would be fun to see them all put together if anyone ever takes on that complex task. The Godfather Has Also Been Subtly Remade In The Simpsons Joining Citizen Kane on the list of movies that have been parodied in The Simpsons the most is The Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece ranks high among the best movies of all time, and like Citizen Kane, it’s one of the most influential movies ever. It’s not surprising, then, that The Simpsons has also remade some scenes in its own style and referenced the movie on multiple occasions. Among The Simpsons’ many references to The Godfather are Lisa finding a pony on her bed in “Lisa’s Pony” (luckily for her, the pony was alive), Sonny’s death is parodied in “Mr. Plow” when Bart is mowed down by snowballs, and mafia boss Fat Tony often references the Corleone family, being the main representative of the mob in Springfield. The Simpsons will continue to reference Citizen Kane and The Godfather for as long as it continues, and it’s to be seen how creative it gets after pretty much parodying the entire movies by now. Release Date December 17, 1989 Network FOX Showrunner Al Jean Cast Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice) Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice) Directors Steven Dean Moore, Mark Kirkland, Rob Oliver, Michael Polcino, Mike B. Anderson, Chris Clements, Wes Archer, Timothy Bailey, Lance Kramer, Nancy Kruse, Matthew Faughnan, Chuck Sheetz, Rich Moore, Jeffrey Lynch, Pete Michels, Susie Dietter, Raymond S. Persi, Carlos Baeza, Dominic Polcino, Lauren MacMullan, Michael Marcantel, Neil Affleck, Swinton O. Scott III, Jennifer Moeller Writers J. Stewart Burns, Michael Price, Brian Kelley, Bill Odenkirk, Dan Vebber, Kevin Curran, Stephanie Gillis, Dan Castellaneta, Deb Lacusta, Billy Kimball, Jessica Conrad, Cesar Mazariegos, Daniel Chun, Jennifer Crittenden, Conan O'Brien, Valentina Garza, Elisabeth Kiernan Averick, Christine Nangle, Broti Gupta, Loni Steele Sosthand, Megan Amram, Bob Kushell, David Isaacs, David Mandel Franchise(s) The Simpsons Creator(s) Matt Groening