10. Principal Skinner Is An Impostor - The Principal And The Pauper (1997)
Messing with the established continuity of any given TV show is a risky business: whereas it's tempting for writers to go back and "change" established facts concerning plot lines or character histories in factor in a new and interesting dynamic, you risk alienating loyal fans who have come to love and appreciate certain aspects of the show. In other words, messing with the facts of something like The Simpsons is a sure-fire way to p*ss people off. So let's go back to 1997. The episode? Season seven's The Principal And The Pauper, which - aside from being a good episode generally - made the mistake of messing with one of the show's most popular characters. Yes, it turns out that Principal Skinner is actually a man named Armin Tamzarian, an impostor who has adopted the life of a former war buddy. It was very unnecessary, and only served to kill some of the show's much valued integrity.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
