The Call of the Simpsons episode, along with his four other appearances on "The Simpsons", the best guest appearance in the show's history. "The Call of the Simpsons" received mixed reviews from critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book "I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide", both criticized and praised the episode saying: "This episode is a bit less than the sum of its parts. The early stuff at the RV Round-Up is much better than the main camping story, although there's some nice Marge-Lisa bonding, and who could resist Maggie and the bears?" In a
History of The Simpsons of the season "Cosby" averaged as the fifth highest rated show on television while "The Simpsons" ranked 38th. It would not be until the third-season episode "Homer at the Bat" that "The Simpsons" would beat "The Cosby Show" in the ratings. The show remained in its Thursday timeslot until the sixth season, when it moved back to its original timeslot on Sundays. David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records, had the idea to record the album "The Simpsons Sing the Blues" based on "The Simpsons", to be released in time for Christmas 1990. The writers wrote humorous lyrics for the actors