The episode has been generally well received, being praised by many critics for its writing. In a 2009 review for "Slate", Josh Levin wrote that "The greatness of 'Stark Raving Dad' has a lot more to do with "The Simpsons" writing staff than with Jackson's voice-over talents. The show's scripters came up with a plot device far more ingenious than simply dropping the singer into Springfield." Monica Collins of the "Boston Herald" also enjoyed the episode. On the day it first aired, she wrote that "This episode is vintage "Simpsons", crammed with divinely vulgar visual oddities. And Michael Jackson, of course, is just so weird anyway that he fits right in." Mark Lorando of "The Times-Picayune" commented that "throwaway lines on "The Simpsons" are funnier than the big punchlines on most so-called comedy series; episode has layers of humor, satirical touches that enrich the story lines," singling out jokes like the "America's Funniest Home Video" parody. "The laughs are literally non-stop, and Jackson's unmistakable vocal presence [...] adds a thousand watts of star power." In 2011, Television Blend's Eric Eisenberg named "Stark Raving Dad" the best episode of the entire series. He praised it for being heartful and said that what "prevents the episode from seeming artificial or manipulative is that the writing in the episode earns the earnest moments", elaborating that while "strong emotions might be the hallmark of 'Stark Raving Dad', it would be a sincere mistake to ignore how funny it is." He concluded that the episode "is perfectly constructed, is filled with both deep belly laughs and tears, and is simply the greatest episode of The Simpsons". In 1998, "TV Guide" listed it in its list of top twelve "Simpsons" episodes.