13 "Offensive" TV Episodes That Embarrassed Their Creators

9. "The City Of New York Vs. Homer Simpson" - The Simpsons

This classic opening episode to The Simpsons' ninth season sees the family visiting New York in order to collect their lost car, which is located at the base of the World Trade Center.

The episode features extensive visual references to the iconic location, with an unforgettable gag even featuring two men arguing across the two towers, as one shouts to the other, "They stick all the jerks in Tower One." In recent years, co-executive producer Bill Oakley said this sliver of dialogue was "regrettable."

The September 1997 episode was pulled entirely from syndication following 9/11, given the enormous sensitivity to images of the buildings and, moreover, even the slightest hint of humour related to them.

By 2006 some networks had started to reintroduce the episode into their lineup, though the two men arguing is often edited out, and in some regions of the U.S. the episode still isn't broadcast at all.

Thankfully, it's freely available on the season nine DVD released in 2006 (which possibly prompted networks to start showing it again).